# Exhausted ringed pigeon found



## gentoo1980

Hiya I found a pigeon with a ring on it this morning. It was sat on a door step and when I aproached it to see if it could fly it simply walked into the neighbours porch. I asked if he knew anything about it and he said it had turned up yesterday, he'd fed it some bread and water and then put it back out. When we exited his house it had gone into the street. It can fly but not far. I managed to catch it when it went back into his porch. 

I'm sure it's just exhausted, it eating the seed I gave it but doesn't like the forozen peas (defrosted) I'm going to soak some marrowfat peas over night and hopfully he'll eat them tomorrow.

I've joined a pigeon forum but still waiting for an admin to allow me to post and am having problems with it's ring code. I think a letter or number might be missing.


Has anyone got any advice on how to take care of him? I was hoping if I can't find the owner that I can just feed him up and he'll fly back home but don't know anything about pigeons. I'd sooner someone else take him off my hands.

He's in a cardbard box in the shower. Gonna move him into a cat kennel now.


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## pinklizzy

This website might help? 
The Royal Pigeon Racing Association | Stray Reporting
I've also reunited a pigeon with his owner as it had the phone number tattooed onto the wing feathers (wasn't the clearest so I tried a couple of possible combinations first!)


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## gentoo1980

I tried that site yesterday but it doesn't have bswr as a choice in the reporting menu. I've checked that pigeon forum and I'm still waiting for an admin to allow me to post. It's ridicilous and I can't even spell that word 

I guess I'll have to join another one. I think there's people on their who take in stray pigeons that can not be reunited with their owner. I don't think it's eaten this morning.


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## noushka05

gentoo1980 said:


> I tried that site yesterday but it doesn't have bswr as a choice in the reporting menu. I've checked that pigeon forum and I'm still waiting for an admin to allow me to post. It's ridicilous and I can't even spell that word
> 
> I guess I'll have to join another one. I think there's people on their who take in stray pigeons that can not be reunited with their owner. I don't think it's eaten this morning.


Have you given it a dish of water? If you cant get hold of any pigeon feed could you get it some bird seed? My FIL flys pigeons,i know hes just sent for one that was found by someone in Surrey I think. I'll try to contact him & I'll let you know how to go about locating its owner. Once contacted the owner has to make arrangements for its return.

.


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## MerlinsMum

Just had a Google and found this -

WEFT or BSW or BSWR - Bideford SW FT&T - Sec - Kim Pierce

It's on this page, you have to scroll right down to the bottom (red writing)
National Federation of Flying Breed Pigeons


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## gentoo1980

Omg is that the owner? 

I went to that page yesterday but it doesn't fit on my laptop screen and the text is out of place when I try to view it. I'll phone that person up straight away. Thank you very much, you're a star.

I've put him in a vivarium and can now see him eating. I haven't seen him drink any water but was sure yesterday he'd drank some. He's been pruning his feathers as well, it's well cute. I love pigeons.


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## gentoo1980

Made contact with the owner's daugter, her mum's gonna phone me back today so you can edit the contact details out of the post now.

Thanks, really appreciate it. Was worried the owner couldn't be contacted.


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## gentoo1980

noushka05 said:


> Have you given it a dish of water? If you cant get hold of any pigeon feed could you get it some bird seed? My FIL flys pigeons,i know hes just sent for one that was found by someone in Surrey I think. I'll try to contact him & I'll let you know how to go about locating its owner. Once contacted the owner has to make arrangements for its return.
> 
> .


I didn't know they had to take them back. One of the forums that I was reading yesterday said otherwise but it was a American, unless I got mistaken and they've to take them back by law as well.

Please could you ask what would be the best food I could purchase from a pet shop for him. I've given him some mixed bird seed and have been taking the sun flower and the yellow cracked dorn peices out but not sure it it's good enough for him. The owners gonna make contact this afternoon so guess I'm going to be keeping him for another night.

