# Pigeon cannot fly



## ginger1279 (Aug 8, 2006)

Can any one help? Last week in 100+ temp a friend brought me a pigeon that can not fly. He was rather quite for a wild bird. We thought maybe he had become week from the heat. He was not interested in eating so I stuffed high quality mash in this mouth as well as gave him some sulfa antibiotics and vitamins and electroylte solution. He began to improve and now eats on his own ( and from my hand ). He is a sweet bird. no band on his legs. We have had him 5 days and he continues to improve. His cage is large and he can flap his wings. The wings appear even, no drooping noted. He almost rises a little when he flaps his wings. When I had him in the yard he walked and still was unable to fly. Could he just be wing? There is no obvious signs of injury although sometimes I think his right shoulder area looks a little swollen...then again he looks ok...hard for me to tell. He has improved a lot and is alert and responsive and eating well. What do you folks think? Thank you.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

ginger1279 said:


> Can any one help? Last week in 100+ temp a friend brought me a pigeon that can not fly. He was rather quite for a wild bird. We thought maybe he had become week from the heat. He was not interested in eating so I stuffed high quality mash in this mouth as well as gave him some sulfa antibiotics and vitamins and electroylte solution. He began to improve and now eats on his own ( and from my hand ). He is a sweet bird. no band on his legs. We have had him 5 days and he continues to improve. His cage is large and he can flap his wings. The wings appear even, no drooping noted. He almost rises a little when he flaps his wings. When I had him in the yard he walked and still was unable to fly. Could he just be wing? There is no obvious signs of injury although sometimes I think his right shoulder area looks a little swollen...then again he looks ok...hard for me to tell. He has improved a lot and is alert and responsive and eating well. What do you folks think? Thank you.


I would think that even if he was weak from hunger, that after a week of good food he would have the strength to fly at least a little. I would tend to think that this is a wing injury of some kind and that's how he got in the shape he was in to begin with. He couldn't fly to where ever it was that the flock was eating. I'm sure others will be along shortly with thier opinions and advice, since this is not my area of expertise anyway. Good luck and thanks for saving the little guy. I bet he'll be better in no time.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Ginger, 

Is it possible that this is a young fledgling pigeon not quite ready to fly? Can you tell us what colour the eyes are, the cere (bulbous area where the nostrils are)? Are there any yellow down feathers sticking out from the normal feathers? Of course if you could post a picture, this might be able to help us more too


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

ginger1279 said:


> He was not interested in eating so I stuffed high quality mash in this mouth as well as gave him some sulfa antibiotics and vitamins and electroylte solution. He began to improve and now eats on his own ( and from my hand ). Could he just be wing? There is no obvious signs of injury although sometimes I think his right shoulder area looks a little swollen...then again he looks ok...hard for me to tell. He has improved a lot and is alert and responsive and eating well. What do you folks think? Thank you.



Hello and thank you for helping this bird.

If the bird is not a youngster learning to fly, and there does not seem to be any injuries or bruising, perhaps you can run your fingers around the good wing (under and over) to compare it to the one that seems a little off. If you get someone to hold the bird, then you can stretch each wing gently and see if one wing is thicker or fuller then the other, and if there happen to be any swelling around the joint.


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## ginger1279 (Aug 8, 2006)

*pigeon*

Hello, Trees,
Thank you for your kind and quick reply. For some reason I missed a bunch of replies so please accept my apologies. Pidge, as he is now known, is doing quite well and is a delight. He can fly and appears very healthy. We take him outside and he is free to leave. Once he was away for two hours but returned to our roof and then landed on my arm. He has a large indoor cage ( actually a wire cage for a large dog. The cage is elevated and he has some perches in there. The bottom is flat and I Keep it lined with newspaper.) He is in the living room. We also let him loose in the house when we have our 2 dogs and cat in a safe place. He will fly in the house now but the other day he walked into the TV room where I was sitting, hopped on the back of the chair and then to the armrest. He appears to like our company. he spends a fair amount of time sitting on my shoulder and will fly around outside and then fly to my arm. He is free to go if he chooses to do so ( I think when he was gone for those 2 hours he retunred to the truck stop which is about 3 miles away and then decided to return here. ), He loves thistle seeds and safflowerseeds and millet, too. When I garden outside he tends to sit on my shoulder or walk up and down my back depending on whether I am sitting or standing. He also sits on the roof. He likes to be petted.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I'm glad he is doing well. He may have just been overall weak, and needed some good supportive care, which you obviously gave him.

