Injured juvenile pigeon found - advice needed North Wales, UK

[Miloko]

Hello all,

I am in the North Wales area of the UK.

Last night we discovered a juvenile pigeon on our doorstep. It did not appear to be able to fly as it scampered and fluttered quickly towards the road after we opened the door. A car drove over it after it reached the road (which is just three steps away from our front door), but it was lucky enough to be in the center, un-hit by the wheels, but rolled, de-feathered and terrified by the whoosh of the car over it.

I quickly recovered the bird from the road and while I held its wings in their natural position it struggled enough to allow me to determine that its bones seem to be intact. After one night in a dark box with warm bedding and a well wrapped hot water bottle the bird is alert and moving well on its feet. I have now transfered it to a larger cardboard box with 'bars' cut in the side to allow plenty of natural light. The box base has been lined with well secured plastic and then topped with newspaper to allow me to keep the inside clean and changed while he recuperates.

Now that I have had a chance to study the bird (named Sam by the children), it appears to have small cuts where it's large feathers have been ripped off, a small cut to its foot and a general lack of feathers on one wing. Wings are held in a good, natural position, which I find promising. It is only after some research on the internet I have come to realise that he is a juvenile, since his beak still appears long and he has yellow tufts on his head, back and chest. The bird is a solid grey colour with whitish underwing and belly.

I have noticed a couple of flies are bothering the bird, crawling in it's loose feathers. I'm not sure what to do about those.

I am very willing to care for the bird for as long as it requires to recuperate, but it does not seem to wish to feed itself or take in water. I have offered dried seeds, fresh water and a mush of porridge oats and water (to attempt to hydrate as well as feed). The bird is either too bruised and battered to feed or is too young to know how.

If there is anyone in my area that is more experienced than myself and wishes to take on the bird, please do get in touch. Otherwise, any advice from those in the know is welcomed.

[Trees Gray]

Thank you for helping this little juvenile pigeon.

Here is a link to UK rehab sources, I hope you can find someone near to help.

Click on the second link:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpo...27&postcount=3

[Feefo]

Thank you for rescuing him. He is actually a fledgeling, not even old enough to classify as a juvenile...and to think that people would run him down rather than stop! It breaks my heart at this time of year to take any car journey because of the baby woodie road kills I see.

So far you have done everything right, but you might have to force feed him defrosted peas and corn, about 100 a day. I aim to do that in two feeds, but it really depends on the baby. If he starts to pant with open mouth stop immediately and wait until he calms down. This video shows how to do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU1SO0ZJoow

Also leave wild bird seed and water near him, he will learn to eat very suddenly!

When you open his mouth can you ensure that it is clean and pink? Any growths, or blueness, would need to be investigated.

What part of North Wales are you in? We might have to look across the border as there are few places that we have information on in Wales and the ones that we know of are in the south.

This is a more up to date resource list (I haven't had time to update the PT one):

http://pij-n-angels.forumotion.net/p...doves-t256.htm

We also have contacts in Blackburn and Preston that are not on the list but could help look after him.

There is this one at New Quay, but I have not checked whether they are active and take pigeons:

New Quay Bird & Wildlife HospitalPenfoel Cross Inn, Llandysul, Dyfed SA44 6NR

01545560462

Please keep us updated!

[Miloko]

Location wise, we are in Bangor, North Wales.

Thank you so much for your help with Pigeon Sam. Since my own care of the little guy is going well at the moment, and I do not believe he has any fractures or signs of infection, I am not going to seek contact with the numbers you supplied around my area for the time being. Although having the options for contact should his condition worsen quickly is very reassuring. I do not believe that our local vet is wild animal friendly (since they once refused to aid a seagull in distress I had come across), so I will not be leaving him with the vet, even if I do at some point need to seek medical help.

Overall health update:
His eyes are very clear and clean. His beak clean, pink and unmarked inside or out.

I found one small graze on his back under his wings and a few little sores where his large wing feathers are torn from one wing. The scrape on his back may have been from the tumble on the road. I treated those few cuts last night with a warm saline solution as advised by a friend who has nursed sick chickens. He seemed happy for the treatment and allowed me to clean him up.

He was absolutely infested with flies and mites (which bothered me and him), so I have treated him with a avian insecticide which had instructions for pigeons on the label also. Taking care to shield his eyes.

My first attempt at feeding him last night was poor and I was quite concerned about him dehydrating (he only took one soggy seed and a very tiny piece of mushed fruit cake in water). This morning, after watching the feeding video you provided I realised that my husband and I were not putting food far enough into his beak for him to swallow. I decided to take action on my own, seeing as my husband will not be home until late this evening to help again. Wrapping him gently, but firmly in a tea towel, I nestled him in my arm so that I had both hands free to maneuver his beak. In this way, I was able to feed him forty pieces of defrosted sweetcorn dunked each time in water to add some extra moisture. He ate gladly once it was far into his beak! Good news for Sam!

Right now he is resting in his box after being treated with the insecticide and I will go up to him shortly to change his newspaper bedding to be rid of the dead flies, then re-supply him with a clean bowl of seed and his deep, ceramic bowl of water. He will not take from the water, even if I dip his beak, but I am hoping he will learn soon so that his water dipped feed is not all the moisture he gets.

As we have two cats, we are keeping Sam in a box (with slats cut out for sunlight and air circulation) in our bedroom. Not a very pleasant experience for us at the moment, but I am hoping in time that he will mature enough and become healthy enough to be moved temporarily into a rabbit hutch or alternative on our bedroom balcony outside.

