Found Pigeon, what breed?

[FeatherBrain]

Hello guys. . .I logged in after a LOOONG time. Most of you probably dont know or remember me.

Anyway, 2 days ago a gorgeous pijjy landed at our house. He is some sort of fancy breed, black & white with feathers down to its feet. He/she is healthy enough, but seemed a tad too thin. I would've let it go . . cz it would have found its way home. . . but it seemed tired and hungry and wouldnt fly away.

So, now I am keeping for a few days until he regains strength. He wouldnt eat at first, but now has regained its diet. I gave him millet & sunflower seeds to eat. But he only ate millet. His poops are bigger now which means he is eating . . .though I havent seen him eat.

He is flapping around already . . . I want to keep him. . cz I love pigeons! But I think I'll let him make the decison. I'll set him free, if he wants tp return home . . he will. If he sticks around, I'll keep him. So what do u guys think? I am trying to attach a pic so u can identify the pigeon.

So please, can I know what breed this is?

Thanks in advance.

PS: It had no leg band.
PPS: Forgot to tell u , I'm from Karachi, Pakistan.

-- I tried attaching a pic . . but the size is too big. I'll have to upload on photobucket and re-attach later.

[AZWhitefeather]

It's good to see you posting again FeatherBrain.

If he's a fancy breed & thin, it's possible he was someones pet & has been out in the wild for some time & has been unable to fend for himself properly.
Thankfully he found your place.

If you haven't already done so, could you check his mouth to see if there are any obstructions. Also check his keel (Breast) bone for sharpness.

I would sugges holding on to him to for a bit to make sure he is eating & drinking OK. In the meantime hopefully you can post a picture & between all of us we can determine what type of pigeon you have there.

Cindy

[FeatherBrain]

Thankyou for that quick reply Cindy . . .I wasnt expecting one this quick, since we are in different time zones! Nice to know u remember me.

The pigeon is perfectly healthy , apart from being thin. I can feel his keel bone quite well. Otherwise, bright plumage, clear eyes , no mouth obstructions, no mites. Just a few irregualrities on the feet, one nail on a toe is missing. One toe is a little crooked , and there is a bump on the bottom of one foot. It doesnt hurt him if I touch it. . he hardly notices it. I'm guessing its just a deformity due to the excessive feathers growing on his foot , probably the wieght of the feathers , or the way they are growing out caused that. He couldnt walk properly, because he kept stepping on his feet feathers. So I clipped them short. He can now walk quite normally now.

I'll try to re-post the pictures . . .

PS: I read all the "sticky" notes on the forum . . they are very informative. Its a very good idea to have them there. . .answers most of the frequently asked questions.

[Trees Gray]

Hi FeatherBrain,

Thank you for helping this friendly but needy pigeon.

Don't let the bird go in a few days, as he probably does not have the homing instinct, and there may be some health issues that need to be addressed.

[AZWhitefeather]

Originally Posted by FeatherBrain

Thankyou for that quick reply Cindy . . .I wasnt expecting one this quick, since we are in different time zones! Nice to know u remember me.

The pigeon is perfectly healthy , apart from being thin.
* I can feel his keel bone quite well. Otherwise, bright plumage, clear eyes , no mouth obstructions, no mites. Just a few irregualrities on the feet, one nail on a toe is missing. One toe is a little crooked ,
** and there is a bump on the bottom of one foot. It doesnt hurt him if I touch it. . he hardly notices it. I'm guessing its just a deformity due to the excessive feathers growing on his foot , probably the wieght of the feathers , or the way they are growing out caused that. He couldnt walk properly, because he kept stepping on his feet feathers. So I clipped them short. He can now walk quite normally now.

I'll try to re-post the pictures . . .

PS: I read all the "sticky" notes on the forum . . they are very informative. Its a very good idea to have them there. . .answers most of the frequently asked questions.

* This would indicate the bird hasn't been eating well or enough to maintain a good amount of muscle on each side of the keel bone. Although he looks healthy, there's a reason his keel bone is pronounced.
How are his eating habits?

** The 'bump' on the bottom of the foot could possibly indicate bumblefoot.
I've not had hands on experience with it, but I have read one of the symptoms is a bump on the bottom of the foot. Of course this is only a thought & I'm sure others will be along shortly to assist.

Cindy

[AZWhitefeather]

Thank you for posting the pictures. What a beauty.

I don't know what the breed is, But I would definietely not release him/her.

