My heart is breaking

[Rockie]

Well it's officially happening as I write this. I am weaning my flock of approx 500 pigeons off of me feeding them. They are out there right now, all of them, looking for their seed and not understanding why it's not there. They are wandering out into the street where the cars are & I'm forced to go outside every few minutes and chase them away. I'm crying and so, so sad. They are all looking down on me & waiting. I can't wait for dark to come tonight and I pray for the strength I need to get through this every day, as long as it takes.

Long story short, I came to this site early last year to find out the best way to gradually wean off feeding my flock, due to the landlords threats. There were suggestions of relocating them, which can't be done in my area or else I will end up on someone else's property. The landlord ended up having other problems elsewhere and so he had other things on his mind & I had a connection in his office to keep me posted. I tried to wean them off on two occasions & I just couldn't. They wander into the street looking for food & get hit by cars.

Well, a neighbor has complained & I have to take immediate action to make sure my babies aren't poisened. I'm putting food out the night before for the next morning (one bucket only, which is a 50% cut down to start). I know I brought this on myself, allowing the flock to grow so large...I admit to you my fellow pigeon friends that I am a bit obsessed. My instinct has been to feed them anytime I saw them, all day long, going through up to 80 lbs of seed per day.

I can't write anymore, but thanks for listening.

[kittypaws]

Leslie,

I am sorry for your predicament - it must be very hard for you. I know I feel guilty if I don't have seed for the handful ( and it's 15 max) that I feed everyday. And the reason I try not to feed them every day is that a) I don't want them getting dependant on me and b) I don't want to draw attention to myself and them.

I don't have any great words of wisdom except to say that I would think that gradually they will realise that there isn't any food and they will seek other places and it will be there because humans are such a wasteful species with food waste.

If you are secretly putting out some food ( and it is less) that will be OK - Alright they won't get as much as they normally do but they will manage I am sure. Also less food means less breeding which starts to "trim" down the flock. i.e the natural deaths won't be replaced by more birds. It's the old adage of survival of the fittest, but pigeons are wily old birds - they aren't going to starve deliberately. I've seen pigeons pecking at grass before finding bits and pieces to eat in there.

It's very hard to send comforting words as they are there all the time but gradually I think they will drift away. Whilst you are still putting a little food out there then they will come but in time competition will be greater and some will go elsewhere.

Try and be strong

Tania

[Jimmy Jo]

Oh Leslie, My heart is breaking for You ! Sometimes our love and compassion can lead us to do things that aren't necessarily in the best interest of the ones we are trying to protect, by creating an unnatural dependence...However, I agree with Tania, Your "babies" will soon realize that that the food is no longer available in your area and go elsewhere...I'm sure they won't let themselves starve. I really wish that I could be of some help to you, I know you are hurting terribly. Just try and be strong and know that there are people out here that care deeply for what you are going through right now. p.s. I'm a Vegetarian too

[andinla]

can do.

1. Cut back on food supply (which you have) 50%
2. Put it out only at night. Wear dark clothes and I put it in dark bags and punch little holes at the bottom of the bags (after they are filled) and I walk around the grass area and opps it falls out. It's great when you have a dog a long because people think you just have poop bags for fido hee hee!!!
3. If you have to start by putting it around trees near the sidewalk.
4. Another thing I have been driving slowly at night after all is well asleep and I have little containers lined up in my car (1) per alley and I slowly pour it in the alley's in my town
5. Open fields is great place to spread seed. Make sure you spread it far and wide that way people won't think someone poured seed out for them.
6. Church parking lots don't have much traffic during the week days.


Where are your pigeons sleeping at night. ? Are there baseball fields with big open spaces? fields anywhere? I know you must have alley's right?

you will sleep better at night knowing that there is food out there and they have to find it. Which they will. It gives them something to do during the day and it keeps them off your property. We all have to work for food, and now your flock has a new job (hunting) they will survive and you will be ok, it just takes time.

I have and still am going through the same thing. Good luck and don't worry they will be fine....

Just remember spread far and wide and not clustered together (that's when we get into trouble.) And we bring trouble to them also if we don't spread it out!!!!

