Foundling - injured

[Annette MacKay]

Here's his good side

[Reti]

He is very handsome and well fed.
The feathers should grow back within a few months.
Well done

Reti

[pdpbison]

Hi Annette,


Indeed he is quite filled out looking and handsome!

Frosty white Wattles are a sign of being an Adult...

So, this definitely looks like an Adult Pigeon.

If you were to put a light colored or white Towell on top of the wire, it will be more comfortable for him, and also allow you to keep an eye on the poops more easily, to note if they become watery or 'off' in some way.

Best wishes to you both...!



Phil
Las Vegas

[Annette MacKay]

Thanks Phil

I've just put a towel in part of the hutch. Clearly he likes it. I saw him snuggling down in the grit dish, bad idea I figured as I'd used a marble wine bottle saucer. That's going to be mighty cold at night. I moved the grit dish to the far side and layed a doubled towel in it's place. And there he now sits.

I'm finding that the more time I spend observing him the more I learn about what he needs.

Thanks for all your help everyone. I think we've got the basics in place now. Now we let nature do the healing work while we keep him fed, watered, warm and safe. Unless something goes awry, I guess we're done for now.

I will post periodic progress reports to let you know how he's coming along - like when we see new feathers coming in. That will be an exciting day.

If not in this forum, what forum should I post those updates in?

Thanks again

Annette

[feralpigeon]

Hi Annette,

Thanks for coming to the aid of this pigeon in need and continuing to provide
a spot he/she can call its own while recuperating. Hopefully the pigeon will become accustomed to his current arrangements and get in the groove w/it.
Some will take longer than others. If the feathers are completely out and not broken off it would take about 6 weeks to grow some new ones. He/she is a pretty one and looks well fed. It is true that some will suggest cracked corn but the whole corn is better for them.

I don't mean to burden you with considerations, but I'll tell you that once in my backyard I placed a catch and release trap to try and catch a feral cat that was howling about 5 times a night for my spayed female indoor cats. What I ended up with was a badger, this only about twenty blocks from downtown center. I also have resident possum and raccoon. So I worry a bit about nocturnal animals that would be able to tear thru the wire of the hutch. I'm sure you know your area and what you have or don't so you be the judge.

One consideration, when the bird seems to be ready to release, is there a place indoors where you could allow it to free fly to rebuild its flight muscles?
And in general to make sure that the pij is really ready to be on its own. Maybe a bird proofed bathroom or spare room?

Thanks again for all of the time and care that you have put into helping this
compromised bird,

fp

[Annette MacKay]

Hi fp

> I'm sure you know your area and what you have or don't so you be the judge.

In 3 years in this house the worst I've encountered besides cats (that sh*t in my garden) is the neighbours rabbits that eat anything I attempt to plant in my front yard. That the rabbits are still alive and thriving indicates that we don't have much else more feral than that - I have moments of wishing that there was ;-)

>One consideration, when the bird seems to be ready to release, is there a place indoors where you could allow it to free fly to rebuild its flight muscles?
And in general to make sure that the pij is really ready to be on its own. Maybe a bird proofed bathroom or spare room?

Not at the moment, but lets cross that bridge when we come to it.

>Thanks again for all of the time and care that you have put into helping this
compromised bird,

It just seemed like the right thing to do. And at the moment we have the time and resources to do it. Come the end of March we are into travel time again, so hopefully he'll be fully recuped and released. And if not? Well, we'll jump that hurdle then too.

Annette

[feralpigeon]

Hey Annette,

Sounds like you have it under control! Lucky pij to have your help .

fp

[mr squeaks]

Your barred Checker's 'bad' wing looks JUST like my Mr. Squeaks' bad side! Unfortunately, Squeaks will not be able to grow back his feathers and will never be able to fly.

I sure wish your rescued one the BEST. You're doing a great job!