It is a delight to hear that you allow the bird to fly freely and come and go as he please. But PLEASE be careful, we have many people here, who allowed their birds free flight and regreted it, (sooner or later) when the bird was lost to a hawk or other predator. They realized how much they actually valued the bird, as it had become a pet, and it was quite sad.

Just a word of caution as I have been there, done that. When my pets started having NO fear of their surroundings I put an end to their free flight and they now fly in an aviary or inside the house.


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## ginger1279 (Aug 8, 2006)

*Pidge*

Yes, Trees,
That worries me terribly. We do have hawks here. I have seen them, in fact one was at our bird bath about 15 years go and only a month ago, right before Pidge arrived, one was in a tree. The crows pestered him, one crow even leading the hawk away from the tree near the bird feeder over to a neighbors's tree ( I was outside, on the phone, screaming like a banshee for that hawk to leave" our birds alone!". I think when he does go out it will be only for limited times with us....but even then there is danger. This must be how a parent reacts when a child starts to drive. I get a strong feeling that his 2 hour venture was for him a decision making time. My concern is that pigeons are flock birds and ultimately we want his happiness....does he want the be with a flock or will he be happy with an indoor / outdoor existence? We live in the city ( Norfolk...howdy neighbor! ) and there are a few small flocks nearby that I am sure he did see. We may be able build an outdoor spot.
Tell me, when your bird flies insdie the house, what do you do about windows and mirrors? For now we close the curtains when he is out and keep the mirror covered. When he walked around the mirror was partially covered at the top so he could only see the lower half and he was interested in that other pigeon.
We are very fond of Pidge and consider him a valued member of the family even after so shot a time.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Eventually, he or she will want a mate. If he or she remembers other pigeons, then he or she may begin to pine. It is then that you'll have to figure out what to do. I don't think Pidge has really made the kind of choice that you're referring to, yet.

As to hawks, the jumpiness of the flock is life--it's tough for a home-raised pigeon because they don't know to get the H3LL out of Dodge when they meet one.

Pidgey


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

My concern is that pigeons are flock birds and ultimately we want his happiness....does he want the be with a flock or will he be happy with an indoor / outdoor existence? 

*Yes, pigeons are social creatures, and need to be in a flock situation for their well being as well, as for their survival. They warn each other of impending danger, and there is safety in numbers. *

Tell me, when your bird flies insdie the house, what do you do about windows and mirrors? For now we close the curtains when he is out and keep the mirror covered. When he walked around the mirror was partially covered at the top so he could only see the lower half and he was interested in that other pigeon.

*We have stickers on the sliding doors and windows. If he is showing interest in the mirror image, he might be a male. *

We are very fond of Pidge and consider him a valued member of the family even after so short a time. 


*Yes, pigeons grow on you, and I am happy that you are fond of Pidge. You might possibly think about getting him a mate someday, and keeping him inside for his own protection. You can continue to allow him free-flight but you are taking a big chance, especially if you have seen hawks around, pigeons are their favorite meal. He may eventually even bring home a mate, if he is a boy, but that is not aguarantee, nor is his safety. *


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

They do get used to being indoors and after a while they don't care to go outside. If he will have a mte they will be both happy inside.
They also get used to windows. 

Reti


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

*My concern is that pigeons are flock birds and ultimately we want his happiness....does he want the be with a flock or will he be happy with an indoor / outdoor existence? *

As others have mentioned, once you are sure what sex (s)he is, you may want to find a mate for him (or more likely, one will come to you!) From personal experience, I would suggest keeping him inside and letting him have flight time in the house. It is so devastating to have them go out for a fly around the yard and then not come home because something happened.  Pigeons bond with humans like almost no other animal and now that he's been living with you and used to waching TV  , you are his family and "flock" at the moment. 
*
We live in the city ( Norfolk...howdy neighbor! ) and there are a few small flocks nearby that I am sure he did see. We may be able build an outdoor spot.*

It's quite easy to build a little outdoor aviary for him to fly around in during the day. You can use inexpensive PVC piping and hardware cloth to make a nice one, or wood and hardware cloth. I use a very large tent for my pijies and they have lots of room to fly but are safe at the same time. A chainlink kennel run(the kind used for outside dogs, not that I've ever had outside dogs lol) works well too, and can often be bought used for $100 or under. The chainlink run would only be safe during the day, as rats and other predators can slip through the fairly large openings at night. 
*
We are very fond of Pidge and consider him a valued member of the family even after so shot a time. *

They are the best pets, aren't they? They bond with humans so easily, must be thousands of years of human-contact in their blood. Now be prepared for other pigeons to "find" you.....once the word gets out!


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