# More Pigeons



## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

I found my original bird at my kid's gymnastics center. He was sitting atop a parked car and let me grab him. I've had him for a week and as had a fecal done on him to make sure he was healthy. Well I had left my name and # at the gymnastics center in case anyone came looking for the bird. No one did. Today I asked if anyone had come in, and they said no, but we've found more pigeons hanging around. They look just like your's but black and white. One was really tame and let everyone pet it this morning. I knew that wasn't good. The birds had been roosting on the big heater outside. I saw lots of poop, but no pigeons. I looked all over and spotted a big black and white pigeon in the parking lot across the way. So my husband and I drove over there. This bird did fly from me, but let me catch him eventually. Looks just like my bird but black and white with some purple irridescent type coloring. Then I found a white and grey pigeon huddled next to the building.  I picked both up and took them home. The big bird that flew is eating and my brown and white bird was very happy to see him/her. He turned in circles and cooed. The poor grey and white bird is not so well. I have a hot water bottle next to him/her to hopefully get her temperature up. She has no injuries, but has probably been without food and is very cold. They are all indoors, downstairs with the original bird in the big dog crate. None of them are banded. These three birds seem to know each other and were probably lost together. They have been hanging around in this industrial complex trying to survive. Do you think someone just let them go? No one seems to be looking for them or anything. I've tried cragislist etc... They are fancy with the feathering by their feet, so probably not homers. Do people ever dump birds? Poor things, I just hope they survive. Now I'm going to have to build a loft come spring.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Oh, that's so sad, good thing you came along. Those are domestic birds and won't survive in the wild very long.
The one thats not too good - Isolate it in a separate cage with a heating pad set on low (cover it with a towel). Do not try to feed it any food yet. Give it a bowl of luke warm water with a dash of salt and sugar in it (re-hydrating solution). Must rehydrate it before feeding any food.
What do the poops look like? Just in case, do you have any antibiotics on hand (from you or your kids)?


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

As far as antibiotics, I have a little bit of Cefdinir 250 MG/5ML
The grey and white bird is not doing too well. I have her isolated, and I put a hot water bottle with her. She is moving a bit more, but still seems to topple over easily. 

I had to separate the brown and white bird because he was bugging the new black and white bird. I think the brown and white is a male, and he seems like he is trying to mate with the black and white bird. Hopefully I can put them back together in a bit. I wanted the black and white bird to have a chance to eat in peace for a while. 

I am not sure what to do at this point. I am convinced these three are from the same loft. All are unbanded, and the black and white and brown and white are very similar in type. This is a lot of pigeons!  I'm trying to do my best for them, but if there is a Michigan person with a loft who might be able to help out? Or I'll need to find some sort of loft or something to keep them in. HELP!

I also contacted the Michigan pigeon club, in case perhaps they can help me out? I am a bit overwhelmed at this point.


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## NayNay (Mar 16, 2011)

Emma- you are doing right by these birds- doing everything you can. It sure sounds like that male knows the female he is courting. Does she try to get away from him? You don't need babies at this point on top of everything else, and if they are mates, they will get busy making more pigeons before you know it! 

3 birds isn't too terribly many- but they do need suitable housing, which is harder to do with 3 than it is to provide for one. So, I guess it is good that you are looking for homes for them. If you post in the birds wanted and for sale section you may be able to place them with someone. Be sure to read the cautionary sticky tough- bird hunters like to get free pigeons to use to train their birds! Horrible but true- some people lie on the internet.

Hopefully the sick/injured one pulls through- there are folks on here that are practically vets, and can give good advise- esp if you post symptoms and such in the sick bird section. 

It is really weird that these guys ended up homeless. They sound like rally beautiful birds. I cannot imagine someone just dumping them- and most folks band their birds as part of the hobby not only for finding them if lost, but as part of being able to race them or show them. So, the fact that they are unbanded sounds like maybe they came from someone who was not a serious pigeon fancier- kind of like folks that don't have microchips or dog tags on their dogs. So, maybe the person couldn't keep them anymore and foolishly thought they could just let em go and they would be fine. People can be really cruel. Good to know there are good folks like you out there willing to take the time with an animal (s) in obvious distress.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Good grief! I can certainly understand your feeling overwhelmed. Wonder where they're coming from? Wonder if they are sick or just starving. Do you think you've gotten all of them now? Were there more seen in that area? Guess it's back to the garage for now, huh? LOL.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You know, not everyone bands, and it is possible that they are from a loft, and someone let them out accidentally. Or maybe they were outside of the loft and frightened by a hawk or something, scattered and got lost. Hard to say. Can you post pictures of them?


