# I have found a Pigeon which was unable to Fly



## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

I have found a pigeon in my area. I found him wandering around in the streets. He was unable to fly and was running in streets. He could have been eaten by dogs or cats so i brought him up in my house. Even i saw a dog chasing him the past day. When i brought him he seemed really weak so, i put some seeds in a dish around him so he could eat but he didn't ate anything so i did forcefeed him by using the tube method. I found him the day before yesterday. The next day he drank some water that i gave him. I dropped his beak into the water and he drank water for 3 times yesterday. He ate yesterday by himself and pecking on the seeds. He seems much strong and active now.I left him there with the seeds and he is now pecking them by itself.

But - The problem is that he cannot fly, whenever he tries to fly he could not able to take off and take a fall. Even i took him out but he was not able to fly. I look it for any injuries but he was not bleeding. What could be the problem? Is it injured or sick?

I have put him in the box which is quiet.
His poop is thick green and white in colour. 

Sometime he goes in circles like a dog chasing his tail. He has done it like 6-7 times yesterday.

I don't know if it is a baby or fully grown bird. His eyes has a orange circle around them. I am no longer force feeding him he is already eating by himself.

What could be the problem with him. What should i do now?
How many times i should make him to drink water.
Here is the winter time and weather sometimes dips to around 6 C during night.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Thank you for helping him! Could you pls post a photo?


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Here are some pictures


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

More pictures


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

He looks sick. Still young, but should be able to fly. Can you check deep down inside his throat for yellowish growths that might indicate canker? Use a flashlight to check. Make sure he is swallowing the seed and not just scattering them around. To get him to drink, you can dip the tip of the beak (not over the nostrils) in a small bowl of water. You might have to do this a couple of times before he learns. 

Spinning around in circles can be a sign of paramyoxy virus (PMV). No meds to treat, only supportive care for the next 6 weeks. Does he seem eager to eat?


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> He looks sick. Still young, but should be able to fly. Can you check deep down inside his throat for yellowish growths that might indicate canker? Use a flashlight to check. Make sure he is swallowing the seed and not just scattering them around. To get him to drink, you can dip the tip of the beak (not over the nostrils) in a small bowl of water. You might have to do this a couple of times before he learns.
> 
> Spinning around in circles can be a sign of paramyoxy virus (PMV). No meds to treat, only supportive care for the next 6 weeks. Does he seem eager to eat?


That's what do i think that, he should be able to fly. But he is not flying. I,m sure that he is eating just fine by himself. He has emptied the bowl two times which i gave him to eat. Now he is drinking the water himself, i have seen him doing that two times myself, now i don't need to make him to drink water. 

He does seems much more active now than the day i brought him in the house. 

But the problem is that he is not flying. I will encourage him to fly by putting him out of the box.

I would check his throat later.
What could be his age?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Maybe 2 months, difficult to guess. That eye looks quite watery, what does the other one look like? Does he eat like a normal pigeon or does he show neurological symptoms when eating? What does the droppings look like? Can you post a photo?


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> Maybe 2 months, difficult to guess. That eye looks quite watery, what does the other one look like? Does he eat like a normal pigeon or does he show neurological symptoms when eating? What does the droppings look like? Can you post a photo?


His both eyes does seem like watery. He does moves in the circle like 12-13 times today. And sometimes he does take fall and won't be able to stand up, he does struggles alot. He sometimes bends his neck to right side in a weird way.


He is eating fine and he drank water today two times. I never thought that he was that young.

I did brought him out from the box today so that he can fly but he wasn't able to fly and he took fall during the take off and couldn't fly.
Will it gonna survive.
What is the issue with him? He does seems like to me sometimes that he is not able to handle it's own weight. He is afraid off me.


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> Maybe 2 months, difficult to guess. That eye looks quite watery, what does the other one look like? Does he eat like a normal pigeon or does he show neurological symptoms when eating? What does the droppings look like? Can you post a photo?


