Found injured pigeon today

[Myah1011]

Today I found an injured pigeon in front of my house, I have never taken in a wild bird before so I am ill equipped of knowledge, from looking him over he doesn’t seem to be gravely injured but it looks like he got attacked by a hawk or other ariel bird, I believe one of his wings are broken because he has it out on the side of his body, I’m going to try to find out more about pigeons like what they prefer to eat and some more basic info but I’ll get some pictures of him one sec! He seems to be eating good though because he feels very plump I haven’t looked to see if he is banded yet mostly because I was in a hurry but I’ll try to check his feet a little later, I’ll be back with pictures though one sec! I may also post this in other groups

 

[Myah1011]

If better pictures are needed or other areas that I should take pictures of then just ask! When I grabbed him he didn’t fly away and had his wing not close to him body which signals to me of a fracture of some sort, I found him and a pile of feathers so that’s why I think he was attacked by a hawk, he feels very plump and I’ll try to put water with him, this was the only cage we had on hand so sorry about the size! Do I possibly need to force him to drink water?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Poor Guy!

Does the bird have a band? If so, read this, it will hopefully help you track down the owner (this is how I tracked the one I found).

Any bird rescues in your area? If so, give them a call and see if they can help you with him.

I'm still absolutely learning about Pigeons, so let's hope others chime in.
@Liz Birdlover @RoostersAreAwesome

I wouldn't force fluids at this time, I would provide a bowl of water (you can give electrolytes if you have them) and some bird seed if you have it. He's probably in shock and scared, so just go slow and talk to him.

If he's injured, then you'll want to gently try to see how extensive the injuries are once you feel he's ready to be handled. Look for puncture wounds/tears or broken skin that needs to be cleaned and tended. General care for open wounds/punctures is to clean the wound with saline, chlorhexidine or povidone iodine, then apply triple antibiotic ointment to the wound.

While you are checking him out, take note if he's got any bugs on him. If he does, then I'd treat for those too. The one I found had lice, so she got dusted immediately.

 

[Myah1011]

Thank you for the response!
since posting I have figured out that he is not in fact banded so I searched up the species in my general area and found out that he is most likely a band tailed pigeon which is a wild type of pigeon.

I’m not really sure if we have any rescues in my area and I don’t know if they would do much considering he is not a protected species.

After reading your comment I gently picked him up and looked for other injuries, I did in fact find one more, it doesn’t seem to be super serious but it is a chest puncture, it doesn’t seem to be too deep since he isn’t mouth breathing / gasping for air and isn’t bleeding out of his mouth or vomits, although the area has lost the majority of its feathers likely from a predator attack and the area is slightly bloody but overall seem not too bad, the only spray I have on hand for injury’s is vetericyn plus anti microbial poultry care, would that be enough? Everything in my area is closed so if it isn’t he’s going to have to wait until tomorrow..

I‘ll also my sure to give him some electrolytes for his water, haven’t seen him drink yet but he’s moved towards the water source, he has also pooped twice and his poop looked overall normal!

As for mites or other bugs while checking him I didn’t see any but I could always do a more thorough search later.

I also put him in a bigger container since the first update and he has moved around a bit since then!

 

[CloneFly]

Thank you for the response!
since posting I have figured out that he is not in fact banded so I searched up the species in my general area and found out that he is most likely a band tailed pigeon which is a wild type of pigeon.

I’m not really sure if we have any rescues in my area and I don’t know if they would do much considering he is not a protected species.

After reading your comment I gently picked him up and looked for other injuries, I did in fact find one more, it doesn’t seem to be super serious but it is a chest puncture, it doesn’t seem to be too deep since he isn’t mouth breathing / gasping for air and isn’t bleeding out of his mouth or vomits, although the area has lost the majority of its feathers likely from a predator attack and the area is slightly bloody but overall seem not too bad, the only spray I have on hand for injury’s is vetericyn plus anti microbial poultry care, would that be enough? Everything in my area is closed so if it isn’t he’s going to have to wait until tomorrow..

I‘ll also my sure to give him some electrolytes for his water, haven’t seen him drink yet but he’s moved towards the water source, he has also pooped twice and his poop looked overall normal!

As for mites or other bugs while checking him I didn’t see any but I could always do a more thorough search later.

I also put him in a bigger container since the first update and he has moved around a bit since then!

Hello! Thank you for taking the lil guy in If there's a puncture wound, he was likely attacked by a bird of prey. Leave a small, shallow dish of water in the cage with him to give him the option to drink. Pigeons will eat most anything, but small bird seeds would be best. If you don't have any on hand, you can give him some small pieces of bread or even some crushed chicken scratch

You can clean the wound with vetericyn or diluted betadine (if you have any on hand) and apply triple antibiotic over the wound (just be sure it doesn't have 'pain relief' medication in it!)

