releasing bird

[sancto]

Hi all, Awhile ago ,first week in sept......., I wrote about a young pigeon my friend found in a dangerous area( traffic) it was about 3 -4 weeks old I'd figured.....It is perky and all.....and I'm still feeding it....2 times a day down from 3,,,,,but I don't see it eating the seeds or drinking the water......it does peck once or twice at the seeds, but not like it hungry...........should I just feed it once a day?or very little......it flys and it squeals alot..Why does he sqyeal so much? ....it is afraid of me.....Id' rather release it at my moms where she can feed it , as there as lots of cats here..........Would it be alright to wait to the spring to release it....I'm in New York and its not cold yet but I rather be sure that this bird is smart enough to eat on his own as the cold weather is right around the block so to speak............I could keep him in an 3 by 6 size area indoors so he could fly better for the winter........thanks Sancto

[feralpigeon]

They just naturally squeak, that's why they are called squeakers. Though
it's good to take notice of when this seems to be occuring the most as there
may be a reason why they are doing this, ie, communicating a need.

Maybe you could post a picture of this squeaker? Is there another flock of pigeons at your Mom's house? They do best in a flock situation in terms of
protection from predators and looking for food sources. It is best for them
to have a chance to acclimate to being out of doors in decent weather before
the severe weather sets in, but if you wait until the spring, the bird might
not be releasable as in becoming too tame. It's mute at this point as the
bird needs to be self feeding in order to be released .

Cut way back on the feeding first thing in the am and keep an eye on whether
or not the bird is picking up the slack so to speak by feeding itself. If you are
still giving two full meals, the bird has no incentive to self feed. How many
cc's are you giving the baby?

fp

[maryjane]

Try tapping the seeds with your finger, this sometimes gives them the idea and they mimic you and learn to eat. It can take awhile for a hand-fed youngster to learn to eat on its own. The squeaking is perfectly normal, they do love to squeak at that age. Providing it with a home through the winter sounds like the best idea, and how nice of you to do so. By spring you may very well have fallen in love with it and may have a new pet lol. But if not, then you can explore releasing. Try different sized seeds, too, if you haven't. You can mix in some cockatiel seeds, which are smaller, or something of the sort. That may be easier for it to pick up.