Here are some pictures of Red Rosie that I just took. She is doing so amazingly well. Her other thread was getting long so I made this new one.
Here she is chowing down on her cottage cheese and garlic and oatmeal mix. She loves it! Her feathers are so much nicer than when I got her. She is really looking a lot better.
Here she is - see her little pointy tongue?!
Her comb is SO much redder than when I got her. She's like a whole new chicken.
Oops, wrong pic, this is the tongue pic!
Here is her fluffy clean butt! She was so raggedy on her butt feathers when I got her, but now she is clean and fluffy and bright. Like a freshly washed towel!
She's such a great chicken, I'm so glad I found her!
She is like a whole new bird Claire....I am soooo glad you got her too...
You can sure see the difference in her comb...Good feed..even her eyes look better...
Yay!! Rosie laid an egg today and didn't eat it! What a whopper!! I think she has laid either 2 or 3 before but she always ate them before I could get to them. I'm so excited for her and happy that she isn't an instantaneous egg eater...
at least she left this one long enough for me to have it!
OK, get ready for a LONG story....
Last week, on about Wednesday, when I got home, I went to see Rosie in the backyard. When I got back there, there was a pigeon standing near the bantam's enclosure. I thought that was weird because I live in the country and we don't see pigeons much. I see them in the city. I approached the pigeon, thinking it would take off, but it didn't. I got REALLY close to the pigeon, and then I began to worry that it was sick. I thought it seemed kind of groggy, and I worried it might have bird flu, and it might transmit it to my chickens. I hurried off to get the chicken catching net (fishing net) that we used to round up the chickens at Jim's farm when I got them.
I walked up to the pigeon and simply popped the net over it with no trouble. Something told me this was not normal. I gently extracted the pigeon from the net, and realized that it had 2 leg bands on. One was green and one was red. I read the numbers on the green one and thought I should look them up online. When I did, I found out that it was a racing pigeon from Elgin Racing Pigeon club near Chicago. So, I found the contact number for the club online, and called it. I spoke to a nice gentleman who informed me that they'd had a race and a LOT of birds went missing for some reason. Nobody knows why because it was a nice day. Anyway, he said it was one of their birds and he would look up the owner and have him call me.
I asked what I could do to help the bird and he said it was probably exhausted and to give it water and food. I asked if chick feed was good and he said it was. So I gave it some water and food in dishes and it ate like nobody's business. That poor bird was starving, so I called him "Starvin' Marvin" just for fun. The club rep said after a couple of days if he had energy to release him.
So, on Friday morning, it was beautiful and clear and Marvin (not sure if it is male) was feeling energetic so I held him for a while and said that I enjoyed the visit and hoped he would have a safe flight home. He flew off into the clear blue sky like a shot, so fast. I watched until I couldn't see him any more, and I felt sad but happy for having experienced this.
And off I went to work.
I got home around 6 pm, and I went out back to see Rosie. And there was Rosie, as usual, and....there was Marvin. Marvin came back and was sitting in the temporary hamster cage I had used for him, which I had left the lid open on in the morning when I left. He was eating as usual. I had a discussion with Marvin and released him again, but he just circled around a little and came back.
Well, it's Sunday today, and he is still here, and he and Rosie hang out on the back porch like old buddies....
I feel kind of bad that the pigeon doesn't want to go home, but the owner never contacted me, and I called the club (long distance) to try to help out, but now he seems happy here, so I am just content if he wants to stick around
So here, in living color, are Rosie and Marvin. :-) I had just been picking some grapes. Marvin was checking them out, and Rosie decided she wanted to eat out of Marvin's usual dish. Sorry for the contrast shadow/sun but I had to take it while they were not looking at me or Rosie will come to the door!
Claire
too awesome!
pf time
Oh gosh Claire, that is just to neat. A heart warming story. You are truly blessed with a beautiful bird.
r u gonna keep him
Well, he's not confined in any way at all, so if he wants to stay, he is more than welcome. I don't know what else to do with him since the owner never called. I figure if he sticks around another week or two, I will try to make him an official pigeon house. But first I have to figure out what a pigeon house needs...
in my opion he is yours now
I think a racing pigeon that doesn't race home is probably worthless to an enthusiast. But it is the kind of quirky individualism that is endearing in a pet!
That's what I love about this pigeon! Very quirky but fun!
Claire, both stories are so lovely. What lucky birds they are to have found you.
Thank you Margaret! I feel lucky that they found me! I can sit on the porch with them and Rosie will stand on my legs and Marvin gets within about 2 feet of me, but doesn't actually perch on me. It's fun to spend time with them and watch their antics.
uh oh! is there a pigeon fairy too!?
See my warning on Harmony's innocent sounding thread. No one will listen to me!
i'm listenitn, i'm listening, i just can't stop drooling!
ok, had some chocolate, i am better now... Nestle may just be a CF antidote, hmmmmm..... mmmmm....
oh NNO! It doesnt work like that tf! Now your DOOMED!!!
When you eat Nestle..... its is the anti-antidote! tee hee!
Now you will have a sudden, overwhelming, NEED for new baby chicks!
Excellent--I am halfway through a Giant Hershey's Symphony Bar (creamy milk chocolate/almonds and toffee chips, 6.8 oz. $1.59 at Target), so I should be coming out of the pigeon frenzy soon. I bought two--so I will make it through the night.
What are you talking about 1Anjl? Chocolate is the universal antidote. Right?
mhmm
yep
no you've got it wrong... it is CF's universal anti-dote !!!
Maybe that is why we are all "hooked"?
yep! thats got to be the reason :o) I WILL NOT be giving up chocolate! so I guess I am to be kept under the cf's..... er....wing and raisin babies! LOL
So, I have chocolate to blame now? jeez! is nothing safe anymore? Where is that zapper thingy the government took?
Josh says he sent another--but I have yet to see it. What do we really know about Josh? Hmmmm? Sometimes he seem to know an awful lot about the CF's dealing. And did you notice that the CF referred to him as her "Southern Pacific" rep--or words to that effect. Did anyone know that? I sure didn't.
hummm so maybe Josh is the true CF? And PF? GF? DF? TF? just making them up as I go along.... You definitely are on to something there Cat!
He is up all night isn't he?....(US night anyway) And, if I remember correctly - Josh is the one who gave it willingly to the Government, right? And what time is it in Africa right now anyway???
hummm gets a person to thinking.... Maybe 'spiked' our chocolate with something to make us need chickens??
Cheryl ~ Pea
Yes--but we can't let him (?) know we are on to him(?). So let's just keep it between the two of us until we have more evidence.
I'll do an internet search, you look up police and interpol records. Okay. Go!
Gotcha!! We'll crack this one wide open. ^_^
Desperate times...shhh.....
Okay, I found this: http://www.grdc.com.au/director/research/nutrition?item_id=4828BA78F65FBE93ACA37F5A0B721005&pageNumber=3&filter1=&filter2=&filter3=&filter4=
But I think I better stop for now--I feel I am being watched.......
Wait a minute, I found a picture! http://www.daff.gov.au/brs/science-awards/winners-2006/josh-hollitt
You are.... By the Midwest....^_^
Hey, Dusty! What are you doing up?
Are you with us or agin us?
I'll have to take a gamble--can you check on the correlation between CF's and Josh's communications? And take a look at the picture in the link above. Have you seen that young man before--hanging around the feedstore, in the background of DG members' postings, interrupting mail deliveries to slip chick cartons in? He's not what I was expecting--but CF may be a master/mistress of disguises.
This message was edited Sep 8, 2008 3:59 AM
