Found a pigeon in the road; it cant fly and has balance issues. Any advice as I have never raised pigeons

[Lobzi]

It has stayed with me for four days and three nights now. I give it an opportunity to try and fly every day as a test but it just flutters to the ground. It walks fairly well but as I mentioned in the title, it seems to have balance issues. When it tries to groom itself, for instance, it sort of tips off balance and stops grooming. It is eating and drinking well and has no visible injuries. Should I continue to give it time to recuperate or should I be trying some meds? If so, what medication should I try? It is a wild pigeon and Im hoping it will eventually recover from whatever ails it so I can release it into the flock of pigeons near my home where I found it.

 

[azygous]

You can try warm sugar water with a pinch of salt and baking sodafor a couple dayd. Also, start giving it a vitamin E capsule mixed into whatever you're feeding it along with a little egg. These can help counter the symptoms you're seeing.

 

[CloneFly]

Its possible it could've smacked it's head... I'd follow the advice above and see if there's any improvement. If not, it's probably permanent head damage and will need to be rehabilitated

 

[gimmie birdies]

Birds may need to be heated up because it is so cold.

 

[Lobzi]

Thanks for the advice postings. I have been using a pet carrier for sleeping with a heating pad on low. During the day it hangs out in the kitchen. BTW, is there a way to determine its sex so I dont keep referring to it as an "IT"?

 

[azygous]

Your photos aren't the best, but I am going to guess female. Here's the article I'm going off of. https://www.roysfarm.com/determining-pigeon-gender/

 

[Lobzi]

Thank you for that link....yes the lighting was very low and the flash was not working on my camera this morning but I wanted something to show. Ill check out that article!

 

[Lobzi]

I think little female too....the flat head and temperament too.

 

[azygous]

Yeah, it was the flat heat I picked up on, too. So, how about giving her a girlie name now?

 

[gimmie birdies]

If it coos a lot, it may be a boy.