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

I put another ad on craigslist, and also contacted the pigeon club. For my craigslist ad though, I requested that the person give descriptions in order to claim them. I really think they all came from the same place. Last week when I caught the original bird, one of the girls working at the facility mentioned that other people had seen a white bird that couldn't fly. I had kind of wondered if it was another pigeon. But since I didn't see another, I just took the red and white home and that was it. I think the grey and white is the one people reported to the staff as not being able to fly. She's in pretty bad shape. I'm really surprised she hung on for a whole week until today though. She was at the gymnastics building this morning according to the staff, and so she must have found the strength to follow the other bird across a field to the other building. She must have used her last ounce of energy to do that, poor thing. 
As for knowing each other, When I put the black & white in the crate with the red and white, it was instant recognition for him. He immediately began talking to her. She doesn't really seem to mind it too much. She walks away from him, but not frantically or anything. However, all three are separate for now so the two newbies can get some much needed rest. The grey and white is hanging on by a thread at this point. I put a ceramic heat lamp (I have a ball python) over her cage to give her some extra warmth. I put her in a 10 gallon tank with a screen lid for now. (I had nothing else). The other two are in separate large dog crates. (Good thing I had those!) T


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## Print Tippler (May 18, 2011)

Please be careful about people claiming pigeons, it could be theres. We picked up a pigeon for someone who had a fancy bird and she had it on craigslist for a long time. she ended up contacting us back and giving us the bird, when we got a hold of the real owner she said she talk to the person we got the bird from but she wouldn't give it back to here because she didn't know the exact band number. So it was silly that she couldn't get her bird back because of that.


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## NayNay (Mar 16, 2011)

Those dog crates always seem to come in handy. Sounds like they know each other for sure. Keep up the good work and keep us posted on your saga.


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

Thanks Print, do you mean I shouldn't be too picky about them giving a description? I figured the people should at least know the colors of the birds right? Is that a reasonable request? I'm just trying to protect the birds. They don't have bands, so the number won't be an issue.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Its very important that you supply heat for the grey and wht bird. Also, *did you give it some water with a dash of salt and sugar in it?*
You'd be surprised how quickly they perk up when warm and re-hydrated!
Is he drinking on its own? If not, I would slowly put a couple drops in his mouth. Pictures would help, what are the poops like? Can you feel the keel (breast) bone?
Thank you for caring about these birds


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

Yes, I gave him the water with the sugar and salt. But he won't drink. I tried to use a dropper, but can't get him to open his mouth. Now he is laying in his cage with his belly facing down, but his head is twisted all the way around so it is facing up. That isn't good, is it? 

I just read that the twisted neck is a sign of PMV...great...What have I gotten myself into?


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Emmastaff said:


> Yes, I gave him the water with the sugar and salt. But he won't drink. I tried to use a dropper, but can't get him to open his mouth. Now he is laying in his cage with his belly facing down, but his head is twisted all the way around so it is facing up. That isn't good, is it?
> 
> I just read that the twisted neck is a sign of PMV...great...What have I gotten myself into?


No, that doesn't sound good. Yes, Twisting neck is one of the signs of PMV, but they will also do that just before passing also. If he doesn't seem 'aware' of his surroundings, it might be too late for this poor little one. I would keep him very warm and observe for now. If he IS passing, you don't want to be putting anything down his throat right now. How long has he been in this position?


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## Woodnative (Jul 4, 2010)

A good visual description is a must if someone is claiming them!!! Otherwise someone trying to get pigeons for dog training or worst may be trying to get some free birds!! The fact that they are fancy pigeons, and all together, sounds like they were dumped there (but it is still possible they were scared away or got away from someone, so do try to find the owner). yes, some people may dump pigeons.....some people dump kittens, puppies....even kids........but obviously most people do not. They do make great pets, and you may be hooked into having some great companions that will entertain you. yes, your first bird sounds like a male, the black and white his mate or a female or a young bird. Hope the other pulls through but if not, thank you for caring and trying.


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

I think he is passing. His neck was not twisted when I found him. He has been like this for about 5-10 mintues. I really hope it is not PMV.   The other two birds seem fairly healthy and their droppings are normal. I just examined the black and white's droppings and they are not too bad. I don't have any droppings from the grey and white since she is starved. I can feel her breastbone quite well. The others birds are both fairly big and strong. This grey and white is much smaller, may even be a different breed. Gosh, I hope it isn't PMV. Then the others will get it too won't they?
I suppose that if he/she is dying, at least they are safe and warm. It is very depressing though.


