# Drooping Wing



## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

I noticed one of my pair of king pigeons is drooping on of his wings.

Usually they hold them both over the top of their tail, but the male is letting one drop down and it even touched the ground when he is standing still.

He can still fly OK. I have only had them for about 3 weeks, and he is not as fat as the female. I was trying to get him fatter with some peanuts in their feed (human grade ones -not salted). He still seems underweight as I am thinking is that anything to do with the wing thing? 

He is very active, and looks healthy, and his poops are normal. He is just a little underweight and now this wing drooping thing.

Anyone know if this sounds like he could be getting sick? 

Thanks.


----------



## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Could be something is wrong with him.I am thinking this mostly because he is underweight. Any way you can have his droppings tested?

Reti


----------



## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

Sadly no way. I live in a rural village in Thailand and there a no vets. In the city (an hours drive away) they have vets, but they are just for cats and dogs. Thai people would think I was crazy taking a pigeon to a vet - they would tell me to just eat it! 

I let him and his mate free fly today. He can still fly really well. I am hoping he is just lacking muscle tone due to them being kept in a small cage for goodness know how long in the shop, with no free flight.

Any tips on good foods to put weight on him? I really does not act sick at all. He is very bossy to the female and is cooing and fanning his tail to her.

The wing still droops down. Maybe he sprained it from his exorcise flying out of the cage. He must not have been used to using his flight muscles. I will see what happens in the next few day, and if its still not right I will know something is wrong. I am also asking my friends who keep chickens and ducks about this.


----------



## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

I rescued a young feral squeaker with missing primary feathers on her left wing, and a large partially-healed wound which looked like someone had stuck a blob of red chewing gum at the wound. 

Since she was young and had flown little, the muscle mass on the left side of her keel bone was a lot less developed than her right side. As her wound healed and the feathers grew out, she had more wing surface to work against air, and her muscularity became symmetrical. 

Since your bird was apparently healthy before, and I assume flew normally, I think his muscularity should be symmetrical.

Ferals I rescued who were undernourished because of some disease, and who had prominent, sharp keels, lost weight symmetrically, as far as I could tell. Inactivity and weakness affected both sides the same.

So, I haven't really answered your question; I've only added an observation.

I have a very young undernourished turtledove with almost no muscle at the keel in a cage right now. Some yellow fine hairs sticking out from the hairs still. Too easy to catch.


----------



## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

I usually see droopy wings in sick pigeons who have lost a bit of weight due to the illness. Occasionally its due to an elbow break, but that doesn't sound like the case in this situation.

I'd probably start with worming him with a safe wormer like Moxidectin, levimisole, ivermectin etc. A pigeon can harbour a pretty bad worm infestation and still have normal looking droppings, so that's why worms would be my first guess in this case. They probably didn't worm him at his old place, or not recently.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Also salmonella chronic form can have symptoms of...."Inflammation causes a thickening of the joints, especially the elbow joint, wing or leg lameness"


----------



## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

With Salmonella (and ecoli, coccidia, etc), you would see green enteritis.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

He may have simply hit something and hurt the wing. Often if a wing is hanging lower, that's what it is, not an illness.


----------



## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

Thank you everyone for the advise. You are very helpful.

Today his wing is not drooping as much, and he is holding it level with the other one more often.

I am going to de worm them as advised. I keep Japanese Bantams, so I will de worm the lot of them together with the pigeons.

These are my first pair of pigeons I have kept for many years. I used to have white doves at my old place, and always really missed them. These 2 were very skittish at first, but they are getting tamer now and are not afraid of my, although they still won't feed from my hand.

The shop also has some pigeons with ruffs around their necks, and I may buy a pair of them. My partner HATES pigeons, so I have to do it carefully lol.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

He probably just hit it on something, and it will probably be okay in time. Probably should rest it. Glad it's looking better.


----------



## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

Jay3 said:


> He probably just hit it on something, and it will probably be okay in time. Probably should rest it. Glad it's looking better.


You were right from the begining.


----------



## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

Dima said:


> You were right from the begining.


He is nearly 100 percent better now. I think he must have torn a muscle or sprained the wing when he was flying. As they are King Pigeons they are very big and heavy, and they had never been out of the small cage since they were born and so never actually could fly.

He must have injured the wing through the effort of flying up to the house roof! I am so glad it was nothing serious! Have de wormed them now also which is good.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I'm glad he is doing better.


----------



## ayamanas (11 mo ago)

jak2002003 said:


> Sadly no way. I live in a rural village in Thailand and there a no vets. In the city (an hours drive away) they have vets, but they are just for cats and dogs. Thai people would think I was crazy taking a pigeon to a vet - they would tell me to just eat it!
> 
> I let him and his mate free fly today. He can still fly really well. I am hoping he is just lacking muscle tone due to them being kept in a small cage for goodness know how long in the shop, with no free flight.
> 
> ...


your a special person god bless you...


----------



## ayamanas (11 mo ago)

i also uave a case law ke this im keeping her in hospital room to get rest...


----------

