Young pigeon with deformed legs

[Twisted Pigeon]

Hello,

There is a old, semi-abandoned building near me which houses a lot of pigeons, and I pass by there from time to time, occassionally giving the pigeons something to eat. Today, there was a bird on a little shed -- this is short, and attached to the building -- there was a pigeon that seemed to be missing some feathers on it around noon, "grazing" with a few other pigeons. It was still there a few hours later, and there were a couple of other pigeons watching over it from above (presumably its parents) -- it clearly could not develop enough lift to fly well. I went back after dark, and it was still on a little window ledge that it had "flown" to when I scared it earlier (a low ledge). I figured the little guy wasn't safe, so with a little trouble, I got him, and brought him back to my place. Based on a website with pictures of pigeons at various ages, I assume he is 22 to 23 days old.

Now, I had noticed he had been walking around funny when he was on the shed, but I figured it just looked that way because of the missing feathers. Once I got him, it became clear that this was not the case. His right leg is rotated about the vertical axis about 90 degrees from where it should be, and his left leg is rotated about the longitudinal axis about 90 degrees from normal.

I've got him in a box lined with paper towels and such. He has water, and has been drinking. I don't have much in the way of food for him; I gave him a little custom mush made out of some soy protein powder I have, and water. He ate a little. I gave him a broken up peanut too. He fumbled around, but did manage to pick up and eat a few pieces on his own.

Unfortunately, I cannot keep this guy, but I didn't want to leave him out to get munched in the night or dehydrate. If anyone around Boston would be willing to take this guy, I'd be rather greatful (I'd offer to drive him somewhere, but I don't have a car).

I've got a lot of pictures of him. Because of his weird legs, I'll err on the side of posting too many, to see if anyone knows whats wrong with him (I presume something happened at birth -- he doesn't seem to be in any pain in his legs / wings / feet).

[Twisted Pigeon]

And some more.

[Twisted Pigeon]

A few more photos.

[Twisted Pigeon]

A couple more.

[Twisted Pigeon]

The last one...

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello & Welcome,
What a little doll baby you have there. Many thanks for taking him in.
You have posted some very good pictures.

It looks like this poor pij has a bad case of splayed legs. This condition develops when a newborn doesn't have anything to 'grab' a hold of, thereby causing it's legs to slide out from under them.

I've never had any personal experience treating a splayed leg pij, however many members here have. Hopefully some will be along shortly to help you out.
I'm sorry I couldn't have been more help.

Cindy

[Feefo]

That poor baby. I hope you will be able to keep him long enough to correct the splay.

This is a link to photos and guidance on how I corrected a splay leg: http://community.webshots.com/album/193589827zTYswz (It is a simple procedure. You have to click on each photo to read the guidance).

That was several months ago and the correction held although the pigeon walks with a waddle.

Cynthia

[Monica]

I had pigeon with a similar look to her legs. Her name was Claudia. The parents (who had raised youngsters before with no problems) fought and killed Claudia's brother by trampling him while they bickered. The surviving one, Claudia, I think had her legs damaged then. For some time I was in a sort of denial about any problem, but after a few days it was obvious. One leg always stuck out, the other leg was bent under her.

Making matters worse, she managed to damage herself several times flying and landing on her keel. She later learned to use her winds to augment the slight locomotive power of her legs. This quickly wore away many of her feathers so she couldn't fly at all -- probably a good thing. The other pigeons began picking on her, so I isolated her into her own little cage. Actually, it was a laundry basket. One day I noticed her behavior changing slightly. She seemed a little short of breath. The next morning she was dead. She survived several months. I did my best to make her comfortable, but I still sometimes wonder if I should have euthanised her early on. Honestly, I think she did have a life worth living, but it was hard watching her struggle to just move a foot. She could actually move backwards much better than she could move forward, so she would usually back up to where she wanted to go. Even backing up she couldn't back up in a straight line, but would back up in a sort of arc.

I suppose what I want to say is that if there is anyway to fix your bird's legs, that would make his life much better. If being crippled is his fate, the will to live is strong in pigeons. As hard as my Claudia's life was, she ate, drank, and looked with interest at the things around her.

Good luck
Monica

[Twisted Pigeon]

Originally Posted by cyro51

That poor baby. I hope you will be able to keep him long enough to correct the splay.

