# pigeon found on doorstep



## ukscotth (Mar 28, 2011)

Hi,

I went to get the milk in from the doorstep this morning and there was a lone pigeon there sat in the corner. I walked over to it but it didnt fly away. There are lots of cats in the area and It wouldnt of survived for very long where it was so I moved it into our large shed. He/she doesnt look injured.

I live on a small island at the bottom of the uk called the isle of wight.

I dont know what to do now, please help 

Thanks.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks for helping this little guy out and welcome to Pigeon-Talk.

Let's first try and get an idea how old this little guy is, here is a link to have a look at a series of photos to gage their age:

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

If it would be possible, he may need a bit of warming up and if you could put him in a small box and bring him inside, you could keep him in your bathroom for instance, or some other place that would be warm and not in the way.

Once we get a better idea of the age, then it will be possible to help guide you better.

Here is a link of one of our UK members that may help:

http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/caringforababypigeon.htm

Also, before too long some of our UK members will be along to better offer suggestions on local resources.

Good luck with this little one,

Karyn


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## ukscotth (Mar 28, 2011)

Hi,

Thanks for the response. Is that the right link ? it seems to just take me back to this thread.

So the shed would be too cold for the night ? Should I find a box now and bring him in asap ?

Thanks,

Scott


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Sorry, had a few Windows open and C&P from wrong one. Try now.

Karyn


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Thanks for taking this guy in.

The fact that this pigeon was alone and let you approach and pick it up means it was either lost & tired or more likely sick.
If it is sick, dont worry, it cant pass any disease on to you, just use common hygene of washing hands thouroughly etc after handling the bird, like you would do with any animal.

If possible, bring the bird into the house into the warmth.

Now, on to basics....

If you can examine the bird thouroughly, carefully looking through its feathers for ANY small signs of puncture marks, scrapes etc. 
If a predator has got this bird, it will prob need some antibiotics ASAP as bacteria in saliva from a dog or cat can be lethal for an injured bird if not treated within about 24 - 48 hours.

The bird should be kept warm and quiet at present.
If you have a pet carrier, or even a large carboard box, line it with some paper towels, and that will do for the moment.
A heating pad set on low (or a hot water bottle) covered with a towel can be put under part of the carrier or box so that the pigeon can choose to stand over the heat or otherwise.

Have you tried feeding it or giving it some water. ?
wild bird food or some seeds will do, if you dont have that, you could try some wholegrain bread at the moment.
will it eat or drink on its own ?

If it is injured or ill, it may not eat, but will certainly need re-hydrated.
If you add a pinch of salt, a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, and half a teaspoon of sugar to a cup of warm (not hot or cold) water, and stir till it disolves, and offer this to the bird in a small dish.
You may have to guide the birds beak to the dish & gently dip its beak into it so it knows what it is.

Next, a picture of the bird will help in determing how old it is, & if you could also get a pic of its latest poops, some other members will chime in and give some ideas of what could be wrong with it.


Edit: I see karyn already has while ive been typing


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## ukscotth (Mar 28, 2011)

Thanks. I just went to check on him and hes moved up onto the pool table so i guess he must be able to fly. I noticed theres was some poo on the pool table so i will take a pic of it in a min, ive included a link to a pic i just took. Quality isnt very good tho because I only have my phone to use  I have put a little bowl of water in there with him but havnt noticed if hes drunk any. I dont have any bird seed or brown bread, would white bread be ok ? I have some grain fruit n fibre type cereal, would that be any good ?

I have attached a couple of pics.

Thanks.

Scott.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Scott, thanks for the photos, this is an adult bird which makes things easier in some ways, he will know how to eat and drink on his own, but more problematic, in that if this were a juvenile pigeon, just learning to fly or perhaps fallen from his nest, this would help explain the reason why he was grounded, but now, with him being an adult, we have to try and figure some things out for him, like is he ill, been attacked, or both. Can you carefully give him a good going over and see if you can see any wounds/scratches, and so forth, as Quazar has already suggested and gently open his mouth as well, and have a look in, and down his throat, and see if you see any odd yellowish, cheesy looking growths.

Yes, a good, clear close-up photo of his drippings would be useful and yes, you can feed his some small pieces of white bread for right now, until we find him something more suitable.

Karyn


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

One of our members, Rook aka Stephan, is a bird rescuer on the Isle of Wight. 

You can contact him through his website *Bird Rescue Isle of Wight* or send him an e-mail through this forum if you need him. *This is* the link to his public information page here.


