Homing Pigeon

[josaphine32]

We have had a racing pigeon roosting in our window since last saturday, Every night the stupid thing comes back so it must be lost, I managed to catch it last night and got the details off its legs, It comes from belgium, ( Belg 2001) (411655) I have it in the shed at the moment in a largish bird cage, What do i feed it on? I have emailed the belgium pigeon racing society, How long should i keep the bird for?

any advice would be great.

[RATTER15]

its probably just exhausted, get a bit of bird seed feed it for a few days then it will fly home again if you give it the chance.

Oh! Tell him no rush to get home, he lost the race!

[classylady60]

Don't know if this might help you....

http://www.angelfire....enetics/lostbird.html

[DTCwordfan]

Homing Pigeon breast with red wine gravy, roast leeks and wild mushrooms

Ingredients
For the marinade
4 garlic cloves, sliced

½tsp picked thyme leaves

6 black peppercorns, crushed

4 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil

8 homing pigeon breasts

For the gravy
2 tbsp sugar

200ml red wine

2 sprigs thyme

6 juniper berries, lightly crushed

For the roasted leeks
12 baby leeks, trimmed

1 tbsp butter

For the wild mushrooms
handful wood ear mushrooms, sliced

15-20 wild brown closed-cup mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation method
1.Pre-heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.

2.Combine the garlic, thyme, black peppercorns and rapeseed oil in a small bowl. Using a sharp knife, score the homing pigeon breasts' skin lightly and rub in the marinade - leave for at least 20 minutes.

3.To make the gravy, combine the sugar and a few drops of water in a smallish, very clean saucepan and place over a high heat to caramelise. Once the sugar melts and has gone a dark golden brown, pour in the red wine. Add the thyme and the juniper berries. Cook the sauce until it is reduced by two thirds - this will take about 12-15 minutes. Season to taste, strain and keep warm.

4.Place the leeks in a saucepan of boiling, salted water and blanch for 10 seconds. With a pair of tongs, remove the leeks from the boiling water and plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water. When they have cooled, drain the leeks well.

5.Place the leeks in an ovenproof saucepan or baking sheet with a knob of butter. Transfer to the hot oven and cook until tender - this should take about 10-15 minutes.

6.Heat a griddle pan until hot. Season the homing pigeon breasts with salt and freshly ground pepper and place on the hot griddle pan. Cook for just a few minutes on each side until cooked to your liking, then remove from the heat and set aside in a warm place for at least five minutes.

7.For the mushrooms, heat a small frying pan. When hot, add the rapeseed oil and fry the garlic until golden brown. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until softened. Be careful - the wood-ear mushrooms can pop and splutter quite ferociously.

8.Serve the homing pigeon with the leeks, mushrooms, and a drizzle of the red wine gravy.

[tamborine]

Best pass it to MI5 as its a spy with hidden camera up its jaxy - drones to follow.

[cazzz1975]

I used to live next door to a pigeon racer, if any of his pigeons came back late he would wring their necks, I found that quite shocking but apparently he said that the pigeon had strayed off his path and was worthless.

[josaphine32]

Thats awfull cazzz, I Have managed to find a pigeon racer who lives 5 miles away, He came straight out and has taken it back to his house, It (She) was very thin and he thought she had been blown off course, he is going to contact the owner to see what he wants to do with her, But he did say that hopefully when she is fit and healthy again she may fly back to belgium.

[mrs.chappie]

How disgusting Cazzz. I don't know how anybody could do it. :o(

[brenda]

I live in a pigeon racing area ---- big cash prizes now for races. Racing to my mind is one of the cruellest sports ever.

[Dee Sa]

we had a wood pigeon fall out of a tree in the garden and couldnt fly, put it in our shed went & bought pigeon food etc but it wasnt doing well, went on A/B Animals & Nature and some kind soul put me in touch with a bird sanctuary in Sussex, get your coat on I said to Mr S and we drove from Essex to Sussex gave them £20 and left the poor thing in their capable hands.
When I told people most said it would have been cheaper to wring its neck but I could never have done that.

[mrs.chappie]

I once rescued a pigeon from a chinese takeaway. I was waiting in the queue and it was walking about on the floor of the shop. I tried to shoo it outside but it wouldn't go - it didn't seem to be able to fly.

I was a tad worried that it would end up in a curry so I took it home with me. Couldn't see any visible signs of injury so I put it in a cage in my aviary for a few days, it ate well and built up its strength, and then I released it.