Pigeon in my kitchen!

[Guest Vic]

Keeps it going , Don't it? lol

[ChrisMaidment08]

nice youngster and its ring is the right way up

[Guest Vic]

NOT FOR SALE, I GUESS! BRILLIANT, VIC.

[ChrisMaidment08]

think his dad is a bit concerned about that spot what colour is the milkman

[Merlin]

Be nice Vic,who knows David might even breed you a pair. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D  

[pjc]

Chris, you spoilt the fun, I was going to tell David the ring was upside down!  ;D

 

Phil

[Leroy]

they all look great David - any regrets about becoming a pigeon fancier?

 

Lee

[invalidusername]

they all look great David - any regrets about becoming a pigeon fancier?

 

Lee

 

Hi Lee.  My only regret is not feeling confident to let the birds all out for a proper fly through fear of them not coming back.  I'd love to have the experience of seeing them all out and back in again.  Other than that, I don't regret anything, and love having my pigeons.  Will just have to see how it develops :-)  

 

 

[Leroy]

 

Hi Lee.  My only regret is not feeling confident to let the birds all out for a proper fly through fear of them not coming back.  I'd love to have the experience of seeing them all out and back in again.  Other than that, I don't regret anything, and love having my pigeons.  Will just have to see how it develops :-)  

 

 

David mate ive kept pigeons now for 15 years, fancy breeds and recently white racers. I only just plucked up the courage to let out my new 4 young birds, and didnt dare leave their side until they were back in! when they were i was ecstatic. that feeling never goes, but neither does the fear of them going up and away!!!!

 

Lee

[invalidusername]

Many thanks, Lee.  

[invalidusername]

Poor Colleen :-(

 

 

Blue Boy's hen decided to do a runner nearly 48 hours ago.  I went into the shed with all my cleaning stuff.  Turned around to shut the door, and she was over my head and out in the air. She's never attempted to bolt before, and hasn't been out since I had her :-(  Hoped she'd come back within an hour or so, but now 2 days later I don't think she will.  Bluey and the babe keep looking around for her - and so do I.

 

If anyone happens to see her in or around the Bristol area (she has a yellow IHU ring), please let me know.  I'd do anything to get her back.

 

After all the positive ones, this is a sad chapter :-(

[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.     :(

[invalidusername]

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.     :(

Thanks Susan. I had her from Merlin. She's not flown far before, but I let him know straight away. She'd have to get back to Ireland to get home :-(

 

To put it mildly, I'm gutted!

 

[Peckedhen]

David,  I know just how you are feeling - that's why I can't race my birds!!  My mentor says 'If you don't want to loose them, don't let them out of the loft!'  

 

Even that is easier said than done  - I lost my first Logans - really fantastic, show quality racers - by accidentally leaving open the sputnik when I was working on it! :

 

Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

 

Sx

[pjc]

David, I would take there food away in the morning and open the sputnik when you come home.

The other 2 will come out and should go back in when you call them for food.

When the other 2 are coming out and settled i'll find you another hen.

 

Phil

[Peckedhen]

You'd let the YB out with the cock who is not necessarily homed?  :-/ :-/

[pjc]

the cock has been out of his new loft.

[Peckedhen]

OK Phil, I'll bow to your greater knowledge.  

 

I thought that an old  bird would pull a YB too far away from the loft?

 

I know that everyone has different ways of training YBs. Personally, I have them into, and then out of, the sputnik before they are flying.

[invalidusername]

Just a quick update for anyone following the story.  Unfortunately, Colleen hasn't come home, and that's a real sadness to me, but I mustn't dwell on that too much, as I've lost enough sleep there already :-(

 

Actually, it's not really a quick update as I've just read through it ;-)

 

Blue Boy (the bird who started this whole thing off) 'escaped' through the door early on Thursday.  Good news was that he came back that evening, and whilst I had to catch him, and pop him through the sputnik opening, at least he came back - I don't think it was really a matter of if, more like, when.

