Pigeon Questions

[Kusanar]

Ok, I found a wild pigeon with a broken wing, he/she is now in a cage in my house and is surprisingly tame for a wild bird. But, I have some questions...

I am currently feeding it Cockatoo food because it has a massive mix of different seeds that it can pick and choose what it wants to eat. Is this ok? Or should I get a different bird seed mix?

Perches, it does NOT want to perch and instead just stands on one foot on the floor of the cage, could this be because of the hurt wing or is it typical?

I know the water dish needs to be be deep so they can slurp, but does it need to be any other specifications?

The bird tried to sleep in the food dish I gave it, and ended up pooping in the food, again, is this typical or something weird?

Should I give it a nest? If so, what should I do about it pooping in/on it? Also, what should the nest be made of?

If it is female, will it lay eggs in the spring if not exposed to a male?

Thanks for answering these questions, I'm just trying to keep it from being cat or hawk food since if I can catch it with minimal difficulty outside, I know a cat can catch it.

 

[Kusanar]

Well, I took Felix outside yesterday since it was nice and got to get some "pretty bird" photos of him. He's getting BIG

 

[bigjohn]

I just had to respond to this post by saying what my grandson said when their betta died. He is now in a 'betta' place!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

@LamarshFish Thank You for chiming in. I'm a temporary keeper/watcher of someone else birds.
I feel better having the information you shared.

 

[Kusanar]

Well, first things first, I found a "roost" for the bird. I remembered I had a ferret litter box downstairs that hooks into the corner of a wire cage, so that is hanging in the back corner now... I guess now we get to see if he'll use it at all. I will look at different feed and water solutions this weekend.

 

[Kusanar]

It's more funny that you have different cats for different levels of your house lol

Sparta is my husbands cat, she was raised with only a few people and no other animals around, actually, she is my husbands ex gf's cat but when she broke up with him she left the cat... She is the upstairs cat.

The basement cats are 1 stray and 4 kittens from feral mothers. They are VERY affectionate and really want to be friends with Sparta but any time they get near her she hisses and gets herself so worked up that she starts hyperventilating and will eventually vomit (which then the basement cats eat... gross) so, as a general rule, Sparta is upstairs and the other 5 are downstairs so that all of the ones that play and rough house are together. Also, the dog is downstairs with the basement cats, poor guy, a few of them are bigger than he is and he gets bullied... They have to be separated when they eat or the cats will steal food from the dog!

So, upstairs, we have mealworms, snails, a fish, a pigeon, and one anti social cat... downstairs we have 5 cats and a dog... not much else would survive down there...

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

I can so relate to this! I have 2 cats that live upstairs because of the monster of a dog who lives on the main floor. No matter how much we tried she always thought chase the kitty was fun. To which she was clawed bloody...didn't stop her. She does have a Chihuahua friend, who is smaller then the cats I might add. We recently had a stray adopt us. So she is in the basement. She will venture to the main floor and oddly monster dog is easier on her. But she also slips right through the gate we have and goes upstairs. Where she is promptly growled at.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

They take to captivity fairly well. I agree if he needs to over winter with you that would be better then putting him out in the cold. A splash in the tub would be good as long as he can move his wing around. You could try the shower head on a sprinkle if not.
Lucky bird to crash land in your yard!

 

[Kusanar]

They take to captivity fairly well. I agree if he needs to over winter with you that would be better then putting him out in the cold. A splash in the tub would be good as long as he can move his wing around. You could try the shower head on a sprinkle if not.
Lucky bird to crash land in your yard!

I believe it's name will be Felix which is somewhat gender neutral and also is Latin for "lucky" because it is a very lucky bird. I think it knows it too, I can pet it with minimal fuss and change the puppy pad in the bottom of the cage without it doing anything dumb.
Funny thing is, the one cat I have that has seen it is scared of it!

 

[LamarshFish]

Ok, I found a wild pigeon with a broken wing, he/she is now in a cage in my house and is surprisingly tame for a wild bird. But, I have some questions...

Good for you taking the injured pigeon in. I have found ferals are quite tame, even compared to my racers. My racers will fight me when I handle them, and they are incredibly strong, but ferals won't do that, they almost seem happy to have me catch them and handle them. Not sure why.

