# First Timer Need Help



## Pacificat (Mar 30, 2008)

Hello,

I found a pigeon while driving along a busy road. He/She was in the middle of the road and in danger of being hit. He/She looked exhausted or injured. I threw my coat on him/her and drove on. Anyway, he/she had no obvious injuries (wing and feet reflexes good, eyes clear and tracking - that's all I knew to check...). He/She is very quiet and has been eating and drinking. Poops were very wet and had a greenish tinge but now are more formed and darker. The only odd thing was a blackish "blob" attached to a feather on the keel area which smelled really bad. Yet when I looked through the feathers around the chest/keel I saw no signs of injury. I trimmed off the black thing.

So, now I have a pigeon that is very happily eating and drinking (seeds, crushed oyster shell, water) but won't fly (will flutter to a new perch when outside) and I have no idea what to do. Is it possible that he/she was simply exhausted or malnourished? It has been 24 hours since I found him/her.

If I take him/her to a vet, they will put him/her down. Our wildlife rehab. centre does not take pigeons. To complicate things a bit further, I am allergic to birds...

Oh, one last thing. He/She is very "tame" and seems like he/she might have been handled before - there's no band however...

Help!


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Where are you located?


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Thank you so much for your concern in finding this possibly lost pigeon. If it seems tame, it may possibly belong to someone. I have 8 pet pigeons and half of them are very tame and will very likely just walk up or fly to strangers. Mine are not banded but I keep mine in a coop/aviary setting.

I am sorry you are alergic to birds. You still, came to its aid, and I commend you for doing so.

Please click on the link below to possibly help you get started.

As Charis requested, if you can provide a location, we may have a pigeon talk member near that may help further!


http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=8755


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## Pacificat (Mar 30, 2008)

Sorry about not posting my location. I am in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada).

Thank you for your help!


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Often when wildlife centers won't take a bird, they know of someone that will or will at least help coach you on how to take care of it.
Give the bird some time though because as you say, it has only been 24 hours. Sounds like you are doing everything right.
Can you post some pictures of the bird and the bird's poops?
Was the black thing just stuck on the bird or was it attached to the bird?


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## Pacificat (Mar 30, 2008)

I tried to post some pictures but my computer is being difficult. I will try again. He/She is a lovely little gray pigeon and looks like many of the other pigeons I see around. His/her poops are now formed and blackish in colour and there are lots of them...

The "blob" that I removed was dangling from a feather and I thought it might be dried blood because when I removed it it left a reddish streak on the paper towel I was using. However, it smelled more like dog poo than blood. Since I removed it, there has been no smell...

I had another good look at him/her tonight and it almost looks as if there is an area just below the most prominent part of the chest where the feathers have been "broken" and are now matted... I don't know if that makes any sense or not. Maybe that's just common pigeon anatomy(?)
When I look right down to the skin, there is a bit of a reddish tinge at the base of some of the feathers in that area on one side of the breast, not the other.

He/She is eating like crazy and spilling water all over. Energy seems up compared to yesterday. Eye clear, no weird discharge anywhere. No awful smells. Walks normally. Wings make lots of noise when he/she flaps. Looking all around like crazy. Starting to act a little more cautious of people. 

Thanks for all the help. I read the basic pigeon care link and have added some peanut oil to his/her feed. I will be calling a bird store in the area that deals with pigeons as well as other birds. Hopefully they will connect me with someone who can help long-term. 

Pidgey (as my son calls him/her) is such a lovely little bird and it has been a pleasure to get to know him/her. I just wish I wasn't so allergic!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Thank you for helping this pigeon.

Please only give a drop of oil on the seed, .... a drop of Neem oil would be good or a drop of garlic oil,.... but only a drop.

Can you post pictures of the poop, and what are you feeding the bird?


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Pacificat said:


> His/her poops are now formed and blackish in colour and there are lots of them...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Pigeons when down , ill, confused will generally run/fly away from human contact but will not struggle when they are not at their best. It seems since he or she has improved some, he is showing some reisitance, which is normal and a good sign.

The poops that are a healthy mix should be pretty solid and look like a swirl of cookie dough brwon or green in color with trace of white towards the center.It is great that the pigeon is eating and drinking.