Cindy

[FeatherBrain]

Thanks for the tip . . . I'll google around for bumblefoot. . . The pijjy is asleep right now (night time) or I would've posted a pic of the foot. I guess I'll do that tomorrow.

As for the eating habits . . . he doesnt eat a lot , but apparently IS eating. Bcz his poops are bigger than before. They look normal to me. The first day I found him, I gave him boiled rice and bread crumbs , cz I didnt have anything else at home. He didnt like that and didnt eat that. The next day however I got him millet seeds. . . and have been feeding him that since (along with sunflower seeds, which he doesnt eat.) Thats mostly what pigeons are fed here. . .so he was probably used to that.He must've been wandering around for sometime before I found him , no wonder hes thin. You can probably see that his crop seems empty in the pix I posted.

After your posts, I've decided not to release him. Its a good thing I found him when I did. . . Cz its been raining continuosly since the day I found him!

[LokotaLoft]

this is most likely a type of pouter, possibly a Saxon or a Bavarian Pouter thou Im not really sure but if you look thru this link maybe you can tell for sure ..not really a flying breed and I doubt they have much homing instint at all making them easy prey for almost anything in the air or on the ground for that matter ...probably escaped someones loft and most likely couldnt find its way home on its own ,so I think it be best if you kept an confined this bird making it your pet if you cant find its original home here is the pouter links
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/...her/pouter.htm

[Trees Gray]

We have another member named Hamza living in Karachi, who recently lost a bird. I know it isn't the same bird because this was a white pigeon.

Here is the link:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=19087

[teebo]

keep the little birdy,it has no band ,claim it for yourself,there was a reason you ended up with it.looks like it needs alot of TLC..

[warriec]

i just went thru the entire encyclopedia of pigeons and i cant find any combo which could be his parents. could be from a line of cross breeds.

[mr squeaks]

WoW! I never remember seeing such a feathered legged pigeon like that one! What a beautiful bird!

If bumblefoot (my first thought too), hope h/she can be treated and heals well. Hope you will keep.

Please keep us updated!

Hugs to you both!

Shi

[FeatherBrain]

Thankyou for the link Lokotaloft , I checkd it out, but this pijjy doesnt look like a pouter. He doesnt have that prominent puffed out chest . . .I recall seeing pouters at a birdshow.

I think Warriec is right, he is most probably a mixed breed!? I know of a local pigeon fancier who has a webiste. Maybe he can help me. . . knowing the breed really doesnt matter Its just that I'm curious, cz I've never seen a pijjy like this before!

TreesGray: I checkd out Hamza's thread (thnks for the link) Its definitley not the same pigeon . . that one was a white fantail.

I guess Pijjy and I were supposed to be! lol . . . Now that I'm keeping him , I can finally name him! Suggestions would be most welcome!

[warriec]

since u are now keeping him i suggest that you dont introduce him to the main flock. give 3 weeks quarantine away from the other birds. you might risk infection - healthy birds do not drop out of the sky...

[FeatherBrain]

Hello Guys . . .

I've been searching around for "bumblefoot" . . .did u know its also a type of guitar?

Anyway . . .fortunately enough, the pigeon does not have the typical symptoms of bumblefoot. After what I've read, Bumblefoot is supposed to be a reddish bump , (an inflammation). It looks like a sore or abcess and it bleeds. Its common in rats, guneapigs (sp?) and birds. A bird with bumblefoot limps, or doesnt use the foot.

The bump on this pigeon looks more like a growth/mole . . . I checked again . . . Its not a sore, not reddish , no signs of pain OR bleeding. The websites said that its supposed to be a bacterial infection and can be cured by a proper diet , appropriate perches and antibiotics.

Do u think its ok to administer antibiotics to the pigeon? Just in case? A broad spectrum antibiotic would deal with any bacterial problems it may have. . . I have heard a lot about "Baytril" but I might not find it around here . . . A local bird-enthusiast once told me of a couple of medicines including : Baytril and "ciprofloxaqcin" . . . What would you guys suggest? Would it be ok to give it antibiotics???

I know that a Vet would be the best option. Unfortunately it is difficult to get hold of a good vet around here . . . I just moved to Karachi and dont know of any vets as yet. Most are canine/feline specialists with little info abt Avian health. I have taken my pigeons to vets before . . .All they do is prescribe painkillers or vitamins. Last time I went to a vet, I thought that Gypsy my female was eggbound . . .the Vet had no idea and gave us vitamins & anitibiotics. Unfortunatley she was killed by a cat a day later . . . and I found an eggshell amongst the feathers!