Found starving pigeon in alley

[badbird]

Today I was on my way home from getting some hot dogs and there were about 30 or 40 birds roosting on top of an apartment building across the street from the hot dog place. Then as I was heading home I was walking down my alley which is next to the "bird building" and I noticed a bird that is much smaller than my bird Scooter (and much much lighter).

The bird (not sure if its a he or she so I'll say "he") was all alone in the alley on the ground against a wall. I was like hmmm usually the birds are mocing or run away when I get that close to them. I went right up to it and stooped down and it was not afraid. It did flap its wings and didn't go anywhere and the wings don't "appear" to be broken. They look like some healthy wings to me and the flight feathers are there. But, he won't fly. If I hold him in the air he would likely just fall to the ground. He did start to walk away from me slowly in the alley and he seemed to hobble at bit. I took out my hot dogs from the paper bag and carried those separate. I put the poor bird in a paper bag.

I took the bird to my house and put down a towel and got out some of Scooter's pigeon food and put it in a cup....as well as some water. This feral bird went to town on the seeds and probably ate more than Scooter does all day. I had to leave for awhile but when I came back he seemed to be more alert and not as week, yet still hobbled a little bit and will not fly. He sure was hungry though.

Meanwhile, while maintaining distance I showed Scooter to the wild bird and Scooter tried to peck at him ...Scooter didn't care for this other bird...I think Scooter thinks he is not a bird.

I put the feral in the bathtub with a little water in the basin and he walked into the water and drank a lot and splashed a little.

Now my questions are, how do i know if this is a younger pigeon that may not really be comfortable with flying yet or--if it is a feeble, elderly pigeon on its last legs? there is not any evidence of down feathers at all or yellowness so he is not super young. perhaps a juevenille? this bird doesn't have that white fleshy area above the bill like scooter does. it is also not very bulbous like many young birds' beaks. the feathers are all there including flight feathers but there is a lot of tiny white feathers all sticking out as if it was molting or the feathers were still finishing growing in. it was not hiding when i found it but yet out in the open.

i'm thinking it got separated from a flock and can't fly yet and was lost- and/or hungry. . . . or it is an old geezer bird that is on its last legs. if its just a regular bird than it was definitely starving because of how much it ate and drank. . . .and i'm thinking maybe it got stunned by running into something? Another thing I noticed was that when my large bird Scooter was near the feral, the feral did not growl or grunt or coo, etc. but did make peeping or squealing noises. . . such as the noise a small rodent or mouse would make. Do elderly pigeons make these higher pitched noises or only young ones? I'm not sure if the sounds he is making can define his age. I'll try to post some pics soon. . .


it is not bleeding, has no cuts, or any "defects." i looked at the wings and it doesn't look like there's anything wrong. the flesh underneath his feathers is pinkish-peachish as it should be and there are no visible problems or parasites. I'm not sure if anything is broken on him but he appears to be ok.

he is also very lightweight and skinny....and about half the size of my former racing pigeon, scooter.

Any thoughts?

He is currently living separate from Scooter (since there are unknowns about the feral's health, etc). I have a towel in the corner and I have a laundry basket covering the bird to create a makeshift cage with a try of food and water available.

[TerriB]

Thank you for taking in this starving pigeon. He certainly was lucky to be picked up by you! Glad he is eating and drinking on his own (much easier for you) and how convenient that you already had good pigeon food available. If he drank from the tub but not from the cup, he may be more used to drinking from a puddle. You may need to show him that there is water in the cup by gently dipping the tip of his beak into the water.

You definitely want to keep him isolated for Scooter's safety, just in case the new bird has something contagious. From your description, this sounds more like a squeaker (young bird) than an old bird. Is he fully feathered under his wings? I'm not sure at what age the white cere develops. Hopefully, someone will be along shortly who does. Ferals are usually smaller than homers and you mentioned that Scooter was a racing pigeon, so that may explain the size difference.

If he shows no obvious damage, you might just see what happens with a few days of good food and a safe location.

Oops, almost forgot one of the premier pigeon questions - what do his poops look like?

[NumberNine]

Now don't go write down my words on the wall, but from memory, the wattle is fully white around 3-5 months.

Thanks for taking care of the bird.

P.S. How can someone with such a good heart use a handle like "badbird"???