He does eat a alot. He eats for like 2-3 hours a day. He's showing alot of signs that he is in a problem. He does bends his neck to upward- down alot. He did just drank the water for 3rd time.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Sounds like he has PMV. Would not encourage him to fly. Supportive care and TLC should help him. Heprobably was starving. Would look in his mouth for canker growths as suggested, as well.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

His dropping looks quite good. Sounds like he has the paramyxovirus. You can read more about this on www.pigeonrescue.co.uk. The virus won't kill him, he will need to be kept for 6 to 8 weeks in isolation with supportive care. 
The virus attacks the nervous system and that's why they show neurological symptoms. After 6 weeks the virus would have shed and he won't be contagious to other birds. In nature they usually die cause they are unable to eat.

Try to minimize stress by keeping him comfortable and in 1 spot. Don't move him around. Also a deep seed dish (easier for picking up seeds) and a narrow waterdish (prevent drowning when having seizures). They are not in pain, it's just horrible to watch them like this. He might be unreleasable after recovering, cause the symptoms might return when under stress.


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> His dropping looks quite good. Sounds like he has the paramyxovirus. You can read more about this on www.pigeonrescue.co.uk. The virus won't kill him, he will need to be kept for 6 to 8 weeks in isolation with supportive care.
> The virus attacks the nervous system and that's why they show neurological symptoms. After 6 weeks the virus would have shed and he won't be contagious to other birds. In nature they usually die cause they are unable to eat.
> 
> Try to minimize stress by keeping him comfortable and in 1 spot. Don't move him around. Also a deep seed dish (easier for picking up seeds) and a narrow waterdish (prevent drowning when having seizures). They are not in pain, it's just horrible to watch them like this. He might be unreleasable after recovering, cause the symptoms might return when under stress.


I can keep him upto 1 month even if he takes 4-6 weeks to heal. Today is the 4th day, and he is surviving. He had around 4-6 seizures today.

My question is that can i feed him boiled peas by hand. Won't it be too much for his throat? Will he will be able to pass peas through it's throat? Are peas too much big to eat for him? I want to make sure that he is eating He is strugging to eat the food by himself like success rate of picking a seed is trial of 1 out of 3.

I do suspect that he is hungry. But he is drinking water fine by himself. I never thought that he could be that young. Now i did noticed that he doesn't have that white line on his beak like the adult birds.

How many peas i should feed per day? Or if i forcefeed him how much seeds or grains i should feed him?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

If he is eating by himself, rather don't forcefeed him. Forcefeeding will just stress him out. As long as his droppings are like the one in the photo, then he is doing well. If it becomes less and bright green, then you will know he is not eating enough. Put his seed in a deep dish, will make it easier for him to eat. 

He might be a bit older, I'm just guessing the age. If you need to feed him peas in the future: 40 to 50 peas 3 times daily, total of 120 to 150 per day. Just make sure the crop empties inbetween feedings. This will be very time consuming, so rather let him eat by himself.

You can boost him by adding apple cider vinegar (5 ml) to 1 litre of water 2 or 3 times a week. If you can get hold of vitamins for pigeons, you can add that to his water as well.


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> If he is eating by himself, rather don't forcefeed him. Forcefeeding will just stress him out. As long as his droppings are like the one in the photo, then he is doing well. If it becomes less and bright green, then you will know he is not eating enough. Put his seed in a deep dish, will make it easier for him to eat.
> 
> He might be a bit older, I'm just guessing the age. If you need to feed him peas in the future: 40 to 50 peas 3 times daily, total of 120 to 150 per day. Just make sure the crop empties inbetween feedings. This will be very time consuming, so rather let him eat by himself.
> 
> You can boost him by adding apple cider vinegar (5 ml) to 1 litre of water 2 or 3 times a week. If you can get hold of vitamins for pigeons, you can add that to his water as well.


Can i feed him raw green peas? or do i need to boil them first? Can i put glucose in his water. I do have a multivitamin capsule in my place.What quantity?


