help found wild pigeon with hurt wing

[H VICTOR]

last night I found it in my yard. appears to have hurt or broken wing and is walking kind of funny too. I brought it in the house, put it in an old dog kennel, gave it some hamster food (seeds and grains). it doesn't put up much fuss when looked at. PLEASE HELP. I know nothing about birds. I dont want it to suffer and if I can help I will.

[maryco]

Hello and thanks for helping the injured bird.

You are doing very well, Try to offer him some water by gently dipping his beak into a dish with 2 inches of water..

Is he eating?

If his wing is broken then it would most likely be droopy, but if they look fine and he is just not flying that could mean he is sick and if he is limping slightly that is also a symptom of dehydration in most cases (if there is no visible injury)

Someone should be along shortly to offer some assistance and maybe info on where you can take him.

Mary

[H VICTOR]

he does seem to be eating and there is a small water dish in the cage as well, I will try putting his beak in it. there is a med size lump on the top of his wing(approx size of a quarter) i looked underneath and theres no blood or open wound. but he cannot flap that one like his does the non injured wing. the injured wing is droopy. he doesn't seem to be able to tuck it in as much.thank you.

[This message has been edited by H VICTOR (edited June 17, 2004).]

[This message has been edited by H VICTOR (edited June 17, 2004).]

[maryco]

Hello,

Well that does sound like the wing is most likely broken. Keep him in a stress free environment and you are doing well with the rest.

Hope someone will be along shortly to help you find a rehab centre or pigeon person in your area.

Mary

[Trees Gray]

Here is a list of rehabbers permitted by California Dept. of Fish and game.

This list was given to me by Terry.

I don't know what region you are in you would have to find that out. I hope this list will help
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/coned/guide/care.pdf

Treesa

[xavior]

Got a list for Minnesota? I'm still waiting to hear from the one wildlife rehab to see if they take pigeons.. and the one I used to use has closed.

In another thread I got great advice for helping the young'un.. and now I've spotted an adult with a wing dragging. I should have gone back in and had a cup of coffee and woken up a bit before attempting to catch this one because I failed in my attempt first thing this morning. The bird was able to fly.. first, to a window ledge and then up into the tree.. which means that he/she will be safe from the stray cat for now.. but this one's not eating. I was amazed that he/she could fly, just not well, but both wings looked like they worked when he/she took flight - 'just isn't doing any great distance. That one wing can get back in place but in time it ends up dropping when he/she is perched or grounded.. so is there such a thing as a sprained wing? I have a feeling that I might have to be the one to rehab.. and if that's the case, I'm really going to need lots of advice and instructions. I've got the cage ready and I'm keeping an eye on the yard, ready to capture when the opportunity comes. 'Got the instructions on force feeding, if necessary.. but haven't got a clue when it comes to setting a wing or where to get medicine, if that's what's going to be necessary.

[lhopwo@shaw.ca]

My friend had an injured bird with a broken wing and he took it to a vet. the vet said he could either euthanize it or give it a splint. Just because somethings a little banged up it doesn't mean it shouldn't live so of course he chose the splint. The vet gave him a splint and he just kept the bird like you in a crate with food and water. Later he released in a park (I think it wasa robin). Same thing hapenned with my housesitters budgie. The vet gave it a splint and it is live and well. So you might consider a splint it seems to work. Way to get caught in the process, my little baby pigeon I found recently past away because I was unaware and didn't want to ask anyone. Last pointer, once all is taken care of you might want to consider changing the food because wild birds are quite messy by nature and you might want to keep his/her poop less runny!
Keep Posted

[TAWhatley]

Xavior,

Please call Gail Nelsen at 612-240-4636 .. she may be able to give you some quick help and/or referrals to local places that can help the birds. In a recent post that I had from her, she indicated that pigeons could receive help from the following facilities:

Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release: 612-822-7058
or
Animal Humane Society of Golden Valley: 763-3522-4325 and ask for the Wildlife Room.

Gail is in the process of moving from Shoreview, MN to central Illinois, so I don't know exactly where she is at the moment.

Hope this is of some help to you.

Terry

[xavior]

Thanks, Terry. I got a call from Ann at The Wildlife Rehab & Release yesterday but the message was just that they're kind of connected with the Anoka County/Golden Valley Humane Society so I could leave animals with them. One of the websites that lists the wildlife rehabs says that WRR only takes squirrels, sometimes bunnies, so I called them today, got the machine, again, so I called the Humane Society.. they just passed me over to the WRR exam room where I got another machine. Chances are, if they tried to call they probably got a busy signal since I had to work online most of today. Just getting an animal to WRR might prove to be challenging. My vehicle is dysfunctional (and destined to be donated, I think).. and it looks like there's limited bus service to Golden Valley. 'Absolutely no way to get to WRR/Humane Society on the weekends. The name Gail Nelsen sounds really familiar. Where might I know that name from?

The injured bird never came down from the tree.. and at some point must have taken flight because he/she wasn't there when I went to make sure the little one got a second feeding for the day. But, I've got a popular yard so there's a good chance I'll see him/her again tomorrow.. and I'm better prepared to capture.

You're right, lhopwo, a splint is probably going to be necessary.. I just can't afford to go to a vet to get one. Luckily, the Vet who helped me with the Budgie I cared for focuses on (exotic/pet) birds so maybe she'll be able to advise me. It never hurts to ask. I'm sorry to hear that the little one you found died. Don't you just hate it when we end up learning lessons the hard way?! But, now you know - Never hesitate to ask for help.. especially when another life could be at risk. To me, it feels good to help others.. but sometimes I need the help .. and others get to have that 'feel good.'

[Lin Hansen]

Hi,

Went hunting through some old posts and found a site Cynthia (Cyro51) posted that shows how to splint a wing w/ step by step instructions and excellant pictures...check it out....you may not even need a vet!

http://www.duckpolice.org/Birdweb/P...brokenwing.html

Hope this helps

Linda

PS....if you have trouble accessing the above adrs go to main page:
http://www.duckpolice.org
Click on Pigeon Resources, then click on Fixing a Broken Wing.

[xavior]

Thanks, Linda, for passing along that link Cynthia posted. I was looking around because I felt sure that someone has been down this path before. I had to use the link to the Duck Police main page but I'm really glad I did. Along with all the bird info there's a vegan link (I'm vegan )!

I'm keeping watch but I haven't seen the one with the injured wing today. I'll probably take a little walk around the area to see if he/she is grounded somewhere else.