# my squab fell out of the nest! what should i do?



## pigeon4ever (Jul 15, 2002)

today i went to check on my homers white squab. it wasn't in the nest. i was so scared. i checked the floor and there it was. the parents still feed it on the floor. i guess the baby was too exited to eat and fell off. 
should i put it back in the nest, or leave it on the dirt floor?
i dont want it to get any dieses or bugs!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Go ahead a put it back in the nest. They do sometimes fall out. If there are other pairs in the same area, the baby stands a chance of getting scalped.


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## Proud Peacock (Jul 10, 2003)

Great advise by "Lovebirds".

Go ahead and place the lil one in its nest. Hopefully the nest is not too high (over 1') or the chick could end up falling again (and again) and injuring itself in its next fall(s)... Only EGGS are readily accepted by adults, and the "scalping" bit is a terrible reality for the "birds of peace"!!!! Ironic, isn't it?!


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## cynthia ark (Jun 21, 2003)

Sounds like good advice to me! 

I knew other adults might injure babies that don't belong to them, but I had never heard about the scalping! I think that is probably what had happened to a poor baby that I rescued a number of years ago. Hope it's ok if I post the story here, as it might possibly be of some use to someone someday.

About 9 years ago, my son rescued a hapless baby pigeon from some children who were repeatedly throwing it from a rooftop. The poor little thing had been completely scalped and one eye was sort of hanging out.







The top half of it's skull was completely exposed. I didn't know if the children or some animal had done it, but now I suspect it was other pigeons. 

It really looked terrible, of course, but the sweet little guy seemed like he really wanted to live and even ate a little when I fed him. He was alert and seemed interested in things. It was evening, and I didn't think he could possibly live through the night, but I tried to make him as comfortable as possible, and he did!

I didn't have a car at the time, and the nearest bird vet was about 4 hrs. away by bus, so off we went the next morning -birdy, my son, and me. We finally arrived at the vet's, only to have her say he must be put down. When I tried to protest, she began screaming at me and saying I was cruel and that his skull would turn black, crumble away, he would go crazy, and his brains would fall out! Not a really rosy picture!







But he had so much spunk, even in that condition, that I wanted to try. I asked her for antibiotics, but she refused, screamed at me some more for not letting her kill him, and charged me $85 for absolutely nothing. I gathered up our bird, paid it, and took the bus the 4hrs. home in 100 degree heat.

Well, Spunky, as we named him, was still hanging in there, so I went to the drug store and got a roll of gauze and some Neosporin antibiotic ointment. I gently covered his exposed scalp with a thick layer of Neosporin and fashioned a little hat out of an oval of gauze which stuck onto the ointment and held it in place. I coated it with a little more ointment. I didn't know what to do about his eye, so I applied more Neosporin around the exposed socket. And prayed!

I think I found some oral antibiotics for him somewhere and of course, I fed him, took care of him, and loved him. I changed his scalp dressing 3 or 4 times a day, making sure it stayed moist with the ointment and clean. Of course, I kept waiting for his "skull to turn black and his brains to fall out" but, happily, they didn't!







Instead, ever so slowly, skin began to grow inward from the edges of his horrible wound and up over his skull! It took several months of this treatment, but eventually it healed! Feathers even came in on most of it, with just a few bald spots! And his eye sort of drew back up into position and healed, too! He even had sight in it! Aside from a few missing feathers, which wasn't even noticeable, he was a normal, happy bird! 

I'm sure that the vet's prognosis had some merit, but when a little creature that really wants to live has a little help from human friends, and a lot of Grace from God, miracles can happen! I'm sure many of you would have been better equiped to handle this emergency than I (he was only my 3rd pigeon), and perhaps would have known some better treatment, but with a little ingenuity and a lot of love - it worked! (and it does seem to be a testament to the power of Neosporin! haha







)

Thank you for letting me post this story. I thought maybe someday someone might remember it, and not give up on a little friend that wants to live! 

Blessings, cynthia ark


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## Guest (Jul 11, 2003)

Cynthia...what a great story. I hada similar story when I went to this guy's coop in the neighborhood. I saw a baby on the floor that had this huge "black helmet" (scab,dried blood, huge!). She had been scalped and was super skinny. The owner didn't seem to care and I took her home. I gave her antibiotics, tube fed her and and she survived. I called her "Mighty bird". I have a wire band on her and we laugh because she is so petite and the wire band looks more like an ankle bracelet. She was snow white and all healed fine and hair grew back but there's these little hairs on the top that stand straight up. She's adorable. 

Turned out she was the best parent I had ever seen. While switching positions with pop to take over the babies, to keep them warm, she'd spread her wings over the babies while pop would get in. It was really neat to watch. I guess because of her abuse, she made sure her babies were kept safe and warm







. 

And I hate to say this, but I think most vets like to paint the gloomier picture with badly injured birds, as they are fragile and I think they just want the easy solution and try to spare people the grief. I never listen to a vet who recommends putting them "out of their misery". I don't believe we should always make that decision to end a life. Pigeons are strong birds and the will to survive is strong and they should be given the chance. You did great Cynthia!

[This message has been edited by dpowell (edited July 11, 2003).]


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## Guest (Jul 11, 2003)

Oh, and my advice on this situation if there are other birds is to have them maybe in a large cage with mom and pop with food bowls in there. I have nest boxes with fronts on them that I can close. They will repeatedly fall out and they squeel which draws attention to them. 

A temp. fix would be to get a large wire cage (rabbit type) and put them in there. The parents will show them how to get seed and water too and they learn to eat on their own much quicker!


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## pigeon4ever (Jul 15, 2002)

thanks for sharing that great story.
the little one is doing fine. the parents feed it alot and were scared when i put it back in the nest i guess they thought i would take it. but its doing great. today it turned 3 weeks old.


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## katiedidittwo2 (Oct 17, 2002)

If the baby is 21 days he is almost at old enough to leave the nest. Take a 10 X 20 inch 1/4 inch plywood and around 3 sides screw it down to 2 X 4 pieces. Place the baby board next to a wall. Then if the baby should get back down on the floor he can crawl under this platform to get away from the other adults. The parents will feed him on the floor when they are down on the floor.
Katie


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