Here is a link that explains more on pigeon poop and how to better read it from one of our long time members, Brad:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=11637&highlight=healthy+pigeon+droppings


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Something else for quick consideration....since you haven't worked out the photo glitch yet ....he/she may be a fledgling ? Almost full-grown pigeon size but perhaps cannot quite fly yet ? Also, if malnourished and tired/rundown, this certainly might add to the weakness in flying.

The baby I have been caring for is about 40 days old...and she has only been able to really lift off and fly w/ some precision for about the past 3 days...although a week ago she reached the scale of a small adult pigeon and was able to liftoff just a bit and navigate quite awkwardly....amazing what a difference a week makes.

Keep up the work, sounds like you are doing a good job !!!!


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## Pacificat (Mar 30, 2008)

Hi 

I was wondering if he/she could be a fledgling, but I wasn't sure when they hatch. It is still very cold here in Edmonton, we have temperatures below zero regularly. I thought maybe pigeons don't hatch until it's warmer... ??

I have a picture of "Pidgey" that I am going to try to attach now that my husband has fixed the computer problem. I will get a poop picture later on. I can let you know that the poop is very dark with a white blop on top and is formed enough that I can pick it up. 

Thanks for the advice regarding the oil. I will ensure that I only use a drop of Neem oil and not with every feeding. I am feeding him/her a mix of seeds from a bird food store. I have been feeding the smaller seeds (corn, tiny little beige coloured seeds, sunflower etc.) and picking out the bigger ones (almonds, peanuts, etc.). 

The other thing is that I did contact a member of the Alberta Pigeon Fancier's club (he also owns a bird supply store) and he said that there is no one who will take the bird because it is a wild bird (unbanded) and the risk of disease transmission to the "domestic" birds is too high. He went on to say that the pigeon was probably hit by a falcon or hawk and that we should release him soon. 

Again, the only "odd" thing that I can see when I look at him/her is a slight "protuberance" just below the most prominent part of the chest. When I look through the feathers in that area, it looks "matted" or like many of the feathers were damaged. Other than that, "Pidgey" looks fine.

One last thing. For the first little while, his/her feathers were puffed up. They are now lying flat and it makes him/her look much older 

In the attached pictures they are puffed up.


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## Pacificat (Mar 30, 2008)

Here's the poop...


When I put the camera near "Pidgey" to take the poo pictures, he/she cooed! First vocalization so far!


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Where, exactly, are these matted feathers you're talking about? Is it possible for you to get some Amoxicillin, Clavamox (which is Amoxicillin plus Clavulanic Acid) or other antibiotics?

Pidgey


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## Pacificat (Mar 30, 2008)

I don't know the exact terminology although I have been Googling pigeon anatomy...

If I put him/her on his/her back and feel down the centre of the chest, when I reach the point where the bone ends (I guess between the chest and the abdomen - the bottom of the sternum on a human), there is an area where the feathers are "dense." This is where there was a black blob that smelled really bad hanging from a feather.

However, since removing the blob there is no smell at all. Also, when I say "matted" I don't mean with blood or anything. It's more like the feathers have been damaged and aren't sitting properly.

I do have access to antibiotics, but because there is no obvious wound, discharge, or lethargic behaviour, I wasn't sure if I should go that route.

I read that sometimes when a pigeon is malnourished and exhausted, that they sit with their chest on the ground. Could it be that "Pidgey" was in that situation and has damaged feathers as a result? He/She is not sitting that way now, but I wonder if perhaps that was the cause.

Thanks again for all the help.


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## Pacificat (Mar 30, 2008)

UPDATE:

"Pidgey" was looking so much better so we took him/her outside for a "test" flight and he/she flew up to the roof. We watched for a long while as he/she sat there enjoying the sun. We put some food out and he/she ate it. Then, next time we looked, he/she was gone...

We have been watching for his/her return but nothing so far. I'll keep you posted.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, best of luck to my namesake, then!

Pidgey


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## Birdbabe (Jan 24, 2006)

Thanks for helping the little guy...


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

I would say you did a great job then ! She/he wouldn't have survived without you. Hope you will still stop by here, now and then....


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## Pacificat (Mar 30, 2008)

Thank you. We will stop by as we've become pigeon affectionados!

We miss Pidgey and hope that he/she has a good and happy life.


Thanks again for your help and a special thanks to those who created this site.


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