A pigeon settled in a house and had several young: the ruling on it and its young

Question

Question: A pigeon came from outside into Zayd’s house and stayed, remaining there for a long time. Zayd drove it away, but it came back and again lived in the upper storey; this was done several times. Now it has already had two young, and the line is continuing to grow. Most probably this pigeon belongs to some Hindu of the same neighbourhood.

Answer

If that pigeon is not wild but domesticated, then its owner should be sought out and it should be returned to him. Further, if it is a female, then its young also belong to its same owner: for the young that were slaughtered and eaten, their value should be given to the owner, and the young that are present should also be given to the owner, or bought from him.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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