EEEEK -- building owner vs. pigeons!

[Garye]

I really wish every town had a pigeon park where pigeon lovers could visit their friends without being harassed. Since I've been cutting down on the feeding, the ferals have gone down in number. God knows where they go now. Hopefully where they can have peace.

I know what you're going through. It's tough to stop feeding when they look forward to seeing you every day for that food. You feel like you're turning your back on them. Unfortunately in this world, we have to. Not everyone likes pigeons, unfortunately.

WAAAAAH, why can't everyone be like us?

Sorry, I lost control for a minute there.

[minimonkey]

It looks as if I may be able to get those other two squabs out, as well. I talked to the building manager (the wife) and she thinks that the neighbor may be out of town, which may be why they haven't called. She's pretty sure we can work it out to let the little guys make it to me safely (oy, I'm going to be hand feeding for a long time!) I have a really flexible work schedule, so it isn't hard for me to be here for the 3 times a day feeding, except on Fridays, (which I haven't quite figured out yet)-- but I do have to go out of town for a wedding at the end of May. What's the chance I can find someone to pigeon sit, when that means hand feeding???? Would it be really bad form to show up at a nice hotel with a carrier full of birds?

[Reti]

You can always hide them and tell the hotel not to clean your room LOL

By the end of may they should be able to feed by themselves.
I am glad that you have at least one person on your side and willing to help you to get those two other babies.
I hope it works out.

Reti

[minimonkey]

I talked to my neighbor -- she is going to watch for the eggs to hatch, and then call me to come get them out her window. I'm guessing it will be a little trickier ground with the newborns than with my hearty twosome -- but there is a wealth of good advice to be had here, and mr. minimonkey will be sharing in the parenting. Only catch is if they don't hatch by Wednesday, when the netting needs to go up. I don't have much confidence in my ability to hatch an egg -- even one late in development.

I don't have room in my living space to house four pigeons for the long haul -- two, yes -- four, no. Anyone local to me interested in taking on a squab or two??? (Feralpigeon? maybe?) I'll certainly get them thru their infancy, but then I am going to need to find homes for two of them (ain't nobody gettin' between me and my current two, though).

[Reti]

That is great news.
I would advice, if they hatch tonight or tomorrow, I would let them get some crop milk from the parents until Tuesday evening. It seems that babies who get some crop milk do develop better and are healthier than the ones who get none.

Reti

[feralpigeon]

It sounds good to get a couple of days of parental feeding in before attempting
to rescue the squabs before D-Day. You also mentioned another nest. What is
the status w/that nest? I think I could help w/something for the other two, even if it is a soft release. I do know of a pretty healthy and unmolested flock,
rare out of all the flocks I have contact with. If they are unreleasable, then I
should have my backyard set up by then. If you need help getting to the other
nest before Wednesday, it would have to be Tuesday evening for me.

fp

[minimonkey]

The third nest, sadly, was destroyed -- apparently by the tenants in the unit next door (who are in the process of moving out) -- the eggs mysteriously disappeared from the nest, and one of them was placed very deliberately in between pigeon spikes where the parents couldn't reach it Our managers swear they had nothing to do with this madness -- and I believe them. The only other possibility is that the person was inside the window. I don't know these people, (nor do I want to!) but they do have one of the most aggressive and ill-adjusted little boys I have ever seen. So, that leaves the one nest that is just about to hatch, and my two darlings who are safe with me.

I'll see if I can arrange a Tuesday evening nest retrieval with the other neighbors -- hopefully there will be a hatch and some feeding before that time.

[Reti]

How cruel to place the egg between the spikes. I am really sorry about that.
Hope the other guys hatch and will be able ot get a few meals before you retrieve the nest tomorrow.
How are your darlings doing today?

Reti

[minimonkey]

My guys are doing great, it seems. They are quite adapted to me as mommy, now -- and mr. minimonkey got home last night and immediately bonded with them.

They were getting increasingly restless with the little basket I had them in -- much more interested in being out and exploring --so we went to the pet store and picked up a sizable cage to house them when we are not here to supervise and keep them safe. I built a little nest of dishtowels (they can get a good grip on those) and put out a very shallow little dish of water. They have plenty of room to wander around and practice their walking skills -- Prospero is really getting the hang of it, and Persephone isn't far behind.

We had them on our laps during tv watching last night (one squab to a person) and they seemed to like that a lot. We were preening them, they were preening us. They fell asleep under our hands -- so very sweet!!

I had a bit of trouble getting them interested in breakfast today -- the great big world is much more interesting than mash, it seems -- but did finally get enough down that I could rest easy. At least one of them managed to figure out the water bowl all on his/her own.

I have a question -- when the feathers come in, there are these little sheaths around them that the pigeons then pick off and the feathers fluff up. What is that stuff called??? It's everywhere!

