Self Releases Self Releas
Earth's Angels does not sell, ship, or deliver birds for self release.
Why?
The reasons are very simple.....
The birds you ordered for your "self release" will most likely arrive the day before your event. You need to check your shipment to make sure all the birds are alive. Then they will need to be fed and watered (most birds can not survive much longer then 24 hours without water). Release Doves are athletes and require a diet formulated for their specific needs. So you will need to have a quality pigeon feed on hand. Your local farmers co-op will have 50 pound bags of feed you can purchase and if you're lucky it will be the same food the shipper used since a change in their diet may cause loose stools. The birds will need to be transferred to a holding pen in order to stay clean. Pigeons need about 3 square feet per bird and special perches in order to stay clean and healthy.
Some time before the release the birds will need to be transferred to the release basket that you have purchased and decorated. You could use the shipping box, but it will be dirty and not very attractive. Transferring the birds increases the likelihood that some or all of the birds will escape; at the very least spoiling the beautiful effect you had hoped for, at worst leaving you with no birds to release. They may soil your newly decorated basket, especially after being fed a different food. That will be such a lovely site when you open the basket! The birds themselves will probably be dirty after sitting in their droppings (POOP!) all night ( Not exactly the most pleasant color you've ever seen but doesn't it show up sooo nicely on those white feathers).
Now it's time for your release (if all the birds didn't escape while you were putting them in the release basket). It is entirely possible that the birds if not trained, will fly to the nearest rooftop, tree, or powerline and land, or simply shoot straight out of the basket and head for home, spoiling the hoped for effect of the flock gathering in the air and circling overhead white wings shimmering in the sun. If you were shipped white ringneck doves they will fly a few feet and land on the ground then most likely end up as prey for another animal or simply starve to death.
When all is said and done you have probably spent as much as you would have with a professional release, not to mention the added stress to you and the birds. Do you want your special occasion haunted by the memory of a messy ill-timed release, or to spend days afterwards wondering if the poor birds ever left the roof top and made it home or worse ended up as dinner for a cat or a hawk if they didn't starve?
A professional White Dove Release is a well orchestrated performance created especially for you to make your special occasion the memory of a lifetime. The Doves, well trained, clean and in top condition arrive with a coordinator dressed appropriately and on time to ensure a safe and timely release. Trained to travel in their baskets the birds are calm, comfortable and ready to fly, lifting spirits heavenward with grace and beauty on wings of snow white.....the memory of a life time!
