# Injured Feral Pigeon



## klwbmr (Jul 28, 2008)

Two weeks ago i found a pigeon that obvioulsy couldnt fly, I dont think she is very old. I picked her up and took her home, i noticed she only had 2 tail feathers one of which is bent. I placed her in a two teir rabbit hutch, every day i sat her on top of the hutch and she made no attempt to fly. Last Monday she attempted to fly only as far as the mouth of the german shepherd next door. Luckily again she was rescued. I looked for injuries and noticed she had some feathers missing off her wing. we are now a week down the line...she is making no attempt to fly and her wing appears to have dropped. Her feathers have began to grow back both on her wing and her tail. She is socialising with 3 other pigeons that i rescued. They live free but return 3/4 times a day for food. There are no avian vets local to me and i was wandering if anyone can advise be on what best to do for the pigeon. She is happy enough walking around the garden but i wish she could be free. Any advice would be welcoming. Thanks.


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## kippermom (Jan 11, 2006)

A pigeon that cannot fly and is walking around on the ground is often called "dinner"....they make easy targets for cats, dogs, owls and hawks. She is better off in the hutch 24/7 until she is strong enough to fly away, or she may always need to be contained for her own good. Freedom is not what is best for a bird that cannot fly well or at all. If the feather loss is from an incident, they will mostly grow back and with some good food and time, maybe she can be freed...but that will take time during which she needs the saftey of the hutch.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, we can try a few things to see what her prospects of future flight are. Hold her in one hand and manually rotate both wings (one at a time) over her back. You can do this with them either extended or folded. You're looking for a difference in how they both feel. If one seems to have a lot of resistance, then she might never fly again. Also, you can compare the joints of both wings to see if any joint in particular feels swollen or puffy. Let us know.

Pidgey


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