Racing pigeon came into my sitting room about 2 hours ago.

bobbysands81

I managed to get right up beside him/her and got a phone number from their leg. I'm in Dublin and the number was a Belfast number, I rang and the man who answered the phone seemed very happy that bird was ok and optimistic it would find it's way home in time.

I walked the bird back out onto the balcony and thought nothing more of it as I thought it would just fly away. However 20 minutes ago I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt something nip at my toes, the bird never flew back home but had walked back in through the open door and was pecking my feet!

I've given the bird some water and food (as I keep an African Grey) but now the bird is trying to fall asleep on the floor. What should I do? I'm happy to leave her wander around until she gets her strength back but should I leave her to her own devics or should I "chase" her off so she starts to fly away?

are you serious

I had this situation a couple of years back, sounds crazy I was down off the coast of wexford and a pigeon landed with us, looked exhausted and it did not fly off again, it had a tag but no phone number so I took it home with me let it sleep in the back garden shed with water and some birdseed+bread next morning I let it "go" but it didnt leave, it came back again after about 20 minutes flying around, he stayed around up until the 2nd day then he flew off after i let him go the 2nd day and he never came back!! I'm assuming he found his way home

TooManyDogs

Racing pigeons often need a couple of days to recover and then they normally fly off so if you were able to give him somewhere safe to shelter in and feed him I'd say he'll go off himself this week

chucken1

I had one come in to me a few years back too. I rang the number and its owner was in Wales,Im in the west of Ireland. Poor fella was wrecked

I made sure he had food and water and he left after 3 days. He just needed a holiday

Might be an idea to let it rest and have food and water, but maybe not indoors! Had a pair of them arrive one day and take up residence in our horses' stables, and wouldn't leave, the food was too good. Stayed a few weeks until a peregrine falcon put pay to one of them and our cat got the other. We had one that fed in our garden and would come back every few weeks for about a year - one time came back with another pigeon - think he lived with us then. Great to give the bird time to recover, but you could end up stuck with it if you spoil it too much!

Zapperzy

There has been a few threads recently about finding racing pigeons if you want to do a search and have a read.

Bit off-topic but how come there has been so many racing pigeons turning up in people's gardens lately?

Zapperzy

Zapperzy wrote: »

There has been a few threads recently about finding racing pigeons if you want to do a search and have a read.

Bit off-topic but how come there has been so many racing pigeons turning up in people's gardens lately?

We had them pretty constantly where I grew up in rural Wexford. I didn't realise there was an influx!

Zapperzy

Deleted User wrote: »

We had them pretty constantly where I grew up in rural Wexford. I didn't realise there was an influx!

I'm just judging by the number of threads here about racing pigeons, there has been 3 or 4 in the last 2 weeks or so which just seems a lot to me. Don't think I'v ever seen a racing pigeon. We had 2 pigeons that used to visit the garden a lot especially over the winter but I don't think they had leg rings but quite tame though.

bobbysands81

Zapperzy wrote: »

I'm just judging by the number of threads here about racing pigeons, there has been 3 or 4 in the last 2 weeks or so which just seems a lot to me. Don't think I'v ever seen a racing pigeon. We had 2 pigeons that used to visit the garden a lot especially over the winter but I don't think they had leg rings but quite tame though.

Maybe people are more aware??? I only knew she was one because I saw two tags on her leg and only noticed it cos I have a parrot. Only then did I realize that she wasn't in bits like most normal Dublin parrots!!!

She's well rested, watered and fed, and hopefully on her way back to Belfast now!

Might be the time of year for racing pigeons? I don't know, I know nothing about racing birds save that they sometimes come to our place and refuse to leave again!