 

I've really concentrated on taking advice from people here, and in this instance, pjc's I followed very closely.  Having only given a very light feed yesterday morning (Friday), I opened the main sput doors, and did what Phil told me.  Blue Boy came out fairly quickly and after some strutting around the garden, I managed to entice him back near the shed.  He flew onto the landing board, saw the food strategically placed inside, and hopped through the right entrance, and he was safely in.  Junior (Blue Boy's baby) had a good look around on the edge of the sput opening, but didn't actually fly down, despite me trying to coax him with a few morsels.  It wasn't his day to explore.

 

A light feed this morning, and we went out for the day.  Came back about an hour and a half ago and repeated yesterday's routine.  Blue Boy was quickly out and exploring the garden.  A few minutes later, Junior jumped down onto the lawn.  I now have two pigeons walking around.  A very few morsels to keep them interested, and then I put the feed bowl into the sput for later.  Junior started flying first - wing flapping and sort of hovering like they do in the shed, then he landed on a bush (pyrocantha, which I thought was going to stab him).  Then it was onto the Bay tree, then some flowers in a pot!  Then Blue Boy took off, circled around a few times and then landed on the house roof.  Junior then took off and flew onto a neighbour's roof opposite.  Bluey then had another large circle, landed near to Junior, stayed there for a few minutes, then he took off into the distance.  The next half an hour I sat in the garden looking over and shaking the food.  About 15 minutes later, Bluey lands back on the roof, and Junior flies back.  They then go onto the shed roof.  I went into the shed, and called them and rattled the food.  Bluey was quite fast at coming back in.  Big sigh of relief.

 

Now I can hear Junior on the roof, I think trying to work out how to get from the apex roof onto the landing board without sliding off.  But he flew down, and hovered and tried to get into the door he exited from.  However, I've now shut that to prevent Bluey getting back out (now filling his face with food).  I was just about to come out and open the doors, and he flew straight onto the landing board, cocked his head to one side, and jumped straight back through.

 

So, now they've both flown out on their own terms and returned and used the sputnik themselves too.  As you can probably tell by my boring amount of detail (but it's a sort of diary for me), I'm thrilled.  I've wanted them to be able to have freedom right from the beginning, and knowing nothing about how to achieve this, I doubted it'd happen.  I now want to do this every day, and see if I can refine their sputnik entrances ;D

 

I'd just like to say THANK YOU to pjc for talking me through the whole thing through PMs, and to Sue and Susan for keeping in touch and supporting.  Sorry to have rambled, but this was a big thing for me (and I think, the birds).

 

I have few pics that I'll post later.  But Photobucket's a bit slow for me.

:-)  

[Whats it called Cumbernauld]

Well done mate pleased for you

 

Rab

[invalidusername]

Thanks Rab :-).  Sorry for rambling post.

[pjc]

well done David, knew you could do it even if you havn't any fingure nails left!

 

Phil

[Peckedhen]

Fantastic David....... phew!!

 

I would never show the birds the way out through the door - they will soon learn it means freedom and fly out over your head. Only let them in and out via the sputnik, it will give you more control over them.

 

Junior will get more and more adventurous as he explores his surroundings, don't panic when he takes off and disappears for half an hour or so.

 

Sue

 

 

[invalidusername]

Fantastic David....... phew!!

 

I would never show the birds the way out through the door - they will soon learn it means freedom and fly out over your head. Only let them in and out via the sputnik, it will give you more control over them.

 

Junior will get more and more adventurous as he explores his surroundings, don't panic when he takes off and disappears for half an hour or so.

 

Sue

 

 

Thanks, Sue.  It was the sputnik door I let them out of, not the shed door.  I realise that would totally confuse them and be a red flag for them to go out that way.  I'm really pleased they went out of the larger sputnik doors and back through the bit by the landing board, particularly the little one.  But I guess he saw dad do it :-)

 

Here are the pics I promised.  Bluey and his baby are really starting to look alike :-)

 

Dad and baby on the lawn:

 

Baby on the Pyrocantha:

 

Then onto the Bay tree ;D

 

Bluey first to go back in:

 

 

 

[pjc]

Great job, and they are looking well!

 

Phil