# General information about pigeons



## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

RECOGNIZING A SICK PIGEON 
A sick pigeon will fluff out it's feathers as if it is cold, but in winter a healthy bird will not allow you close enough to pick it up. Instinctively, the patient hides, perhaps under a park bench or in a doorway, and is seen on the ground at dusk when it's fellows have flown up high to roost. The droppings may appear green and watery, and signs of bullying by other birds may be visible around the head. Sometimes, when a pigeon is very ill, it has little chance of survival. But you will be doing a kind service to an individual by sparing it a slow and pitiful death, and to the flock by removing a source of infection, if you rescue it. An injured pigeon may be in shock, limping badly, drooping a wing or bleeding. 

CATCHING THE PIGEON 
Pigeons are easier to catch than most birds because they are semi-tame. The flock to which the patient belongs can be attracted with corn or unsalted peanuts. A soft cloth, coat or towel is often helpful. Throw it over the bird from behind whilst it's attention is distracted. The first attempt is the most important since pigeons (being preyed on in the wild) quickly become wary of notice. 
Pigeons very rarely bite. Their beaks cannot cause injury. Line a cardboard box with something soft and make a few air holes in it. Pigeons will not die of fright through such confinement. On the contrary, a warm dark environment is vital to overcome shock. One may be fearful of causing further pain or stress by a clumsy catch, but if you leave the pigeon where it is, a cat with no such qualms will almost certainly find it

INJURIES / SHOT 
One day our society may ban weapons of any kind, but until then one may find a pigeon who has been shot. Sadly, this foul practice is not uncommon because pigeons receive no legal protection. 
A puncture wound is generally painful and may bleed. Only a vet can tell if the pellet is still present and remove it to prevent infection. Part the feathers and clean the area with iodine. If the wound is bleeding, apply pressure for a full minute with a finger, swab or cotton bud. This is vital since all birds have a small blood volume and movement accelerates blood loss. Keep the patient still. Heavy panting or laboured gasping may mean imminent death. 
INJURIES / CAT ATTACKS 
Contrary to popular belief, pigeons are commonly caught by cats. Typical injuries are scratches or holes under the wings or on the back with considerable feather loss. In all cases, even if it seems recovered, antibiotics from a vet are necessary since cat's teeth carry bacteria. Clean the wounds with TCP, saline solution or antiseptic spray. Half an aspirin can be given if the pigeon seems in pain. Warmth and quiet are essential before seeking professional advice. Bells on cat's collars and keeping pets in at night help to reduce casualties. 

EXHAUSTION / STARVATION 
Exhaustion generally applies to racing birds who have gone beyond their endurance. If one comes down in your garden etc. it will appreciate some food. A pinch of sugar in water would also be of benefit. If the breast-bone can be seen or easily felt, there is muscle wastage and the bird is suffering from malnutrition and needs help. In most cases the fatigued pigeon recovers in a day or two and will leave on it's own. 

ILLNESS 
Pigeons suffer from a variety of ailments peculiar to themselves, the most likely to come across being the Paramixo virus and throat canker. The virus causes birds to appear fluffed up. unbalanced or dizzy. They may walk in circles, throw seeds in the air when eating, hang their heads or have fits. No veterinary treatment is available as far as we know but the patient almost always recovers after a lengthy period of rest and care. However, he or she must be kept separate from other birds for at least 6 weeks. Canker or Trichomoniasis seems most common in adult collared doves and young feral pigeons aged between 2 and 5 weeks. It is detected by a swollen throat, wet or bad smelling discharge from the beak and unwillingness to fly. This complaint is fatal if not treated with a drug such as metronidazole bought from a vet. Crop-feeding may be necessary while healing is underway. Please do not attempt to scrape away the white growths unless they are severely restricting breathing, as this may damage the lining of the throat. Keep the patient away from other birds. As with dealing with any animal, please observe common-sense hygiene. 

GENERAL CARE 
During the time the pigeon you rescued is recovering, suggested containers are a wicker cat basket. rabbit hutch, shed or large box with strips cut away to permit light. Newspaper bedding is the most suitable but needs regular changing! Give mixed corn, bird grit and fresh water in a heavy bowl. If rehabilitation in an aviary is not possible, a spare room or garage allows one to tell if the pigeon can fly properly prior to release. Perfect weather conditions for this are sunny and windless, preferably not in winter. Release near an existing flock where water is always available.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

*NOTE:* The foregoing is from Pigeon Recovery

http://pigeonrecovery.yolasite.com/


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## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

*Hand feeding baby pigeons*

If you find a baby pigeon please read.


Handfeeding Help by Helen in England

I am in the UK, but have years of experience in hand-rearing pigeons from day one. For a first timer it is difficult, but easy once you have done it a few times.

