Peckedhen

Aw David, I am so sorry that you've lost her. Have you contacted the guy you got her from? (Was it Stuart? I can't remember!) She's probably tried to go home. :(

Congratulations Susan.

Good one David. I can't believe how many times I've read about this happening recently. Could these scum really be fanciers? Certainly they have no love for pigeons or they would release all the birds before firing the loft. :'(

If you join the RPRA they send you a booklet on pigeon keeping. I also have Pigeons by Matthew Vriends which I've found helpful. These are just the basics of pigeon keeping but OK for a start. I made my first loft from a 6'x4' B&Q shed....it didn't last long before I needed a larger one! There are often lofts for sale on eBay if you can find one local to you.

You don't need to worry about the temperature, just make sure that your loft is dry and draft free. Welcome to the forum.

I had one scalped Debbie, although the wound soon healed and feathered over, the bird's development was slightly delayed. It was smaller and took longer to fly than the others. However, it is fine now and I can't tell it apart from the rest!

Good advice from IB re feeding. You can also give it thawed (not cooked) peas and sweetcorn. Paula, Are you able to post a photo of the bird so that we can see it's legs?

Paula, If you take your 'baby' to a vet or wildlife centre, you must make sure that they know it is a pet and must not euthanise it. Here is a link to a site of pigeon lovers, many of whom live in the UK and are rehabbers, they will do all they can to help you to save your new friend's life. I advise you to register and ask for help on this site. http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/index.php Sue

I wo9nder if you could basket all your birds and move them away from the loft. Leave the trap open and hope the Magpie come in...if he has found eggs before, then he will probably try again. Once yoy have dealt with him, release your birds back in the loft and they will be none the wiser. Good luck in sorting this.

I wo9nder if you could basket all your birds and move them away from the loft. Leave the trap open and hope the Magpie come in...if he has found eggs before, then he will probably try again. Once yoy have dealt with him, release your birds back in the loft and they will be none the wiser. Good luck in sorting this.

BUMP!! Come on guys, what else can you suggest to help this non-fancier??

Thank you for taking him in. He sounds dehydrated and exhausted, try dipping his beak into a deep dish of water just up to but not over his nostrils. If you have any wild bird seed he might pick out from that what he recognises.

Can you see any signs of a rodent? Droppings? Any signs of a cat - look for footprints in the dust. I can see when a cat has been on my sputnik by the footprints on the glass. I wonder if this explains why the cock left the eggs the other day. They usually wait till the other bird relieves them before they come off. :-/

WOW!! A fantastic result for your first race Tariq. Congratulations. Sue

Sounds promising Tariq, I hope you get the others soon. Well done.

Yes, this is what's probably happened. He will have flown until he was exhausted. After a good rest and feed he has set off to search fopr home BUT, keep your eyes open he may well be back, now he knows where there is a good food source! Don't you believe it Martin. ;D Thanks for helping the little lost fella.

Good luck Tariq. You must be very excited. Let us know how you get on. Sue

Stupid? Nah - he's sensible enough not to fancy being bundled up in a sheet! ;D The green ring probably indicates that this is a 2008 bird. He's a lost baby!!

It is the owners responsibility to arrange to have the bird returned home, he may collect it or may use a courier. The bird will need some light to see to eat and drink but will be fine overnight in the dark.

Here's a link to an easy method of catching pigeons. http://www.racingbirds.com/ptrap.html

Yes, that would do to start with. It will need a deepish dish of water - they dip their beaks up to the nostrils to drink. If you can catch it and post it's ring number on here we might be able to help you to locate the owner. Thank you for caring.

He can have defrosted peas and beech nuts if there are any around at the moment.

I've had a feral trap through my sputnik with my birds. It soon flew out again when I opened the sputnik and drove it into it. I din't think it was an un-banded racer as it very red legs! ;D

Hi David, Does the dad know how to trap into the sputnik? If not you could carry him outside and drop him through the hole, do it about three times and he should have the hang of it. This is what I did when I was staying a pair of old birds and it worked. I think that I'd be inclined to get him out whilst the baby is still in the nest. The cock bird takes over the feeding as it gets older and, if he does go missing again for a few days, there is more chance of the hen feeding the youngster. JMHO - wait and see what other advice you get. Sue

;D ;D He needs his tail as a sort of rudder for steering and, also to act as a brake when he is landing. Thanks for caring for him....it shouldn't be too long till his new tail grows, maybe four weeks or so.