# Baby pigeon in shallow but wet drainage channel



## Kokyo (Jul 25, 2013)

Dear Pigeon-Talk readers,

I was hoping you might be able to give me some advice about a baby pigeon that has appeared on my balcony. She appears approximately 6 days old, and her parents are coming regularly to feed her. 

There is a shallow (two cm) but wet drainage channel that runs on the floor, and I first found her there; it seems she wandered away from the nest on the balcony next door. On the advice of a local wild bird organization, I moved her to a dry area outside the channel. When she wandered back into the channel later that day, I moved her again when her parents were gone. She stayed there overnight but when I got back from work, she was in the channel again, and she spent the night there (one of her parents was also on the balcony with her later that night).

Is it okay for her to stay in the drainage channel? I'm worried for a few reasons. First, it is wet, although the temperature is 35C (high) and 26C (low). Second, it's not raining now, but if it suddenly rains, a lot of water could suddenly fill the channel. Third, I am not sure she can yet get out. At the same time, I'm worried about handling her too much and driving her parents away. 

Please let me know what you think I should do. Your advice is greatly appreciated.

Kokyo


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

That channel it's not safe. 
Can you put her where the nest is, next to your balcony? Or may be even your balcony, as long as the parents can see him.
Baby pigeon cannot be 6 days old..at this age they cannot stand on their feet and walk.
You could take the pigeon and care for him. It's not hard and its doesn't cost anything except for food. If you do so, please get back to us with a picture of the chick and we'll let you know, depending on age, what to feed and how to feed.

Thank you.


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

Hi Kokyo
Thanks for caring for this baby. Maybe she is attracted to the channel because it is dark or cozy or whatever. But it is dangerous for her apparently.
Maybe you can keep her in a cardboard box, so she cannot get out. But make sure you keep her in the same (dry) location she usually is, so parents have no difficulty in finding her.
Just my idea. Hopefully others will give better ones.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

If you move the nest, the parents won't recognize the baby.


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## Kokyo (Jul 25, 2013)

Dear Dima and Kunju,

Thank you so much for your help. I think that she is indeed attracted to the channel because it is the perfect size for her. Ideally, I would put her back in the nest, but it seems to be on my neighbor's balcony and I can't access it without first speaking with my neighbor. I have seen him trying to chase away pigeons, so I'm concerned that he won't be happy to find out there is a nest on his balcony.

I was thinking about a cardboard box, but I'm concerned that it might blow around in the wind, as did the towel that I initially placed the baby on. Does anyone have any ideas for a wind-proof replacement nest?

As for the age of the baby, I do hope she is older than six days. But she is very small and not able to walk well (although she keeps making it back to the drainage area). I'll try to take a picture and upload it. Because her parents are coming to feed her and appear to be taking good care of her, I want to leave her with them if possible, which was the advice of the wild bird rescue center. Of course, if they stop taking care of her, I will do whatever I can to help.

Thank you both for your help!

Kokyo


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

At this age, the mom and dad go off and start a new nest and the mom lays more eggs. They do come back to feed the baby or babies but they no longer sleep with them at night. Because they come back so infrequently and stay just long enough to feed baby, often their presence goes unnoticed and the baby is believed to be abandoned. Rarely is this the case.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

I would not leave the pigeon in the channel...rats can get there?

Is the neighbor's balcony close to yours. Do you think the parents can notice the pigeon if you take him in your balcony. Try it. If parents don't come as i said, it's easy to feed him, or you can put him back..2 cm of water is not going to drown him, but pigeon will get sick with feet wet all the time.

What about putting a piece of wood in the channel and he can stand on it.


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## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

http://www.speedpigeon.com/baby_racing_pigeon.htm


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

A picture would help, to know the age of the bird as well as the conditions of the channel you are talking about.
Putting sand in the box will prevent it from getting blown off. On the other hand, to minimise meddling with nature, if you can think of ways to clog the source of water to that channel ( I can't imagine what kind of channel it is, so I don't know if that's possible), or maybe put a barrier along the channel so the pigeon can't access it, that would work. A barrier can be something like strips of cardboard along the edges of the channel, or cover the channel with cloth, or something of that sort.


