I found a pigeon and I'm not sure what to do now.

[Peanut]

About 2 weeks ago my neighbor came to tell me there was a pigeon that doesn't fly that was wondering alone in the yard for a few days.
I went to check and saw that it was a young one cause he had yellow baby feathers poking through the adult feathers. It couldn't fly and it was a bit wobbly when walking. I was scared a cat was gonna kill it so I took it and put it in an enclosure. I have an enclosure 10 feet by 4 feet and I put a big dog kennel in it with hay and the pigeon uses it as a nest.
There is a pigeon nest less than 15 feet away and I suspect that the pigeon fell from it but the pigeons in that nest ignore (murdle), thats what we named it. At first Murdle wouldn't eat so for a few days I hand fed her with baby bird formula in a seringe. Now she eats on her own. I feed her wild bird seed mix and I put vitamins in it. I also feed her little bits of apple. I give her gravel too. She has a good appetite now which looks like a good sign.
I think she is blind in one eye because one eye is bright and reacts to light but the other one has a completely dialated pupil and it looks foggy. She has really picked up strength in the last week but she doesn't really fly. Her legs and wings are fine. Now here is the problem, I don't know much about pigeons and I want to know if there is a chance that she'll fly again and go join the other wild pigeons in our yard. Is the fact that she is partially blind causing her to never be able to function on her own? Cold weather will soon be approaching, where do I put her then if she is still here? Can I house her in a dove cage in the house? And can I give dove seed mix for a better nutrition? Any advice will help. P.S. I call her a she but we don't know really.

[amamuffin]

funny thing i jus found a pigeon too. mine is a baby too but the eyes are ok. i keep mine in a really big fish tank right now but i've been told to get a cage so maybe you can get one too. yes, do keep it in your house, make sure the are is warm and put a bottle with warm water (not hot) next to it for the night. it is good it's eatiing on its own, mine is not doing that yet, i feed mine kaytee formula for baby birds in a syringe. if it has the blind eye it will never really be able to be on its own because since it can not see with both eyes, it might fly into something and hurt itself badly, so you might have to keep it for good if you can or ask the people on this forum if they know someone in your area who would take it. people here are really nice and helpful. good luck, so nice of you to have picked it up.
ama

[Trees Gray]

Hello and Welcome to Pigeons.com

Thank you so much for helping this youngster along.

I don't think a bird with sight limited in one eye should be let out in the wild.

I think the bird may need to see an avian vet or "pigeon friendly" rehabber to check the eye and any other health issue.

Where are you located?

[John_D]

Hi,

Well done looking after this baby.

It is certainly possible the fall may have caused some nerve damage affecting the eye, or if it isn't functioning even a genetic defect. Maybe you could test her by, if poss, getting on her 'blind' side without her being aware and moving your hand near her - maybe foot or two - to see if she responds. We have two in our aviary who have no sight in one eye, and they are quite unaware until we come in sight of the good eye.

It may be there is a condition which could be treated, if she has not actually lost the sight, but really only an avian vet would know for sure, and the correct treatment.

This may help determine the age when you got the bird

http://www.speedpigeon.com/baby_racing_pigeon.htm

They normally fledge at 35 days, and start to fly a bit maybe from 30 days.

Bird seed will have been fine for her as a baby. If she is eating well, then mixed corn, or a real pigeon mix would be best. Dove food would be OK, too. If possible, could you maybe find her some proper pigeon grit - some pet stores may have something suitable. Usually red / gray bits. You won't need to feed it to her - we just leave it in a pot available for when they need it (they seem to know ). She may take a little greenstuff like lettuce (pref not cabbage though), too.

Have you tried putting out a shallow bath for her - pigeons love to bathe once they try it the first time.

If you keep her, then how you house her will depend where you are - how cold it gets. Our aviary is outside, of course, but there is a large sheltered area forming part of it, so the birds can still get cosy in their nest/roost boxes in winter. But this is in the UK, and our winters are not like, say, the mid - north USA.

If a pigeon has plenty of free flight space inside, they do fine indoors (if safe from other domestic animals, of course).

John