Injured pigeon?

[LJoWilly]

While at the car wash today, I found this poor birdie. It's wing looks injured, not broken though. I was able to catch it and take it home. I've cleaned her/his wing and started antibiotics. I managed to get some electrolytes down. Seems pretty alert. Any suggestions?
Thanks Leanna

 

[CCUK]

While at the car wash today, I found this poor birdie. It's wing looks injured, not broken though. I was able to catch it and take it home. I've cleaned her/his wing and started antibiotics. I managed to get some electrolytes down. Seems pretty alert. Any suggestions?
Thanks Leanna

I'm not sure antibiotics are necessary at the moment. So long as it's wounds are cleaned and there are no obvious breaks I'd just keep it in the carrier under observation for a start. It being alert is good. It will drink when it's thirsty. Have you got any feed for it. I also think I have seen your post on Facebook. I'm in uk!

 

[LJoWilly]

I'm not sure antibiotics are necessary at the moment. So long as it's wounds are cleaned and there are no obvious breaks I'd just keep it in the carrier under observation for a start. It being alert is good. It will drink when it's thirsty. Have you got any feed for it. I also think I have seen your post on Facebook. I'm in uk!

I have regular bird feed, which its eating. I mixed in some of my chicken feed which is whole grain. He is alert, eating, drinking and wants to peck me when I go to handle him.
Yes I did post him on FB!!

 

[cavemanrich]

If he does not have any leg bands,,,, then most-likely a feral pigeon. What are your plans for him??
If you do plan to release him,,,,,,,,,, make sure he is well healed
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[LJoWilly]

Rose's injured wing. She's becoming more tame. She can fly short distances.

 

[jak2002003]

Poor baby!!

Looks like it flew into something and caught its wing 'elbow' as it did it... telephone wires are a common cause of this kind of thing.

It's a good sign that it can still fly a bit... suggest nothing is broken seriously or dislocated.

I would like to advise you that if the birds wing is drooping down you should use some masking tape or make some kind of bandage to put the wing into the correct position as the other one when resting. This will help it heal into the correct shape. Also keep the bird confined to a cage where it can't try to fly, as the rest will speed up the healing time. They heal really quickly, and I think one of 2 weeks the bird will be back to normal, then you can let if fly to strengthen the wing.

You are very kind to rescue it.

 

[LJoWilly]

Update...Rosie lost all of her primary feathers...it just fell off, no smell no oozing to the site. Actually she's doing really well, preening, eating, pooping all normal. So, I guess my next move is to get her healed and make her a house pigeon. Anyone have any advice?

 

[cavemanrich]

I will tag @Serin ,,, since he is the go to expert on indoor pet pigeons.
You can also read many of his postings on this thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pigeon-talk.1276029/page-921

 

[Serin]

Yikes. That's her whole wrist joint. Something killed the circulation and that tissue died. I've had finches that healed from similar injuries though. I would be doing antibiotics now for certain. If there's no infection past the amputation site it should heal but she will be mostly flightless. She will be able to jump and flutter, but that's it without her primaries.

They make great companion animals and tame quickly with lots of attention. Even moreso when they are disabled. She will learn you will help her get around.

She will need a cage, dog crates are really best though my bird just has a 30 x 18 bird cage. But she really only sleeps in it, so she doesn't need more room as the whole house is really her cage. Set it up with a low shelf, put food and water at floor level. House pigeons like a soft bed to roost in, mine sleeps In a tiny fleece pet bed I bought on Amazon. When I had a rescued racing bird here he also liked the bed to sleep in. Of course in the wild they don't have that, but this isn't the wild.

They need a lot of time out of the cage and to be around people as they are very social. Pigeons bond to whoever spends the most time with them, however mine is also very friendly to strangers. She took about 2 weeks to let me start petting her, 2 months before she sought it out on her own and 6 months for her to get to this level of trust with other people. She was not tame when I bought her. A feral may be more shy and may never trust that many people, but will still bond to its primary caretaker. When a pigeon trusts you, they are very devoted and affectionate and love to be petted and held.

They molt a lot and are dusty, but daily cleaning is not a big chore with one bird. Their poops wipe up easy in a tissue. I feed a pigeon specific seed mix supplemented with a small amount of parakeet pellets and always offer oyster shell grit but my bird only ever ate it when she laid eggs. They don't really need much else. A big dish of bath water a couple times a week is appreciated.

Tag me for any more specific advice!

 

[LJoWilly]

Rose is healing nicely. She is also trusting me more, as now she will climb up on the arm of the chair and sit next to me. I bought her a dog cage to give her more room to roam, and when we get home from work, she has the run of the house. For the most part she stays on the chair. I wonder, her mate was not with her when I found her. Would he have just left her because of her injuries?