# found pigeon with missing tail feathers



## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

A few days ago when I was driving my schoolbus route I saw a pigeon on the side of a freeway off ramp near my house, I could tell something wasn't right with it. After I was done with my route, I went home and got in the car and grabbed a bucket. I went back to the ramp and the pigeon was still there, so I pulled over to check it out. It fluttered a bit but didn't go far. I managed to get it into the bucket and brought it back to my house. I looked the pigeon over a bit and the only thing I saw was it is missing some tail feathers. I have had it for a few days now in a cage I had made to house another pigeon I cared for last year.(That's another story!) I gave it pigeon food(I feed the pigeons around my house) and water and it seems to be eating and drinking fine, it also wing-slaps me when my hand gets near it when I clean the cage. 
I was wondering how long it takes for the tail feathers to grow back and if this is the reason why it didn't fly far? Also, around it's beak/nose area there seems to be small feathers growing out. Could the pigeon be molting also? 
Thanks for any info you can give me!


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Thank you so much for going back and checking the pigeon out. He would not have lasted very long without your intervention.

Can you put the pigeon on antibiotics or take him to a vet? 

Pigeons don't lose all their tail feathers in one go as part of the moult, it is usually as a result of having them caught by a car wheel, a human or a predator.

Check under its wings and along its legs to see if there is any sign of injury, blood or "powdery" feathering. Also check to see whether any feathers are missing from its back. 

Even having lost its tail feathers a pigeon can fly very well...If there are no flight feathers missing from the wing then my guess would be that there is something else wrong that is keeping him ground bound...injury or infection from whatever caught him is very likely!

It is extremely hard to find some puncture wounds on pigeons, it once took me two days to establish that a pigeon had a deep bite on its leg because all the feathers had been pushed into the puncture wound. But if he has been bitten then he will need antibiotics because he could die of septicemia otherwise after looking perfectly well.

One of my first rescues had lost all his tail feathers and the flight feathers from one wing. He was fully recovered within six weeks.

Cynthia
We can try to get antibiotics to you if it is absolutely impossible for you to get any, but they would only be broad based and would take time to arrive!

Cynthia


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello and welcome to pigeons.com

Please click on to this website and locate a rehabber in your state. If they are not close to you perhaps you can contact one who can give you another address. Please make sure they are "pigeon friendly" and do not euthanize.
http://www.wildlifecare.org/list.html 

Treesa


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

If the feathers were broken off (they will have a jagged stump), they will not replace until the molt. If they were pulled out whole, they may replace much sooner. Broken feathers indicate a hawk strike and underline Cynthia's request to look carefully for puncture wounds.


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## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

Thank you all for your replies and info!
I checked the pigeon again and it's wings look fine. No powdery stuff/tears/missing feathers. He slaps me with them quite well! I did see a couple of little long brown bugs crawling on the wings and now I feel quite buggy!! YUCK! 
His tail looks like there are 3 to 4 feathers left. The very ends of a couple of feathers are kind of, I don't know how to discribe it....they are there but are kind of mashed, mishaped?
I wonder if he was just stunned for a while when I found him(I think it's a boy!)He puffs up his crop and feathers and looks huge!
Otherwise he looks pretty good. I've been thinking about putting him outside in his cage for a while near where I feed the other wild pigeons in my yard to see what happens.
Thanks again for all your replies!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello,

Could you please get this bird to a rehabber who is "pigeon friendly" or an avian vet, as time is passing? Besides the fact that he doesn't want to fly, if the pigeon is "puffing up his crop and feathers" this may also be a sign of sickness.

The lice can be cleaned up with a little parakeet lice and mite spray, but that is not the big issue here.

Thank you for helping this noble bird.

Treesa


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## Anarrowescape (Jan 6, 2004)

by the sounds of it this person is doin a good job of lookin after it and they have had experience so no need for a rehabber at the moment till we find out what the problem is by the sound of it it could b a youngster that ain't learnt how to fly yet. put the pigeon outside and throw it up a wee bit not to high that it can go on a roof if it fly's the bird was just stunned if it doesn't look around its cheek bones for swellin it is possible this little guy has flown into somethin while flyin out of the road of a movin vechile.