Don't know why I've decided it's male.


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## noushka05

gentoo1980 said:


> I didn't know they had to take them back. One of the forums that I was reading yesterday said otherwise but it was a American, unless I got mistaken and they've to take them back by law as well.
> 
> Please could you ask what would be the best food I could purchase from a pet shop for him. I've given him some mixed bird seed and have been taking the sun flower and the yellow cracked dorn peices out but not sure it it's good enough for him. The owners gonna make contact this afternoon so guess I'm going to be keeping him for another night.
> 
> Don't know why I've decided it's male.


Yes they have to take them back, it just cost my FIL £40 to get his bird collected & returned.

That bird seed should be fine to put him on, you can leave the corn & sunflower seeds in it I haven't spoke to my FIL as yet, but my hubby says they go mad for peanuts (unsalted obviously lol) Well done for taking care of the lil fella Gentoo


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## gentoo1980

£40 wow that's expensive. Best not tell the cats, they realised this morning that there's a pigeon is in the house and maybe they'd seeing is as best they just do the human a favour to take care of the pigeon themselves. 

I'm suprissed how interested the kitten is but guess it's just in her nature. She jumped into his empty box and just seemed to go into hunting mode searching the house.

I googled what to feed yesterday and didn't see Peanuts. I have some that I feed the local birds, I'll try him with some. I've been picking the cracked corn out as read it's bad for pigeons but some websites said it's fine and didn't know which to listen to. 

I didn't know pigeons could crack sunflower seeds so just took 'em out but I have a seperate bag of sun flower hearts anyways.


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## Phoenix24

I've just got myself a couple of racing pigeons of my very own, and the breeder said the ******* peanuts are like a treat for them, though mine don't seem to have found an appreciation for them yet. They are fine with wild bird mix, or chicken corn, or you can buy pigeon mixes which have peas and beans in them. My female prefers all the small seeds and tiny beans, my male likes all the big peas and big corn pieces. They both adore sunflower hearts.

When I had someone else's exhausted racer, I phoned them and they asked me to release it somewhere away from my house - alas it came straight back - so the next time I caught it I called again and he drove to collect it. He didn't live too far away.

Bear in mind some less than nice racing pigeon owners will put down birds that won't come home/get lost. Hopefully this won't be the case this time as the bird you have was simply exhausted - it doesn't help when the birds get raced during rubbish weather!! Something I won't be doing with my two little darlings.


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## gentoo1980

Your so lucky you have your first Pigeons. I don't think I could do Pigeon racing as couldn't cope with loosing them but showing them sounds really interesting. I know show Pigeons can still be predated or become lost but figure it's less common compared to racing pigeons.

I think it's something I'd defiantly now check out later on in life if I ever have suitable housing for them and enough time to take care of their needs.

I've been told by everyone I've talked to that they love peanuts as well but that she probably hasn't been fed them before so didn't seem to interested. I was a bit worried she wasn't eating enough so bought some pigeon seed from the pet shop and just mixed it with the other she's been eating so she had a pretty good selection. I'm only used to Ferrell pigeons, they seem to eat anything but she seemed a bit picky.

It's really sick that they get killed for straying. Luckily it turns out this is a show pigeon so I'm not too worried and I'm telling myself it's only a few that would kill them but still I find that really sad. Shame on some people.


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## gentoo1980

Great news, she was picked up this afternoon from someone who lives near by as unfortunately the registered owner still can't yet be contacted. I was told by the lady from the Pigeon club that she possibly now belongs to someone else as was in my area but they just haven't bothered updating the ring details. 

The guy seems really nice and knows a lot about pigeons, she'll receive any medical treatment she might need but he said he's surprised at how healthy she looks. He'll re home her if the current owner still can't be contacted. 

I've forgot yet again what type of breed she is. It's one that's used for showing but not cause of their looks but because of their excellent flying ability. 