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> If he is eating by himself, rather don't forcefeed him. Forcefeeding will just stress him out. As long as his droppings are like the one in the photo, then he is doing well. If it becomes less and bright green, then you will know he is not eating enough. Put his seed in a deep dish, will make it easier for him to eat.
> 
> He might be a bit older, I'm just guessing the age. If you need to feed him peas in the future: 40 to 50 peas 3 times daily, total of 120 to 150 per day. Just make sure the crop empties inbetween feedings. This will be very time consuming, so rather let him eat by himself.
> 
> You can boost him by adding apple cider vinegar (5 ml) to 1 litre of water 2 or 3 times a week. If you can get hold of vitamins for pigeons, you can add that to his water as well.


It is day 5 and he is still surviving. His poops looks exactly simiar to poop at the first day. But he is not eating so i forcefeed him the food. I am forcefeeding him daily just to make sure that he is eating enough. Today he didn't drink anythink. Yesterday whole night he was spinning trying to stand up. He was struggling to stand up. Whole night i could hear him struggling. But in the morning i forcefeed him food and he is sleeping taking rest. I might think that he was unable to sleep during night. HE IS REALLY HAVING DIFFICULTY TO STAND UP. I supported him to stand up. When he does wakes up i will try to give him water. SOMETIMES he goes in the circle and won't be able to stand up. I have to stand him up myself.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Yes, you can feed the peas raw. Buy the frozen peas and defrost in lukewarm water till soft. When they are getting fed peas, they don't drink a lot of water. But after feeding, dip the tip of the beak in water if he wants to drink. Don't squirt water in his beak, he can easily aspirste.

Can't you rather put him in a cage and put the cage in a shelve so that he at least is not on the ground? Then cover half the cage with a towel. This all will make him feel safer and will minimize stress. Newspaper is very slippery, put a fleazy blanket down for him to lie on.

Try to get vitamins for birds from a petshop.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

You might want to put something soft he can sit on or next to like pine needles, shredded or torn newspaper, or a towel or something. Poor birdie. Hope he is better soon.


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> Yes, you can feed the peas raw. Buy the frozen peas and defrost in lukewarm water till soft. When they are getting fed peas, they don't drink a lot of water. But after feeding, dip the tip of the beak in water if he wants to drink. Don't squirt water in his beak, he can easily aspirste.
> 
> Can't you rather put him in a cage and put the cage in a shelve so that he at least is not on the ground? Then cover half the cage with a towel. This all will make him feel safer and will minimize stress. Newspaper is very slippery, put a fleazy blanket down for him to lie on.
> 
> Try to get vitamins for birds from a petshop.





cwebster said:


> You might want to put something soft he can sit on or next to like pine needles, shredded or torn newspaper, or a towel or something. Poor birdie. Hope he is better soon.


He does sleeps alot. He does sleep like for 24 hours. He does seems like dizzy all time. He falls sleep at any point of the time. Earlier i gave him a wooden crate to sit but he was spinning in there and he was banging his head on the side walls of the crate so, i did put him now in a cardboard box. He is taking support of the side wall of the cardboard box. He does not fall if gets to spinning and getting a good support of the side wall. He is eating himself i didn't forcefeed him yesterday's night and his poop is fine.


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> Yes, you can feed the peas raw. Buy the frozen peas and defrost in lukewarm water till soft. When they are getting fed peas, they don't drink a lot of water. But after feeding, dip the tip of the beak in water if he wants to drink. Don't squirt water in his beak, he can easily aspirste.
> 
> Can't you rather put him in a cage and put the cage in a shelve so that he at least is not on the ground? Then cover half the cage with a towel. This all will make him feel safer and will minimize stress. Newspaper is very slippery, put a fleazy blanket down for him to lie on.
> 
> Try to get vitamins for birds from a petshop.





cwebster said:


> You might want to put something soft he can sit on or next to like pine needles, shredded or torn newspaper, or a towel or something. Poor birdie. Hope he is better soon.


I don't have a cage and i will never going to try to feed peas to bird. It is so hard to feed peas a pigeon.

He does keeps shaking his head even when he is sleeping.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Poor thing. The setup you have now is fine for him. Did you ever check in his throat for canker? What are you feeding him? Try to get a good dove/pigeonmix and fill the bowl to about halfway.


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> Poor thing. The setup you have now is fine for him. Did you ever check in his throat for canker? What are you feeding him? Try to get a good dove/pigeonmix and fill the bowl to about halfway.


