Saved a Pigeon (or Dove) from Animal control

[EggHunter_66]

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I got a call from a friend of mine who works at an Animal Control facility, she asked if I would take a Pigeon that came in cause it's going to be put down cause it's injured and will never fly again. I raise chickens, I know nothing about pigeons but I said yes it will take it. It's been a few weeks and I've grown attached to the bird and I planned on once she's healed to put her in a coop with some Bantum chickens but the more I think about it I dont think that would be a good thing to do. I'm afraid she will get picked on. They are a type of bird that needs a mate,right? Plus,can anyone tell what kind she is ( that's if I attached the pic right)?
Thanks for any input!!!

 

[EggHunter_66]

 

[loftkeeper]

looks like Modena hard to tell from pic or show king

 

[jak2002003]

Well done helping this lovley bird.

In this situation I would advise not putting her with the chickens... because they are likely to pick on her because of her damaged wing... and she won't be able to fly out of their way.

She will be happy in a cage or very basic run / coop of her own. They do like a mate, but if you are around most of the time she will see you as her mate. If you get her another pigeon friend it does not matter about the sex of the birds. In fact it is better to get 2 the same sex so you won't get overpopulated with pigeon babies in the future.

I would give your bird a couple of low perches... such as a brick to stand on and roost on, and also a box to roost in and make nests in.

If the wing dragging on the ground gets dirty.. or is getting in her way... you can simply trim off the long flight feathers to make it lighter and keep it off the ground. In the future you may consider letting a vet amputate the wing if its is finding it hard to manage.

A diet of the chicken layer pellets and mixed grains will be great for her. Also some chicken grit. They like to bath in a shallow pan of water and also like to sunbath to dry off.

Wishing you happiness with your new pet!

 

[laughingdog]

Pigeon wings very easy and quick to heal n even reset. That's said wing could just be trimmed down to first primary flight feathers or wing loosely tied up. You could just get feral Homer or roller from local pigeon clubs as friend/s for. Even numbers are always better for pigeons and they get depressed even if you think they are getting enough bonding time.. as pigeons are never alone in wild same as dogs rabbits etc, and are group animals and keeping them alone for any length of time is bad. I always have at least two of any of these for this reason.
Chicken layer all really need, chicken scratch, wild bird seed, and budgie feeds are all good feeds, especially first three mixed together. Wild dove mixes are proven actually bad for pet pigeons and doves. There are pigeon mixes and pellets and parrot pellets that work great but expensive. They'll do better with access to grit greens fruit berries wild seeds grass and insects. it's disputed but all mine have loved n been extremely healthy with fruit/berries greens and bugs.