# Injured feral pigeon



## annibrahim (Jul 1, 2011)

Hi there, 
I am new to the forum and need some advice. I found a feral pigeon in the square near where I live who is badly disabled. She was sitting in the sun but when she moved, I could see that all her tail feathers were missing and only pink skin is showing underneath. One of her legs is badly damaged and she is using her wing as a crutch to help her. She looks very vulnerable. She is able to fly and seems to be coping with her awful disability. It looks as though she has been attacked but her wounds seemed to have healed ok, no signs of blood, pus or anything like that. She trusts me to feed her, when she sees me she will come for some seeds but when I tried to catch her to take her to a rehabilitation centre, she flew off like a shot. Should I continue to try and catch her or let her be. She seems to be coping unbelievably well with her disbility but she looks so vulnerable in this busy area. I live in London, Uk. Love to hear from anyone who can advise.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

she would do well with some TLC, but if you try to catch her everytime she will get leary of you.. not much you can do untill you catch her and hope she recovers..if she can still fly then that is a good sign.. but keep watch if she gets down and really sick she will need antibiotics ASAP.. You may want to get some to have on hand if you do get her.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Not necessarily a good sign, sometimes. I have seen pigeons with a leg injury as the result of an attack or vehicular strike...and although they still do their darndest to try to keep up with the flock, what we are oftentimes seeing is just a slow, slow spiral downward which is imperceptible from day to day. I remember one here who I saw in my yard for 6 weeks with an injured leg; probably broken. He managed and managed and managed although as the weeks went on (and I continued to be surprised to see him) I could also see he was getting picked on more and was moving more slowly. He had plenty of food and I was always glad to see him intermittently...then after 6 weeks, no more.

Pigeons have such an incredible will to live (ALL birds do, really...it is something to behold) and they will hang in there until the very end. But that shouldn't be mistaken for 'managing alright'....y'know ?

As Spirit says, obviously best to catch her but if she can still really zip away (kinda surprising because with one bum leg it usually takes them more effort and time to push off and get airborne)...the best thing to do is befriend her, hope she keeps returning...and if she is declining then she would be easier to catch. You can usually get around three attempts at catching before they might go elsewhere for good (as long as they aren't 3 consecutive days); surprising as that may seem. 

I do not know what the context of the situation is there...oftentimes if you can 'corner' an injured Pigeon maybe near a fence or hedge or building or such...just to take away a couple of directions to which it can flee...the advantage then becomes yours.

Another method...as you say she comes to you when she sees you...is to get her to feed near you, almost at your feet if you can. If you can get her to turn her back to you, Pigeons do have a blind spot back there and if they are intent of pecking at food they oftentimes will be sluggish in reacting to something coming from behind them.

I feel your concern...it is one of the most frustrating things in Pigeon aid/rescue...trying to secure a hurt Feral who still has the ability to flee. That's always tough. You have to balance building the trust with your intent to make a grab.

In some instances I might recommend actually feeding medicated food...I have done this before. It is a distant second, however, as it doesn't 'heal' the broken leg or injury...but it can provide some relief and perhaps fight off some infection to make their life just a bit less of a struggle.


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## annibrahim (Jul 1, 2011)

Hi there,

Thanks so much for your replies. I have managed to see little "Courage" (the nickname I have given her) three times since my last post. I fed her on Friday and twice yesterday. She came to my feet yesterday and ate there, I did not manage to attempt to grab her as she was facing me all the time. When others came into the square, she took off again. I will keep this up if she keeps coming to me until I can manage to get a hold of her and then I will take her to the rehabilitation centre. They keep disabled birds for as long as they need to stay so I am confident she can have a better life. It is so busy here though and she needs to be around when I'm at the square ready to feed her, its a bit of a hit or a miss. I guess in this great weather we're having in London, its a great excuse for sitting in the sunsine with one eye on my book and the other eye scanning the sky for my little friend.  Here's hoping I can help her get better.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

OK, well...you are doing what you can. What are you feeding her ? I might suggest that you get some birdseed and mix it with Parrot pellets (formulated Parrot food - Roudybush, Lafaeber's, Harrisons, Zupreem, Kaytee - sized for budgies - dunno what other brands might e available there) as it is highly nutritious.

To that...I would add an antibiotic...do you have anything, pet or human grade ? Amoxycillin, Penicillin, Ceclor, Augmentin, Cephalexin, Cipro/Baytril ?

It is not a great way to administer, but better than nothing. Crushed meds adhere well to the pellet mixture, if wetted just a bit. In the least it might help stave off any infections which may be developing.

Also...double-check on the rehab place, inquire specifically about injured Feral Pigeons. oftentimes a place will claim one thing, but simply kill Ferals once they arrive. 

Kudos to you for staying on top of this.


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## annibrahim (Jul 1, 2011)

Hi there, 

I fed little Courage earlier today. She had a good feed. I gave her wild seed mix which is made up of Sunflower Seeds, Wild Grains (Sorghum, Oats, Millet), Wheat and peanuts. I have no access to antibiotics, these can only be administered by the vet here in the UK. It is so difficult for me (and her) as she comes down to me in a very busy public square so its difficult to do anything other than feed her at the moment. When I gain some confidence in my ability to catch her, I should be in a much better position to give her more help. I phoned the wildlife centre and explained everything and they told me that as long as the bird can fly, there would be no reason to euthanise her. I would make sure of this before I handed her over and i would ensure that they kept me informed if they were deciding to go down that road so that I could bring her back with me. I will continue to carry on feeding her for now, (she was nearly at my feet earlier today) and who knows what tomorrow will bring. 
PS. I note that her feathers are beginning to peep back through some of the pink skin on her rump


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Hi. OK, good that she is showing up.

You can ask friends if they have any leftover meds, maybe...

Do a search for Pigeon supplies in UK, I do believe that they do sell pet-grade antibiotics online (not 100% sure, however). 

Again, thanks for caring.

G


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## PigeonQueen (Aug 13, 2006)

Hello whereabouts are you in London? I ask as I live in Surrey and could possible come and catch this pigeon for you. The pigeon sounds as if it is vulnerable and could do with an overall check up to see what could be done to help it.

Please let me know where the pigeon is located and the time that you see it. I have no car but could possibly come if not too far out of town. Best wishes Jayne


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## annibrahim (Jul 1, 2011)

Hi Jayne,

I live in Chelsea, at Sloane Square. The pigeon is always around this area. I am hoping to be able to catch her soon and get her checked out, have you got some experience in checking them over? Sure could do with somone experienced... the problem is that I never know when she will come down to feed, its usually if she is around the square when I am there with the food.


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## PigeonQueen (Aug 13, 2006)

Hello I have private messaged you with my phone number.


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## London Pigeon (Apr 20, 2011)

Did you catch her?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

London Pigeon...the poster hasn't been back and it has been almost a year since she did post.


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## annibrahim (Jul 1, 2011)

Hi there, thanks for asking but I didn't catch her. I turned up as usual after my last posting on the forum but there was no sign of her. I went to all the places that I had previously seen and fed her but no sign. I was gutted. My husband couldn't believe how upset I got over a pigeon, but each little life means a lot to me. I am still on a mission in Sloane Square to help injured pigeons and have developed a relationship of trust with lots of them.


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