injured baby

[mystery]

hi, i was in town today and i saw a pigeon at the side of the road hiding between a tree and the wall of a multi storey car park, i picked him up because i was worried he would get kicked along the road or pushed infront of a car. when i got home i noticed that the skin on his head above and behind his left eye is torn and you can see his skull luckily it looks clean and there is no blood and it doesnt hurt him when i clean it. he is quite young, he looks big but still has baby feathers has anyone got a link to a place where i can identify his age? at the moment he is being kept warm in a cat basket and i have offered him chick crumb and water but i dont think he is old enough to feed himself, what can i mix up 2 feed him, i have a syringe and i can mix up some runny chicken layers mash for him, but he is quite active and tries to attack me when i get near so i will need to hold him with a towel i guess that is a good sign that he is well and fit? please help. thank you.

[feralpigeon]

Hi Mystery, thanks for helping this young bird out. Here's a link to the day to
day development of a baby pigeon:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9500

And just in case you have a Wood Pigeon:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9685

Here are a couple of links on hand feeding babies that you might
find helpful:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9918

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9682

I took the opportunity to PM Cynthia regarding your rescue as she is from
the UK and is very knowledgable on what is available for help there in addition to being a great "Internet Coach", hopefully she will be along soon.

In the meantime here's a link to help you get started:

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

Once the baby is stabilized and hydrated, we can go from there w/the cleaning and evaluation of the wound.

fp

[mystery]

hi thanks for the links i think it is about 15 days old. at the moment his crop is full so i will get ready now for when he next needs feeding. thankyou

[feralpigeon]

Originally Posted by mystery

hi thanks for the links i think it is about 15 days old. at the moment his crop is full so i will get ready now for when he next needs feeding. thankyou

Good deal, mystery!

fp

[cyro51]

Hi Mystery,

Chick crumbs are a very good diet for squabbies. They need to be soaked in hot (not boiling) water for 30 minutes. If you are tube feeding or syringe feeding liquidise then sieve a few times.


As a matter of interest, where are you?

Cynthia

[Pidgey]

At that age, you can probably just use a bandaid to bring the wound together for it to heal quicker and easier. They can tear the skin on their heads pretty easily and can even open them up bigger by scratching. You usually don't have to worry about skin infections in them so as long as you clean the wound and bring it together, it'll usually heal incredibly fast.

Pidgey

[mystery]

hi, the pigeon is now doing great! he now doesnt get nervous when i get close but he still struggles a bit lol. the wound has started to close and is now alot smaller and i have also got the hang of feeding him. my only concern is how do i know that the tube is in the crop and not his lungs? im using a very fine tube so i cant feel it through the skin. what other alternatives can i feed him other than the liquidised chick crumbs? is diluted kitten milk ok for him? thanks again btw im in hampshire

[Reti]

You can feed soaked puppy chow or frozen peas, corn, lentills, you can mash them and mix with water. You will also have to add some oats and groats and if you can purchase a bird vitamin supplement from the pet store that would be very good for him.
Best would be a be a baby bird formula, I don't know if and what you have in the pet stores.
Milk is not appropiate for pigeon and doesn't have the nutrients a pigeon needs for proper growth and development.

Reti

[cyro51]

You can make the chick crumbs into pellets and feed that way, as long as he gets enough water. The easiest food to feed by tube is Kaytee Exact. I find the best tube to use is a parrot feeding tube that they sell at Vetark, I cut that down to size. It is the one that I am using in this video, and is even suitable for collared doves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HulTE...e=user&search=

Cynthia