Miss Piggy & Me

Hi,
I have just joined so soaking up all the advice and info at the moment, its been very helpful so thank you...

Two and a half weeks ago I noticed what looked like a baby pigeon being attacked by an adult, the bird could not fly and the adult was intent on pecking the babies head for some reason? Anyway, I managed to catch the youngster who was exhausted, shocked and hungry.
Knowing nothing about pigeons I started frantically trawling the net for any help I could get...I fed her via syringe water and a mash I made up for my own birds ( I keep african greys and conures)
I kept her for ten days, she became quite strong so I decided it was release time, I released her in the garden and she hesitated and then flew up into a large fir tree at the back of my house....
Well, It was the wrong decision.....next morning she is outside my bedroom window, I ran out but she had gone....It suddenly dawned on me how stupid i had been, she clearly wasnt ready for the big wide world, two days and nights i spent trying to catch her, I put her cage out and put food out for her, I knew she was around but she wouldnt show, I think she feared the other birds ....
Last weekend I went out to put her feed out as usual and I spot her in a plant pot....so shes back in her cage, she eating and drinking, flapping around and she seems quite happy....
My concern is her cage is too small, i am also finding quarantine very hard...I am worried for my own birds...From the photos I have seen on here I would say she is about 5 weeks? She is very gentle, she doesnt seem afraid of me at all....and now i just dont know what to do next..

here are some photos of her..

This one was taken early on, approx couple of days after first getting her


This one is after her release, i spotted her in my garden



Taken yesterday in her cage

Hi,

She looks quite happy, she has a good cage and outlook there !!

I expect she is a bit nervous out there after her bad experience, I'm still baffled as to why she was being picked on, maybe she was just begging for a feed from adults that weren't her actual parents and so they were pushing her away.
I noticed when I had a wild juvenile Woodie a couple of weeks ago, I had put him in with my resident ferals etc and he kept going up to a large grey ex racing pigeon I have, and squeaking for a feed. I assume he saw her as an adult and with her grey colouring mistook her for it's parent. Unfortunately Bandy didn't recognise him as one of hers and would peck him if he got too close. Just a possibility.
Anyway at least you can make sure it's well nourished now while you decide whether to release or not.
Personally if you decide to go for release, I would definitely take it to the rescue centre so it can mix with other Woodies and be released in a group so it has the protection of being in with others of the same age.

Obviously when they're hand reared they get attached very easily which makes it hard to release them on their own.
As this little one has mainly been reared in the wild if it's quite docile with you at the moment, it's most likely not feeling so good. Normally they would be quite fiesty and giving you a good wing slap when you put your hands in the cage even at this age.

You're doing the best thing in keeping an eye on it for a while. Let's hope some good food and TLC picks it up again.

Keep us posted.

Janet

Thanks Janet,
Unfortunately I think I may know Miss Piggys story...after chatting with a neighbour yesterday it turns out that a while ago an adult pigeon managed to get caught up in a neighbours wire netting that he uses to protect his veg patch, the adult died and he noticed that another adult was sitting on top watching....very sad, but i am wondering if these were the parents as its very close to the time I found her and she dis seem to come from that direction aswell, so I think you could be right...
I will do my best to make her well, and i am now looking into building her a little aviary and maybe getting her a friend....the thoughts are there, whether the diy skill is there I dont know lol

It is best to build an aviary from panels, you might find some offered in the free ads or you could advertise in Freecycle. We are hopeless at DIY, but when our aviary was put up and extended it didn't take very long for two people (not us!) armed with a screw driver to put together.

Woodies need a small shelter and an open flight area where they can fly and sit in the open air. I have a long thin aviary so that they have a distance in which to spread their wings.

Cynthia

Thanks, I will have a look around, what do think could be a minimal comfortable size for two?

You've gotten some excillent advice from those that know Wood Pigeons. I'll be looking forward to up dates.