------------------
Robert

[This message has been edited by Anarrowescape (edited May 08, 2004).]


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## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

I guess I should've said that he puffs himslf up when I try to pick him up or if my hand gets too close when I'm cleaning his cage out, he only does it when I'm close. If that doesn't work he slaps my hand with his wings. 

The other pigeon that I talked about being another story I also found along the side of the freeway. I saw a crow picking at her. I didn't have a cage at first so I kept her in a covered box for a couple days. The second day I had that one I noticed a bunch of odd smelly seeds in the box, I thought that was odd since I hadn't fed her that kind of seed. Then I saw that her crop was split open!! I knew that wasn't good. So, I looked online for split crops and found one site that mentioned it and how to fix it. It entailed stitching it up. I knew I could do it and it had to be done for the pij to live, so I got some rubber gloves, needle and thread. I cleaned the items with alcohol and wrapped up the pigeon in a rag, set her on a box on her back and set to work. She held so still like she knew I was trying to help her, a few minutes later and 5 stitches I was done. I set her back in the box with a little food and water. I then made a cage out of PVC and black plastic garden mesh and moved her to it. Within a day she had started eating. I had her for about a month before I released her in the back yard when the other wild pigeons were near. Within minutes she had a boyfriend and he stayed close by her until she could fly away with him. 
I like to think that she is amongst the pigeons that come and feed in my yard once in a while. After her being on the diningroom table for that long and then being gone I sure do miss walking by her and seeing her in the cage there.

I looked at the rehabbers list and there are none near me. 

Maybe the pigeon I have now is young, but he knows how to eat and drink and make little piles on his paper. 
I think I may try Annarrowescape's idea by seeing if he will fly a bit. Maybe not tomorrow though as it is supposed to thunderstorm. 

Thanks



[This message has been edited by MartianSky (edited May 08, 2004).]


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

This bird should be a piece of cake after the last one. For several reasons stated in your last post, you should stick with this bird - my two cents.

Could you find an indoor test flight area? A bird can show you a lot inside and if there is a problem you wouldn't want to lose it.


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## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

> Originally posted by dano7:
> *This bird should be a piece of cake after the last one. For several reasons stated in your last post, you should stick with this bird - my two cents.
> 
> Could you find an indoor test flight area? A bird can show you a lot inside and if there is a problem you wouldn't want to lose it. *


Thanks for the vote of confidence!
I think maybe our enclosed sunporch would work for flight tests! 
I'll have to clear it out first.
Thanks for the idea! 



[This message has been edited by MartianSky (edited May 08, 2004).]


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Martiansky,


OMG, OMG, OMG !!! You stiched up a split crop all on your own.....Bravo!!!!

Absolutely fan-freakin-tastic!!!

Linda


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## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

Well, it wasn't the best looking stitch job. But it seemed to work. 

Parakeet stuff will work for the pigeons' lice then?
I will go out tomorrow and look for some to get rid of those nasty crawlies! EEWW!!

Thanks!

[This message has been edited by MartianSky (edited May 08, 2004).]


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hey martian,

None of my business, of course, but if you had the guts to, basically, perform surgery and succeed, that is a gift, really.

I cannot get over the fact that you saw what needed to be done and did it..again, bravo.

I would have taken the poor bird to a local vet and paid hundreds or had to have paid to have the bird euthanized. You probably have a real future as in rehabilitation for these birds, whether you realize it yet ot not. Again, KUDOS!!!

Linda

[This message has been edited by Lin Hansen (edited May 08, 2004).]


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Did the site you saw instruct about stitching the crop lining as well? I don't know whether the crop and the lining inevitably become separate when there is a tear but I ask because even the vets round here don't know much about crop repair and if this aspect was missing from the site then we can correct it! 

