pigeon football

[linda]

whishing this little chap a full and speedy recovery xx

[Lolly8]

So sad. Hope he's getting better soon.

thanks all and thanks for uploading the photo

he has made it thro the night, lol, i knew he would but when people tell you he wont it puts doubts in your head

he will be spending about a month with me then he will move on to somewhere were he will
a] relearn to fly
or b] live out his life in comfort as long as those nasty RSPCA inspectors never spot him he will be fine....

[ME SHELL]

ahhh, he is lovely. So glad you spotted him, poor thing.

he is a nice steady bird, i didnt spot him shell, its what i do, people bring animals to me
i find that more people are willing to stop and help a animal if they have somewhere to take it to
there are people up and down the country that take critters, none get the funding that the RSPCA get, and they offer more real help, most like me, doing it from home with all costs coming out of their own pockets
thats how i ended up with torts, took my first 2 in about 20 odd years ago
my o/h bless him, has learnt to share his home with odd creatures sometimes kept in odd places, with me getting up sometimes every couple of hours during the nights for feeds

[Hilary]

We also found that people brought us damaged birds because they had seen we had Arthur - they still do occasionally. Sometimes they get better & fly off, sometimes they are just tired out & lost, so if they are ringed we send them home by Amtrak (not too keen on their tiny boxes, but if it's a quick trip, hopefully it'll be the lesser evil).

I got Arthur from a vets when I was working there many years ago. The needle was filled up ready for her, but the vet got called away for a paying job. It was 5pm, I was ready to go home, so I took a hitchhiker with me.

They do seem to enjoy using those needles, despite the cost.
Sadly, it makes you reluctant to take an animal in, in case their fingers start to twitch.
Sometimes you can do more for them by offering a warm safe place with food & let nature do the healing.

oh hilary, do you know most pigeon men neck their birds that dont come straight home or ones that land on the roof before going thro the clock,

i have just come back from doing the rounds of all local vets, i always feel i have to ask, just in case one changes their minds, but alas no, been sneered at, told stupid old wifes tales and the offer of treatment if i pay!!!

[Hilary]

Yes, I have heard that a lot will bump off a late/non returner, but I have also had a few who have arranged an Amtrak pick up - I dont see them bumping off the little travellor on his return.
Little Arthur also had a ring - she was a Welsh pigeon from Swansea.
When I rang her owner, he said "I'm 92 you know, I'm packing it up, you can have him. I give him to you." - Didnt need telling twice, so I kept him/her.

We did reluctantly have to take her to a vet 8 years later, when she had eggy complications, after making sure in the strongest possible terms that she was a family member & not a roof rat. Cost over £200. On that occasion she didn't make it, but at least it wasn't for want of trying.

In the case of your little one, at least at the moment you aren't that attached yet, but it's still hard not to want to pay anything to fix them.
Still, even the best of vets will probably only keep him warm, fed & quiet & let nature fix him - their little bones are too small to fix if they're badly broken. If he's lucky it'll set, but he might just end up as another pedestrian pigeon & need a walkabout aviary. Flying is quite a complicated job (that's why we cant do it!) - Arthur's wing set too, but it could only flap up & down, without the twist needed for a proper lift - hence the "spin on the spot".

yes i agree about the racing men having them back, as some are worth a few thousand and they make sure they get a few eggs first!!

i dont get attached to rescues, i cant afford to { well i do, but dont tell no one!!}
i did at one time keep pigeons, with one living to over 20year old, but i was down to a family of 4, someone broke in and killed 3, leaving 1 alive but with a broken neck

i have a herring gull here that has been flying around with a badly set wing, its nearly 2 and the only time he could not get airbourne was during the bad snow, but they need huge strength to get off the floor, i will get a photo sometime, his wing stands out at a strange angle, but he fends for himself, although i do go down in the bad weather and give him extra food

[anna m]

Hope you pigeons gets well soon