# Found Baby Pigeon in Post Office, missing feathers, sick?? Help.



## Bil (Mar 1, 2004)

Hi folks,

I found a pigeon wandering around the post office today, walked right up to it, picked it up and brought it back to my truck. Figured I'd probably be the only one that would take care of it instead of kick it across the parking lot.

So now I've got this little guy in my garage.

He is very abulatory, not a sound of out him though, missing a lot of feathers. 

Lifting his wings it appears that there are new feathers growing, but there is a lot of bare skin too. His skin is rough, almost chapped. I would say scab like in places.

I gave him some seed, he attempts to eat it, but can't seem to break open the seed.

I am new to this, and want to help this guy out, but don't have a clue what to do.

If I sent a pic of this guy to one of you would you be able to advise me if he is indeed sick? or is his skin normal?

Feeding I guess should be done with an eye dropper and ground cereal. Is the garage a good place for him?

Thanks for your help. I know the pigeon appreciates it as well!

Bil


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Bill and welcome to pigeons.com! Thank you so much for helping this pigeon!

The missing feathers may be due to the bird being a very young one or may be due to some type of injury or illness. I'm guessing that it is just a youngster. You can send pictures to me at [email protected], and I will put them up on my website for the members here to see. Hopefully one or more of us will know right away what's going on with the bird.

The inability to successfully eat the seed would also indicate a young age and the need for you to feed the bird by hand. The cereal will do for a short time, but if it turns out to be a baby bird, you will need to get some baby bird formula (powder that is mixed with warm water) to use. Kaytee Exact is one brand that is usually available.

Again, if this is a baby bird lacking a lot of feathers, it needs to be kept very warm. If you live in a cold climate, the garage may not be nearly warm enough. You can place a box lined with an old towel on a heating pad set on low or use a low wattage light bulb suspended over the container to provide supplemental heat. I would recommend bringing the bird into the house if you can just to be sure it will be warm enough.

If you click on the link to Resources at the top of the page here at pigeons.com, you will find some additional information about how to care for the bird.

Please keep us posted, and thank you again for helping!

Terry


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## Nanci (Jul 4, 2003)

Hi- hope the baby is doing well this morning! Some people have had good luck feeding older baby pigeons puppy chow that has been soaked in water and broken into small chunks. You have to put it in the back of the baby's throat and wait for him to swallow. His crop should appear nice and full when you are done. I have had good luck with older, almost ready to eat on their own babies, mixing seed with cooked oatmeal, and putting pea-sized globs of that mixture way back in their throat. 

If, as you say, he is walking around a lot, he might be close to being ready to start feeding on his own, (seeds) though you will have to make sure he is getting enough. Also, pigeons don't crack open the seeds they eat, they just swallow the seeds whole. It might be easier for him to practice if he has a small heavy deep dish, like the size they make creme brulee in. You can use the same size dish for him to drink out of, and you may need to teach him how to drink, by gently holding or dunking his beak into the water. Don't worry if he doesn't catch on right away, just keep showing him how.

Can you look at the pictures of Baby Sara, (there is a link on the home page of pigeons.com) and estimate his age? 

I rescued a baby last summer who was almost fully-feathered, but couldn't fly yet. He had lots of scraped areas with bare scabby skin, and I put an antibiotic ointment on those areas for a week or so, and they healed up just fine.

Good Luck!

Nanci


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Hello Bil & Welcome.

By rescuing this little one, you no doubt saved it's life. Many thanks.
If a cat, dog, etc., happened by before you, the situation would been much different.

Your new found friend does, in deed, sound like a sweet baby. By your description, I would guess it to be between 2-3 weeks old.

Baby Sara's 'growing up' pictures are quite valuable in determining the age of a pigeon.

In what area do you reside? We have members throughout the world & quite possibly one is in your area that can physically assist you.

Please let us know how things are coming along.
Cindy


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## Fred (May 10, 2003)

Bill,
Pigeons don't break seed open. They eat them whole. Is he swallowing the seed? Keep water and seed available to him at all times. He may be too young to eat on his own so you have to feed him.


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## Bil (Mar 1, 2004)

By looking at the pics of Sara, this guy appears to be about about 28 days old.

I put him in a box in the bathroom with a heting pad over night. The towel was littered with his poop in the morning. I think thats a good sign ?