I am currently feeding it Cockatoo food because it has a massive mix of different seeds that it can pick and choose what it wants to eat. Is this ok? Or should I get a different bird seed mix?

That seed mix is probably fine, just remember pigeons NEED GRIT when they eat seeds. Pigeons like peas (vetch and maple), milo, popcorn, and millet. A mix like that should suffice, so if your cockatoo food has that it should be fine. If not, most pet stores sell a dove mix of some sort, and that should work. Pigeons will also do fine with wheat, safflower, and I know some people who keep lofts of ferals that they claim do fine on sunflower seeds alone. Remember, ferals live in the wild and in our cities and seem to survive.

Chicken layer pellets work fine too, and eliminate the need to feed grit, but it will cause their poop to be more runny, and you must make sure the pellet food is NOT medicated.

Shelled, unsalted peanuts make a great treat (pigeons seem to go absolutely NUTS for them, no pun intended), but they are high in fat, so keep them as a treat only and don't over feed.

Pigeons also LOVE greens. Romaine lettuce works, but I have my birds LOVE dandelion leaves. I think they are higher in nutrients. Pick them in the yard, rinse them clean, tie them in a bundle and put them in the cage.

For grit, pigeons should really have a red or gray clay grit made for pigeons, but if you can't find that a chick sized grit mixed with crushed oyster shells should suffice temporarily. If you can't find that type of stuff, try to find a red clay brick and smash it up into pieces no bigger than bird seed and use that. If you soak that in anise or garlic oil the pigeon would be even more inclined to use it.

Perches, it does NOT want to perch and instead just stands on one foot on the floor of the cage, could this be because of the hurt wing or is it typical?

Pigeons typically like to perch higher up on flat surfaces not much smaller than an inch or two, so floor dwelling could be due to the injury or because it is scared or just getting used to being where it is. Pigeons rest with one leg up to maintain body heat I think. The leg thing is totally normal, all my pigeons do it. When the leg is up, the pigeon is resting comfortably, as uncomfortable as it looks to us humans.

I know the water dish needs to be be deep so they can slurp, but does it need to be any other specifications?

I think not, but if it's too deep the pigeon will bathe in it (pigeons love baths) I have found some kind of gravity waterer works best just because they can't soil it. A dish works fine so long as you make sure it stays clean.

As for baths, offer the bird one. They love it. Put a little borax in the water and it serves to kill parasites. If the pigeon drinks the borax water it won't harm the pigeon, but might make its poop a bit runny for a bit.

The bird tried to sleep in the food dish I gave it, and ended up pooping in the food, again, is this typical or something weird?

Pigeons sometimes want to rest in nest bowls. First, don't keep food in with the pigeon at all times. Offer it food morning and night for about 20 mintutes, then remove it. First few times the pigeon may not eat right away, but don't worry, it will figure it out very fast that it must eat when you offer the food. Following the meal, the pigeon should drink then go for grit. Keep a bowl in the cage for the bird to rest in, and a separate bowl for feeding.

Should I give it a nest? If so, what should I do about it pooping in/on it? Also, what should the nest be made of?

Pigeons really don't need nests until and unless they are breeding, so I would say no. Pigeons rest and sleep on perches.

What your pigeon does need, however is sunlight.

That 18x24 dog cage will work fine for a temporary "hospital" arrangement for the pigeon to heal; however, if you keep it, I think it needs more space, and certainly needs an option to be exposed to natural light.

If it is female, will it lay eggs in the spring if not exposed to a male?

I think not, but I'm not sure. If you decide to keep the bird, pigeons don't do well alone and you should consider getting it a mate.

Thanks for answering these questions, I'm just trying to keep it from being cat or hawk food since if I can catch it with minimal difficulty outside, I know a cat can catch it.

If you decide to just let it heal and then not keep it, don't be afraid to just let it go where you found it or even from your home if it's not too far from where you found it. Pigeons live in the cold just fine. Most ferals have solid homing instincts, and that bird will fly right back to where it came from. Pigeons are tough birds, and are also incredibly intelligent, if you haven't noticed yet.