Was found by a banded homer, waiting on club...

[seismic wonder2]

Originally Posted by alicefelldown

Let's not turn this into a board vs. board kinda thing... both sites are immensely useful resources, full of knowledgeable people who care about their birds.

I suppose I'm still waiting for someone from the club to get back to me - and after loads of thinking I'm starting to debate if I'm prepared to 'get into pigeons' as well as my spoiled hens.

I'm noy guying that one for a second! Everybody knows there's always room for another bird to spoil!!!!!!

LOL LOL LOL

[alicefelldown]

After leaving about five messages for the club contact, with no response - and watching the poor bird struggle to get out of the cage ALL DAY - we released it. It did the circle around the house thing and took off to the east. There's food and water outside if it chooses to come back, but it was definitely acting like a bird who wanted to be 'free' again.

I feel used!!! But glad to have been able to help the 'lil thing.

[Hillybean]

There is a 50/50 chance that it won't make it....depending on its experience/age...that chance decreases...It is also with out a flock....so it a target for hawks, cats, dogs, cars, and people. It'd be like letting a chicken go....

Pigeons like this aren't use to doing it on their own. Of course they want out of a cage, they are use to a loft. The best chance would have been to adopt it out to a new home, it you didn't hear from them with in a few days.

Thank you for trying though.
-Hilly

[alicefelldown]

The club contact number was odd, sometimes it would ring twice, then beep beep beep at me, other times it would ring forever.. I checked all the local craigslists for lost or missing pigeons, googled for any racing pigeon websites in the area

I should have elaborated more - the bird had stopped being friendly, and would fly away from any hand-held food. A complete 180 from the bird who came up to me and followed me around. The bird had been struggling to get out, trying to fly through the bars, we were worried about it injuring its neck to be honest. Every time we went to feed or change its water, the bird would desperately try to fly at and through us to the outside. It was no longer acting like a tired, worn out bird, but one that was ready to go.

It wouldn't be like letting a chicken go, unless you took the bird and drove it miles away to see what would happen. You are comparing apples to oranges. Chickens don't have a magical magnet in their heads to tell them where home is. They also don't wander off 80-some-odd miles. I'm not saying my girls are smart but they wouldn't find themselves in the situation it seems lots of pigeons do.

Good luck with all your birds, be they lost or safe at home.