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## ukscotth (Mar 28, 2011)

thanks for the advice. I checked his body and wings over and cant see any wounds. He wont let me get near his beak at all though and he tries to peck me when i try  I will make up the warm water solution you mentioned and see if i can get him to drink. I think I will leave him in the shed overnight as its probably warmer and quiter in there than it is in the house, there is also a little heater in there which I could use. 

Not sure if this will help but heres a little video of him : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l3PQKTgsfU

I will try and get him to drink now and let u know what happens.

Is he ok on the pool table or should I move him to the floor ?

Thanks again for the help.


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## ukscotth (Mar 28, 2011)

thanks feefo thats great.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Scott, if you can wrap him in a towel so that his wings are kept closed, you can then rest him on your knee and that leaves both hands free to try and open his beak without him struggling so much. He will prob try to move his head away, but you can use one hand to steady it. (if you move your hands slowly without any sudden movement, he may not try to peck so much)
It should be ok for him to stay on the pool table, if he got up there he'll be ok to get down again (although it may become a pooh-l table lol) 
He certainly doesnt seem the least bit frightened while you were videoing him, and if he lets you handle him ok, its possible hes used to people and maybe someones escaped pet. From the pics I dont see any bands on his legs, but some people dont nessesarily band a pet pigeon anyway.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Best thing right now for him would be to confine him to a smaller space, we shouldn't expect you to have a cage on hand, but you can use a cardboard box to do this. Find a medium sized box and line it with new paper and if you have a brick around (like they use to build houses, you could place that in there, against one long side, in the middle, and place a few paper towel under to collect droppings on, for easier cleaning. You can cut some strips at his eye level for him to look out of, so he can see the goings on about him, and cover the top with a light cloth, so it lets light in, but he will not try and fly out. He will settle down and feel more calm in a closed situation and then become relaxed enough to eat and drink on his own.

In there you can place a water dish and a food dish with some very small pieces of bread and some barley if you have. Perhaps tomorrow you can locate some proper seed for him.

Not sure what could be quite wrong with him/her, looks bright enough, holding wings not too bad, but posture is a little wrong, but this could be from you videoing him, and looks calm enough.

Please do try and make contact with the local resource Feefo has provided you, and if not well have to figure out another course of action to get him better again.

Follow Quazar's instructions on how to make a better go at having a look see in his mouth area.

Karyn


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## ukscotth (Mar 28, 2011)

ok thanks. I just took the water mix up to him and he is drinking it. I will scan the house now for some kind of box i could use and then bring him indoors and try and open his beak. I have messaged the local resource mentioned both on here and on his site so hopefully he will contact me.


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## 12788 (Nov 15, 2008)

I have sent a PM to Scott to get things organised. Unfortunately I am not on the island at present and not back before Wednesday evening. Scott knows that he can contact my wife, and she will offer assistance either by herself or by a friend of ours, who is an experienced rescuer as well.


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## ukscotth (Mar 28, 2011)

thanks rook. Im still trying to find a box, cant find one anywhere believe it or not and its l8 in the uk so cant really go out to get one grrrr


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Rook, this is great news to hear, thanks so much, very quick action by the way (thanks too to Cynthia, as always ).

Karyn


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## 12788 (Nov 15, 2008)

No problem. Thanks Cynthia!!!


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## safi (Mar 29, 2011)

scott you sorted the problem out now.as i havent heard anything from you since last night i agree i think its someones pet


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## safi (Mar 29, 2011)

if not scott do as planned and bring the bird to mine brooders/cages/heat pads all at ready including loads of mealworms/waxworms ect


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Pigeons don't eat mealworms and waxworms. Seed is best, defrosted peas and corn if hand feeding is required.


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## safi (Mar 29, 2011)

well ok the ones we have had to rear did and they survived and were not inprinted then released


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

It doesn't kill them, it is just not their natural food. Better options for hand rearing are formulas like Nutribird or Kaytee Exact. In an emergency Ready Brek made up with water, day old wholemeal bread dipped in water, dog biscuits soaked until they are fluffy.


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## ukscotth (Mar 28, 2011)

ok just to keep you all updated. A friend of rook's is coming to get him/her in about a hour so hopefully the little fella will be ok.

Thanks so much for all your help its a nice thought knowing how kind some people are


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Thank you for taking Rocky in and seeking help for him!


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Ukscotth, you did good !