I went and got a syringe and loaded it with a mush of blended cheerios and water. He was a bit hesitant at first, but after the second feeding realized it was food.

I put a cup with seed and water in the box. I know when I put him in the yard yesterday he was trying to eat the seed on the ground so I think he will be eating it soon enough.

I'll check on him during the day and see if he has eaten any of the seed I put in there for him and if not feed him more of the cheerio mixture.

For what its worth, I'm in San Jose.

Thanks,

Bil


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello Bill,

Thank you for your kindness and consideration for this pigeon.

Until we see a picture of him, so we can help you determine if he needs immediate help, please make sure when he is in your yard that he is safe from any cats or hawks. Pigeons are very vulnerable to cats, especially if they can't fly.
Treesa


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Here are some pics of the post office pigeon .. looks like a healthy youngster just not quite through with growing feathers. It does look like it might have been pecked on the head a bit.

Terry

http://www.rims.net/pigeon001.jpg 

http://www.rims.net/pigeon003.jpg 

http://www.rims.net/pigeon004.jpg 


[This message has been edited by TAWhatley (edited March 02, 2004).]


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

What a cute little baby.

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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Thanks Bil for sending Terry the pictures & thank you Terry for posting the link to them.

What a darling pij. Such a variety of colors. H/S is older than I thought. 

Yes, it does look like something might have plucked a few feathers off it's head. 

Please keep us posted Bil, on how your little visitor is coming along.
Cindy


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## Nanci (Jul 4, 2003)

Bil- 

What a cutie! To tell if he is getting enough to eat, in terms of checking his weight, feel his breast bone. It should be padded, not "sharp." If it feels sharp to you, then I would make sure to supplement him with hand feedings until you are positive he is eating well on his own.

One way to encourage him to learn to eat his seeds is to "peck" in the seeds with your finger.

Nanci


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

What a very cute pigeon!

At that age he should be eating quite a lot, so soaked Purina Puppy chow would be a better option than feeding him with an eye dropper. At 30 days to maintain their weight and grow they would take about 120 ml of food in three feeds, so you can see how long that would take to feed by dropper. Besides which there is always the danger of aspiration if you feed by dropper.

As Nanci said, feed until the crop is soft and cushiony and let the crop empty completely at least once a day.

I have found that the quantity and consistency of the poop is a very good indicator of how much they are eating









Cynthia


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

What a sweet young pigeon. Glad you came along to help him, Bil.

Thanks for sharing the pictures, Terry.
I love the brown and black coloring, reminds me of a calico cat! Really neat looking!

Treesa


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## Bil (Mar 1, 2004)

I've still got this guy in the bathroom in his box, I've been attempting to feed him a couple times a day now with the syringe. He has eaten about half the seed in the cup. But now he swats me with his wings and bites me as I reach in to grab him.

There is green poop everywhere so I changed the towel.

I lifted his wings and see what looks like scabs and really dry flakey skin. Skin infection possibly??

I don't think this guy is getting enough food if I read your other posts correctly. 

He is very attached to his box. If I take him out of it and put him on my knee for example, he strives to get back into it, and flies back to it at times.

It looks like he could take wing. But with his skin and lack of featerhs the way it is, I don't know if this is such a good idea.

I'll take another pic and send it off to Terry regarding his underwing skin.

Thanks.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Here are a couple more pictures of Bil's pigeon:

http://www.rims.net/pigeon6.jpg 

http://www.rims.net/pigeon7.jpg 


Terry


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Bil,

Thank you for the update. A pigeon will eat about a tablespoon of pigeon seed, at a sitting. Of course, the baby will get good at eating seed, with time. 

Is the green poop watery or solid? If it is watery, that could be stress, and cherios diet. once he is eating a solid diet of seed the poop should be the consistancy of thick green pudding with a dash of whip cream peaking on top. Keep your eye on it to make sure it does get thick, if it isn't.

If he is wing slapping he has claimed the box as his territory, and it belongs to him! Sounds like he is doing okay!

No, he is definitely not ready to go on his own. He has not got the feathering he needs to survive, as he is a baby,and the skin condition needs further investigation. 

He may practice flying and start using the wings, as that is normal, but he cannot go out on his own.

Thanks for the new pics, Terry.

Treesa


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## tina keller (Aug 14, 2003)

Bil

I can loan you a gram scale if you want to monitor his/her weight. I'm probably not too far from you. I'm in Campbell.