These are my experiences of vets and torn crops!:

One of my current pigeons (Josefina) had her crop stitched by the vet, but the vet forgot to stitch the lining! The outcome was that seed got caught between the crop and the lining and there was a huge plug of necrotic tissue. Even a pigeon knowledgeable vet thought that Josefina should be put down, but she was fortunate enough to be in Helen's care at the time. Helen (Nooti on this forum)trimmed the dead tissue, flushed the crop and injected antibiotics, had her on nil by mouth and injected Hartmann's for three days. She saved Josefina's life, but the crop was too small for her to survive in the wild which is how I ended up having her here.

Then there was my cat caught collared dove, Lovey. I took her to the vet and specifically said that I was concerned that her crop had been punctured. He examined her and said her crop felt fine, he could feel seed in it and was more concerned about possible damage to the airsacs. A few days later a sunflower seed popped out of her chest! Back we went to the vet who talked about healing crops and granulating tissue. He said that he could even feel the tissue granulating...I had to point out that what he felt was more likely to be spilt seed than granulating tissue. He took the bird away, came back and agreed that it had been seed after all that had spilt from the crop and that he had removed it. He was about to seal the puncture but I persuaded him to let her heal from inside and on Helen's advice I had her on nil by mouth for 2 days, injecting Hartmann's, to allow the crop to heal, and then followed the vet's advice of tube feeding below the level of the tear because she was too weak to keep under the nil-by-mouth plan.

Lovey regained her strength and was pooping well but still had a big red lump on her neck. I kept taking the scab of and flushing the hole with saline, but there was little progress. Then one day I squeezed the scab and out popped another sunflower seed! So this time I cleaned the cavity out myself (there were also smaller seeds still caught there) and flushed it with antibiotics...there was a big hole which healed almost overnight and we have had no trouble since.

Cynthia

[This message has been edited by cyro51 (edited May 09, 2004).]


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## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

Well, I cannot remember what site it was and I didn't bookmark it. I will keep looking for it though.
I don't recall it saying that the crop had a seperate lining.
I only remember seeing one layer of skin. Skin and then feathers. I cleaned out all the seed that was in the crop before stitching it closed. I checked it often and it healed quite well. Like I said, it wasn't a pretty scar, but the feathers covered it up. 

I guess I see it as, she either would've starved to death or been pecked to death by the crows sitting there on the side of the road. She lived for a month longer after I stitched her up and I'm prettty sure she stops by every once in a while with her mate for feed in the yard.
I wish I could've tagged her somehow so I could really know.
I have some pictures to remember her by.
My dog loved to sit by her cage and softly bark to her. Wanting her to play.


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## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

I found the link!! Here it is.....
http://www.wildtalk.org/fall02.html#suturing


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Thanks for that. I will send the link to Helen, maybe she can advise both us and them on this. As my Lovey did not have either the crop or the lining surtured I have also had to assume that both healed and closed properly. I know that Josefina's problems became apparent within 10 days of the crop had being sewn up. I assume that if there had been any further spillage then there would have been another infected "lump" of seed working its way to the surface.
I have had to do things with pigeons that I never imagined myself capable of, but at the momnet I can't see myself suturing a crop. Even reading the instructions made my blood run cold with horror! However, I think that it is an important skill to learn as there are so few vets that are prepared to handle pigeons.

Cynthia


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## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

I really wish I had had real suture material. I don't know if you can just buy it from somewhere, but it'd be nice to have some on hand.
I used a small sewing needle and that thin plastic thread(looks like really thin fishing line)I thought that would be better then regular thread rotting or something. There wasn't any blood either, I bet you could do it!









Does anyone know where /if you can buy suture materials?

Thanks!



[This message has been edited by MartianSky (edited May 09, 2004).]


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

Cynthia,

From reading the website article, it would seem that by holding both sides of the tear as described, you would catch both the skin and the lining with the needle. Do you see it that way? thanks


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

To tell you the truth I have never seen an exposed crop (and hope I don't ever have to!) , but what you say makes sense.

I wonder if what really happened in Josephine's case is that they just mended the gash in the outer skin and didn't repair the crop at all?

Cynthia


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

That's what I was thinking - bad technique because of a lack of knowledge. If it's any more complicated than that I don't ever want to see it!!


