| Care
of Found Pigeons
...
Not really
sure how to take care of the pigeon you found?
A
Few Things People That Find Pigeons Need To Know!
- A small bowl (coffee
cup size) of water will suffice.
- The Pigeon will
eat any type of bird seed or corn.
- A (temporary)
2'sqaure wire cage will work fine.
- Don't be afraid
to handle the found pigeon.
- The Worst you
can do is ruffle feathers.
- By the way, Pigeons
don't bite -
Care of Found
Pigeons:
Not really sure how to take care of the pigeon you found?
What to do if you find a lost pigeon?
Water:
Most lost birds are hungry and thirsty. Water is necessary before all
else. Since pigeons drink by suction, any water container should be at
least 1 in. (2.5 cm) deep. An open container, i.e., a dish, an old margarine
container tub, etc., is best. While a thirsty bird may drink immediately,
it also may not. A bird, which has gone without water for a while, is
sometimes a bit less than itself. It may be so exhausted; it doesn't even
realize that water is in front of it, especially if the water container
you use is different from what it is familiar with. A trick I've often
used is to trickle a few drops of water from on high into the container
to make a splashing sound. When they hear that, most birds will invariably
head to drink. If a bird looks really exhausted, Gatorade or other proprietary
sports drink may be added to the water. A teaspoon or two per cup (250
ml) of water will help replenish electrolytes.
Food:
Pigeons are grain eaters. While park pigeons will eat bread, most domestic
birds have been raised on a multi-grain mixture and have never seen a
slice of it. In fact, they would likely ignore it as possible food. Instead
of bread, you might try feeding them something else from around the house.
Popcorn (maize), rice, split peas, barley, buckwheat (kasha), canary seed,
etc., are all good first options to feed a lost bird with. THESE GRAINS
SHOULD NOT BE COOKED OR POPPED BUT FED RAW. Water should also be provided
since pigeons normally drink immediately after eating.
What Should
I Keep It In?
Any container that a dog or cat can't get into will be fine. An old bird
cage will hold the pigeon for a day or so with no problem, as will a cardboard
box - a screen on top of such a box is better than simply closing the
flaps since there will then be enough light for the bird to see to eat
and drink.
Finding the bird's owner. If the bird has a band on its leg, the owner
can sometimes be traced through one of the national pigeon organizations.
However, this is often not even necessary. After twenty-four to forty-eight
hours rest with food and water, most homing pigeons are more than capable
of finding their way home on their own. Simply release the bird in an
area free of wires or other obstacles and it will usually head home immediately.
NEVER try to attach a note to the owner by rubber banding it to he bird's
leg. This merely cuts off the leg's blood circulation and often leads
to gangrene and amputation of the limb. If you do want to attach a small
note, tie it carefully to the middle two tail feathers.
All the information you need to make contact to the owner of the lost
bird is on our site, by understanding how to read a birds band you will
be able to contact the club Sec. who will put you in contact with the
owner of the lost bird that has found you The information you need to
take care of the bird is also within this message. . You are encouraged
to review our current Band List pages on our web site, Band List.
This is the same information any of us can give to you, once you understand
how to read the band then it will be easy to find the correct club in
the United States where the lost bird may have come from.. . Please...only
contact The Club Sec. only if you have the bird physically in your hands
and not just flying around the property, people do contact us if they
have seen a bird land in the back yard and you may think some one will
come get it. We know of no one who will come to your house and trap a
bird for you. So there is no reason to contact anyone. If you are out
with your metal detector and find a band, you may be able to track where
the band is from on this web page. I have no access to any other listings
then what you see on the web site.
Contact The IF Lost
& Found Coordinator:
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