Tina


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

This birdy has had a major dietary shortfall in both quantity and quality. It was on it's own for an indeterminate length of time and the cheerios only provided caloric sustenance, nothing for all growth that hasn't happened. If you are able to do the syringe thing, she needs to catch up on protien--eggs, mashed tuna or sardines, or hard maple peas ground in a coffee grinder in small doses are effective. Add a drop of olive oil, alternated with fish oil, and cod liver oil (but easy on the cod liver oil). Add a good vitamin to the mix or in the water. Do this once a day and that dude will sparkle unless there is an underlying disease condition.


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## KIPPY (Dec 18, 2003)

THEY HAVE BABY BIRD FORMULA AT PETCO AND PETSMART.


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## alea (Jan 20, 2004)

Hi Bil.
I am a novice but am having great success with the 2 babies I adopted. I mix a bit of hard boiled egg yolk, saturated puppy chow, and baby bird formula, and feed with a syringe. Recently I added and avian multivitamin to the mixture which I am sure is helpful. Good luck!!


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## Bil (Mar 1, 2004)

Update:

Well, this guy has been doing really well in the past week. I force fed him to begin with a finely groud mixture of Cheerios, corn flakes, and a couple bits of dried cat food. Mixed it with water, and loaded a 10ml syringe. He didn't care for it to begin with but by the 4th day or so was already doing viably better. I no longer fed him as of 4 days ago now, he's been eating the seed I put in a bowl and all over the bathroom floor. (Glad I don't have guests!)

His scabs have healed up, he is feathering nicely (see pic).

A couple days ago, I put him on my finger and walked thru the house with him, his wings flapped and he attempted flight. Didn't work all that well I'm afraid, he ended up almost straight down.

TODAY is a different story.

This morning I pulled him form his bathroom home, put him in my hand, then onto my finger and this guy flew the coop all throughout the house. COOL!

I think I'll give him another couple days to fully develope the underwing feathers and (gasp) set him free. 

I've gotten kinda attached to this guy, he now sits next to me in my office in the cat bed preening himself all the time. The cat is a bit angry, but he can deal with the backyard for the short time the Pij occupies his bed in the morning.

SO... what do I do next? I would really like it if I could get this guy to call the backyard home. I am kinda fearful that once we go outside that will be the last of him. Any way I can get him to teritory the backyard and come home to roost??

Bil


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Hello Bil,
What a wonderful update. Fine job you have done.

My suggestion would be, if you are unable to keep him as a pet, house him outside in a 'predator proof' cage for a while to acclimate him to the surroundings of your backyard. Once released, hopefully (not guaranteed) he will stay close by.

Do you have a flock nearby in which you can release him to? It does help if there are other pijjies that he can join. 

Pigeons flying 'solo' can be more of a target for predators than flying with a flock.

I'm quite fortunate, as I have a flock that visit my backyard faithfully twice a day, so I pretty much have a 'built in' release system. There are four that I have released (I am able to identify them, as they are unusually marked. One has a toe missing on each foot), that continue to fly in each day. A couple have been coming back for over a year now.
Cindy


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Here is a current picture of Bil's pigeon:

http://www.rims.net/pigeon9.jpg 


Terry


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Bil,

It sounds like is getting as attached to you, as you are to him. 

There is a very strong possiblity that he will "home" to your place when you eventually release him, since he is very young, and you have had him for 2 weeks now. He is like a clean slate and has not imprinted as to "where" home is. I'm betting it's your house. 

He may leave and come back with a spouse! But he will need to be outside for a period, as Cindy has said, already, before you even think of releasing him.

The picture is adorable...thanks, Terry.

Sure you don't want this little cutie as a pet?

Treesa


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

I'm going to put this on the strong side, but no offense intended to anyone. If you release him without any form of support group, I for one, say you probably killed him.

He hasn't been taught by the parants and the genetics only tell him a hawk is a mortal enemy, not how to avoid one in the modern world. Pigeons flock partly because they have more vigilence together than they can have alone. He may figure out where water is but how does he know where food is, how to deal with cars, or what is the criteria for selecting a night roost?

This forum has people with fly out flocks, aviaries, or tight connections with wilder flocks. Try to think this out because when you kill a bird out of ignorance, as I have done, you will never really get over it.


