found a young bird

[nattyone]

Hi this morning i found a young bird it seems to have all its feathers but its tail is maybe not full length . it has a few wispy bit s of fluff here and there but not much . i found a pigeon site and looked at some pictures and it looks about 25 days old . im not 100% sure but i think its a collared dove but then you can get brown pigeons cant you so it could be one of those lol. i found it in the middle of the road no where near trees , i didnt see any other doves or pigeons near there and i walk that route a lot and have never seen any so i dont know where its come from considering that it either cant or doesnt want to fly. Ive never seen a bird like it , it looked perfectly normal in the street but normally they run off when you get near to them , i was walking my dog and she just walked past and picked it up . i took it off her and put it down but it didnt wonder off or fly away so i carried it home , it wasnt at all stressed didnt make any noise and its heart wasnt racing. ive put it in a cockatiel cage with some bird seed and some pigeon food and some water and a bowl of chick crums . ive took it out a few times to feed it and it just jumps onto my hand , its not much interested in the food tho but its so calm not like a wild bird at all. when my dogs go up to my aviary my budgies flap about this bird just peers out the side of her cage . is this normal dove/pigeon behaviour ?

[Pidgey]

Well, I'm not certain that there is such a thing as "normal" behavior for them, actually. It does look like dove or a brown pigeon, though. Where are you, by the way, as that can help narrow the choices.

As to feeding it, the yellow wispy hairs signal that it's still being fed by the parents and it doesn't actually know how to eat yet. Hunger will eventually get the better of it and it will start learning to eat in a hurry.

Pidgey

[Pidgey]

It's a lot easier to teach them to drink than it is to teach them to eat, though. When they actually start getting thirsty, you simply get them a bowl of water that's at least a half-inch deep and push the back of their head gently down into it until their beak is about half submerged. If they're thirsty, they'll all of a sudden stick their head down into it and slurp it up unlike any other bird--they do it in a real hurry.

As to food, it's best to start with smaller things for the little ones like the size of wheat, milo, millet and the small grains. You may need to simulate pecking at the seeds with your finger or a pencil right in front of it and eventually it'll start pecking on its own. It won't necessarily get the hang of it immediately but when it does, it usually goes pretty fast.

Pidgey

[nattyone]

hi pidgey thanks for the reply
im in england in a small town . she has budgie millet in the cage on the floor as well as a bowl of it . im not sure how long they can servive with out food but she seems perky enough so maybe she is pecking at the seed when im not looking. how would i tell the difference between a regular pigeon and a dove . there is also a ringneck dove that people keep as pets i wondered if maybe it was a feral one of those ( escaped parents maybe) . i suppose im just stunned with how tame it is . i had some baby cockatiels last year and they wernt even half as freindly as this bird even when they were in the nest as very small babies.

[Pidgey]

Well, it's hard to tell as some pigeon and dove chicks are very afraid of you and some just don't care at all--it's an individual thing. I kind of figured that you were in the UK. We've got a few members from there in various places. Which county?

In order to tell, can you take and post a picture from the side of the bird?

Pidgey

[nattyone]

northamptonshire. ill take a pic tommorow (hopefully she servives the night) its gone 3 am now and i dont want to use the flash incase that turns out to be the one thing she cares about lol .

[Pidgey]

By the by, I emailed a couple of our UK members although I rather think they'll be sleeping at this hour. Might be two or three hours (or more) until they've had their Heinz baked beans, baked tomatoes, scrambled eggs, lox and tea so it might be awhile.

Pidgey

[Pidgey]

Oh, pigeons and doves are fairly tough and just looking at the picture, that bird looks pretty good. I will tell you this, though, the thing that's most frightening about a dog or cat bite or lick is that they can get Pasteurella multocida, a common bacteria that can be lethal to birds if they get it systemically. The cure for that is a simple antibiotic like Amoxicillin, Ampicillin or Clavamox (Amoxicillin + Clavulanic Acid) that's given for a few days.

Pidgey

[Feefo]

Hi Natty,

That is a Eurasian Collared dove. For some reason a lot of them leave the nest unable to fly or walk. I believe that is because of a calcium deficiency and it can be corrected within a few days but she will need to be fed until she learns for herself and will need calcium supplements.

We have a member with a lot of experience in caring for collared doves, she lives in Far Cotton just outside Northampton. I will e-mail you her mobile number.

In the meantime if you can gavage then do so, otherwise iIf you soak the chick crumbs for half and hour in hot (not boiling) water then roll them into fairly moist but not wet pellets you can feed her those one at a time. Open the beak and push the pellet into the mouth cavity. Feed about a teaspoon full three or four times a day, stop if it becomes too stressed (the don't like being held down and will struggle, wrapping them in a towel helps.)

Cynthia

[nattyone]

hi thanks. she is lively and well this morning still as freindly as ever. edited post because i was puzzled that she looked so well but hadnt eaten much that id fed her . but look below

[nattyone]

OMG i just walked past the room where she is and she is eating the budgie seed right out of the bowl whooo jumps up and down lol

[Feefo]

That is really good news!

They learn so quickly.

If your intention is to rehab and release then ler her start having time out of the cage now, so she learns to measure distances and decide on landing places. If you wait until she is strong she will bang against the walss and ceilings.

They also need to be extremely agile to avoid the perils outside and it takes a few days to develop that agility.

Adult doves just don't like cages. They will sit happily as long as the door is open but stalk up aand down trying to find an exit the moment it is closed.

Cynthia

[nattyone]

its illegal to keep any wild bird , thats what i was told so ill have to release her . I intended to release her obviously but her being so dim with regards getting out of the way of things i am honestly quite concerned that she wont even last 5 minutes outside.

[John_D]

Originally Posted by nattyone

its illegal to keep any wild bird , thats what i was told so ill have to release her . I intended to release her obviously but her being so dim with regards getting out of the way of things i am honestly quite concerned that she wont even last 5 minutes outside.

It only applies to wild birds under those of the wildlife act schedules which refer to fully legally protected species.

It does not apply to feral pigeons, wood pigeons and collared doves - and a few other birds which were formerly listed as 'pest' species.

John

[Feefo]

My own vet has passed on collared doves to me for rehabilitation, I am certain that he would not break the law.

Please never release a bird that isn't able to fend for itself in the wild, that would be too cruel.

Karen has an aviary where the little one can learn to fly and to interact with other doves. I will send her your number as soon as my phone is recharged!

Cynthia