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## Kokyo (Jul 25, 2013)

Hi everyone, 

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. The weather report says it's going to rain, and the runoff from my air conditioner was trickling right into the area where the baby was sitting. So I again moved her to the dry part of the balcony. She was really unhappy and crawling around desperately; I felt really bad for disturbing her like that. After awhile, she settled down, but I'm still waiting for her parents to come (it's nighttime). She's sitting in an awkward position with her legs splayed out to the sides. Is this normal? 

I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow morning... if I try to cover the channel with a board or with a towel, I'm worried it'll still get wet, since it's on the uncovered edge of the balcony. I was thinking of trying to put the baby in something heavy (like a flower pot) on the dry side of the balcony, but I'm worried that the parents will not take care of her if I intervene too much. Any ideas?

Thank you all again for your support.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

It is still a bit difficult to offer concrete suggestions without a photo. if we could see the location and where she used to be and where you moved her to and where she keeps crawling back to, that would help. Also some pics of the baby. Thanks for caring.


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

Splayed legs are not normal, so perhaps it would be good to intervene and take that baby. Splayed legs are easiest to correct when it is a squab, becomes difficult to correct after its grown up.


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## Kokyo (Jul 25, 2013)

Here's a picture. Thank you all for letting me know what I should do.

(You can see the drainage channel next to the baby.)


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

Its' very easy to fix his splayed legs. You will have to take him with you in the house..he will not survive outside as he will never walk. With bandage aid his legs are going to be fixed in 2 weeks.

Please bring him in and let us know..we'll guide you how to handfeed him.

Thank you.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Yes, Dima is right, he legs are splayed. That is most likely from being on a hard surface like that. He needs to by caught and brought in, and his legs taped in a more natural position for a while, or he will be crippled and never able to walk. We can help you with that, and also with feeding him. His parents are probably at the nest with the other baby, but returning him won't work, as his legs need fixing.


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## Kokyo (Jul 25, 2013)

Thank you so much for your advice. The parents are still coming and feeding the baby, but if taking the baby inside is the only way, I am more than happy to help. There are a few things that concern me. I have no experience in raising young birds. Also, I work full-time, which means I am gone from home for 8-10 hours per day, and I am scheduled to go overseas from August 12-21. Finally, I am worried that this bird will not be able to go back to the wild. Do you still think I should try to raise it? I want to do what is best for this bird.

With many thanks,

Kokyo


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Given that you work full time, and you are going away, the best thing would be to call the wild bird organization back and tell them what is going on with the baby, and see if they will take him.


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## Kokyo (Jul 25, 2013)

Thank you. The rescue center was closed, so I called a vet in the neighborhood. They told me that they don't treat wild birds and that it is best to just let things happen naturally.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

What are you going to do? Can you not find a rescue center somewhere there?


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

FYI, this is what you can do meanwhile.
Roll the tape around his leg above the ankle. You can pad around the ankle with soft bandage, so the tape doesn't stick to the skin. The width should be not too wide an not too tight. Just enough that when you place him down (on a towel in a card box, so his feet have a grip and legs don't slip sideways).
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vI-hGcJJZ...rN6jAg/s1600/Chicken+Pictures+Bandaid+002.jpg

It's important to keep him alive until a wildlife centre can help him. You can try handfeed him as per instructions:
You can hand feed defrosted peas. I use the petite ones. Run some hot water over them until they are defrosted and slightly warmed. Put the bird on your lap and hold it next to your body. If it helps because you are having a hard time handling the pigeon, you can wrap a towel around it or put it in the sleeve of a tee shirt, with the head out the wrist. This method confines the pigeon without hurting him and makes it easier to handle. Gently open the beak and pop a pea at the back of the mouth and over the throat. It gets easier and faster, with practice, for both you and the bird.
You will need to feed 40-50 per feeding [depending on the size of the pigeon] and every time the crop empties until you know the baby is eating on his own. After a couple of feedings, most squeakers get the hang of it, pick up the peas on their own and naturally transition into a seed diet.
The crop is located below the throat and above the keel bone, which is in the center of the bird. When full, it fills like a little balloon and feels lumpy from the peas.