Thank you everyone. I will keep you updated on all news.

[PoppyFieldVet]

Im no expert and may be completely wrong but make sure you've checked all over him, under feathers etc. The flies make me think of fly strike, where they lay there eggs in wounds, some only small. Rabbit owners will know about this, it can happen very quickly.

He's a lucky woodie, thank you for looking after him!


XxX

[dishan]

tnx to help the injured..

[Feefo]

Im no expert and may be completely wrong but make sure you've checked all over him, under feathers etc. The flies make me think of fly strike, where they lay there eggs in wounds, some only small. Rabbit owners will know about this, it can happen very quickly.

I hope that these are just pigeon flies, but it is important to check rescued birds very carefully for fly eggs , not only wounds but the bottom of the feather shafts and orificices including ears. I had one incident in which I missed the eggs and the next day the poor dove erupted with maggots. She only survived because I happened to look in on her one last time before leaving for work and saw there was something wrong.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showth...referrerid=560

[Feefo]

If he makes a full recovery and he is releasable you might want to enquire at the Wirral Park Wildlife Rehabilitation Unit, they say they take all wildlife, but I think it is always wise to double check their policy on pigeons. We have no first hand information on them, feedback is always welcome!:

Wirral Country Park Wildlife Rehabilitation Unit
Station Road
Thurstaston
Wirral
Cheshire
L61 0HN
Telephone: 0151 648 4371

[Miloko]

I have checked Sam as thoroughly as possible (he wriggles a lot as you can imagine) for any signs of fly eggs. I will check each time I lift him, as other areas may be uncovered each time to let me get another look. These flies were very comfortable living in his feathers, so I am hoping they were pigeon flies he has always had and not new acquaintances of his. If maggots do suddenly appear should they be bathed away with water?

I have given thought to Sam's future, if he continues to recover and grows to maturity. The Wirral Wildlife Park may be a good option, as you suggested. It is close enough to travel to easily (less than an hour's drive).

But iff possible, I would like Sam to rejoin the flock that he belongs to locally. Nearby, we have a botanical garden run by the University and they keep a loft for pigeons on the land, allowed to come and go freely and fed by the gardeners. It might be possible that Sam came from that flock, or their nearby 'cousins' in the woods by the sea. The area is quite idyllic in pigeon terms and I believe he may have a peaceful life there with his own kind.

It's a bit early at the moment, but if things progress with him and I get him to the point of independence, I will look at local options like the botanical gardens flock.

Who knows, he might be happily reunited with his family that way! Wouldn't that be something?

[Feefo]

These flies were very comfortable living in his feathers, so I am hoping they were pigeon flies he has always had and not new acquaintances of his.

That sounds like the pigeon fly, they sidle through the feathers and look exactly like a house fly, but a bit flatter and a they are a lot harder. It is bluebottles that would cause fly strike and they don't hang around when you handle the bird.

If maggots do suddenly appear should they be bathed away with water?

The thread that I posted a link to has full details, but basically you flush them off with saline, then pick out any remaining ones with tweezers and treat the pigeon with ivermectin or moxidectin to ikill any that may remain inside.. Our local sanctuary picked out something like 150 from a bird's ear!

they keep a loft for pigeons on the land

Why have I been thinking Sam is a wood pigeon rather than a feral? If he is a feral then Wirral Country Park might not be the right place, unless they have a dovecote or a loft. The Botanical gardens sound ideal for a soft release .

Actually, reading back, there must have been a photo that identified him as a woodie...wasn't there? Wood pigeons wouldn't live in lofts but they would be happy to roost in the trees nearby and feed with the ferals. However, they do better if they mix with other woodies before release and are released as part of a mini flock.

Cynthia

[Miloko]

Those sidling flies sound exactly right for what I was seeing before he was sprayed. Thank goodness, because removing maggots, although not beyond me, would definitely put a dark cloud over my appreciation of him for a while!

I wonder now, whether he is a woodie or a feral. The following is a photo I found online that looks exactly like Sam. I don't have clear pictures of him from in his box, I'm afraid.

[amyable]

Well if he looks exactly like that, it's a Woodie.
The white wing strips are the best indicator.

Janet

[Feefo]

Yes, he is a woodie...and a fledgeling.

I was so certain that I had seen a photo of him before, but I think that your description in your first post was so good that it left me with a strong visual image! ( his appears long and he has yellow tufts on his head, back and chest. The bird is a solid grey colour with whitish underwing and belly.)

A feral pigeon would have been a lot easier to examine, woodies squirm like mad.


Cynthia

[Miloko]

Quick Pigeon Sam update for the day:

Fed on two meals of fifty pieces of corn and peas today. Still won't drink when his beak is dipped, but the food is dunked in water to keep him hydrated. He gets agitated before his meals, but after he is fed he is docile to handle and seems curious and alert (not to mention utterly lovable and charismatic). He is REALLY strong!

The graze on his back and the cuts on his wing have dried out and scabbed in a healthy looking way. No signs of infection. He wanders around his box and stretches his wings doing his little bouts of exercise.

Lots of dark poop today, with whitish bits. Enough to need to change his news paper twice. I think that's a good sign.

I'll keep you guys updated, for any of you that may be interested in his progress. I am very pleased to be a new member of the pigeon talk community! I have mentioned your invaluable help to a number of friends.

For anyone interested in viewing my daily updates on Sam, please feel free to request friendship on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/Miloko

[Charis]

Jess...Are you keeping him in that box with the flaps closed?