young pigeon

[badger]

I am so happy to have found this forum .
Yesterday, I spied a young pigeon walking in the alley behind my house and since there are alot of cats around here and he didn't seem to know how to fly, I scooped him up and brought him inside. He is a 'peeper', tail feathers not fully grown, a few pin feathers on his head. Seems healthy. Perches, but it's still a bit of a struggle. I am keeping him in a large cat carrier on my back porch. Should I bring him inside? Temps are around 15 C.
After I found him yesterday, I put the carrier down on a flat roof where I leave water for the wild pigeons. He got very excited, rushed back and forth peeping wildly (hey! here I am!) They were not interested. I wondered if the parents might turn up and claim him.
He pecks at the pigeon/dove mixture and flings it around but does not seem to have what it takes to actually eat it. This morning he drank some of the salt/sugar/water mixture when I held it up to his beak.
I ground up some seed and fed him, wrapped in a towel. I think he may have taken a tablespoon, the rest went on the floor He's definitely interested. How often should I do this? Should I add anything? Cat food? A pigeon I rescued last year was mad about hardboiled egg, but I haven't seen it mentioned here.
What worries me a bit is that his beak is very odd, almost deformed, and I am wondering if this is what is preventing him from feeding himself, or whether it is just a function of his age. See picture. I'll try to get better ones - holding a struggling pigeon at arm's length and asking him to tilt his head 'just so' is well nigh impossible!
In a few weeks, here in Montreal, winter will set in. Do you think it will be possible to get him up and out by then? Otherwise I will have to find someone with an indoor aviary, maybe a rescue group, although many folks don't seem to put the same value on a pigeon life as we do.
Any and all advice welcome!

[KIPPY]

His beak looks fine to me. I would keep trying to get seed in his mouth. Not sure about the egg thing. I would stay with the seed until someone else replies. He looks old enough to eat on his own just needs to learn.
I have a heating pad I use for pigeons I find.

[cyro51]

Hi Badger,

What a cutie! He is lucky to have found you. Nothing wrong with his beak, but he is just that little bit too young to release at the moment.

You said that you have wild pigeons visit your garden. Do you mean feral pigeons/city pigeons? Because releasing him into a visiting flock of his own kind that he is accustomed to seeing would be ideal for him.

I don't like releasing any bitrds in winter, but I think that if the pigoen is healthy, has shelter and a good food supply he should be okay as long as he is relaesed during a three day spell of good weather. But he would have to grow up a bit first and be reacclimatised to living outside.

I think that a little hard boiled egg (1/4) is good but I don't use it because when I got my first rescue baby someone told me that egg can cause hard crop and that frightened me.

Spray his feathers with water daily so that he developes waterproofing...without that he could die of hypothermia if released.

Cynthia

[badger]

Thanks, everybody. Predictably, I have more questions, now that my visitor has been around for a few days. He is housed in a large plastic cat carrier on a 3rd floor balcony with sun during the day, and a metal mesh door that he can see out of. If it gets a bit cool at night (we're down to single digits some nights), I put in a large well-wrapped can full of boiling water, his own little furnace. He loves his basket, which I have filled with newspaper strips. He spends every night and part of the day in there.

Although there is seed (in a cup and sprinkled around) and water in the crate, I bring him out every two or three hours to 'fill his crop', since he is having no luck feeding himself, although I'm pretty sure he is drinking. Is it OK if I am still giving him the salt-sugar combination in his water? He picks up seeds but seems incapable of ferrying them into his gullet. Twice a day*he gets thawed green peas and the rest of the time ground-up pigeon mix and a little water. He really hates having his beak pried open and can't seem to handle any of the gadgets you have suggested - a spoon with the sides bent in, etc. I think he probably gets about a tablespoon of food each feeding. Is this enough? Is there anything else I cam tempt him with?

After his feeding, he is allowed to stroll around a little. He is definitely trying out his wings but not making any effort to fly. He's beginning to look sleeker, the pin feathers have almost disappeared and he has lots of new feathers coming in along his sides

Mainly I just need tips on the food. Will he just suddenly figure it out how to feed himself or is it gradual?

[cyro51]

Hello,

I am so glad that he is doing well!

Is the can of hot water completely safe and unspillable?

I have a sick pigeon at the moment, he is also in a cat carrier and he seems to need the privacy and shelter that offers (as opposed to the freedom of the bedroom). To keep him warm I clip a 40 Watt red light bulb to the door of the carrier and he lies in front of that, obvioulsy enjoying the heat.

He might be a bit too old for the "feeding gadgets", which is why they don't work. A tablespoon of seed at a time is about right, I think. How often do you feed him? 3 meals reducing to two should be sufficient.

My first pigeon was about that age when I found her. I fed her soaked pigeon seed, picking one seed at a time out of the palm of my hand, opening her beak and poking the seed in. Maybe she was super intelligent, but she soon started pecking her favourite seeds out of my hand!

If he is drinking properly now then you can change back to ordinary water now.

Cynthia

[badger]

Thanks alot, Cynthia, this is a new experience for me!

The tin can full of boiling water is well covered and stable. Generally I just slip it in after dark if it feels a bit nippy out. By then, he is in his basket. But even if he jumped on it, I'm sure it would be fine. Believe me, the last thing I want is scorched pigeon!

I have been grinding the pigeon mix, as I mentioned, and shoveling it into his mouth as best I can. I think I'll try soaking the whole seed and then see if he's interested in picking it up for himself. He's definitely trying, just not there yet.