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## KIPPY (Dec 18, 2003)

THE PIGEON DOES NEED TO BE OUT SIDE FOR AWHILE IN A CAGE SO HE CAN GET USE TO THE AREA. THEN HE WILL VENTURE AROUND THE AREA FOR AWHILE OUTSIDE THE CAGE, IF YOU LET HIM OUT. ONE DAY HE MAY DECIDE TO TAKE OFF.
I'M NOT A PIGEON PRO BUT THAT IS WHAT KIPPY DID. SHE TOOK OFF FOR THREE DAYS. WHEN SHE DID COME BACK SHE WAS PRETTY WIPED OUT. I'M SURE THE FOOD, WATER AND SLEEP WAS NOT AS EASY TO COME BY. I WAS NOT ABLE TO SHOW HER THE PIGEON STREET SMARTS. I DON'T KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.


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## Bil (Mar 1, 2004)

An Update:

As you know, I was hand feeding this guy for about the first week. Everything went well, or as well as this newby could do! 

In the past week, the Pij has been flying like crazy, all over the house. THIS had to stop!!!

So 2 days ago, I took a box, and what appreared to be his favorite towel, and put it outside. He/she was very nervouse.

I opened the window and put the Pij on the planterbox just outside. He sat there for hours with his food bowl and water.

Yesterday, again I put him outside first thing in the morning. He spent the entire day outside. I got back home around 10 in the evening wondering if he would still be around, sure enough he was sitting on the fence in the back yard. I shooed him into his box, and about 15 minutes later, opened the window and in he flew.

This morning, I pushed him outside around 8. He sat in his box for an hour or so, then a couple doves flew in and landing on the jaccuzzi cover. He flew down, they flew away.

They flew onto the roof, he followed. The flew onto the neightbors roof. He followed.

He stayed on the top of the neighbors roof for about an hour that I know of. (see pic)

I went back out around 11 and he was gone. No where to be found.

I guess I did a good job, I know he wouldn't have made it without me.

THE COOLEST THING!!! I came home around 4:30, and guess who was sitting in the back yard right next to the wondow! COOL!!!

I shooed him into his box, gave him a full bowl of seed, and there he is. Safe in his box, full crop, eyes closed- sleeping. (see pic)

Now that I think just maybe this guy is here to stay, I think I'll set him up with a more appropriate roost.

You can not believe how happy I was to see him in the yard when I got home. This is so cool.

Bil


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Bil and thank you for such a wonderful update! Yes, I think you might just have a permanent little friend there! Where are the pics, by the way?

Terry


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Ooops .. asked about the pics too soon. They were waiting in my Inbox!

http://www.rims.net/Picture93.jpg 

http://www.rims.net/Picture94.jpg 


Terry


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

That's a cool bird and he has taken the same route one of my first birds took--the dangerous route. This bird is going to be a fly out bird and it needs to learn how to beat the hawks. My bird stayed on the roofs because he was too timid to fly and he had no parents to show him what to do. They are all scared in this situation and rightfully so. But at this time he can learn how to find and enter his home, whatever that turns out to be. Meanwhile, the hawks will strike the day they see him; he will probably out-fly them. This will happen repeatedly and he will not understand what to do afterward; he will fly away and maybe be gone a day or two (if your lucky). He may be traumatized. At least this process will hone his homing instincts and ability enter his "pad". 

If you get this far try to find a small flock of pigeons as close to home as possible. This flock needs to be just 1-2 blocks away for this to work well. Start feeding the flock generously at the same time of the day so they get to know you and trust you. Then drive your bird there and show him the flock feeding (I assume your bird is comfortable standing on you or being held by you which may not be the case). Your bird will be scared but intrigued. When the flock flies for whatever reason your bird may fly with them or not. If he flies he may come back to you or hang with the flock. If you can patiently establish this link your bird will eventually get comfortable with the flock, fly with them, and learn from them. Then it will come home. You need a lot of time, patience and luck to pull that off.

This process is fraught with huge problems and I only suggest it because you don't have the luxury of a loft and flock of your own which solves the problem in a time tested way. 

You mention you are building a home for the bird and if so please make it bombproof--no hawks, owls, raccoons, rats, cats, dogs, squirrels, unauthorized humans, etc. have access to it--no open containers. People can give you ideas on how to do this. 

Nice job getting him strong.


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