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

The grey & white has died.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Dear Emma,

I'm really sorry to hear that, are you ok? It can feel traumatic watching a bird's body shut down and die. I had this happen to me twice this week, with the head twisting and losing control of its wings towards the end. I'd like to think they go into a kind of shock that prevents them from feeling what's going on. Most definitely, think this little one was well and truly on the way out from starvation when you picked it up, and you did all you could.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I'm so sorry you lost the bird. As Bella has said, it may have just been too far gone from starvation. I know it makes you feel helpless to watch it die like that. But that happens. Keep an eye on the others, just in case. You're doing good.


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

I put two 40 hour reptile heat packs ( I keep them to heat my snake if the power goes out) under a hand towel for the black and white bird to roost on. She is roosting on a wooden box inside the crate. This will hopefully help her stay warm. These are nice because they will stay warm for 40 hours. They are much like those hand and foot warmers you can use in winter. Keeping my fingers crossed that she continues to do well. Meanwhile the red and white is doing his cooing happy dance inside his crate...


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I have used the ceramic heaters for my birds, and those are great, but I haven't heard of 40 hour reptile heat packs. Sounds like they'd be good to have on hand. Where do you buy those?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Never mind...............I just found it. The same place I buy my ceramic heaters.

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...king-material/-/disposable-40-hour-heat-pack/


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

Or bigappleherp.com


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Emmastaff said:


> Or bigappleherp.com


Thanks. Always good to have options!


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

I suspect someone dumped the pigeons. I see it all the time and it's very sad as the pigeons don't have a chance unless they find a feral flock that knows where to find food. Even then, the fancy pigeons are more likely picked off by hawks than the more experienced feral pigeons.
It wouldn't surprise me if more pigeons show up and so you need to be prepared. Likely they are dehydrated, starving.
Here's the standard rescue protocol as posted in the resource section by Cindy.


*Basic LIFE SAVING steps

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It is vital to stabilize an ill or injured pigeon or dove as soon as possible after rescue. 
Three basic steps should be followed.
HEAT, ISOLATION & HYDRATION

HEAT:
A bird must be warmed gradually to a normal body temperature and be responsive (able to swallow). It is not unusual for a baby bird presented for rehabilitation to be very cold. (If a bird is unresponsive, please seek the assistance of an experienced rehabber or avian vet immediately.)

Give the bird a quick, superficial examination. Unless there is a critical situation, e.g., (severe bleeding) all birds should be covered and placed on a heat source* (see below) for at least 20-30 minutes to bring the body temperature back to normal. 

If head trauma is suspected, do not place the bird on heat.

ISOLATION:
Allow the bird to stabilize in a quite, dark, warm area.
While the bird is warming, take the opportunity to prepare any other items you may need to care for the bird, e.g., International Rehydrating Solution (recipe noted below)

A 'COLD' BIRD SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN FLUID OR FOOD, PERIOD!!

HYDRATION:
Fluids should be given after, and ONLY AFTER, the bird has been warmed, examined for any injuries & a determination is made as to the severity of his dehydration.
All fluids should be warmed or at room temperature!

Description and degrees, of hydrated and dehydrated birds
A well hydrated bird will be very alert, have elastic skin, bright eyes, moist, plump membrane inside the mouth and well formed moist droppings.

A moderately dehydrated bird will be less than fully alert, have dry, flaky skin, dull eyes, non-formed droppings and have a sticky membrane in the mouth.

A severely dehydrated bird will be lethargic or unconscious, the skin will 'tent' when slightly pinched, have sunken eyes, dry or absent droppings and have dry membrane in the mouth. 

Depending on the cause and degree of dehydration, reversing this condition can take up to 24 hours. If the bird is alert, he may be rehydrated by mouth, using an eye dropper and putting drops along his beak every few minutes, making sure the fluids are room temperature or warmed slightly. Initially, a rehydrating solution should be administered. Plain water should not be given unless nothing else is available.

If the bird is not swallowing on his own or fully alert, he must be given fluids under the skin (sub-Q method).
WARNING!! This procedure should only be performed by an experienced rehabber or vet. 

Please follow these simple, basic, yet most important steps.
The cells of the body simply don't work properly when dehydrated. Absolutely no digestive processes can take place if the gut CAN'T work. Absorption will not take place, food sits in the gut, undigested, and will eventually kill the bird. 

* Heat source suggestions:
Towel lined heating pad, set on low
Towel lined hot water bottle
Low wattage lamp, directing the light into the cage.

* Emergency heat source substitute:
Fill an old sock about 2/3 full of rice. Microwave the sock for a few seconds. Making sure it isn't too hot, place it around the bird.

