HELP please!!! I'll pigeon

[Jayrose17]

So I am pretty sure my current pigeon is a goner but I need help saving the rest.

I walked into my loft this morning to feed, and found a baby I recently transferred out of the nest laying on the ground, she hatched on Christmas so she is about 5 weeks old. I thought she was dead on sight but when I picked her up she was warm and still full of life, she still has food in her crop so I know she is eating and she should be hydrated, her brother (nest mate) is alive and well. She has blood in her nostrils, and beak. And she is holding her head almost as though her neck is broken... There are about 25 other birds in the loft she was in... :/ So I am hoping its not a contagious disease...

So I guess I am asking...
1.) What do you think it is?
2.) Is it curable?
3.) What would you do in this situation.?

 

[Jayrose17]

Oh yeah, and her breathing is very labored she is opening her beak to breathe

 

[Hokum Coco]

Quote:

I lost 2 squabs over the winter with similar symptoms. Mine were nearly ready to begin trap training.

Possibily dehydration (water was subject to freezing in a heart beat) We have been in a polar vortex reaching -40º temperatures.

In hind sight I should have maybe employed these Styrofoam nest boxes that reared squabs for me last winter with no extra heat. Alas I thought their feathering was adequate.



Putting my waterer inside one of these nest boxes may have helped also.

 

[Jayrose17]

I can't say I've seen anyone use styrofoam but its ingenious. Thank you for your input whatever happened hasn't seemed to have affected my loft my area never reaches such extreme cold, that is crazy. I think out low for the year was around 10 maybe 9 degrees and I wasn't breeding at that time. These babies were actually my first clutch of the year. Thankfully I still have the brother and he seems to be doing great thank you again

 

[Hokum Coco]

I can't say I've seen anyone use styrofoam but its ingenious.

I was apprehensive at first cause I know my chickens would have devoured that nest boxes in a matter of days. That being said my pigeons did not try to eat it. Thanks to the use of some feed bags inside the cooler it is still relatively clean.At last check I have two pairs sitting on eggs now. February is the normal month for my birds to begin breeding.

Back to your original post:
Your lost squab could have been dealt poor genetics from the get go. Also if this was the first clutch of eggs for your breeding pair their parental skills maybe not quite up to par and often only one squab survives.