# wood pigeon broken wing/muscle damage?



## carole (Oct 9, 2004)

hi me again .how can you tell if the wing is broken and not muscle damage. the wing looks like he is trying to hold it up but uncomfortably(if any one can understand that) no wounds at all, and feet are warm now but they was not at first.brought pigeon home and put in cat carrier in front of radiator


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

If you don't have the experience it is hard to tell if the wing is broken. Also it is harder to tell if the tissues are swollen, or there is a hematoma forming.
You can try to examine along the wing gently and then compare to the healthy one. That could give you some indication if there is any misalignment of the bones.
To tell 100% is with an x-ray. Do you have a vet you can take the bird to?
If it is broken it has to be set asap and correctly so it can heal properly, otherwise the bird might not be able to fly again.

Also, please be careful with the radiator, so the bird does not get overheated. As a sourse of heat a heating pad is preferable. If you have a heating pad you can set it on low and place it under a towel for the bird to sit on it.

Is the bird eating and drinking?
Please keep us updated on how this bird is doing and feel free to ask any questions you might have.
Thank you for caring for this little guy.

Reti


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## carole (Oct 9, 2004)

hello ,thanks for the reply so quick. partner and i have managed to examine "woody" there are no wounds and it does not seem to be broken .we did manage to straighten them both out and compare and they both seem the same . "woody has had some warm milk off me in a syring .how often do you have to give and how much.it did try to run from me but was easy to catch.yes i do have a vet who would look, and now he seems to be finding his feet a little.why i ask about muscle damage as there seems no obviouse break


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Carole,

Has Woody got a white ring around his neck? (that would mean he is an adult).

Wood pigeons are very nervous and have been known to die of an adrenalin rush just from being handled, so leave him alone as much as possible. If you look at the trees at dusk you will notice that woodies tend to roost on their own. They flock to feed but I think that otherwise they are more solitary than feral pigeons so solitude won't harm him.

Also, milk is not good for him. Defrosted frozen peas or defrosted frozen corn, popping corn, dried peas are suitable food that you can find at the corner shop. Canary and budgie food would also be fine. I feed the wood pigeons in the woods nearby on mixed corn which is available from pet shops. They will also enjoy wild bird seed.

He will also need a deep but narrow dish of water.

Pigeons can damage their wings without breaking them, severe bruisng can also affect his ability to fly. He could have a dislocation. .Starvation can also weaken them enough to prevent them from flying. Recovery can take 4 weeks or more.

Check his mouth to ensure there is no canker...woodies are prone to that.

It is generally agreed that woodies do not adapt to captivity and if his wing is broken you will be advised to have him pts. However, I believe that there are exceptions to every rule and that every bird should be given a chance of life.

I have just remembered that you are in Birmingham. I am in Norwich, Karen is in Northampton and Alison is in Devon. I know Karen and I have Woodies in our aviaries at the moment and Alison might also have one, all of us would be pleased to offer him accommodation .

Cynthia


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## carole (Oct 9, 2004)

hello cynthia.yes i have noticed woodys roost in trees my mom has two in her garden. i could not leave him just in case he got tormented .went to the pet shop and got wild bird and pigeon peas but will have a go with the defrosted frozen peas .he has a deep drinking bowl (remembererd that from before.dosnt seem broke should i strap him up.yes he has a white colar round his neck like you said .what does canker look like? shoul i try to give him water from syring?


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## AliBlack (Sep 8, 2003)

Hi Carole, Canker in the throat looks yellowy white, sometimes it can be so bad that it blocks the throat and the bird can't eat, this would need treatment from a vet (metronidazole, given orally, if it is this and you need help with how much to give, please let us know).
Do you know if the bird is thin, does his breast bone stick out a lot? I haven't had a chance to read your messages properly, sorry! If you could get the vet to check the wings for breaks and give him an all over check, that would be great, or he might just be emaciated from canker or some other disease and therefore can't fly, he might just be bruised and it's painful to fly.
I don't know much about muscle damage.
Have you left him alone to eat for himself? it can take adult woodies a few hours to start to eat, he won't eat while anyone is there. Do you have somewhere quiet, away from people and pets, warm, not too hot, in a box/cat carrrier, 3 sides covered, helps with the stress, but with the light on for now so that he can see to eat? A good thing to get would be the mixed corn which most petshops sell, sometimes they will eat the smaller seeds in the seed mixes you mentioned.
Do you know if he has all his flight feathers, if he doesn't this can prevent him flying.

Keep us posted! Good luck..

Alison



carole said:



> hello cynthia.yes i have noticed woodys roost in trees my mom has two in her garden. i could not leave him just in case he got tormented .went to the pet shop and got wild bird and pigeon peas but will have a go with the defrosted frozen peas .he has a deep drinking bowl (remembererd that from before.dosnt seem broke should i strap him up.yes he has a white colar round his neck like you said .what does canker look like? shoul i try to give him water from syring?


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Carole,

Leave the syringe for now, just make food and water available and keep an eye on his poops. If they are normal it means that he is eating and drinking on his own. As Ali said, he is unlikley to eat while he is being watched. I think that is because in his view you might be a predator that will leap on him as soon as he is distracted by the food. 

Cynthia


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## carole (Oct 9, 2004)

beak looks clean. no sign of any yellow stuff. did give him some water in a syring but that was before i asked. poops have gone watery. then a solid one just.not sure if he eaten as put it in front of him so he could reach. he is in my room away from all others apart from me and partner nobody else comes in .doesnt move much .not like the tumbler or the feral i had last year. breast bone not out,i think he must have been clipped by a car on a near by busy road.all feathers intact.see you in the morning 

love carole


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Carole,

You are doing well. Woodies ARE far more inclined to sit still than ferals are. Mine (also called Woody) is in the aviary now and he sits still on a round perch without preening, most of the time and only wanders around to eat. In the morning there is a tablespoon of well formed poops under his perch, so I know that he eats well.

Woodies are more comfortable on branches than flat surfaces so you could put a small piece of rounded wood in the carrier for him to feel more at home.


Cynthia


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## carole (Oct 9, 2004)

hello and good morning. woody still with us and pooing and eating well by the looks of things.. adapted the perch and now he is sitting on it ..but he still holiding wing so there is a gap where it should be snug against the body. if you look down on him from above its his left wing.does this sound like a dislocation ..and would vet be able to do it? my vey not open now till monday


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## carole (Oct 9, 2004)

carole here .phoned a vet who is open on a saturday most of the day to be told they do not deal with wild life.told me to call r s p c a.so i did just making sure i know my rights and there policy.so now i am going to wait untill monday and take hin to my own vet, just in case does anybody know of any vets who would treat him my post code is b65 9ql


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Carole,

If you can please avoid the RSPCA. Woodpigeons are classified as a pest because they damage crops so I don't think they would treat and release. 
I know that they have refused to treat feral pigeons and squirrels.

Cynthia


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## carole (Oct 9, 2004)

hello .back fron the vets about an hour now and "woody" all bandaged up. no bones broken as the vet could tell .so she wrapped him up so as to keep him from flapping it about. she reconed he holding it away from him as he in pain.he has been eating and every thing else fine over the weekend. for a wood pigeon and what you say he a bit of a tuff one.and the vets bill was only £13.50 recons it will take about a week to see any improvement.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

That is really good, Carole. hang on to that vet.

It could take longer than a week for him to fly, but be patient, 

Cynthia


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