# Pigeon Found - Skull Exposed? and Broken Wing



## JFourK (Jul 21, 2017)

My wife just found a pigeon that seem to be in a very bad condition. We have rescued pigeons before from the street (NYC/Queens) but none that looked like this. It's Sunday night on a holiday weekend and we are not sure what to do in the immediate.

We have her in a cage, secluded with water and food. She seems very alert but is not really responding to touch. My wife cleaned her bloody wing without any resistance.

Attaching pictures below. Any short term advice would be really appreciated.


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## jameswaller (Nov 4, 2008)

*injured pigeon/took a beating*



JFourK said:


> My wife just found a pigeon that seem to be in a very bad condition. We have rescued pigeons before from the street (NYC/Queens) but none that looked like this. It's Sunday night on a holiday weekend and we are not sure what to do in the immediate.
> 
> We have her in a cage, secluded with water and food. She seems very alert but is not really responding to touch. My wife cleaned her bloody wing without any resistance.
> 
> Attaching pictures below. Any short term advice would be really appreciated.


dear 4k,-thank you for the picture,and rescue,-lets fix him,--for the head use betidine,bactine,for the wing-it needs to be hanging like the good,might try a light wrap for a couple weeks until it heals,-I have tried masking tape,with marginal results,--his poop looks good,-keep feeding-wild pigeon food,-peas,crackedcorn,safflower,sunflower,milo,etc.--,water,keep in a warm, dry, safe,quiet area away from cats,predators..he may never fly again-even if the wing set correctly,..if by chance you have metacam[for-pain]-and baytril-[antibiotic]that would be helpful,-but if he is left to himself-[inactive,eating,etc]-he should be ok-he is not going to walk around for awhile,but that is good--sincerely james waller


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

He looks as though caught by some predator, and therefore should have oral antibiotics to fight any infection. Like Amoxycillin. Possible to get him to an avian vet? You would need to find one that will see pigeons, as some will not. They could give you the antibiotic and something for pain. 
Clean any wounds with a saline solution,(boil one quart of water and add to it 2 teaspoons of salt). Cool to lukewarm and use a soft cloth or cotton ball to clean any wounds. Then apply an antibiotic cream. The wing should be wrapped in a figure 8 bandage to hold it in alignment, but a good vet could do a better job. It can also be googled. Better if you know just which bones are broken and where or how. If not healed properly then he won't be able to fly again. He may likely never be able to fly anyway. But as was mentioned, by jameswaller, the wing should be wrapped in a way that holds it in its proper position. He needs to be kept in a cage or pet carrier where he will not injure it further. Watch to make sure he is eating/drinking. Let us know how he is doing.


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## Friend John (Jun 10, 2018)

Maybe this organization can help:

The Wild Bird Fund 
"565 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10024
between 87th and 88th Streets
646-306-2862
Hours: 8am to 8pm
Wildlife Rehabilitator Hours: 1pm to 6pm
EIN 32-0155774"
https://www.wildbirdfund.org/

Also, here is a list of no-kill shelters in NY:
https://www.nokillnetwork.org/d/New-York/

You'll need to right-click on the links and open them in a new tab\window for them to work.


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## JFourK (Jul 21, 2017)

Hey All...
Thanks for replying with the great/detailed advice.

I think setting her wing and wrapping it is way above what we know how to do. Very worried about doing it wrong or injuring her further.

We just checked on him (Monday morning) and he's just sitting in the cage. Doesn't seem nervous or scared. He is pooping. It doesn't look like he drank any water or food (oatmeal was the only thing we had in the house that seemed edible for her. i will get bird food today).

The preferred plan is to go to The Raptor Trust in NJ. We have been there many times when we found injured pigeons (and Canadian Geese). We know that place and trust them to do everything they can. But due to how extensive her injuries look I can go to The Wild Bird Fund (as suggested by Friend John) today, if they are open.

Question is, do you think 1 more full day without any medical attention is too long to wait? I am guessing the answer is yes but would like to make sure.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Am not familiar with the Raptor Trust. Are you sure they help pigeons and dont feed them to raptors? Forgive my suspiciousness but we got our first very beloved feral injured pigeon Phoebe because our local “ rescue” just euthanizes pigeons as not worthy of help. Thank you for helping the bird. Her injuries seem like ones that she could recover from, with help. Is she eating seed yet?


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## JFourK (Jul 21, 2017)

Raptor Trust is a big time bird sanctuary in Central Jersey. They care for all types of birds. They have a separate house just for pigeon care. I can see why the name sounds suspicious but it's not like that at all.

So after my post I decided I didn't want to wait a full day so my wife packed the little guy (she decided its a male and named him Ernie) in a secure box and bag and I took the subway to The Wild Bird Fund in Manhattan. I am very happy I did. First, they were open. Second, the staff all seemed like great people and took him in. They assured me that they do everything they can to help him (they don't just euthanize straight away) and I can follow up in a few days to see how he is. Made a donation and left.

Huge thanks to the people that responded to the thread. Some really great advice and if we had the expertise we would have probably kept him and rehabbed him here. The best we can do in these situations is bring a bird inside and set him up in our spare room. I have a cage with a little archway I built for them to hide in if they get scared. Funny enough, six months ago we dumped a whole bag of bird seed at the park that we had on hand for this type of situation. It had been so long since we found a bird that needed attention and it seemed stupid to just let it sit here going to waste.

Anway, thanks again!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Thanks for the update. Hope they will help him. If he cannot fly well later on, will they keep him, or euthanize. Some places won't keep them, so if they are not releasable, they euthanize.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Please follow up and see how he does. Thank you for helping him.


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