I am feeding him lentils and rice. I checked his throat and i didn't found any yellow growth in his beak. Today he does keeps jumping out of the box repeatedly. He has jumped out of the box like 3 times. He is running on the floor today. He is much more active than that he was 2 days back. Why he's is doing that? Should i cover the outer side of the box? As soon as he comes out of the box he keeps doing the spinning and falling more often.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Remember he is a wild pigeon and view you as a thread, so it's normal for him to try and escape. Rice is not very nutritious, rather stick to peas instead. Maybe you can turn the box so that it's lying on the side with the open part to the front. Then cover the front part with plastic mesh so that he gets enough light. If you have a smallish mirror in a frame, fasten that to the side of the box. They sometimes like watching their own reflection. If this might upset him, then you will need to remove it. Good sign he is getting more active.


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> Remember he is a wild pigeon and view you as a thread, so it's normal for him to try and escape. Rice is not very nutritious, rather stick to peas instead. Maybe you can turn the box so that it's lying on the side with the open part to the front. Then cover the front part with plastic mesh so that he gets enough light. If you have a smallish mirror in a frame, fasten that to the side of the box. They sometimes like watching their own reflection. If this might upset him, then you will need to remove it. Good sign he is getting more active.


He was running all day and was frequently jumping out of the box in the day. He became so much tired in the day. He did fall sleep in the hands while i was feeding him and he drink the water like he was really thirsty. He is sleeping like he is too much tired. And not waking up even if i am trying to.

I AM WORRIED THAT HE DID BECAME TOO MUCH TIRED BECAUSE OF ALL THAT RUNNING.

I am suspecting that he is not eating enough food. I can see his breast bone. Is this the sign of any worry. I will try to keep him stress free as much as i can from next time. 

MY QUESTION IS THAT I AM FEEDING HIM BIRD GRAINS I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT HOW MUCH IN QUANTITY I WOULD HAVE TO FEED HIM.

What if he is not eating enough quantity? How many days he will gonna survive like that?

His poop was thick white in color mid day and it turned to thick green white after when i did feed him.


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> Remember he is a wild pigeon and view you as a thread, so it's normal for him to try and escape. Rice is not very nutritious, rather stick to peas instead. Maybe you can turn the box so that it's lying on the side with the open part to the front. Then cover the front part with plastic mesh so that he gets enough light. If you have a smallish mirror in a frame, fasten that to the side of the box. They sometimes like watching their own reflection. If this might upset him, then you will need to remove it. Good sign he is getting more active.


 I think he his not able to pick up the seeds. He does try to peck at the seeds but he is not able to pick up the seeds. Please tell me a simpler way to feed him and what quantity i should feed him?

Should i make a thick paste of seeds after boiling them and give it to him to eat.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Keep him in the box and rather feed him peas. Feed him 50 peas in the morning and 50 in the evening. Continue to leave out seeds (all shapes and sizes-he might start eating the ones easier to pick up). Don't let him out, stress will aggravate the symptoms. Keep him as quiet as possible in a room away from noises and other people. That's what I would do. When getting fed peas, the droppings will be green and mushy. When eating seeds, it will be dark brown and firm.


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> Keep him in the box and rather feed him peas. Feed him 50 peas in the morning and 50 in the evening. Continue to leave out seeds (all shapes and sizes-he might start eating the ones easier to pick up). Don't let him out, stress will aggravate the symptoms. Keep him as quiet as possible in a room away from noises and other people. That's what I would do. When getting fed peas, the droppings will be green and mushy. When eating seeds, it will be dark brown and firm.


But it is so hard to feed the peas. He does not open his beak properly. He does resist a lot.Can i feed him whole wheat bread? He seems hungry all the time. He always seems like trying to peck at the seed all the time. I can't even feed him 1 pea.

How many calories he does need in a day.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

No, don't feed him bread. Pigeons eat about 10 % of their bodyweight. Try to feed him 30 gr of seed per day. Did you put the seed in a deep dish to make things easier for him? Feeding seeds will also be difficult. Make sure he drinks water after each feeding.


