Vaccinations for a young pigeon

[photokev]

Hi All.
I recently rescued a very young pigeon from drowning in a local river. It seems his/her parents built their nest under a dock and the baby fell out into the water.

A few weeks later and the baby is pretty much full grown with only a little of his yellow "peach fuzz" remaining. He's doing great and has really bonded with me, my dog and a rehab dove I've had for over a year (hit by a car)

Someone told me I should take it to the vet to be vaccinated but they weren't sure what for. They also said I should do it before it gets much older. Any thoughts? Also, is thier an actual "breed" name for this guy/girl? (see photos)

Here's a link to some snaps
http://blueplanetps.com/homie/

The dove has it's own streaming webcam (chickencam) my girlfriend named her chicken, go figure...
http://www.blueplanetps.com/aboutus.html


Kevin Whitcomb
www.blueplanetps.com
813.494.4960

[TAWhatley]

Thats a darling little pigeon and should be a very attractive one when the adult feathers come in. As to the breed, given where you found the little one, I'd have to say it is a feral Rock Dove.

I believe the typical vaccinations are for paratyphoid, paramyxovirus (PMV), and avian pox. You may have better luck finding a local pigeon fancier from whom to get the vaccines as opposed to a vet. A fecal sample should also be checked for worms.

Terry

[photokev]

Thanks for the input Terry. Anybody out there near Tampa Florida?

Kevin

[Scuiry]

PMV, Pox and Salmonella are the three vaccines. Your vet probably does not have them and you will have to order it. The vaccines come for flocks of at least 50 or more. If you have just one bird you may want to wait until you have more or find another fancier who has the vaccine and can do it for you.

Originally Posted by photokev

Hi All.
I recently rescued a very young pigeon from drowning in a local river. It seems his/her parents built their nest under a dock and the baby fell out into the water.

A few weeks later and the baby is pretty much full grown with only a little of his yellow "peach fuzz" remaining. He's doing great and has really bonded with me, my dog and a rehab dove I've had for over a year (hit by a car)

Someone told me I should take it to the vet to be vaccinated but they weren't sure what for. They also said I should do it before it gets much older. Any thoughts? Also, is thier an actual "breed" name for this guy/girl? (see photos)

Here's a link to some snaps
http://blueplanetps.com/homie/

The dove has it's own streaming webcam (chickencam) my girlfriend named her chicken, go figure...
http://www.blueplanetps.com/aboutus.html


Kevin Whitcomb
www.blueplanetps.com
813.494.4960

[photokev]

Thanks for the info. If anyone knows of a fancier near central FL please email me offline.

Also, I see alot of folks going to the chicken cam, if alot of user are viewing it, it may take up to 10 seconds to load....

Kevin

[re lee]

A little red check. Its to young now to vacccine. And I would say if you are not going to have it around other birds other then you have now. It will not need any.

[photokev]

Is there a danger to the bird in vaccinating it? It's free to come and go as it will from my studio, i keep the window open all day so I'm sure at some point, it will encounter other birds. I feel it's better safe than sorry.

[Birdmom4ever]

If your pigeon is allowed to free-fly it's in greater danger from predators, especially hawks, than from the vaccines, which when administered correctly are fairly low risk. We've done several hundred vaccinations without a problem.

If you don't free-fly your little friend you can probably get away without vaccinating. But if he's mingling with feral flocks then yes, you should vaccinate. You can do it any time after the age recommended for the specific vaccine. I think it's 4 weeks for Sal-Bac and 8 weeks for PMV, but I can't quite remember. Since you're in Florida you should do pox, as well. I've heard it's more of a problem in the South.

[photokev]

What age are they when all the yellow peach fuzz is gone? I have no idea how old this bird is. When I pulled it out of the water it just had a few feathers and was mostly the yellow down. I guess it's been here for almost 3 weeks...