Mayim's Recovery - Tail Question

[Crow]

Several weeks ago, a terribly bedraggled young pigeon came to my window completely covered in some kind of thick, gummy oil. I held out a bowl of shelled sunflower seeds, and he ate hungrily. He stepped inside a bit, and I grabbed him.

I shampooed Mayim (it means 'water') with unscented baby shampoo, but the gummy oil wouldn't budge. So I soaked him with baby oil, worked it through, saw the thick oil break up in brownish clots and release torrents of sludgy dark grit, rinsed that out, soaked him with the rest of the bottle, and shampooed again. I let him have a little break to eat after this big washing session, and he ate so furiously I had to take the bowl away from him. I was afraid he'd hurt his crop! I let him rest, and fed him more a bit later.

Over the next week, I shampooed him several more times. It took so much shampooing to get the thick oil and ground-in dirt out of his feathers! The poor little guy must have been cold, because his feathers had no loft at all - they were just a sticky, matted mess. It didn't smell like motor oil, and it didn't smell like cooking oil. It was more like Vaseline with a gummy consistency. I wonder what that stuff was.

So now his feathers are clean, full, fluffy, and silky. He looks GREAT, and he's posing, cooing and booming quite a lot. He's definitely a male. I have him in a cage by the window, and female pigeons come to visit and eat with him.

He eagles his wings at me in recognition, and responds to "who's a good bird?" and "Mayim's a good boy" by flicking his wings (looks juvenile/submissive) and arching his neck and eagling. Wow.

I think his natural oils are back now, and he's confident and extremely eager to return to pigeon society - but here's the problem. His tail is missing a big chunk of feathers. I let him fly around the apartment, and I could see that his tail looks like this //--\\\\ which worries me.

The edges of his wings are also very worn from (presumably) dragging in the grit when he was weighed down by oil. The tail, I don't know - maybe a dog?

Should I let him go, or wait until some of those missing feathers grow back?

How long do pigeons' tailfeathers take to replace themselves?

I'm in downtown Seattle.

[AZWhitefeather]

Many thanks for helping this poor pij.
If you encounter another oil soaked pij I believe the soap of choice for removing the 'yuk' is Dawn dish soap. It seems to cut through the grease.

I would suggest holding on to him until his feathers are grown in. When you feel it's time to release him, is it possible to do so into a flock rather than releasing him alone?

Please do keep us posted on how things are coming along. :)

Cindy ;)

[feralpigeon]

Hi Crow,

I have a similar rescue that in addition to some health problems, also had the
feathering problems which you describe. There is no telling what or where this "stuff" comes from as the city pigeons sometimes roost and eat in places that are hazardous for their health, that is to say dumpsters, gutters, rooftops w/less than fully cured tar on roof repairs etc. It was suggested to me that I pull a couple of the tattered tail feathers a day. It will take about 6 weeks for the new ones to grow in where you have pulled the damaged ones. Get close to the base of feather to pull. I was worried about doing that, but it wasn't as traumatic for either one of us as I feared. Her tail feathers have grown in quite nicely, and she coos and "fan-tails" them to me constantly.

Regarding the wing feathers which are damaged, that is where I stopped. Using the search engine, from what I could tell, it is much trickier, and I didn't want to risk hurting her wings. See what others think on that one.

Because his ability to fly enables him/her to escape predators, it is best to
give the feathers a chance to grow in.

fp

[Crow]

Yes, it'll be no problem to release Mayim to a flock - his friends and family live in the alley here. I throw a little dove mix onto the roof over the building's porch at intervals, and they know me. There's a dominant couple which could be his parents, cousins, or grandparents, who have come to visit him. Of course we don't know, but we refer to them as Mayim's "mom and dad."

