Another tragic end to a beautiful pigeon's life. As you may know, i wrote a thread titled 'my pouter is lonely' a few weeks ago. (could the admin./mods please close it?)
I brought home the meat pijjie and together they formed a close relationship. So today, as I was about to leave for work, i passed the seed storage (locked

) and said "goodbye" to my pijies. But as i walked past, i noticed that one pigeon was on the floor, and it wasn't moving. I stepped closer, and inspected it...
and it was Powderpuff.
So i took her out and had a postmortem. it was really terrible, holding her body and knowing that she was dead and would never wake up again. She never had any babies, and she was a beautiful red bird with white wings and tailfeathers edged with black. i held her and spoke to her, and prayed to her in pigeon heaven. i told her about how i was going to buy her a mate so that she wasn't going to be lonely. and i told her how much i loved her, how she was so special. i felt her keelbone, and then i realised that something was wrong. it was sharp and bony, and if looked like she hadn't eaten for days...
it must have been those rotten kids who tried to pop her crop. looking back, i didn't notice that much if she was eating or not. now i feel terrible.
she was always so gentle, and would always hop onto my shoulder andcoo softly into my ear every time it was "play time", when i took a few birds out every day so that they could stretch their wings for a bit and play around.
and when i refilled the seed dishes, she would always wait until everyone had finished until eating from them. Actually, i did check on her once, a few days ago, but she wasn't so thin then, i thought she was alright. i feel like kicking myself.
the meat pijie is still sitting on the dummy eggs, i want to remove them, but i can't they remind me so much of her. i found one of her tailfeathers this evening- and i laminated it and placed it in my room. i just wanted to remember her. and now i'm crying, i can't believe i was so useless. i could have helped her. i haven't buried her yet, i am going to tomorrow morning.
i wrapped her in an old blue towel and took her inside, i didn't want to leave her outside. her eyes were semi-closed and her beak, slightly open. she looked as if she was in great pain. i was rocking her in my arms and weeping and i was in shock, i am SOOOOO ANGRY WITH THOSE kids!!!! (incidentally, they tried to bathe their meat pijies yesterday, one flew away. i can see him on my roof now.)
i just feel as if i could go back in time, and STOP the kids. i wish i could. i just loved her so much, i never wanted to lose her- and not so brutally. i don't know how i'll ever be able to look at another pouter again...
