# Found Injured Baby Pigeon. HELP!!!



## Sanu (Mar 9, 2010)

i found a baby pigeon 4 days back which had fallen from its nest on my roof. i put it back. but later when i checked on it, it was badly injured. my neighbor told me that its parents had pecked on it. 

The outer skin on the head and under its left wing was completely gone. i put some antiseptic on its wounds. i hand fed it with rice & mustard seeds. it was eating and healing fine. A scab has also formed on its head. 

but now it hangs its head. it also scratches its wound very badly. its very restless, keeps flapping its wings & circles around. but it has not lost its appetite and feeds fine. 

but i am really worried about it not lifting its head. i don't exactly know its age but i checked out some pics and i think it might be abt 17 days old. 

Please HELP!!!

Thanks in advance.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Can you provide a photo?

I don't know anything about mustard seeds, but polished rice is not the ideal food for baby pigeons as it lascks thiamine...however, a pigeon with a thyamine deficeincy would pull its head back towards its tail rather than hang it.

Can you let us know roughly where you are so that we can check what esources are available to you?

Feefo


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## Sanu (Mar 9, 2010)

thanks for the quick reply.
its already night here. its asleep now and i dont want to disturb it. i'll post a photo tomorrow.
i am from Nepal. Here we cant find pigeon feed but chicken feed is available. even vets dont show interest in looking at pigeons.
i dont know what to do and any help would be big help.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Hi Sanu,

Thanks you for helping this little guy out.

Is the nest where you put the baby back into the only pigeon nest above, and around where you found this baby? The reason I ask is that is, if there where a few "nests" above and the baby was placed into a nest where the birds there were not its parents, the baby most definitely would be pecked at as you describe.

Good luck with him,

Karyn


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

You can try green grams soaked in water a day before, also chikpeas, wheat, millet, all soaked in water as its only 17 days old. You can try wiping the wound with a cotton squab dipped in antiseptic in very dilute form (like a half bottle cap of Dettol in a litre of water) Do provide the pigeon clean water to drink, it should drink or will be dehydrated soon. Use a syringe without needle and feed the water into the throat avoiding the small opening of teh wind pipe.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

If you PM me your address I can send you stuff like antibiotics (jsut in case) and liquid calcium (it strengthens muscle and bones), but it will take a few days to reach you.

In the meantine, if you can get some porridge oats,and mix that into a porridge using warm water, that would probably be better nutrition for him. Chicken food is also good, and if you can get your hand on some chick starter crumbs, those are excellent but you will need to soak them in hot (not boiling) water for half an hour in order to hydrate them.

Just a few more questions:

How much is he eating, and how often?

How much does he weigh?

Thanks

Feefo


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## Sanu (Mar 9, 2010)

@Karyn it was the only nest around. i wonder why it was pecked. 

@sreeshs i used betadine on its wounds. cud it be that it was a lil strong for the baby?? yes, i do provide it with water. it gulps down water on its own. thank u so much for ur suggestions. 

@feefo i will give him some oatmeal then. i feed him thrice a day and he eats abt loose fist full of rice and mustard seeds. how do i weigh it?? 

maybe the reason it hangs its head is because of the pain.

i will check some animal pharmacies for the calcium. i think they might have some calcium for chicken. will that be okay?? if not then i will let u know. thank u so much for ur offer and suggestions.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Well, it sounds as if he is eating enough. I weigh them on my kitchen scales.

I am not certain I understand how his head "hangs", that is why I wanted to see a photo, but this can be a symptom of concussion, which leaves the neck temporarily limp. I had one concussed pigeon recently, his neck was better within 24 hours.

Chickn calcium should be OK.

Feefo


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Sanu, thanks for your reply.

The reason I asked is, generally speaking, in a case whare a baby accidentally falls out of the nest the parents are usually happy to welcome it back, unless as I mentioned you place it in the wrong nest, or a case were the baby has a sickness taking place and the parents realize the baby is sick, throw it from the nest and will not welcome it back. So we have to be aware there is a possibility that outside needs such as food and water, the baby may need some sort of treatment. In the nest where you placed the baby did you notice a nest mate, another bird the same age in the nest? Yes, a photo would be good.

Karyn


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## Sanu (Mar 9, 2010)

here are the pictures. i tried to upload them on this site but i kept getting an error.

please check all four of them.

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy78/Sanu_00/injured baby pigeon/DSC05271.jpg

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy78/Sanu_00/injured baby pigeon/headwound.jpg
this is the picture of the wound on its head. a scab has formed on it. but he keeps scratching and it has peeled off a little. can we do anything to stop him from scratching? i'm worried that it'll make the wound worse.

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy78/Sanu_00/injured baby pigeon/woundunderwing.jpg

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy78/Sanu_00/injured baby pigeon/hangingitshead.jpg
he keeps hanging his head, especially when we lift him up.

@Karyn i forgot to mention that this had happened after a harsh storm. i had found another one dead on the ground. he was smaller than this one. 

i also noticed today that the colors of his eyes dont match. one has a whitish screen on it.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Sanu, running out the door so this is quick. Where you are can you buy an antibiotic ointment called Neosporin or anything like it? It is a topical antibiotic in a petrolatum base sold over-the-counter in the US.

Karyn


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## Sanu (Mar 9, 2010)

yes i have Neosporin at home. thanks for ur help. have a good day.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> i also noticed today that the colors of his eyes dont match. one has a whitish screen on it.


Is this something on the surface that looks as if it could be wiped off (but don't try that) or is it milky and inside the eye ?

The most common cause of cataracts or cloudiness in the eyes is salmonella, which is treated with an antibiotic like Baytril/Enrofloxacin. You might be able to buy some over the counter or I can send.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Sanu said:


> yes i have Neosporin at home. thanks for ur help. have a good day.


Sanu, I want you to apply some Neosporin to the damaged scalp area twice a day, a nice coating to seal the area to allow it to start to heal, but not so much as to run all over the head and into the eye, if a bit does get into the eyes, it is not a problem though. By sealing the area we are trying to keep it moist to allow epithelialization to take place, growing new tissue, and to stop any infection that might want to crop up in an open wound.

Thanks for the photos. To me they do not look too bad, but it would be wise to see if you could get the antibiotics to keep on hand that Feefo mentions. I am hoping that the drooping of the head you mention could just be some sort of soft tissue injury from the fall, as in the first shot, all in all, the head position is OK, but if there is an illness present and he takes a turn for the worse, he will need to be started on treatment with no delay.

Karyn


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