Karyn


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## ukscotth (Mar 28, 2011)

thanks  i still cant believe peeps on here knew someone on the island that could help. most people havnt even heard of the isle of wight lol


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## safi (Mar 29, 2011)

i have lol


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## 12788 (Nov 15, 2008)

ukscotth said:


> thanks  i still cant believe peeps on here knew someone on the island that could help. most people havnt even heard of the isle of wight lol


I thought you all might be interested in a brief update. The bird is doing fine so far showing no signs of any kind of infection. The pigeon is eating, preening, walking and perching alright, but it is not really keen on flying. No external injury signs have been found. However, a trauma (probably spinal trauma) is the most likely cause of her problems, as the pigeon shows some restricted movements when she is moving about and trying to make a turn. The bird has now been moved into a larger outdoor aviary for further observation and recovery. So far it looks good and it is very likely that the pigeon will make a full recovery and can be released. 

Stephan


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Stephan, a reluctance to fly is a good deal of the time caused by a few different kinds of infections, where sometimes the symptoms are not acute in their presentation. I had another look at the photos of this bird, and although I could be wrong, this bird appears as though it might be a hen to me. If this is the case, you would have to consider an oviduct/reproductive infection as a possible cause of what is happening with this bird. Also, enteritis, coccidiosis and worms can also cause reluctance to fly, but since her droppings did not look horrible, I would be inclined toward thinking something possibly reproductive. Is there anyone there that can run a fecal, as this would be diagnostic with the three last possible infections.

Glad this little one is stable, doing well and in your hands. 

Karyn


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## 12788 (Nov 15, 2008)

Dobato said:


> Stephan, a reluctance to fly is a good deal of the time caused by a few different kinds of infections, where sometimes the symptoms are not acute in their presentation. I had another look at the photos of this bird, and although I could be wrong, this bird appears as though it might be a hen to me. If this is the case, you would have to consider an oviduct/reproductive infection as a possible cause of what is happening with this bird. Also, enteritis, coccidiosis and worms can also cause reluctance to fly, but since her droppings did not look horrible, I would be inclined toward thinking something possibly reproductive. Is there anyone there that can run a fecal, as this would be diagnostic with the three last possible infections.
> 
> Glad this little one is stable, doing well and in your hands.
> 
> Karyn



Thank you very much Karyn. The droppings are normal now, the throat and nostrils are fine, and the cloaca looks normal as well. She had a wormer and a short course of antibiotics anyway. If the birdie shows persisting problems or is going downhill, then we will see a vet immediately to get some more tests done. Unfortunately we can't get every bird checked, sorry.

Stephan


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Don't be sorry, I was just expressing some thoughts and making a few suggestions. I am sure you will do everything that needs to be done to try and bring this little one back to health.

Best of luck with this one, and all the others under your care,

Karyn


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## 12788 (Nov 15, 2008)

Dobato said:


> Don't be sorry, I was just expressing some thoughts and making a few suggestions. I am sure you will do everything that needs to be done to try and bring this little one back to health.
> 
> Best of luck with this one, and all the others under your care,
> 
> Karyn


Dear Karyn, your advice is very much appreciated, and I will keep a close eye on how the situation is about to develop, keeping your thoughts in my mind. The thing which made me think of a contusion or concussion is the fact, that there is a mild deviation of the spine and tail to one side, and movements are not as fluent as normal, e.g. tail movement seems to be restricted. I have seen this reversible symptom in different bird species like Mallards, Pigeons, Kestrels and Blackbirds after a window strike, but usually combined with other neurological symptoms. It is a bit like the straining movement in egg bound birds, but in a different rather horizontal direction. Don't know whether this a recognised symptom in birds, as I have never found something specifically mentioned in the literature available to me. Thanks again for your advice! I will keep you posted.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Thank you for the update, Stephan. This pigeons has been very lucky so far, first by finding the right doorstep and then getting to you.

Interesting observations on the spine and tail too....so little information is available on wildlife injuries! I suspect it is because birds and animals that cannot be treated and released quickly are euthansed too often.

Cynthia


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## 12788 (Nov 15, 2008)

Feefo said:


> Thank you for the update, Stephan. This pigeons has been very lucky so far, first by finding the right doorstep and then getting to you.
> 
> Interesting observations on the spine and tail too....so little information is available on wildlife injuries! I suspect it is because birds and animals that cannot be treated and released quickly are euthansed too often.
> 
> Cynthia


Well, Cynthia, actually the Pigeon found your virtual doorstep first  Thank you!

Unfortunately you are absolutely right with your conclusion, and this makes it occasionally very difficult to deal with the vets, as at some point one needs one or the other vet.


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