caring for racing pigeon help!

[oddy]

Hi,Would be grateful for any help/advice you folks can give me. I rescued a racing pigeon from the grounds of my work place.  It didn't seem to be able to fly more than a few yards.  I called the Royal pigeon asoc and after a week of calls to the owner, it appears the owner isn't interested.  They keep making excuses as to why they can't come and told me to let it go....even though I explained he can't fly far.

 

The bird has no  obvious damage, is eating and drinking and apart from some lice I discovered today (well I think it's lice) he seems fine.

 

I do have quite a large area at the end of my garden where it could live...it's already well wired off, just requires a wire top.

 

Will it be happy living a llife in a large aviary?  What kind of housing would I need to build to meet his needs and what other things do I need to know?

 

I have two indoor parrots but am a complete novice with pigeons!

[OLDYELLOW]

firstly the owner has to collect or arrange collection of there birds , its a R.P.R.A rule , if they dont report them to the R.P.R.A , they will then arrange collection to them and send bird to the owner at the owners cost so will cost the owner twice as much. The pigeon will need a shelter from the eliments in a ventilated shed / loft , that is cat proof with a trap , this is so can control letting it out and in . A large aviary is not an ideal home for a pigeon all year round in U.K . As for what to build depend on what you have in mind , are you going to race or keep a few pigeons ?

[OLDYELLOW]

have a read of pigeon in my kitchen thread

[oddy]

Thanks for answering.   I wouldn't be racing it if I kept it....it would become a pet.  I have a very large shed I could keep him in during the colder weather and also can build accommodation for him in there too.  

 

Would he be happy just with human company or would he need a partner....oooh...then not sure how to sex him....will look at kitchen thread. cheers

[oddy]

Thanks for answering.   I wouldn't be racing it if I kept it....it would become a pet.  I have a very large shed I could keep him in during the colder weather and also can build accommodation for him in there too.  

 

Would he be happy just with human company or would he need a partner....oooh...then not sure how to sex him....will look at kitchen thread. cheers

[OLDYELLOW]

it starts with one pigeon then the bug bites ya and your hooked its better than drugs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! , you'l be racing in 5 years  , if you can pm your address im sure i can put you in touch with a local club member that can help advise you regards sex of bird and what you need and perhaps get a friend for your new bird , but rember you need to get the original owner to transfer it to your name .

[oddy]

Ha, you could be right about getting the bug....'he' is gorgeous!   I live in Ruislip Middlesex

[invalidusername]

Hi 'oddy'.  Didn't notice the two threads on this subject, and just replied to the other one.  So, I'll quote myself from the other one to save typing it all out again :-) :-)

 

 

Hi 'oddy', and a very warm welcome to Pigeonbasics.  Firstly, please don't get the impression from your experience that all fanciers/racers are in the same boat as the owner of the one you have.  Far from it.  The vast majority are responsible and know the rules.  As OLDYELLOW says, it is the owner's responsibility to deal with it.  You shouldn't feel honour bound to take the pigeon in yourself.  However, for me, a factor would be the owner's apparent attitude towards the bird, and what you think is best all round.  There's masses of information on this forum, but as OLDYELLOW says, you could do worse than looking through the Pigeon in my kitchen thread.  A warning though - it's a long one!  However, it charts my experience with a pigeon that found its way to me and the journey we've been on together.  A huge amount of advice though, and it might inspire you to look after the bird yourself.  Part of your decision will probably centre around whether you want to do this, and whether the pigeon will stay with you (and that depends on a lot of factors, including whether you want it to fly out or keep it in).

 

I'm still a total novice, but am hooked.  There's loads of advice you can call on here, but the main thing I'd say to you is thank you for taking the time to look after this bird so far.

 

If you're interested, the thread mentioned above is:  

 

 

http://forum.pigeonbasics.com/m-1206123382/

 

Regards.

 

PS:  Should have mentioned that although I reported my bird, the owner didn't actually get the report, so didn't know about it.  As you read the thread though, we finally made contact, and they were/are great people which reinforces my point about owners in general :-)

[OLDYELLOW]

ill need a area code phone number and your postcode to help oddy

[pjc]

Also name and shame the owner!

 

PHil