Wood Pigeon Chick

[lambchop10]

HI!

I am here seeking help! I work for an animal rescue charity here in the UK and have been sent home with a young wood pigeon that someone handed in today that I assume has fallen from its nest. I take home any injured pigeons we get handed in and release them when they are better but have never had a chick before and I was hoping you could help me. He is not a very small chick and he is molting out his downy feathers and has some proper flight feathers and tail feathers. He is quite thin and I dont know what I should be feeding him at his age. Please help!!

Thanks x

[maryjane]

Thank you for taking this baby in. Please read this links for some general info on woodies and taking care of new/found pigeons:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f47/

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f20/

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f6/

Those should get you started. Once he has been warmed and rehydrated you could try giving him Ready Brek made up with warm water, which you will likely have to hand feed him (just place bits in his beak and he will swallow). We do have UK members who will be on today and will help you with his specific care. Until then please keep him warm and hydrated and check back here often as more people check in.

[amyable]

Hi lambchop10,

Do you have any idea if it is self feeding at all yet?
If not, or even if it is and needs topping up you can feed it some defrosted peas or sweetcorn by popping them into the front of it's beak and letting him swallow them for now.
Also you can give day old wholemeal bread rolled into similar sized balls dipped in water, in the same way, and as Maryjane said, some Ready Brek is always useful if they are still youngsters.

Again, if you're not sure if he's drinking himself yet, you can try by dipping his beak, only up to his nostrils, in water to see if he can drink. If not then you can give him fluids by dripping some water from a syringe along the side of his beak and he will sip that way. If you're feeding the peas you don't have to worry so much about him drinking for now as this will give him some fluids.

A lot depend how old he is really as to what else you need to give. Can you get a picture up for us to see?

Where are you situated in the UK by the way? Always good to hear about rescue sanctuaries that help birds.

Janet

[Feefo]

Also scatter small seed a round him, some woodies learn to eat seed with amazing speed. I thought that the one pictured below was far to small to feed himself, so I hand fed him for a couple of days.



Then I thought he looked a bit bored so I scattered some small seeds around him, thinking he might start picking them up out of interest and when I checked him again he had eaten the lot!

Cynthia

[amyable]

Wow Cynthia, he looks younger than my two current babies, or at least the same age.
I'll have to leave them with some seeds out of interest tomorrow. Looks like I'm making too much of this hand rearing business. I think my two have me wrapped around their little toes !!

Janet

[lambchop10]

Thanks everyone for all your help.
The little fella started eating but unfortunately he soon stopped eating yesterday afternoon and was dead by this morning. Thanks for your help though, it meant I could give the little guy a chance that he wouldnt have had otherwise.
Amyable, I work for an RSPCA rehoming centre in Yorkshire. We just do our best to help any wildlife that the public hand in to us as best we can although obviously its not what we specialise in.
lambchop

[amyable]

Hi lambchop,

Just a quick note to say sorry it didn't work out for your little one. There maybe have been some other underlying problem apart from not eating, but as you said, at least you gave him a chance. It's always nicer to think they passed in a comfortable environment aswell, rather than at risk from preditors they can't escape from.

Keep up the good work, thanks for trying !!!!

Janet

[Feefo]

I am so sorry. Thank you for giving him a chance.

Cynthia

[Mike- B]

your woody seems to be all right, but i have a woodies nest in my back garden, and i found one of the chicks on the floor ( with just a few hairs) and so i left it an hour
and nothing came for it so i made a little place to keep it and took it in. I dont have a clue what to feed it, obviosly i will use a syringe to start off. pleasde help, urgent