young pigeon fell off roof...

[drea177cha5er]

Hi~

recently, a family of pigeons put a nest on a molding ledge on my roof. about 3 weeks ago, two eggs hatched. originally there were two adult pigeons, but after the 1st week or so, one did not return. then it became the remaining one going to get food and comming back.

however, a few days ago, one of the young pigeons fell off the molding. the other one is very obediant and wont move if the adult pigeon isnt back. but this one is very adventurous it seems, and it feel off. my yard gets visits from various wild cats and rodents, so my first reaction was to put the bird back. then next day, it fell off again. repeated, and next time i found it, it was during night. fearing it'll fall off overnight, and get picked off by other animals, i decided to give him some water and feed and place it in a box in my garage. i'm in southern california, so it is very warm right now. i bring it back out in the morning.

i'm worried, because during the day, i let it go back to the nest area, but the adult pigeon does not acknowledge it anymore. it will be better once the young one can fly, but it seems to be only good at flapping around so far, and jumping from table to table.

anyone have advice for me, till when the young pigeon can be on it's own? i fear i have done something wrong to cause it to be abandoned by the parent pigeon. the adult pigeon is usually not around it seems, probably because it's a single parent...

[Trees Gray]

Hello and thank you for helping this youngster.

It is probably no fault of yours that the youngster isn't getting fed by the parents, because usually it isn't a problem. Parents will reject or abandon a youngster for other reasons, especially if there is a possiblity of it being sick.

Please catch this youngster and bring inside for now, and give it access to seed and water, in spill proof small bowls.

Where exactly are you located? We have a moderator/rehabber here, Terry, who lives in Orange County, and she may be able to help you or direct you to someone to get help for this youngster. I will alert her to your thread.

[TAWhatley]

As Treesa posted, I am in Lake Forest in South Orange County. If you would like to bring the youngster to me, I'd be happy to do my best to finish raising it. I have quite a number of young pigeons ranging from just a few days old up to almost grown, so I'm sure there would be one or more of a similar size here that could be buddies for your little rescue. Give me a call if I can be of assistance 949-584-6696.

Terry

[drea177cha5er]

thanks for the reply guys,

but now i'm really torn, because just moments ago, the adult pigeon pushed the other youngster out, and it too is now on the ground level. the adult seems to be overlooking them... is it trying to teach them how to fly? but the youngones dont seem to get off the ground.. and it's getting dark again. the one that got pushed off today seems big and healthy, but it just wont fly. it's got the tail feathers already, and almost no yellow baby feathers. make sense becaseu it's been fed by the mother/father pigeon. the other one, first one to fall off, is still very small, and the tail feathers not very developed. but it still gets very excited to see the adult pigoen....

i dont want to interfere with the mom/dad pigeon teachings... but again, it's getting dark, adn it'll devestate me if the young birds get harmed by the nocturnal creatures...

i'm in the los angeles area, san gabriel valley area. but again, it seems the kid birds still respond to the adult.. but i'm just worried for their safety at night...

[drea177cha5er]

i think the big quesiton right at the moment fo rme, is if when it gets dark, and i move the young pigeons into my garage, will that cause the mom/dad pigeon to disown them... i really dont want to do that, but i really dont want them to be prey either...

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by drea177cha5er

i think the big quesiton right at the moment fo rme, is if when it gets dark, and i move the young pigeons into my garage, will that cause the mom/dad pigeon to disown them... i really dont want to do that, but i really dont want them to be prey either...

By all means get those babies in during the night time hours. Dad and Mom won't even realize you did it and if you can put them back in the nest EARLY in the AM, all should be fine. I doubt they would survive the night on the ground.

[Lovebirds]

Have you given Terry a call yet? It seems to me that if these babies are going to keep "falling" or "getting pushed" off of the ledge and can't fly yet, it's just a matter of time before you wind up with a broken leg or wing or worse. Maybe the parents didn't pick the best spot for a nest, so it might be time for you to step in and take them to Terry and let her finish raising them. We're only talking about a couple of weeks it sounds like and they could be released on their own or whatever Terry decides to do with them. If you're worried about the parents "feelings", they'll get it over it in about a few hours and go to building a new nest and laying more eggs if she hasn't done that already. I personally would not see those babies continue to fall. That sounds very dangerous to me. JMO.

[drea177cha5er]

thanks for all the concerns~

yeah, i'll definitely put them in for tonight, and see how they do, and maybe give terry a call. it seems they dont really 'fall' off, but more of 'glide' off. they can flap their wings around and jump from table to table on my back porch, but they just cant fly completely, which is why i'm afraid for their safety at night. but yeah~ thanks guys, i'll keep you guys updated!