# Found young wood pigeon (UK)



## Lex (5 mo ago)

*Looking for a rescue or experienced local rehab ideally*

Looked out the kitchen window yesterday to see a sparrow hawk eating a wood pigeon with a chick/nearly fledgling nearby flapping for food. As it seems the parents have been killed I went to have a look at the young bird, it can flap well, scooted around but one leg doesn't seem to be doing much. It was bleeding on it's chest and nostrils and was very quiet/shocked. I brought it in, fed it some chicken feed mush and a few peas then left in a box expecting it to die. Its not feeding from a bag/balloon etc so I was just shoving little balls of food in its mouth. It's more alert today but I'm still not happy about the leg and don't really know what life stage it's at. I'm assuming it's near to fledgling age and will need to learn to peck at food etc. All tips and recommendations wanted for fledglings.










Couldnt contact a wildlife rescue nearby, no answer. I'm in Northern Ireland


----------



## Doves Witness (Apr 23, 2016)

Feed the bird crumbled hard-boiled egg at room temperature. Eggs have the wide variety of nutrients that young birds need to grow. Some nutritional deficiencies can cause problems with development. If the problem is related to nutrition, then the bird's condition will improve soon.


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Are both parents dead? Keep an eye on the nest. If only one parent got killed, the other one will probably hang around the nest area looking for the baby. If no parent around, then you need to take care of him.

The baby looks like 3 weeks old. Keep on handfeeding and also leave a small bowl of peas with him. They quickly learn to eat peas by themselves and then you can start adding small seeds.


----------



## Lex (5 mo ago)

Marina B said:


> Are both parents dead? Keep an eye on the nest. If only one parent got killed, the other one will probably hang around the nest area looking for the baby. If no parent around, then you need to take care of him.
> 
> The baby looks like 3 weeks old. Keep on handfeeding and also leave a small bowl of peas with him. They quickly learn to eat peas by themselves and then you can start adding small seeds.


I imagine one is still alive but I don't know where the nest is, we have a vast bird population in the garden so I've been keeping my eye out for a potential parent. Unfortunately amongst the resident birds are sparrowhawk's, buzzards and the odd kestrel, we also have foxes and cats around so Id be cautious having it outside unattended.

It's got it's strength back now thankfully so I'd be keen to try and reunite it with its parent if there was the possibility to do so. If so, how would that be done?


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

If you can't find the nest, then continue raising him. He must be able to fly well and eat all types of seeds before getting released. He must also be old enough to defend himself against older pigeons, so 2 to 2 1/2 months old will be ideal. He will need to spend time outside in a cage to get used to the area. After releasing, you still need to provide him with food as he won't know where to find. So this will be easier if you feed the local flock in your garden.


----------



## Lex (5 mo ago)

Marina B said:


> If you can't find the nest, then continue raising him. He must be able to fly well and eat all types of seeds before getting released. He must also be old enough to defend himself against older pigeons, so 2 to 2 1/2 months old will be ideal. He will need to spend time outside in a cage to get used to the area. After releasing, you still need to provide him with food as he won't know where to find. So this will be easier if you feed the local flock in your garden.


I'll see if I can get a dog crate or similar for it to be outside in. We feed the birds here a lot in a few different spots on the land so I'll try and make sure it can find that. I'm trying to work out a bigger space for it to stay in now, we have a sheep shed and a very dirty greenhouse but neither are ideal. It's not my house I'm just staying here so I can't make many changes.

If only chickens weren't so vicious it could live in the coop


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Can you post a photo of the coop? Maybe when he is older and can fly well, you can keep him there for a week before releasing. But he will need high perches to escape the chickens.


----------



## Lex (5 mo ago)

Excuse the photos it's tricky to get a god angle due to the sheer size. It's a trapezoidal run of about 5mlength, 1.5m height and 2m wide.


The chickens are free range so only pass through and I have a series of bins I've used to rehab hens before but no where indoors large enough for those currently. I don't know what heat requirements the pigeon currently has, if it could comfortably cope with the temperature outside I'd be able to create a temporary separate run in there with a large bin for a co-op.


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

I think rather get a cage for him. Doesn't need to be large, something you can carry out during the day to leave him outside for a couple of hours (under your supervision) and bring back in at night. But this will only be for later when he is older and more active. He will need to observe the other pigeons feeding and get used to the area.


----------