Hiya,

Thanks Matilda, yes, the advice has been a life saver to say the least...
I wonder if someone could help me with a couple of questions...firstly, when would I expect her to molt? she does seem to be losing feathers, tail first it seems and now a couple of wing feathers, is this normal?
Also, I made the decision to build an aviary, i spent yesterday organising and planning it, the concrete base will go down next week, but i cant get the panels delivered til Oct 18th.....she is in quite a small cage and she keeps flapping about a lot...I really dont want to let her out in the house in case she does have an illness which she may pass on to my parrots and vica versa of course....when do you think i could be safely out of the quarantine period? or has anyone got any suggestions?
Also, when the aviary is ready I would like to get her a companion, I am hoping to rehome another pigeon that has been through a similar thing, so I wondered if peeps could bare that in mind on the forum..I am in Surrey, near Reigate...I know i dont have any experience really, but maybe I could give a good home to a bird in a similar position...your thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated

It sounds like she has started a molt already. It can go on for a long time...weeks even.

It would be unlikely she can make your Parrots ill unless they share food and water. Parrots can be quite agressive toward other birds and the biggest worry would be that they injure her. I have a Senegal Parrot that nearly killed my Pigeon a few years ago and so you must be careful with that. The normal quarintine periods is 30 days.

Undoubtedly a companion will come along for your bird soon, so stay posted, read all you can about Pigeons and educate yourself.

Juvenile wood pigeons will moult at 6 weeks, mostly in October and November, but stress and captivity can have a bad effect on their plumage so make sure that Miss Piggy has a varied diet, including whole corn and plenty of greens. It might also be a good idea to give her additional vitamins every now and then.

Once she is settled you can start asking around for a companion, the only obstacle that you will find is that many wildlife rescue places don't believe that woodies can adapt to captivity (they are wrong), but there will be some that need a home. Collared doves also get along well with wood pigeons.

I'm building my loft in parts also, I got my pigeon at the begining of the summer,
he had a broken wing so having him in a cage like you worked better for me, then
when he started moving around more I fixed the front porch so he could run around
Now his loft is half way done, and I'm starting on the panels. What I've notice is
if they have food, water and a nice safe place to hang out and a bit of attention
they do all right, so don't be so hard on your self, you are doing the best you can
for the bird and just like us humans she just has to rough it for a bit tell her house
is built. And then when it's done she will have a nice home for the rest of her life.

Matlida, thank you, i do keep them well apart and keep to the quarantine guideline the best i can, in fact I am quite strict about it, so finger crossed, I think she has been with me a while now and seems very healthy..
Cynthia, thanks, thats what i needed to hear as I would pput her at about 6 weeks now, and i can also see lots of new growth appearing, she does have new shafts on her head so i reckon a molt..
Effa, I have been out all day digging so forgive me if I seem whiery(is that how you spell it lol) have dug enough for 4 inch foundations, so i am pleased with myself, and i am now in the designing stage, have cut some beech and ash and shaved them...also have an apple tree coming so its quite exciting , as you all say, we can only do our best x

I've got two pigeons now - one was hand-reared and one was a rehomer and both are doing absolutely wonderfully in the aviary. It only has a 9ft flight area at the moment, but we will extend that to 12 or 15 feet in time.

They also have a roosting area which has its own separate door to close them in at night. They love it in there and if they feel a bit worried about anything (like the stupid woman next door and her perpetual lawnmower!!) they pop in there and seem very relaxed.

As has been said above, if they have a bit of love, nice food and a nice place to live, they are perfectly happy. I love my two to bits.

Wendy

thanks Wendy, good idea, i plan on building my own box and fitting it inside, mine is 9ft x 6ft, all my garden will allow unfortunately, but i am hoping it will be ok for now, have you got any photos of yours, i would love to see it?

Squid wrote:

thanks Wendy, good idea, i plan on building my own box and fitting it inside, mine is 9ft x 6ft, all my garden will allow unfortunately, but i am hoping it will be ok for now, have you got any photos of yours, i would love to see it?

That's a nice size enclosure.

I've posted pics of the aviary on Pigeon Pets section. Just going to upload pics of the new door at last!

How are things going, Squid?