[pigeonlover2004]

I had rescued my bird about 3 years ago! He to also had a messed up wing! I was able to get the bleading to stop! About 1 inch of his wing was missing. 2 months later he was able to fly perfectly even with part of his BONE was missing! Now...where ever i go outside or inside, he HAS to follow me around! He is really cool, when i pet him, he starts to coo at me Than when I stop pettting him, he starts clucking at me because i stopped! lol He's the best bird. However, i have been wanting to get him a female friend, because when im at school, he is lonly I tried to get the chickens to like him, but they dont! They puff up their feathers and try to run after them to attack him Its sad...because all HE does, is turn around in circles and start clucking at the hens and rooster! He wont like the cat, all he does to him...is atack him by pecking him...and hitting him with his wing. ALL the cat does, is ACCEPT it lol its sad to watch the cat though. Just letting puffy do that! When I tell him to go to his room, he flys up to my door, and waits for me even if i take an hour....just waiting for me to open it, so he can fly up to his cage! He is spoiled! The cage i made is like a 5 star hotel for pigeons I turned my old closet into a 4 story cage...and im going to add onto it a little bit more to! I love him a lot, even my mom and sister love him a lot, they think hes really cool. My mom def. likes him, whenever she gets home, the dog runs at her all happy when she pulls into the driveway, and then the pigeon flys at her and lands on the top of her car! Its funny.

[Annette MacKay]

Thanks for posting the story of Puffy. What fun..

I have a few lovely things to report about our injured foundling.
First and most exciting I see new feathers coming in along the back of his wing. How very cool! We are doing the happy dance for him.

Second he's learning to relax. We were just playing a little game with feed. Seems he prefers the cracked corn and other seed to the pigeon pellets. I was picking up the scattered bits and putting them on edge of the wood where he could reach through the wire to retrieve it. He took every morsel I rescued for him. Even taking the seeds out of my fingers.

Third, the boys have named him Sam.

And now a question.

Do I feed him on a schedule or do I just keep his dish full and let him regulate himself?

Thanks

Annette

[Trees Gray]

Thanks for the update on Sam.

I'm glad to hear his feathers are growing.

Nutrition wise, it is best to feed him a little over a tablespoon a couple of times a day. Make sure he eats everything, before you feed him anymore.

That way he eats the whole mix, instead of him picking out what he likes. The variety will give him the balanced diet he needs.

[Annette MacKay]

I typed Sam didn't I? That's the second time I've made that slip. His name is Tom, not Sam. Oops.

Thanks for the tip on feeding. He certainly does pick out his favourite bits.

Tomorrow he gets his first opportunity for a bath. It should be sunny and warm. I will use my garden cart to wheel his hutch out into the sun and give him a big pan of warm water to play in. Then he'll have lots of time to dry off and warm up before sunset.

Annette

[pdpbison]

Hi Annette,

I am just recently beginning to experiment with Greens and their likes for my convelescent ferl housemates.

So far, everyone loves the dry ragged matted sea Weed which I tear into little Beak friendly shreds with my fingers...

Tonight I tried offering a bunch of fresh ccilantro leaves which I also shredded in my fingers somewhat...

Tomorrow I will obtain an Kale, likely a so called 'Ornamental Kale' at a Nursery...and see how they like that...

Moral of the Story, your Bird eill likely appreciate similar things, and, they are good for Pigeons of course, who when wild, seek out various plants and weeds and so on to graze on, but in our homes or caretaking, tend to miss out on these kinds of items.

Too, if you moisten your (his ) Seeds very lightly with some fresh Olive Oil, you may then have any number of powdered things stick to the Seeds.

Mine all seem to like powdered Garlic, Brewer's Yeast, and likely unbeknownst to them, the odd sprinkle of pro-biotics and Vitamine-Mineral suppliments.

While we all naturally think of these Birds as Seed eaters, and of course they are, in their wild state they will of course seek out many things we have little way of knowing about unless we see them do it.

Also, some sort of Grit will be nice for your Bird, if you do not already have that happenning...

Best wishes..

Happy Bath and Sunshine Day...!

Lol...

Phil
Las Vegas