advice on my first fledgling pigeon

[valerie]

As of last Sunday a fledling pigeon has been living with me! I came across it on a bike ride - huddled in the gutter of a road used by trucks in the middle of an industrial area. Everything was fenced off - and there was nowhere to leave it - so after worrying about taking it away - and there being nowhere for it to go, I brought it home - at first its eye and wing looked not so good, but after rest & feeding, the next day the eye was better but the wing still hangs down a bit. It can't fly (as yet) it is starting to stretch its wings and flap them. at first i had trouble feeding it - but eventually worked out how to handfeed it & now it has moved to picking at food (I bought a chicken grit mix). So i am working now on teaching it to eat on its own.

What i'd like to know is some guidance on when i will know that it is ready to be set free. Obviously i'll need to wait till it is flying proficiently. but is there anything else to look out for? Also, any advice on why its wing 'hangs' a bit? one of the wings tucks away fine, the other wing quite often is tucked away. i am concerned that maybe it is injured? or perhaps it will recover with rest?

I also want to say that i am really suprised by how much i like this pigeon - i never knew these birds could be so sweet! They are such characters!

cheers
valerie