please help! Found an injured pigeon.

[arch_nikki]

I recently came across a pigeon that was in an altercation with some ravens. They were ganging up on her and pulling out her wing feathers. I am a soft hearted person, and I couldn't stand to see them taking away her ability to fly and basically her only natural defense, so I threw my coat over her and took her home with me. The ravens had managed to pluck out all of her main flight feathers and also do some excessive damage to her right wing. She was bleeding badly, so I wasn't sure she would even come out of shock, but she is now alert, eating well, pooping, and bright eyed.
I have only had her for two days but now she has already laid two eggs! Those eggs were a total shock. I had intended to let her flight feathers grow back in and then release her back into nature. Now I am concerned that she will hatch her babies in captivity and the babies will be confused and too accustomed and familiar with humans. I have really been trying to keep my distance from the pigeon so she does not become too familiar, but I am still concerned.

What should I do about the babies if she does decide to hatch them? Will it be OK to release them back into nature? I want them to be truly self sufficient.

Does anyone know how long it would usually take for an adult to grow back all of their flight feathers? My budgies don't take more than a month, but I only clip theirs, they don't get destroyed.

Also she does not seem to be paying much concern to one of her eggs. Is it because she has been through a trauma and separated from her mate, and she has not built a nest, etc. so she is probably freaking out and ignoring it? Sometimes my finches push the "dud" eggs out of thier nest, so maybe she feels she can only handle one? Just wondering...

Thank you for your help.

[Pidgey]

Yes, she will probably ignore them and she's not really designed to raise two on her own, anyhow. Can you post a picture of her so that we can see the damage to the wings and the flight feathers?

Pidgey

[Pidgey]

Where, basically, are you, in case we've got resources nearby?

Pidgey

[arch_nikki]

I am in Fort Collins, Colorado. I will attempt to get a picture of her wings on here. I was trying not to handle her too much. She is actually sitting on one of the eggs all the time right now, only ignoring one.

[Pidgey]

Well, both parents work together to raise the chicks and that's quite a job. One parent tends to get too far behind trying to raise more than one. She might abandon them both in time, given the unusual circumstances. Might not, hard to say. They would normally hatch in about 17 to 19 days, depending on how warm she can keep them. In high summer, they sometimes even hatch nearer to two weeks.

There are some members in Colorado but I've no idea where at the moment. It's lunchtime here so I'll be away for awhile, others may show up and help.

Pidgey

[TAWhatley]

I would suggest that you hard boil the eggs or provide the bird with two fake eggs. At this early stage there is little or no embryo development, so it is not like you are killing baby birds.

It will probably take about 6 weeks for the feathers to regrow.

Thank you so much for helping this pigeon and welcome to Pigeon-Talk!

Terry

[Elizabethy]

Thank you for helping her. Ravens got to eat but she needed a lucky break and you gave her one.

To explain about the eggs in a little more detail- if you just take her eggs away she will likely lay more and risk her health (depleting calcium, potential egg binding, etc.) but if you replace her eggs with fake eggs or her own boiled (and cooled), she will sit on those and you don't have the worry of what to do with hatchlings.

In Northern California, there are several wildlife rehabs that will take in and care for injured pigeons and then release them when they're ready. You might be able to find the same but confirm that they DO help pigeons (as some won't).

Be careful you don't fall in love with her- they make great pets!