* International Rehydrating Solution:
To a cup of warm water add a pinch of salt & sugar, mix well. Use this solution to rehydrate by mouth.

* Emergency rehydrating substitute:
Pedialyte, unflavored.

By following these basic steps you have done your best to stabilize your little feathered patient until further assistance is available.*


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

I'm so sorry he didn't make it, it's a hard thing to watch and you feel helpless, but at least he passed in a warm caring place. You did all you could do, but I also think it was too late for that one.
I would add a dash of salt and sugar to the black and wht birds water for a couple days. It not only re-hydrates, but also gives him a little energy. Is that one eating?
I agree with the others.....I would keep checking for more birds! When their down, they'll look for a place to hide and feel safe - against buildings, entryways, behind dumpsters, etc. They will rarely be right out in the open.
This is so sad.....thank you for caring.
If you do find more and run out of cages/aquariums, laundry baskets work great in a pinch. You can put a towel over the top and use bungy cords to hold it in place, and they can still see out the sides.
Keep us posted


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

The black and white is doing well. Yes, he is eating, and his poop looks great. Quite normal really. He and the red and white are sharing the big dog crate today. I put their crates next to each other, and they are quite content to be together today. I figured it would be less stressful for both if they could be together. I'll post some pictures later. The facility is about 1/2 hour from my house, but we may try to swing by there later today or during the week to see what we can find.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Well, maybe you have reunited a pair, Emma 

If not, they may well form a pair - or if both turned out to be hens, then live in harmony. Let's hope so.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Yes. As John says, maybe they were a pair, or maybe not. As the male pigeon could easily have reacted to her simply because he is a male, and that is what they do. But as he also mentioned, maybe they will pair up. That would be nice. You are being a matchmaker. LOL.


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

They are still getting along fairly well. But I did walk in on them having a dispute over the favored roosting spot in the crate. (There are two roosting spots available, but they both want the one). The black and white seems to have won, and has the roosting spot. The red and white has settled for a different spot. Will hens and males fight over roosting spots, or does that mean I do have two males? Things seem fairly peaceful otherwise.


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

Here they are:


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

What are the shavings?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

http://www.birdsexoticaviary.com/id43.html


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## Print Tippler (May 18, 2011)

have you searched under the feathers for bands? they can easily hide.


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

They are Kiln dried Pine. Should be fine right? I do have aspen as well if that would be better. Yes, I felt both of their legs under the feathers to see if I could find a band. Nothing, not even higher up. Definitely no bands.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Emmastaff said:


> They are Kiln dried Pine. Should be fine right? I do have aspen as well if that would be better. Yes, I felt both of their legs under the feathers to see if I could find a band. Nothing, not even higher up. Definitely no bands.


Their beautiful! You'll be hooked 
Pine and aspen are fine.......just very messy when used inside when they flap their wings 
I just started using reptile/bird litter in my lofts to try it out. The small wood chip type. When I have birds in my isolation room in dog crates, I just use newspaper with a small amount of the pelleted bird bedding so I can keep an eye on poops, and it doesn't 'poof' all over the room when they flap their wings


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

Someone from the local pigeon club has offered to help me out. They are willing to lend me something to keep them in (In the garage) and help me get started. He also offered to take them to an upcoming pigeon swap, but I will keep them. I think after all they have been through, they deserve to stay together and be safe. That is very nice of the pigeon club member, I am very grateful. We should be fine now.  My husand will build them a small loft in the Spring. He is very good at building things, so I am sure he will do a very nice job.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

That's wonderful. Glad you'll be keeping them. Aspen is supposed to be safer for birds. But really, all you need is newspaper, which is easy to change out daily. And they wouldn't be trying to pick the spilled seed out of wood chips.


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

The pigeons are doing quite well. They get along very well and are very calm around each other. Not sure whether these are two hens, or a cock and hen. Just thought I'd let you know how the two are doing.


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## Emmastaff (Sep 24, 2011)

Here is something weird. My Dad went to a Home Depot about 1/2 mile from where I found my pigeons. He told me that there was a "fancy" pigeon sitting on top of the car parked next to his. He said it had feathers on it's feet just like my two. He also said it looked really bad, like it had been in a fight or something. My Dad is not an animal person, and he did not try to catch it. but it is heartbreaking to know there are more still out there. . Obviously the longer they are out there, the worse they are doing. I really think the bird he saw was dumped with the three I found. What do you all think?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

These birds may have escaped, rather than being dumped. Hard to believe someone would just dump them. Maybe the loft door was left open or something. Too bad. Why not go back to Home Depot and look for the bird? He will starve out there or be eaten by something.


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