Andi

[Rockie]

Thanks for everyones compassion. I am so drained from today and I'm about to head home to my furry & feathered babies. I have 15 rescued pijies at home, and although of course I wish they never got sick or injured, I feel comforted to know they are there & I still have a connection to them. Soon there will be no more at the shop where I work. It took every bit of strength & love that I have for them today, not to cave in & put more food out. It was true torture. I know they are smart creatures & I hope they learn extremely fast. Some of them I must be feeding all their lives & they probably never had to search for food any day in their life so far. What have I done? I have always felt that we as humans have taken so much from the wildlife, and if we could give back to them by offering food, we should. I still believe this, but I have to really rethink the ways to do this.

Tania, I think you have the right idea...everything in moderation & don't let them get totally dependent on you. If I could only turn back the hands of time. Thank you for sharing.

Jan, thank you so much for your caring words...I think I will be needing a lot of them (& tissues) for awhile.

Andi, thanks for your many great ideas & ones that I can relate to as well (I drop seeds out of empty tic tac dispensers when I walk in parking lots). Unfortunately, I feed them in an industrial area where there are all businesses, no open fields or lots. The flock does come from different directions. We are pretty close to a main road where there are some fast food places. We are also close to a Home Depot shopping area. Unfortunately I heard they are not fond of pigeons and they may be poisoning them. My big fear is that I've created too big a flock for the area & there won't be enough food to go around.

I will continue to put out the food at night, in hopes that they come first thing in the morning, eat & fly away as quickly as possible. For now I know they will hang around most of the day. Please let them spread out soon to find other food. I hope I can keep this issue w/the neighbor & landlord at bay while I work this out.

THANK YOU ALL...YOU'RE MY KIND OF PEOPLE.

[Lin Hansen]

Leslie, I'm really sorry that you are having to go through this. Please don't kick yourself and feel guilty. Many, if not all of us who feed the ferals have been in your shoes.

The biggest and most important piece of advice I can give you is this: If you are going to leave seed at night, DO NOT give in and put out additional seed throughout the day. I made this mistake myself--throwing seed out throughout the day whenever I saw some birds hanging around. As a result, you wind up having a very noticeable crowd hanging around waiting to see if there will be more food coming. It's much better to have some seed for them early in the morning and that's it. You'll be surprised how quickly they will learn the kitchen is closed, and will fly off to forage some more on their own. It worked for me and within a day or two.

Good luck to you and again, try not to be so hard on yourself.

Linda

[feralpigeon]

Hi Leslie,

I'm sorry about your situation, I got in a bit beyond what was OK in a nearby city myself. They would hear my car, and get ready. When I pulled up and got out, they would decend enmasse, and anyone else on the side walk would start freaking out as though they were living out a scene from Alfred Hitchcock.

Linda has given you some good advice, they will find other ways to get food for themselves. And as heartbreaking as it is in the beginning to have to say no,
in the long run, especially if the threat of poison is being raised, you are only doing the best for them. By all means, find ways to sneak some food to them,
but be careful not to set off any bells that everything is the same to the pigeons or to the human eyes that are watching and no doubt angry.

I wish you the best in your heartbreaking times, and know that in time both you and the pigeons will find a way to live with this trying situation.

fp

[AZWhitefeather]

I'm so sorry to hear about the feeding problem Leslie.
I honestly think it's harder on us humans to cut back than it is on the ferals.
We want the best for all of them.

At one time I had in excess of 100 pijjies visiting our backyard twice a day for their meals. Thankfully, the neighbors didn't complain, however I developed some health problems & was no longer able to get out among the flock.

I began to cut back, & like you I was in tears as some of the flock would follow me from window to window. I could hardly go into the AZ room because it faces the bacykard & is surrounded by windows.

We, the pijjies & me, eventually adjusted to the situation. Now I only have a flock of about 15-20 which I believe are housed in the palm trees in our backyard. They definitely have a 'bird's eye view' of my whereabouts.

It will take some time & a lot of tears, but everything will work out.

When you are feeling a little down, always remember your 'pigeon friendly' family is just a click away.

Cindy

[jazaroo]

I am one of those people people here that Linda refereed to as having been in a similar situation.

Although no where near the 500 birds you mentioned, the small flock I was feeding became an annoyance to my neighbors. They actually where quite good about it, they where just tired of the mess the bird's dropping made, and asked if there was some way I could just feed them else where. There was a small parkette about two blocks away and I started to leave seed there and found the same birds who where hanging around the old feeding place soon realized there was a new spot.