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## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

Well, I bought the lice spray and gave the pij a couple squirts so hopefully the bugs will go away! 
Will those bugs go on humans? I hope not!

Well, his wings seem to be in working order. I'm hoping he was just stunned and that now that he's fed on some good chow he will be ready to go.

Thanks to everyone with the help! Muche appreciated!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi there,

The parakeet spray will work fine. Just cover the eyes and beak before spraying. SPray under each wing, on the back and the vent!

I have never seen a lice or mite on a human, but be sure to wash your hands after you spray it.

Great news about the wing!!!!


Treesa


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## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

I released the pigeon today! I put the cage in the yard and opened the door. The pigeon just stood really still for the longest time. Finally some neighborhood pigeons dropped in for some seed and he stepped out of the cage to feed along with them. I was amazed to see how much smaller it was then the other ones. It made me think that he was indeed a young bird. He also did a strange display where he lay down in front of the other birds and spread his half a tail feathers out. They didn't pay any attention to that and so he hopped up and ate seeds with them. Then when the "wild" pigeons flew away, he flew up to the roof with them. I was so happy to see him fly, but sad to see him go. I hope he stays around so I can watch him grow! 

Thanks to everyone who offered their experience and advice to me to help with the pigeons recovery!


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

If he hasn't seen the sun lately, he was sunning his feathers at the first chance. Probably something to do with external parasites or vitamin D.

Since he started in the wild, I have high hopes for this youngster; you deserve to see him again and that would be quite grand.


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## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

I saw another pigeon while on my way to work. I couldn't pick it up then and had to wait unti lafter work, 4 hours later. It was still there. I brought it home and looked it over, not good to see a little blood on the finger of my rubber glove. His right wing is hurt. I put him in the cage with food and water. He seems to be resting now. I am afraid for this one, I might've been too late. 
I looked again at the link for wildlife rehabbers and it appears they don't handle birds. I will ask my vet tomorrow as I am going there and see what they say. 
I hope it makes it through the night.


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## MartianSky (May 6, 2004)

Found yet another pigeon the day after the last one, May 21. I saw it get hit by a schoolbus! Fortunately, it was still there and alive so I picked it up. It had a hurt leg. I put it in with the other one and they are buds now! Both are doing fine after a month of recooping and good food! Looks like they will both be able to fly away soon!  YEAH!


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

*Excellent News*

Thank you for being there for the pigeons and for the good news!

Cynthia


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## Yong (Oct 15, 2003)

*Canker, now pox? need advice please!!!!*

HI there,

I rescued one of the pigeons that hangs out in my yard. Tailwind is her name.

She was 108 Grams, mouth so filled with Canker that she was bleeding and gasping for air. the vet told me to put her to sleep.

She came home with me June 26 and I did this:

15 days of .1cc Flagyl 2x daily.
.5cc Nystantin 2x Daily
Hand fed 8 days 12cc 3x daily
Pedialite daily
seeds of all kinds.
Nekton Vitamins daily

Not once did she vomit, or have any bad effects happen during this treatment. In fact she is now 216 Grams. So I scheduled a follow up appointment to see about letting her go.

Here is the kicker:

Yesterday she vomited her last dose of Nystantin. She had a hand fed meal in the morning 12cc (the first in a number of days, I was worried about dehydration) she did not get sick. Later that afternoon I gave her another hand meal 12cc, she vomited badly. That evening I gave her 8cc, she kept it down. By the way the feathers were ruffled and her eyes went from bright orange to brown.

I took her to the vet this morning. She tested negative for Canker (hurrah!) They did a fecal exam, that came up negative as well. They told me to go back on Flagyl for the hell of it. .13cc 2x daily for two weeks. One thing that I did notice that was different only in the last two days was a bump on her leg at her heal. Dr. thought it might be Pox. Yesterday I noticed two young birds for the first time who both had bumps around their eyes, they actually look like siblings. If she does have pox what can I do now?

By the way, she did not vomit her Flagyl or meal this evening.

Anyone have any suggestions, thoughts or otherwise? she also wants to go home VERY badly. HELP!!!! yong


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