[badbird]

bad bird comes from my bird's (scooter's) original name while at the shelter given to him when the previous owner called him a "bad bird" for not coming home. the shelter labled him as "bad bird." i changed his name to scooter because the way he scoots around on the ground (walkin around).

anyway the bird i found, his poops look the same as my birds after eating the same seeds. exact same. however just now he made a poop where some of the seeds (particularly the tiny millet seed) are not all the way digested... like it just went right through him. however there is regular poop mixed in there and it looks fine. not sure why everything isn't digested maybe its because he didnt have any grit?

i will post pics tomorrow but i still dont know if this bird is old or young but he does squeak. he doesn't have the cere on his beak yet but it likes like there is something like the start of one (or what used to be one?)

underneath his wings (he has flight feathers) it is all white and the underside of his wings looks the same as my adult pigeon's...

Also, I sprayed him with some bird lice/flea/mite spray because he probably has a few critters deep down so he got sprayed properly so that should all be dead now if there was anything.

[badbird]

update----------------


the bird i found is huddled inside his makeshift quarters all balled up laying there and kind of twitching. . . .not like he's shivering but twitching. i almost thought he was dead. i'm not sure what his problem is but i have to work tomorrow but soon i will try to get him to the vet if all is not well soon.

[badbird]

well looks like i don't have to do anything further.

i went to check on the bird, and it has passed away. it died tonight about an hour ago. it was on its side, stiff with its beak open. still, i dont know if it was young or old. if it was old than it was just its time.

[Reti]

Hi bb,

I am so sorry the pigeon didn't make it. You tried your best and gave it a warm place to stay and a good meal. I am sure he appreciated it. He might have been too old, too sick or too starved to recover.

One thing I want to mention for the future when you find another little guy like this, before you start any feedings, the bird has to be warmed up. After he is warm and comfy you hydrate him with lots of fluids, best is pedialyte, you can give 5-6cc's if an adult or older juvenile. Less if a baby.
After he eliminates urine then you start the feedings and little at first, then you increase the amount over a few days.
I don't say that this would have saved the bird, as I mentioned he probably was too far gone already.

Thank you for helping this fella go in peace.

Reti

[Trees Gray]

Hi badbird,

Thank you for giving this bird warmth and shelter.

I'm so sorry to hear that the bird passed away. You did all you could, and the bird did not die alone somwhere in the cold.

The bird may have been too sick and would have died anyway, but here is the thread for future reference on stabilizing a bird:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=8822

[Pidgey]

The "hobbling" around may provide a clue. If there is(was) a swollen joint in the leg then he may have had salmonellosis (paratyphoid). That's a disease that can have quite a few different presentations, one of which is almost arthritic joints in the legs and wings. I've got one in the basement right now that has a swollen wing boil on one elbow joint. It's a squeaker and I don't know if he'll ever be able to fly although the treatment is gaining ground--he's out of danger on the mortality issue now.

That's just a possibility regarding yours but the biggest thing to glean from it is that you should probably disinfect everything that bird touched including the bathtub. I don't know but I think spraying everything down with Lysol and letting it sit for awhile should do it.

Pidgey

[Pigeonpal2002]

I agree completely with Pidgey, you should scrub and clean up all areas thoroughly where this pigeon was. It would be a real shame if Scooter got sick from this bird.

If you are using any aerosols or cleaners make sure to keep Scooter away from these areas, preferably in a separate room with the door closed. The fumes can be toxic/deadly to birds as well.

[Trees Gray]

Thanks Brad and Pidgey, I was just coming back to edit, wasn't sure about Scooter's contact with the bird...

[badbird]

the dead bird only stayed on a towel that i had put an upside down laundry basket on. i had put it in the bath tub but i already cleaned up that area. i sprayed the anti lice stuff on the towel and floor area (after the bird died) and also lysol in the area.

[feralpigeon]

Hi badbird,

Sorry about your rescue, these things do happen, have happened to many here when coming to the aid of an ill or injured pij. Thanks for recognizing that the bird needed help and generously providing yours.

Nolvasan is a safe and effective way to disinfect and if you happen to be placing an order at the pigeon supply houses, it's a good product for you to have on hand in the future. It's a concentrated low, pleasant odor disinfectant.
A small bottle will last you a long time.

Best,

fp

[Trees Gray]

Hi badbird,

Sorry, again about the bird, you were just trying to help.

Just in case, I would arm Scooter with some extra nutrition as well, like a garlic cap every day for a week, some probiotics in the food and a drop of ACV in the water. Make sure he eats every bit of his seed mix, also.

Check and see if Lysol has been tested and actually kills salmonella, and other bacteria and germs. Make sure Scooter is out of that area where you sprayed until everyting is dried up and none of the stuff is in the air.

[feralpigeon]

Hi, I'm back again too, you can also dilute bleach w/water......as mentioned, you dont' want scooter to snif the fumes for lysol and bleach.

fp