[TerryM]

Hello minimonkey,

The only name I know of for the coatings is sheaths. Protection for the new bloodfeather that is growing in. I have two parrots and for the past week two baby pigeons. When I read your posts I felt as if I had written them myself. I work at a Home Depot. The hatred and lack of compassion is unreal towards these sweet birds. Bless you for doing what your doing to help these innocent babys. We are risking our own parrots health by bringing in these wild babys. Pigeons are so adaptable and strong that they can carry disease without falling ill themselves. But, our hearts wont let us do otherwise. Thankfully we know of a wildlife rehabilitator that has taught us how to tube feed. (she has stopped taking in pigeons as she breeds parrots and had lost her flock in the past due to disease carried by a pigeon she was rehabbing) Needless to say we are on our own. I am so grateful for this web site. It's nice to know that we're not alone in trying to help these gentle birds. The birds where I work are constantly making nests in the overhead racking. When pallets are brought down by forklift and there are babys on it mgt. comes to me and tells me to take them or else. So, this is a constant battle for me (my husband works there also) and we work as a team. He loves birds as much as I do. There is no one in our area-CT that will take pigeons so I guess it's up to us. I will be coming here alot for advice and support. Again, thank you for helping these little ones-thank you all!

[Lin Hansen]

Hi TerryM,

Welcome to Pigeons.com.

What a wonderful thing you and your husband are doing to try to help these needy babies, in spite of your worry for your parrots.

I have a Home Depot in my town too, and have also noticed that the large parking garage outside is a popular nesting place for pigeons as well...Thankfully, since the nests are basically outside and not interfering with any of the day to day operation of the store, these pigeons seem to be left in peace, for the most part.

In our Pigeon Daily forum, under Resources, there are many links that you may find helpful....one of them is a list of Recue and Rehab resources....I noticed one was in CT, but am not sure how far it is from you. In any case, here is the link for you to look at, just in case. Just click on it:

http://www.pigeons.com/prd.htm

If you have any questions or concerns or just want a little support, please don't hesitate. We have many knowledgeable members here who will be more than happy to help you out.

Again, thanks to you and your hubby.

Linda

[feralpigeon]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

The third nest, sadly, was destroyed -- apparently by the tenants in the unit next door (who are in the process of moving out) -- the eggs mysteriously disappeared from the nest, and one of them was placed very deliberately in between pigeon spikes where the parents couldn't reach it Our managers swear they had nothing to do with this madness -- and I believe them. The only other possibility is that the person was inside the window. I don't know these people, (nor do I want to!) but they do have one of the most aggressive and ill-adjusted little boys I have ever seen. So, that leaves the one nest that is just about to hatch, and my two darlings who are safe with me.

I'll see if I can arrange a Tuesday evening nest retrieval with the other neighbors -- hopefully there will be a hatch and some feeding before that time.

Sometimes it's the tenants you have to watch out for as well as management. In one of the buildings I take care of there are some nut cases
and if they (tenants) can get to the birds I don't feel the birds are safe. I've
never netted, or spiked or anything like that, and haven't been asked to, but
sometimes, I think netting is more humane than giving any human access to
them at random.

fp

[minimonkey]

Hi, Mr. Minimonkey here and offering a quick update. Feral Pigeon popped by this evening to pick up two eggs from the one remaining nest on the ledge outside our building. Thanks FP for your generosity, kindness and devotion! My wife, as it turns out, literally had to climb OUT onto the narrow ledge/girders outside our neighbors' window in order to retrieve them and it's a good 20 feet above a hard concrete surface. It's a good thing I hadn't gotten home yet from work to witness that! Eeeeek. Yes, that's my wife climbing around rafters to save two eggs. My wife felt vibrations in both eggs and we candled them, too, with what appeared to be a good result. Prospero and Persephone are doing grand; we had our most successful feedings to date today. And thanks again, Feral Pigeon! You rock! P.S. Prospero took his first tiny flight today -- about six inches to the cage, err, pigeon condo. My wife was returning him after feeding and he launched himself into it -- almost. Well, flight maybe is too grand a description; it could've just been a most vigorous hop with wing flapping. He ended up clinging to the bars and couldn't quite understand why he couldn't fit his whole body through them. My wife, most helpfully, deposited him inside, along with his sister.

[upcd]

I so happy the eggs are safe. And 2 lovely babies. Sorry, about the other eggs. Also the parents can find new nesting places. I hope we will get feedback on those eggs. Debbie

[feralpigeon]

Yes, there was a gathering of eggs & animals @ the minimonkey apartment tonight . We don't know what to expect of the heating pad incubation quite
yet, don't have the exact time of laying. But they did look viable.....
time will tell. The minimonkies had them nestled in a basket on low with a cloth underneath and wrapped over. They checked the temperature while I was
there. Their two new babies are adorable, one full of personality and adventure, and the other so sweet and shy. Papapigeon was sadly perched
outside their window, while the others would come over to visit when the minimonkeys opened the window. Management may be able to keep them from
roosting, but without a hardcover over the I-beams, there is likely to be a revenge of the nurds, oops, I mean the turds . All the cars underneath might get blessed. There are some rooftops close by where they can hang out apparently w/out harrassment, so I hope for the best for the minimonkey entourage. Many thanks to you Mr. & Mrs. Minimonkey for rescuing these eggs and hopefully putting your friends on a friendly notice that change is
coming.

fp