I do not know of your Exact, but friends in California tell me they use it successfully. We have nothing like that in the UK, but I use poultry rearing crumbs, which I soak in hot water for 30 minutes - not boiling as that will destroy the enzymes in the food. Then I liquefy in a blender, and finally strain through a sieve so I have a nice smooth liquid, which will flow through the tube.

I use syringes with a tube on the end, which I put straight down into the crop. I have different sizes for different ages. For the first week, while they are so small I grease the tube with something called liquid paraffin, which I gather you people in the States have not heard of, but it is medicinal and often used to shift blockages in the digestive system for both humans and animals. Maybe you have something similar.

The consistency of the food varies with the age of the bird. The younger the chick the more runny the fluid needs to be. Tiny chicks soon get dehydrated.

I have found through experience that the first thing a newly hatched pigeon needs in its crop is a probiotic and a rehydrant. This introduces fluid and natural flora into the digestive system, without which the chick will die. A probiotic can be obtained from your vet, or natural yogurt will do. NOTE – yogurt with live active cultures is recommended.

For the first meal, 1ml of natural yogurt or probiotic is recommended.

For the first 24 hours, 1ml at each feeding, every 2 hours including during the night. If you miss feedings the bird will become weak very quickly.

By day 2, 2 mls will be needed at each feeding and by day 3 if they are growing well, you could be up to 5 mls. At 1 week, they should be on 15mls and will only need feeding every 6 hours. Then you can get a nights sleep. At 2 weeks of age if they are growing ok, mine are usually on 40mls every 8 hours. Never give more than 40 mls at one sitting. Mine are usually picking up for themselves - the earliest has been 20 days, but certainly by 4 weeks. A word of caution. By the time they are 2 weeks of age try to use a length of aquarium tubing on the syringe to feed them with. It is very soft, and they are usually so eager by then to be fed that they leap up as you are inserting the tube, the end can then tear the crop lining, you will not notice this, and food will leak out and into an airspace, finally through to the respiratory system, and you have a dead bird on your hands within hours.

Keep a daily weight record, that way you spot problems immediately and can take appropriate action. Make sure all utensils are sterilized, best using a steam sterilizer, however you can dispense with this at 1 week of age, but keep all feeding utensils in fridge in between feeds.

Have some antibiotics handy. Amoxycillin is best. Baytril inhibits bone growth and should only be used in an absolute emergency. Give antibiotics at the first sign of any trouble. I have found you cannot afford to take any chances, at that age they are not as tough as people think they are. A general dose would be 0.1ml per 100 gms body weight twice daily for 5 days. 48 hours after the last dose, give a probiotic to replace the natural gut bacteria, which will have been destroyed by the antibiotic, which is not discerning when it comes to killing bacteria. This is vital, as once a bird has had a course of antibiotics it is vulnerable to invasion by any nasties which may be lurking and ready to invade a 'clean' digestive system.
http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/Recipes/handfeedinghelp.htm
__________________________
I use kaytee-exact Hand feeding formula for all baby birds.
Lucas


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Make sure to post the websites you get the info from


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## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

MaryOfExeter said:


> Make sure to post the websites you get the info from


Duh... Hold on


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## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

I forgot what the first one is from... oh well.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

pigeon-lover0 said:


> I forgot what the first one is from... oh well.


John posted the link for you


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## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

I will be posting things from websites more often to help people with their needs.
Thanks John

Lucas


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi Lucas

It's a good thought, but copying and pasting whole pages of information from other sites really isn't necessary. Better just to provide the link to websites that may look useful.

One problem is that new threads very soon become not so new, and get lost amid the many newer ones, so the useful information kinda disappears anyway. 

We can't make everything which may be helpful a 'sticky', but what we do have is a _Resources_ section, which attempts to pull together information on feeding, meds, rescue, etc. into one place. If you look, for instance, at http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f108/hand-feeding-baby-pigeons-from-day-one-9918.html you will see that it has the link to the very information you have copied into your post 

Of course, copying _small_ amounts of relevant text in a reply to a post by someone seeking help or advice can be useful, so we would not want to discourage that .

Anyone who has useful reference info can post in _Resource Submissions_. If we agree that it qualifies as a 'resource' then we will add the info into the _Resources_ section. If you have a look ar Resources, you'll see that there are many links, and some complete texts as well.


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## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

John_D said:


> Hi Lucas
> 
> It's a good thought, but copying and pasting whole pages of information from other sites really isn't necessary. Better just to provide the link to websites that may look useful.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the help


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## V-John (May 15, 2008)

In doing some research, I have found that many of the links that have been posted directly in posts are no longer valid, or not working anymore because they are so old. 

So, I am glad, that in the first post, that it was copied directly as there is a lot of helpful condensed information on that post. 
Sometimes SO much of the information can be overwhelming.

But regardless, I'm not complaining and am grateful for this site and information it provides.


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