Wild pigeon living in our backyard

Phil wrote:
> We have recently been blessed with a wild pigeon who has taken up
> residence in our backyard at work.
> He seems to be injured - one of his wings isn't working too well. The
> RSPCA have advised us to capture the poor little thing and have him
> killed, but he doesn't seem in any distress so we have decided to do
> what we can for him.
> The yard is well enclosed, so he isn't in any danger from cats and he
> cleans himself and eats every day. We've given him water and food. He
> does spend a lot of time just sitting about.
>
> Is it likely that his wing will recover enough for him to fly? Is
> there anything else we can do for the little fellow?
>
> Phil.

Phil,

It may be a good idea to capture the injured bird (if you can without
injuring it further) and place it inside an enclosure for safe keeping
from predators. We have managed to return to the wild many injured
pigeons that looked hopeless. It would be nice if you could make a
5x5x5 netted enclosure and placed a small box on the ground for
overnight. Recently, I purchased 3x15 netting and made a circular
enclosure and covered the top with old screens. I put some rocks and a
perch inside and kept two baby pigeons (one with injured wing) for
about three weeks. Recently, I reported that they both flew away and
joined other pigeons. I wonder who are those heartless people at RSPCA
(what does it stand for?) who advised you to kill the bird. Maybe, they
should get snuffed the next time they stub a toe.
 >> Stay informed about: Wild pigeon living in our backyard 

PigeonRescue wrote:
> Phil wrote:
> > We have recently been blessed with a wild pigeon who has taken up
> > residence in our backyard at work.
> > He seems to be injured - one of his wings isn't working too well. The
> > RSPCA have advised us to capture the poor little thing and have him
> > killed, but he doesn't seem in any distress so we have decided to do
> > what we can for him.
> > The yard is well enclosed, so he isn't in any danger from cats and he
> > cleans himself and eats every day. We've given him water and food. He
> > does spend a lot of time just sitting about.
> >
> > Is it likely that his wing will recover enough for him to fly? Is
> > there anything else we can do for the little fellow?
> >
> > Phil.
>
> Phil,
>
> It may be a good idea to capture the injured bird (if you can without
> injuring it further) and place it inside an enclosure for safe keeping
> from predators. We have managed to return to the wild many injured
> pigeons that looked hopeless. It would be nice if you could make a
> 5x5x5 netted enclosure and placed a small box on the ground for
> overnight. Recently, I purchased 3x15 netting and made a circular
> enclosure and covered the top with old screens. I put some rocks and a
> perch inside and kept two baby pigeons (one with injured wing) for
> about three weeks. Recently, I reported that they both flew away and
> joined other pigeons. I wonder who are those heartless people at RSPCA
> (what does it stand for?) who advised you to kill the bird. Maybe, they
> should get snuffed the next time they stub a toe.

More:

Before the two babies, we had one with injured leg and wing. That one
was able to leave in about a week.

We also had a full grown male that came to our yard with a badly
mangled leg. It could only push itself on the ground to eat because the
mangled leg hurt so much. It is still limping but able to stand on the
mangled foot and hop around very nicely. All he need is a couple of
week of easy meals to get back to the wild. His mate never left him
even when he could only crawl.

Animals teach us so much about life.
 >> Stay informed about: Wild pigeon living in our backyard 

Thanks to everyone that responded.
I live in the UK, so I doubt that this little fellow flew all the way
from the US. RSPCA is the 'Royal Society for Provention of Cruelty to
Animals'. They are your first port of call for all animal related
advice and they have teams that'll come out if they think it
appropriate. I think that they also have some legal powers, so they
can take abused animals away if necessary.

Pigeon seems to be brighter. He's looking fatter, so maybe we're
feeding him too much. We've taken the line that he'll eat what he
wants, so we've left him plenty of food.

Today we thought he'd flown off, but then we spotted him perched on a
window ledge. However, this ledge was about head height, so he must
have flown a bit. He fluttered down after a while. His left wing is
still not ok, the tip trails on the ground as he walks and it doesn't
seem to fit close to his body as the other side does.

Due to the enclosed nature of the garden, I don't think that preditors
as an issue, but I'll certainly give some thought to shelter if it
looks as though hes staying long term.

Phil.
 >> Stay informed about: Wild pigeon living in our backyard 

Phil wrote:
> Thanks to everyone that responded.
> I live in the UK, so I doubt that this little fellow flew all the way
> from the US. RSPCA is the 'Royal Society for Provention of Cruelty to
> Animals'. They are your first port of call for all animal related
> advice and they have teams that'll come out if they think it
> appropriate. I think that they also have some legal powers, so they
> can take abused animals away if necessary.
>
> Pigeon seems to be brighter. He's looking fatter, so maybe we're
> feeding him too much. We've taken the line that he'll eat what he
> wants, so we've left him plenty of food.
>
> Today we thought he'd flown off, but then we spotted him perched on a
> window ledge. However, this ledge was about head height, so he must
> have flown a bit. He fluttered down after a while. His left wing is
> still not ok, the tip trails on the ground as he walks and it doesn't
> seem to fit close to his body as the other side does.
>
> Due to the enclosed nature of the garden, I don't think that preditors
> as an issue, but I'll certainly give some thought to shelter if it
> looks as though hes staying long term.
>
> Phil.

Sounds like you and your guest are doing fine. Hope everything works
out OK. It is how we treat these helpless animals that defines our own
humanity.
 >> Stay informed about: Wild pigeon living in our backyard 

Update:
Pigeon was frightened by the dustmen this morning and flew off over the
roof and away.
Hopefully he's back with his pigeon chums.

We've left the food out in case he comes back.

A happy ending!

Thans for all the advice and encouragement.

Phil.
 >> Stay informed about: Wild pigeon living in our backyard 

-

> It is how we treat these helpless animals that defines our own
> humanity.

That absolutely right!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Om førtidspensionisterne Kenn Rosenkranz og Bo Warming
http://farligatdrikke.tripod.com/
 >> Stay informed about: Wild pigeon living in our backyard 

Phil wrote:
> Update:
> Pigeon was frightened by the dustmen this morning and flew off over the
> roof and away.
> Hopefully he's back with his pigeon chums.
>
> We've left the food out in case he comes back.

Good idea! Pigeons are lovable little beggars and always come back for
a free meal.
>
> A happy ending!
>
> Thans for all the advice and encouragement.

Thanks for caring.
>
> Phil.
 >> Stay informed about: Wild pigeon living in our backyard