Found Pigeon with injury please help diagnose

[gseaquest]

I found a pigeon this evening. It was drinking out of my flower pot. I though that it must be tame because it did not try to really fly away. I decide that I was going to handle it and upon picking it up i found that it could not fly. The long feathers that make up the tip of the wing on one side were missing. Whenever the bird tried to fly it acted like it could not get the wing back up against its side. It kind of just stayed up. Could the wing be possibly clipped or maybe broken. Upon examining the rest of the bird everything looks good. This bird is just missing those feathers on its right side. The rest of the wing is in good shape. Please Help.

[Lin Hansen]

Hi gseaquest,

Welcome to pigeons.com and thank you for taking the initiative to help this needy pigeon.

We have many knowledgeable members here who I'm sure will be able to help you and will be along shortly to offer good advice.

In the meantime, if you feel that the wing could be broken, here is a link that shows, step by step, how to set a broken wing. Just click on it:

http://www.duckpolice.org/BirdWeb/P...brokenwing.html

Thank you for caring,

Linda

[pdpbison]

Hi gseaquest,


Could be a sprain or a pulled muscle or ligament...

So, if you can keep him contained in some pleasant draped three sides of cage...and provide nice Seeds, Grit and fresh Water...it may be some week or two or so of rest and ease will mend it.

It might be a broken bone also, in which case similarly, rest and time, but if broken, it would ideally need to be set correctly to mend correctly, and this is not such an easy thing to do. I myself am still trying to learn to do this decently, and I am not satisfied yet with my efforts.

At any rate, if the wing is dragging, and this Bird can not fly, this Bird would certainly perish if you had not rescued him.

You could try gently feeling with your finger tips, feeling the various wing bones between your finger tips, (fingers on both sides of the Wing) to see if anything conspicuously broken is palpable. But this too is a matter of experience to tell.

Anyway, for now, keep him warm, quiet and fed...

I gotta run now...more later when I get back.

Phil
el ev

[gseaquest]

Hello, Thank you all for commenting on this for me. Tonight I have tried to handl the pigeon but it does not seem to be used to human contact. I wanted to let everyone know that the wing looks fine and the bird can sure hit hard with it. The only thing is that the long feathers that extend to the end of the wing are missing one one side. The bulk of the wing looks ok. I haven't had an opportunity to inspect the wing underneath to see how extensive the injury is. I fed the bird some molting seed that is high is vitamins as well as vitamin supplement for birds in the water. two or three drops. The bird is very perky and responsive. I am trying to develope some trust between this creature and I. Very pretty bird. Oh. Does anyone know if the feathers can grow back. The long ones on that make up the tip of the wing. If they can this bird will surely fly again with a little TLC. Thank you and any advice is appreciated.

[pdpbison]

Hi gseaquest,

Oh yes, any missing or damaged Feathers will grow back over time, just as nicely as if they had never been missing or damaged at all.

This is an odd injury, for there to be missing primary Feathers of a Wing...

Missing Tail Feathers usually bespeak of some preditor or other having grabbed them by their Tail...and, like some Lizards with their flesh-Tails, Pigeons will 'let-go' of or release their Feathers if something or someone has grasped them by those Feathers.

It is a way for them to not be restrained by their Feathers being grasped...the Feathers are kind of loosed from their roots and come out almost instantly if necessary to get away.

Birds of course as individuals may elect to decide varying degrees or kinds of Trust with us, you, or me or anyone...

Speaking soothingly to them, flattering them with admirations, making sure any movements we make are s-l-o-w and certain when changing out water or Seed bowls in their cages...just hanging out near them gently...all of course help cultivate a sense of us being safe or allright.

Many adult wild Pigeons do not like being handled or picked up and will protest.

if you are getting 'Wing Chops' this actually IS a kind of measure of acceptance and trust to some extent, at least if not accompanied by gastures of terror anyway...!

This is what they do to eachother if some(other Pigeon)one is tresspassing, as well as pinching with their Beaks or pecking at someone...


They are usually quite critically aware of 'where' our eyes are looking, and at what our hands are doing. Sometimes they are nervous about our hands since they soon associate hands with the potential of veing picked up or held.

If you look at their neck in a concentration look kind of way, and gently reach to it to 'preen' it for them...sometimes otherwise not at all 'social' Birds may, with some several attempts, acquiesce to letting you preen them gently arounf their backs of the neck or back of the head...maybe not, but some will accept it as a sort of step of acceptance and or of you in that way accepting them.

Otherwise, just soft tones of admire and soothe are allways good things.

Some will never elect to come around to letting themselves be held without protest, for which, if you cover their head gently with one cupped hand, whild holding them for some examination or other, they will settle down some usually...not allways!

It takes practice to hold them in various ways so as not to hurt them or let them hurt themselves with their struggles. They can be surpriseingly agile and strong and determined...!

Anyway, I am allways asking "Well, how are the poops looking?"

So...do tell?


Phil

[gseaquest]

Thanks for the info phil. The poops are looking normal. Little clumplets. No slimy green poop. How long can the pigeon go without grit. I gave it a cuddle bone from wallmart because they did not have grit with this suffice for a few days. I am breaking it up into little pieces so that he or she can eat it. By the way how do you tell wether a pigeon is male or female?

John

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Gseaquest,

The chopped up cuttlebone is good for now. As for telling a male from a female, not so easy :p
You can try showing the bird itself in a mirror. A male will usually get hot and bothered by his reflection, cooing etc. A female will generally ignore her reflection. There are many other ways to tell but they are all very subtle to the experienced and the inexperienced.