This made the neighbors happy and the birds actually now have a safer area with less cars around to feed at. I did cut down to feeding them twice a week, although on harsh winter days I may leave food for them. In the end I felt this was a good compromise, as it would allow food for them but not to the extent they lost their natural ability to find food on their own.

Are there any parks, lots, churches or other open areas around you? You may be able to move them to a safer area and wean them back.

[Victor]

Gosh Rockie, that is a terrible thing that you are going thru. I just read your post but it looks like the group gave you some very sound advice already. Folks here are so quick at responding to other members, old and new, questions.

Cindy, you are so such a kind and compassionate person when some one is down...you are a great source of a "pick me up".

[Rockie]

Thank you everyone, your kind words & sharing your own similar experiences really do help me ALOT. I am clinging to your words and reassuring myself that my flock will also make it through this and maybe me too. I would like to think it's harder on me than on them.

I am so thankful that the weather here has been very mild, please pray it stays that way.

At least I had one person (my UPS man who is animal friendly) thank me for what I had been doing for the pigeons. I asked him if he knew any other area in the neighborhood that I may relocate them to, not for an all day feeding to create the same situation, but for a once a day feeding. He knew no places and noone else in the area that does what I have been doing. I also drove around really looking hard for a place, with no luck.

It took all my strength today not to put add'l seed out...I kept telling myself not to give in, just as Linda urged. I hope someone out there is proud of me, cause it wasn't easy!

Thanks again, it's so nice to know others care and understand the magnitude of this. Even members of my family, although they of course love me, they just don't get it.

[Trees Gray]

I'm so sorry to hear about your predicament. This is such a difficult time for you. I'm sure.

Sometimes our best intensions are not actually what is for the good of the flock.

Please continue to do what is for the "good of the flock". They will find another, area, to feed where they will be safe from attention, complaints, and eventual poisoning.

[Lin Hansen]

Originally Posted by Rockie

It took all my strength today not to put add'l seed out...I kept telling myself not to give in, just as Linda urged. I hope someone out there is proud of me, cause it wasn't easy!

I'm proud of you!


Leslie, I know what it feels like to see them all waiting and I know how it feels to force yourself not to give in....it breaks your heart. Hopefully, it shouldn't take long for them to realize that there will only be one feeding, early in the morning. When I cut down to one early morning feeding, it took about 3 days for them (a flock of about 90 birds visiting my driveway) to "get it." After that, they would all come early, eat, and would be gone in about 20 minutes. So, here's hoping you won't have to wait too much longer for them to acclimate.

Good luck,
Linda

[Camrron]

That is terrific advice that you gave Linda. I think the same way about my feedings at my bird station. I am carefull with my feeder not to overdue it by going more than once a day, worrying that I may be ruining the birds so that they become completely and utterly dependant on me. They have poor chances after that if cut off cold turkey.

I do however step in when the weather has turned bad without a second thought. I check the weather reports every night. If it snows I go out several time to make sure there is a good accessible supply of food and that it is not buried. I also increase the volume I put out if it is very cold.

Andi has some good ideas about cutting back. Just use your common sense Leslie about how you appproach your problem and don't feel too pressured by what the neighbors say. Sometimes it is just noise. If it is a real threat to your flock though you must be proactive and take steps to protect them. Perhaps cutting back by 10% a day for 10 days. What will happen in my experience is that the more aggressive birds will still get a good full meal each day while the others will get only part nourishment and will start looking elsewhere. Each day your flock will shrink as they locate new sources of food. I am against the sudden shock of totally cutting them off. They need time to prepare for coming famine. It's like, if you lose your job and have no benefits coming your way. That is a crisis. Some sink and some swim when it happens without warning.

Cameron

[andinla]

I feel for you I really do... is there trees, bushes in and around the business complexes? You could sprinkle seed around the bushes also Mc Donalds must have some bushes somewhere on their property.??? They would never hurt the birds (fear of being the bad guys) another options just don't get caught late at night you could toss seed upon the roof tops of the business complex roofs. Small brown bags (sack lunch bags) fill them up and toss.. or just seed by the handful. Sometimes I stand on my Jeep's roof and toss. Hey ya gotta do what ya gotta do sometimes...ha! just spread it out around everywhere so they are not all together coming down to eat, thats when people complain.

What city are you located in? just curious......

Good luck

Andi