Found a injured dove in my yard today! What should i do? BAD NEWS

[boykin2010]

Just a while ago i found a dove in my yard that couldnt fly. It can run ( not very fast and kind of unsteady ) but it cant fly. It flaps its wings but never gets off the ground. My first instinct was to leave it and let nature take its course so that is what i did. Later, i came back and saw the dove in the same spot trying to fly. I dont know why but i felt sorry for it. I shoot dove in my yard all the time during dove season but for some reason i wanted to help this injured dove. I put it in the brooder i kept my chicks in until they were grown and it is very spacious for him. All around the sides are hardware cloth so i put hay in the bottom so he wouldnt hurt his feet. I also put some chick starter in a bowl for it and gave it some water. I gave it chick starter because i didnt have any other feed to give it except for laying pellets. I am planning on seeing if it will eat and if i can get it better i will let it go. Did i do the right thing? Any advice or opinions on this? I will include pics later

 

[cochinGurl]

does the wing seem broken? if so, you have to set it corectly, and soon. because birds begin to heal bones very fast and if it doesnt heal corectly, it wont be able to fly again.

 

[mhwc56]

i think you did the right thing.

 

[chicmom]

Hello! Well, can't blame you for being kind-hearted! Does it look like it has a broken wing, or some other injury? It may be ill. I would recommend surfing online to find out what a dove eats, and also, checking it really well for mites or lice......Is it eating or drinking? Maybe some vitamins/electrolites in the drinking water wouldn't hurt.....

I would sanitize that chick brooder before you use it again for chicken chicks....Wild birds do carry diseases.....

Good luck with the little dove. I'm betting it'll eat a diet similar to the domesticated doves......

Keep us posted!

Sharon

 

[silkieroo]

YES! You did the right thing! And don't you doubt yourself no matter what anyone says!! Maybe you might also try posting this in the dove & pigeon section??

 

[klmclain1]

Is it possible that the dove is still very young and unable to fly yet? We find them like that a lot - they get blown out of or fall out of their nests.

 

[wood&feathers]

Doves are actually pretty easy to rear if you find an orphaned chick, but talking about it and asking questions on a public forum isn't real safe. It is actually more legal for you to shoot it in season than to rehab one. Not that I heard anything...

If it is a young bird, remember that doves are fed by the parents' "crop milk". It is a special secretion, not just regurgitated foot. Parrot rearing formulas are the best option, like Kaytee Exact. Baby doves are little pigs, and imprint terribly on humans. Unless you go all out with the puppets and stuff they will not survive well after captivity.

 

[boykin2010]

Here is a pic of the dove. Does it seem to young to you? Also, how do you tell if the wing is actually broken? I have not seen it eating or drinking but then again i have only been outside with it for probably 15 minutes since it is dark here now.

 

[poultrycrazy]

I found one that had a broken wing once and it was the most beautiful thing ever! GOOD LUCK

 

[klmclain1]

hmmmmm.. no, not really. Do you live close to a road? Could it have been hit by a car and just have it's "bell rung" for a bit?