This is a link to photos and guidance on how I corrected a splay leg: http://community.webshots.com/album/193589827zTYswz (It is a simple procedure. You have to click on each photo to read the guidance).

That was several months ago and the correction held although the pigeon walks with a waddle.

Cynthia

Thank you. I'll do what I can for him. I've got some non-stick, self-adhesive medical tape which should be suitable for properly adjusting his legs.

I've e-mailed Animal Rescue League of Boston ( http://www.arlboston.org/Main/index.aspx ), which, as far as I can tell, is the only animal rescue group in Boston. Hopefully, they will be able to take him.

[Pidgey]

You always need to ask what animal rescue groups do with pigeons. Often, they will euthanize them if medical attention is required. Please be direct but non-judgemental about that and also please don't hand the bird over if that's the case. We'll try to find somebody else in your area.

Using the leg-taping therapy should eventually work just fine in this bird's case. It's going to take a few weeks, but it's doable. You may have to be progressive with it. The right leg is the one that the foot doesn't lay flat on the floor and you may need to tape on a cardboard "snowshoe" to that it can't help but stay flat (like an outrigger).

Thanks so much for caring for this pigeon. Your kindness is appreciated very much here. Now, you may want to review some of the dietary requirements and we have several threads devoted to that.

By the way, don't know where you are in Boston, but you could check with the folks listed in Hingham in this list:

http://www.pigeons.com/prd.htm

They do rehab and if they're on this list, they accept pigeons. And for a quick nutritional deal, you can give him thawed frozen peas and corn. Don't give him anymore peanuts, even if they're raw. There's some new info on those that indicates it's not a good idea. Almost any other seeds like milo, wheat, popcorn (unsalted and unbuttered), wild bird seed, etc. will work but I expect you'll have to teach him how to eat it by "pecking" with your finger.

Pidgey

[Twisted Pigeon]

Thank you. I'll be careful about the wildlife rescue center. I somehow have a feeling that they won't take pigeons anyway, though.

I gave him some peas (all in all, he had one peanut, unsalted, and raw -- I'll refrain from giving him more), and he seems to be eating them just fine. He had a little trouble drinking, but after ~15 minutes of "coaching", he figured it out.

The place in Hingham is, unfortunately, a bit too far away as I do not have a car. If it doesn't work out with the other group, then I can hopefully arrange some sort of pickup tomorrow (I can get him most of the way there, so hopefully someone will be willing to drive a couple miles to pick him up).

[Lin Hansen]

Hi and thank you for trying to help this needy bird.

You may want to check out this place...it is in N. Grafton, MA (exit 11 off MA turnpike). It is the Wildlife Clinic at Tufts University, phone #598 839 7918. Their hours are 8-5 monday through friday, 9-12 saturday and sunday. Here is the link:
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/wildlife/service.html

My sister in law was a veterinary student at Tufts and did a rotation there and said many people bring in injured animals and birds and that they are pigeon friendly and do not euthanize unless it is a hopeless case. She also said the head doctor has many connections with people who do rehab in the area, so you may want to check this out.

I don't know how whether this place is near you or not, but thought I'd mention it, just in case.

Good luck,
Linda

[AZWhitefeather]

Originally Posted by Pidgey

Don't give him anymore peanuts, even if they're raw. There's some new info on those that indicates it's not a good idea.
Pidgey

, I didn't know this Pidgey.
Realizing our birds should only get raw peanuts, which is what was offered to this little fella , I hadn't read anything about it not being a good idea to give them.
Could you post the link to, or source of, the new info you are referring to? Thanks.

Cindy

[Twisted Pigeon]

Quick update.

I've bandaged his legs. I put a piece of cardboard on his foot and wrapped it with medical tape, and brought his legs together as in the pictures that Cynthia provided (I'll post some pictures later of my bandaging -- not the best, but should hold him until he gets to someone who knows what they're doing). He can now stand somewhat upright, although when he hops around, his legs end up straight out behind him... but for now, he has good stance.

[Pidgey]

Cindy,

Here's a link to a webpage that tells the bulk of the story. It's about feeding squirrels and the part where it deals with birds (in passing mention, really) is kind of "down there" aways. I haven't personally vetted the info yet, but it looks like the real thing:

http://www.gottshall.com/squirrels/fhtml04e.htm#0

Pidgey