In addition to the peas,one time a day, put a small pinch of powdered oyster shell, which you can buy at most pet stores, will supply the calcium the baby needs to support bone health.You sprinkle it on the peas. (this is from a yesterday's post from Charis)

Best is to buy Kaytee Exact from any pet store ( it has all the vits and nutrients) You just warm water to it.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

Kokyo said:


> Thank you. The rescue center was closed, so I called a vet in the neighborhood. They told me that they don't treat wild birds and that it is best to just let things happen naturally.


The natural thing to happen is that he will get eaten by a predator, or after the parents stop feeding him, because he will not be able to walk, he will die of starvation. This pigeon will not even learn to fly.

So if you cannot find someone to help after you leave on Aug 21, there are higher chances for him to survive. But best is to care for him until then and try to find someone to continue until he can fly and can be released back to the wild. It just takes a bit of will to ask around and i am sure someone will be found to continue your good work.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Dima said:


> FYI, this is what you can do meanwhile.
> Roll the tape around his leg above the ankle. You can pad around the ankle with soft bandage, so the tape doesn't stick to the skin. The width should be not too wide an not too tight. Just enough that when you place him down (on a towel in a card box, so his feet have a grip and legs don't slip sideways).
> http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vI-hGcJJZ...rN6jAg/s1600/Chicken+Pictures+Bandaid+002.jpg
> 
> ...



These are instructions for birds that are a couple of weeks old. This bird is way to young for peas, and 40 or 50 would kill him. These instructions are NOT for a bird that young.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

It wouldn't be appropriate to feed such a little baby this way.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

Charis said:


> It wouldn't be appropriate to feed such a little baby this way.


OK, i don't have experience with babies...i am sorry..i hope my advice doesn't get taken..NO HANDFEEDING PEAS !!!!!!!!!


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

I hope contacting the rescue organisation works.
I don't know if this is correct, but the way I am imagining is that the bird is in your neighbour's balcony, but you are able to reach it.
Can you place the baby to your side (of your house)? A small change in the location will not affect the parents' ability to find the baby I hope. Attract the parents to your place with food, and correct the splay legs of the baby when the parents are not there. I am not sure if this would work, I have no experience of this sort, just sharing my idea.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

kunju said:


> I hope contacting the rescue organisation works.
> I don't know if this is correct, but the way I am imagining is that the bird is in your neighbour's balcony, but you are able to reach it.
> Can you place the baby to your side (of your house)? A small change in the location will not affect the parents' ability to find the baby I hope. Attract the parents to your place with food, and correct the splay legs of the baby when the parents are not there. I am not sure if this would work, I have no experience of this sort, just sharing my idea.



The baby is already on his balcony. The nest he came from is on his neighbors balcony. You can't fix the legs and then leave him out there on the hard slippery surface. It just won't work.


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## Kokyo (Jul 25, 2013)

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your kind advice and support. I brought the bird to the wildlife rescue organization, and they said they will do what they can. After examining her, they told me that she is very weak and not in good health and that she had probably been in poor health since birth. They said the problem with her legs was preexisting and was probably due to malnutrition, specifically, a lack of calcium. They also said she had a lot of food in her crop and was having trouble digesting it, and was thus in great distress. They said that her suffering was probably the reason that she crawled away from the nest and onto my balcony in the first place.

I am very grateful that they will do all they can to help her, and I thank all of you for your concern and advice. Let us all hope that finds peace, and if it is meant to be, that she grows big and strong one day!

With many thanks,

Kokyo


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Kokyo...I'm glad you took the baby to them. I do take issue with some of what you were told. The leg issue is not preexisting. It is caused by being on a slippery surface with nothing beneath to grip with the toes.... I do agree that lack of calcium does play a role in the condition. 
Baby birds can't digest food, when they are cold. Given the weather condition, certainly the baby was cold.

I'm glad they are there and I have the same wish for her that you do.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Thanks for taking the time to help the baby.


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