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Marina B said:


> No, don't feed him bread. Pigeons eat about 10 % of their bodyweight. Try to feed him 30 gr of seed per day. Did you put the seed in a deep dish to make things easier for him? Feeding seeds will also be difficult. Make sure he drinks water after each feeding.


Earlier i did put the seeds in the deep dish but his neck was hanging upward down whenever he was trying to eat the seeds from it. So i did put the seeds in the a lesser deep dish and he is pecking at the seeds but not being able to eat properly. He does nap alot. He sleeps all the time. When he does wakes up from the sleep he tries to eat the food. He is getting skinny day after day. This cycle does gets repeated daily. His poop is fine. And he does seems more active. But i can see and feel his breast bone. He ate some bread crumbs that i put in front of him. But he is not eating properly. Note he is not able to pick up the seeds. He does toss up the seeds and most of the bread crumbs that i gave him. Is there any easy way to feed him. I guess he is a young bird who doesn't know how to eat the seeds properly or he is unable to eat because he is sick.

He has survived for 7 days. But i don't know that how many days he will survive like this.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Here are some pics of the small "shovel" I told you about (you can see how to make it) and of a mix of seeds (you can also see small lentils and mung beans).

I attach also a pic of the person who keeps the bird. You can see how we keep birds when we handfeed them. 
The second person kindly opens the beak. About me I open the upper beak with thumb and index finger of my left hand (I can open it even with just my thumb) and the lower part with thumb and index finger of right hand. I can try to take a pic. 

I forgot to say that the amount of seeds on the shovel depends on the birds (the amount in the pic is the one "standard"). If you notice that he has difficulty in swallowing just reduce the amount of seeds and increase the number of shovels and meals. With experience you will learn and understand everything. You must have a lot of patience but it's worth it.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

The other pics.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

If he fights you a lot, cover his body and head with a towel, only let the beak stick out. Put him on your lap against your body (facing to the right (if you are righthanded). Put your lefthand on his body to restrain him and reach with those fingers over his head and open the beak with your fingers. Have a pea ready in your righthand and put deep inside the beak for him to swallow.

You can post another photo of his droppings.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Yesterday I forgot to ask if he still has watery eyes.
If so, you can make a cup of chamomile tea (without added sugar) and wash his eyes twice a day with it. You can use an eye dropper.
If you prefer, you could look for a product similar to this one:

https://www.cocooncenter.co.uk/bausch-lomb-ophtaxia-singledose-10-x-5ml/20726.html

it's a sterile solution for eye wash. I used it for my birds and even for myself (when I got conjunctivitis). Here you can find it in pharmacy. You could wash his eyes with it twice a day. 
In any case, wash his eyes for a few days and see if you notice an improvement. 

Regarding vitamins, you could look for something similar to this one:

https://www.versele-laga.com/en/oropharma/produkte/oropharma-omni-vit

It's a complete vitamin supplement (vitamins + trace elements + amino acids). I would start to give it for five consecutive days. 

You could also look for bird probiotics and give him ACV water twice a day.
All the supplements will help him to stay as strong as possible.

Please keep us updated.


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## Aakarshan (Nov 22, 2014)

Colombina said:


> Here are some pics of the small "shovel" I told you about (you can see how to make it) and of a mix of seeds (you can also see small lentils and mung beans).
> 
> I attach also a pic of the person who keeps the bird. You can see how we keep birds when we handfeed them.
> The second person kindly opens the beak. About me I open the upper beak with thumb and index finger of my left hand (I can open it even with just my thumb) and the lower part with thumb and index finger of right hand. I can try to take a pic.
> ...





Marina B said:


> If he fights you a lot, cover his body and head with a towel, only let the beak stick out. Put him on your lap against your body (facing to the right (if you are righthanded). Put your lefthand on his body to restrain him and reach with those fingers over his head and open the beak with your fingers. Have a pea ready in your righthand and put deep inside the beak for him to swallow.
> 
> You can post another photo of his droppings.


I gave him to vet and they did took him in. There were around 3000-4000 birds already. They will take better care of him.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Thanks for the update.


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