There's also another small pigeon with brownish feathers in a checker pattern (similar to Mayim's gray and black) who visits, and a small, neat gray girl who visits him most of all. I've seen her squeeze in the window, pop down, and share the bowl in his cage from outside by sticking her head in. Then she pops back up, and exits the window. :cool: She and Mayim vocalize quite a lot - he makes loud male sounds and she answers quietly. Today she stuck her head in the window to answer. I worry a little that this is terribly frustrating to him - and that it could be upsetting to his flock to see him caged. But they seem calm about it. He does cling to the side of his cage and flap when they leave, but then he stops.

Should I let them interact so much, or is this too distressing to the birds?
I want him to know he still has a flock, and I want them to know he's O.K., but I don't know how they all feel about the cage and his extended stay.

[Birdmom4ever]

Bless you for helping this pigeon, and I really like the name you gave him! I don't see a problem with allowing his flock to visit him. Perhaps the little hen is his mate.

We visited Seattle a year and half ago for our anniversary and I enjoyed seeing the pigeons downtown--it helped to get a "pigeon fix" since I missed mine while we were away.

[Crow]

Wow, should I really try pulling my little guy's broken tail feathers out? :eek: Nyerm.

I have some all-purpose stop-bleeding stuff, and I've read that pigeons have "looser" feathers than some other birds (to help them escape) but I'm a little squicked by it. I'll give one a try and see if it comes out easily.

He's eating grated carrots, cuttlebone powder, and oystershell chips along with his food, for extra calcium. I hope this will help his tail grow faster.

(Of course he had to have some bites of a Manischewitz macaroon, which isn't exactly tail-growing food, but he's been through a lot! O.K., no more sugar now until the tail comes in.)

[Lin Hansen]

Hi Crow,

Glad to hear Mayim's doing well....had a laugh over the Maneshewitz macaroon! LOL

I found a previous thread which discusses pulling damaged tail feathers...it might be useful for you to read it. Just click on it:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=8831

Good luck with the little guy,

Linda

[feralpigeon]

Hi Crow,

Yes, I think you should try to pull the damaged feathers out, like I said, not
nearly as traumatic for either one of you as your fears might make of it. Follow
the feather down to the shaft where it is close to the skin and give a slow, deep pull. You might want to get a smaller sized towel, like a hand towel or
dish towel and fold it in half (linear) then wrap around the wings breast, leaving
the tail exposed. While I'm no expert, I can tell you that you should be able to
get a few out w/out much objection from your friend/patient. I usually let their
figeting be the guide. If they relatively co-operative, and then they start to
fuss, I figure they've had enuf. Although, the bird that I pulled the tail feathers
on never did fuss. I think when you come to the aid of the feral pigeon, they
seem to know that you are trying to help, at least that has been my experience. Don't forget to talk to the bird to reassure him/her.

Best,

fp

[Crow]

Well, I did it.

I wrapped him lightly in a towel on my lap - it didn't take much to secure him, because he likes sitting on my lap. I held his little butt securely, and gently plucked out five broken feathers one by one. It felt weird, but he just sat calmly, and didn't even flinch at all until the last one. He did not panic, and he doesn't seem to resent me for it. :cool:

His tail looks much better now, with the broken ones gone. He immediately started cleaning and rearranging feathers, and I think he likes the way he looks. Let's hope they grow in soon.

I lined up the five broken ones, and they're all the same length exactly. Looks like something broke them off at the same place. Hmmm.

He's doing well. His little flock of about 6 other birds came to visit today.

He really wants to fly, but as someone pointed out - feral pigeons have a peculiar patience with people. It's as if they know instinctively when someone's trying to help them. Their thousands of years as pets and sacred birds shows through at such times.

Thank you for this good advice on helping my little gray boy.

[Birdmom4ever]

Good job. As others have said, they should grow back in a few weeks. Pigeons do seem to have an understanding of who will help them, and unlike many species they don't panic under human care. I believe it's because their history with humans goes back thousands of years, to before recorded history, and they are used to living among us. I also think there is something almost spiritual about the bond we pigeon lovers have with our birds.