I didn't know they had these types of shows for pigeons. Until I took this bird in I thought people only kept them for racing or pets. I so wanna check out a show now.


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## Cleo38

What fantastic news!

My house is apprently ina flight path for racing pigeons in this area & I freqently have some resting here. Last year I had one stay fro 3wks but I was never able to get close enough to read the ring on his leg. He flew off one day & never came back, I really missed him.

The Manager of the Royal Piigeon Loft (at the Sandringham Estate) regularly flys the Queens pigeons in this area (all their cases have HRH stamped on them so posh pigeons!!), I am always out bothering him with loiads of questions


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## Phoenix24

Could be a Birmingham roller or a tippler or tumbler - these birds are bred because they have unusual acrobatics when flying (this makes them useless for racing, though). Fancy pigeons bred for looks alone tend to be kept in aviaries, especially show birds, though i guess some owners may let them fly free sometimes.

I probably won't race my two, i'm really nervous about letting them out in case I can't get them back! I am training them though, they're really (surprisingly) intelligent and food motivated and I have already taught them to recognise the sound of my voice and the tin I shake to announce feeding, they also feed out my hand (if I don't move too quickly!) and have learned to walk into a carry case to I can move them from their hutch to the aviary. I might progress to letting them out for exercise, but only after I have trained them to come back to the aviary via a trap door. That's going to be scary!

Great news on finding someone to take the pigeon, hopefully it will find its way home


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## gentoo1980

Tippler that's it, thanks. I googled show pigeons to try and find her breed her but only found fancie looking ones. But yeah, a tippler's that's what's sparking my interest. It seems like it could be a nice hobbie showing birds like that. I don't think I'd be much interested in the fancie type.

I know I don't keep birds but kind of do the same thing with my cats before I allow them to go out . You know make sure they know my call and know where they live, probably don't allow them out on their own for about a month or so depending on their age or if they already know the area as most are strays from my area anyways but can totally understand why you're scared of racing them. It's a scary thing not knowing where they'll end up if they go missing.

Hopfully they'll do well in their training and they'll prove to you that you've trained them well enough to race and find their way back home. If not you can carry on as you are and I'm sure you'll still enjoy them just the same. As long as they have access to outdoors I guess they'll still be happy racing or not. 

Good luck with it all. I hope they do find there way back if they ever do start racing.


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## gentoo1980

Cleo38 said:


> What fantastic news!
> 
> My house is apprently ina flight path for racing pigeons in this area & I freqently have some resting here. Last year I had one stay fro 3wks but I was never able to get close enough to read the ring on his leg. He flew off one day & never came back, I really missed him.
> 
> The Manager of the Royal Piigeon Loft (at the Sandringham Estate) regularly flys the Queens pigeons in this area (all their cases have HRH stamped on them so posh pigeons!!), I am always out bothering him with loiads of questions


Who'd have thought that the queen would have Pigeons. Then again until this week I only thought they were only Coloured doves and Wood pigeons. Then there's feral but guess that's not really a breed and knew something about white doves being bread with homing pigeons to make them better at finding their way home after being released but that's about it.

Did humans create all these different breeds or did they just domesticate them?


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## MerlinsMum

gentoo1980 said:


> Did humans create all these different breeds or did they just domesticate them?


They are mostly all domesticated Rock Doves.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/rockdove/

The Queen has had racing pigeons for a very long time - and racing pigeons were extremely important in WW2, when many were requisitioned for use by the military for carrying messages.

I believe white doves are a domesticated Ringneck Dove, (Streptopelia risoria) aka Barbary dove - or the Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/collareddove/

We have wild Collared Doves locally who come into the garden to feed, but when I lived on the south coast, most were Barbary Doves. One of my neighbours there found a young Barbary dove out of its nest and successfully hand-reared it, she became extremely tame and perched on the headboard of his bed at night. When she was fully grown he put her out in the aviary with his budgies, but one day she flew out straight past his head and went back to the wild.


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