Jacques is Home!!

[Birdmom4ever]

I picked him up from the vet's this afternoon, one week after rushing him there. He hasn't needed atropine since yesterday around noon and it appears he'll make a full recovery. He's eating, drinking, preening and generally doing normal bird things. He's on cage rest for a couple weeks until he's ready to return to the loft, so I have him here in the house. It was such a joy to watch him gobble safflower seed, his favorite, when he got home. He seemed to recognize me.

Jacques is sore from all the injections in his breast muscle and from the seizures, so he's moving kind of slowly. But it's so good to see him able to stand on his own two little ruby-red feet. Of course I will never, ever fly him again.

Which brings me to something else. I'm not criticizing others for flying their pigeons. Many pigeons free-fly all the time and don't have problems. But I don't believe I can do it after this. It's too horrible when something goes wrong. I flew them because, well, it's what experienced pigeon keepers told me you do with pigeons. And I flew them because I wanted my youngsters trained so that if they ever got out by accident, they would know how to come home. I've lost pigeons that were not trained, got out accidentally, and either got lost or were killed and never came home.

But seeing the talon wounds in Jasmine's back last December and seeing what Jacques went through after ingesting pesticide, I can't bear to risk any of my pigeons again by letting them fly. There are too many hazards. Even when there are no hawks around there are poisons, cats, wires they could fly into, cars they could be hit by, etc. And since I value the life of each bird, there is no such thing as an "expendable" pigeon. Some are more precious to me than others. I haven't flown my irreplaceable birds since last year, ones whose parents I no longer have, or who are otherwise emotionally significant to me. But as my husband pointed out, every pigeon is my favorite when it is sick or hurt, even the plainest and least friendly of my flock. So there really are no "replaceable" pigeons in my loft.

Thanks a million to all of you who prayed for Jacques' recovery. God is good. He definitely did more than I dared hope for in this case.

-Cathy

[Trees Gray]

I'm so happy to hear the great news about Jacques!!! Thank God. That calls for a celebration!!! Treesa

[Trees Gray]

Oh, yes...it isn't a good idea to fly a pigeon who has been injured or has gone thru major trauma. They may not have the same skills they used to. I have a pigeon who has been pierced deeply by something, we found him laying in someones' yard on his back kicking!!, and he recently had a broken leg. He is now in a coop with retired pigeons because he is not as strong as he used to be and is prone to more injury. He is retired from the force. If they look remotely like they are not 100% a hawk will take notice and take advantage!! Treesa

[ddpowell]

This is great news. I had a good feeling he'd have a full recovery....what great care he received and what a survivor Jacques is!

I know exactly how you feel about flying the birds. It's a tough dilema. I coop my birds up during the hawk migration and learned the hard way just when to do this and just when it was safe to fly them. But there are no guarantees.

I see how happy they are to soar in the air and this is what they are meant to do, and I always thought the beauty of having pigeons was to let them have their freedom while giving them a safe place with food and water.

I feel I just can't keep my birds prisoners but I do worry each time they are out when it's a new season. I worry that they might hit a wire one day, or might encounter a hawk. I just feel though that they do deserve the freedom to fly. Pet pigeons raised from babies who are totally tame are a different story. But ones raised in a coop, who are used to flying, I feel it's more cruel to keep them up.

I had to rationalize one day, that if by chance their life was to be taken while out flying, at least they were doing what they were intended to do and having that wonderful experience of soaring the skies. What an awesome feeling that must be.

[mike_m453]

I wouldnt fly Jaques no.But no matter what happens to my birds I wont not fly the others just because something bad happens to one.Pigeons are birds and are born to fly so I just couldnt keep them caged up it wouldnt seem right.Im glad that Jaques is going to recover.

[wovenwoman]

This story has been so touching! I am so happy for you and for Jacques. He is a very loved bird. I know he will bring you much joy.
God is good.
Namaste
Edie

[maryco]

Thanks for the wonderful update.. I don't blame you for not flying your birds, I don't fly my birds and I think they have a great life.. I hope yours will too

Mary

[pigeon george]

i had a flight survive a mid air attack from a cooper hawk and for seven or eight months
that bird would not leave the coop to fly with his friends or mate i always gave him the option but do remember they are birds and have a great gift we give them a wonderfull life but cannot prevent everything my flock seem to love flying as much as i enjoy watching i have many racing birds although i do not race and its great to see them preening on the coop and suddenly two or three go for a few quick spins in fall hawks become a problem and i wont let the birds hang outside without me but even being there coopers have swooped in
(a scar on my arm atests to that) but i could never steal away their rite to flight

[Birdmom4ever]

To fly or not to fly: I don’t disagree with the statements above. However, ultimately I believe the decision to free-fly must be made by the individual pet owner. Every situation is a little different. We live in the suburbs, near the foothills, in California. There are many mature trees in our neighborhood which provide excellent hiding places for Cooper’s hawks. The hawks show up any time from the end of July to early September and stay until March or April when they go elsewhere to nest. So we have only 3 or 4 months in which it’s safe to fly. And because you don’t see them until it’s too late, you don’t know exactly when that safe period begins and ends. I chased a mature Cooper’s hawk from the roof of my loft this morning! A falconer neighbor of ours who also raises racing homers has seen Cooper’s hawks hunting in pairs. If the hawks can take down his racing homers, my little rollers won’t have a chance.

I've noticed I have flyers and non-flyers. Most of my rollers, once mature, seem indifferent to free-flying. They are content with their mates and their places in the loft. They have access to sunshine and fresh air and it seems enough for them. Many of them, placed on the open landing board, won’t even fly but turn around and go back inside. You have to shoo them off the board to get them to fly. I do have a handful of pigeons that appear to truly love flight. Most are racing homers or homer crosses. They appear to gaze at the sky longingly. Will I fly them again? Perhaps. But I also have a couple homers that were never trained because they hatched in winter and they seem content hanging out in the loft because it’s all they know. For now all my pigeons are staying in. We’ve spent over $1,000 on our two pigeons that got into trouble while free-flying and witnessed a near-miss by a hawk with a third. That, combined with the grief of seeing what they went through, is motivation for me to keep them in. I'm considering how we might add a flight cage onto our loft.

It is probably obvious, but the vet's position on this is...keep them in.

[Birdmom4ever]

Update Thurs., 8/14: Jacques looks better and better. And boy, is he feisty! He was sweet as pie until the first time I gave him a dose of Baytril. Now he pecks and wing-boxes me as hard as he can. And coos loudly. I'm so glad to see this. He's still having some balance problems, but otherwise he's doing great. We have him in the "bird room" at the back of our house and he can hear the other pigeons outside. I think this is helping him recover.

[Trees Gray]

Glad to hear that Jacques is getting better and better! Treesa

[cyro51]

I am so glad that he is better!

Cynthia