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Question

what can I do to help a pigeon that has been hanging around my garden for two days?
He has a ring on his leg and is very friendly but I don't know anything about pigeon's.
Should I feed him if so with what?

Answer 1

He is for sure a pet pigeon, he may have been released but lost his instinct to find his way home. Kaytee makes a pigeon food called Baymor that is what we feed to our Doves and Pigeons. It is the best food to give them since it is designed for their dietary needs. The ring around his leg is an identification of his breeder, buit unless his ban was registered you may not be able to find his owner. So it looks like you have a new pet. But see if you can get him the Pigeon food I recommended, dont be feeding him bread or crackers he can not remain healthy on that. If you need any other help please contact us.


Sapphyre
Certified Avian Specialist
http://www.borrowed-rainbow.com
Join our bird group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BorrowedRainbowAviary/

Answer 2

I love animals in general. :) I looked up how to care for pigeons and this is what I found. The link has more infomation, but I copied and pasted the first two sections.

http://www.angelfire.com/ga3/pigeongenetics/lostbird.html
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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.


If you have more questions after looking at that site, I would just call the game warden or the vet and ask for more information. They can and will help you.
Good luck and take pictures of your new friend. :)

Answer 3

If it has a ring around it's leg then that means that it is someone's racing pigeon that got lost or that just decided to call your place it's home. If you want to feed it you can get normal bird food at your local pet shop or ask them if they know anyone who races pigeons in that area and then go and speak to those people. It might be their bird or they might take it off your hands. But if you decide to keep it you should make some sort of a shelter for it and buy some bird food for it.

Answer 4

Stop in and visit my group, There is a link there to help you trap the Pigeon, The bird is a racing pigeon, when the bird is contained you can call me with the band number and I will find the owner, also I will need to know where you are located.
Wild bird seed will be fine to help the bird, also a fresh drink of water would be greatly appreciated.
Here's the link to my group, I look forward to hearing from you, hopefully we can return this bird to his-her owner.
Thank you kindly for careing enough to help.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrokenwingPigeonRescue/

Answer 5

Pigeons are friendly.Whether is somebody pet or drifted from the flock,please feed it.They Like
1)Millets
2)Cracked corn
3)Broken wheat
All are available in any store.Very cheap
Finally please keep a bowl of water. The bowl should be shallow or keep some stones for it to perch on.
But be prepared ,this pigeon will bring back one or two more on its next trip.

Answer 6

ring usually means pet, maybe a hobbiest in your area that keeps carrier pigeons? Can you see if anything is on the band? Pigeons will eat any wild bird seed or cracked corn, he may be just resting while in transit to his owner.

Answer 7

No don't feed it. I am a perfessional on birds go and look in a phone book under birds.You'll find alot of good ones and chances are if it has a SILVER ring around it's leg it is abandoned.

Answer 8

Sounds like a lost racing pigeon. Phone the RSPCA and they can return him to his owner.
Do it quick before a cat gets him.
Give him clean water in a bowl and brown bread if you can't get pigeon feed.

Answer 9

Yeah, that's happened to me about three times, they just come around randomly. I suggest you feed them any kind of seeds and leave a dish of water outside for them. They get really friendly, and just help them by feeding them. (Get the seeds from Shoprite, really cheap.)

Answer 10

it could be a lost racing pigeon, my uncle raced pigeons and if one came back to late he rung its neck so it would be better for the bird if you fed it