If you have any plastic water bottles, warm them up in the microwave and wrap them with a wash cloth and put it inside the cage with him as well. He's had quite the day and once the shock wears off, his body temperature may begin to drop. Just be sure the bottles/towels aren't too hot lol. It's good that his stool looks normal so far though!

 

[Myah1011]

Hello! Thank you for taking the lil guy in If there's a puncture wound, he was likely attacked by a bird of prey. Leave a small, shallow dish of water in the cage with him to give him the option to drink. Pigeons will eat most anything, but small bird seeds would be best. If you don't have any on hand, you can give him some small pieces of bread or even some crushed chicken scratch

You can clean the wound with vetericyn or diluted betadine (if you have any on hand) and apply triple antibiotic over the wound (just be sure it doesn't have 'pain relief' medication in it!)

If you have any plastic water bottles, warm them up in the microwave and wrap them with a wash cloth and put it inside the cage with him as well. He's had quite the day and once the shock wears off, his body temperature may begin to drop. Just be sure the bottles/towels aren't too hot lol. It's good that his stool looks normal so far though!

Yes sorry I forgot to mention that I did give him some cockatiel/ parakeet food since I have cockatiels, he’s currently in my closet and I always have the heater running so I could move the heater close to the closet!
I’ll definitely make sure to spray him with the vetericyn and I probably have some triple antibiotic around here somewhere,
he does have food and water though!
And of course I took him in I could never just leave him, I would feel heart broken! Especially since it started to rain..
Thank you for your reply!

 

[CloneFly]

Yes sorry I forgot to mention that I did give him some cockatiel/ parakeet food since I have cockatiels, he’s currently in my closet and I always have the heater running so I could move the heater close to the closet!
I’ll definitely make sure to spray him with the vetericyn and I probably have some triple antibiotic around here somewhere,
he does have food and water though!
And of course I took him in I could never just leave him, I would feel heart broken! Especially since it started to rain..
Thank you for your reply!

Aw poor baby. And a fellow cockatiel parent! Those seeds should suit him just fine for now.
I would be careful having him too close to the heater as some wild birds don't do too well with them (I don't know if its the dry warmth or not.) Also, I'm sure you're already doing this, but just a friendly reminder to make sure he's far away from your other birds- just in case

 

[Myah1011]

Aw poor baby. And a fellow cockatiel parent! Those seeds should suit him just fine for now.
I would be careful having him too close to the heater as some wild birds don't do too well with them (I don't know if its the dry warmth or not.) Also, I'm sure you're already doing this, but just a friendly reminder to make sure he's far away from your other birds- just in case

Alright I could find another heat source and yes I am definitely keeping him far away from my cockatiels and I’m making sure to wash my hands 3 times after touching him before I even get close to my two girl cockatiels! also not sure if this is a dumb question but is it preferred for me to keep the lights on or off for him?

 

[CloneFly]

Alright I could find another heat source and yes I am definitely keeping him far away from my cockatiels and I’m making sure to wash my hands 3 times after touching him before I even get close to my two girl cockatiels! also not sure if this is a dumb question but is it preferred for me to keep the lights on or off for him?

Light on low or off might be less stressful for him and help him to settle in and relax. I can never have my lights completely off due to the parrots lol

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for the response!
since posting I have figured out that he is not in fact banded so I searched up the species in my general area and found out that he is most likely a band tailed pigeon which is a wild type of pigeon.

I’m not really sure if we have any rescues in my area and I don’t know if they would do much considering he is not a protected species.

After reading your comment I gently picked him up and looked for other injuries, I did in fact find one more, it doesn’t seem to be super serious but it is a chest puncture, it doesn’t seem to be too deep since he isn’t mouth breathing / gasping for air and isn’t bleeding out of his mouth or vomits, although the area has lost the majority of its feathers likely from a predator attack and the area is slightly bloody but overall seem not too bad, the only spray I have on hand for injury’s is vetericyn plus anti microbial poultry care, would that be enough? Everything in my area is closed so if it isn’t he’s going to have to wait until tomorrow..

I‘ll also my sure to give him some electrolytes for his water, haven’t seen him drink yet but he’s moved towards the water source, he has also pooped twice and his poop looked overall normal!

As for mites or other bugs while checking him I didn’t see any but I could always do a more thorough search later.

I also put him in a bigger container since the first update and he has moved around a bit since then!

Vetericyn will be just fine!

Giving a bit of heat is a good idea. I'd follow the suggestions from @CloneFly

The one I found, I kept her in my shed in a box (all I had for a few days!). Lined it with a puppy pad and a few shavings. I wrapped a spare heating pad in an old towel and placed it under the box to let a bit of warmth come up from underneath. Cold nights in the teens/twenties, so I think she appreciated that.

You're doing good! I hope this fella recovers. I'm still getting used to mine. Today is the first day I actually heard her Coo, so I think she's finally settling in to her new home.