[SouthTown Racers]

About a month ago, I took my yb team out for a 20m toss. I should have checked the weather because 10min after the release, 45 mile per hour winds kicked up. Two hours later I had only 2 of 12 birds come in. I noticed one of the birds was sitting funny. She was laying in a pool of blood. I picked her up and she had both of her leg bones sticking through the skin! Throughout the day, my birds trickled in. Just before dusk, I heard the trap bobs clank. The last bird had made it home. This bird also looked a little weird to me. This birds keel bone was totally cracked in half. It was in two pieces with about an inch gap between the the two.

I am happy to say both birds have healed. The bird with the broken keel wont make much of a racer, but for this bird to make it home is absolutly unbelievable to me. The desire fore these birds to "home" has to be one of the strongest instincts ever. I am very proud of these birds!!

I think the wind must have blown the team into some powerlines. It was rough going, but I managed to nurse them back to health. The bird with the broken keel (which now, is S shaped) still goes out on the road with the rest of my team!!!!! INCREDIBLE!!!!!

 

[Lovebirds]

They're tough little buggers for sure. I've had birds come in with injuries that I have no idea HOW they actually made it home.
I've had 2 with broken legs. 1 with the crop ripped open. 1 with ALL tail feathers gone and her rear end just laid opened. 1 with no tail feathers AND all but 1 of the flights on one wing gone. How the heck he even flew is beyond me and he came in from a 400 mile race. Of course I have no way of knowing when the feathers got snatched. 100 miles from home? 30 miles from home? I'll never know......I just know that they all wanted to come home and they did. And they all survived to fly another day.

 

[Lovelace]

I had one with a broken wing, she walked home how for I have no Idea, Yes the Lord made these amazing Birds. you got to love them.

 

[pigeon_racer]

mayhuhn loft,

Yes they are incredible! The only thing that I would be concerned with since they have healed nicely is that their training be increased gradually. They have suffered incredible trauma, and although the have healed cosmetically, deep inside it can take as much as 2 years for them to heal fully. Just make it a point to watch those birds performances extremely closely every time you increase their distance. They will let you know when they have reached there limit for their present condition if you do your part and observe what they are telling you.

Ralph

 

[SouthTown Racers]

mayhuhn loft,

Yes they are incredible! The only thing that I would be concerned with since they have healed nicely is that their training be increased gradually. They have suffered incredible trauma, and although the have healed cosmetically, deep inside it can take as much as 2 years for them to heal fully. Just make it a point to watch those birds performances extremely closely every time you increase their distance. They will let you know when they have reached there limit for their present condition if you do your part and observe what they are telling you.

Ralph

I will keep this in mind. Thank you!

 

[della]

Wow, these are all amazing stories. It warms the heart to hear of the bravery of these little guys! Makes me feel guilty about the way I carried on last night when I dropped my new breeding box unit on my foot while painting it - rather pathetic, really!

 

[Lovebirds]

Wow, these are all amazing stories. It warms the heart to hear of the bravery of these little guys! Makes me feel guilty about the way I carried on last night when I dropped my new breeding box unit on my foot while painting it - rather pathetic, really!

LOL....that's funny!. I would expect that if pigeons were "noisey" creatures, we'd hear a lot more out of them when they have these injuries. It's just not in a pigeon to moan and groan and complain, but that doesn't mean that they don't FEEL pain.........

 

[ezemaxima]

I've had birds come home with injuries for a toss or even during loft flying. My most recent one was with my YB that I found lying down on the table in the back yard. I opened the trapped door to let it in and didn't moved so went up to it and noticed a big gash on the keel approximately 4 inches long. I had it isolated and at some point thought it wasn't going to make it. It has now recovered and slowly flying with the rest of them.

 

[RodSD]

I love these birds! I have many experiences with them returning after hawk attacks and had injuries. I don't know how a bird with puncture wounds on a chest and wings flying so slowly in the air trying to get back home do it, enters the loft, take the perch or nest box and protects it while blood is still dripping. They have lots of guts and determination. It makes me very proud, but sometimes I feel guilty if I am doing enough to protect them from predators.

 

[whitesnmore]

Yes they are incredible healers and overcomers. I had a bird that got caught by a cooper hawk in February of this year that I managed to get back from the hawk. This bird had a 4" gash from the top of its neck to the bottom of its crop and I was sure he wouldn't survive the night. After cleaning the wound and packing it with blood stop powder the bird healed and I started training him again in April. He placed first in my loft and 14th in the club at 200 miles and was a 2nd day bird on a 500 this year. I am just amazed he races at all. He is now the ONLY bird in the loft that refuses to go outside unless forced to, and his desire to get inside the loft makes him the fastest trapper I have!!

 

[spirit wings]

one of mine just this weekend sliced his toe, out loft flying, the whole length of the toe and hit an artery, thought he was going to bleed out, it was still bleeding as the vet was stitching it up, but we did'nt have a choice as he was bleeding alot. I couldn't believe how one small bird could bleed so much and still be as fisty as ever, this is one strong bird, I felt the tight strong wings just pushing against my hands, I had to have two hands to keep this one still and then roll him up in a towel was the only thing I could do to keep him still, he is recouping in a breeding cage now, but you would never know he almost bled to death. amazing creatures for sure.