Pigeon Talk

[CCUK]

I've got some sad news. The baby has died it looked like it had been stepped on real bad. Which is surprising because the parents are very experienced.

This means I've lost 4 birds in a week. The baby today, and a egg bound quail on sunday, the roller with the curled foot, and the parlor due to the hawk. And I still have till Thursday till it will be a week...

On another note, I've got some progress done on the coop. Have the frame of the window, which took forever!

@WVduckchick how's your babies!? When are the next eggs due to hatch? Wait... You do have more pidgie eggs right?

You've had a real bad run of things. I had the same thing happen with my chickens a few years back and it seemed to never end. Things will get better and springs around the corner. It great you've managed to get some more work done to the loft.

 

[biophiliac]

You've had a real bad run of things. I had the same thing happen with my chickens a few years back and it seemed to never end. Things will get better and springs around the corner. It great you've managed to get some more work done to the loft.

X2 @backyard pigeons your luck is due a turn for the better.

 

[Qwerty3159]

Sorry to hear about your birds, folks.
I had a bad accident today too. When it rains, it pours.
In a near identical repeat of yesterday's event my white hen got out and got slammed by a cooper's and crashed through trees and dense brush hitting the ground. I was on the hawk in seconds and sent him on his way and my hen seemed unscathed other than some sort of head or neck injury. She can stand and flap but has no control of her balance or what direction she moves in. Her head is tilted to the right. When I first got to her I thought she was on her way out but its been about 5 hours and I got her to sip some water so maybe not all is lost. She can stand up on her own and flap both wings but her head tilt gives her no sense of balance or direction. I ended up swaddling her in a towl and pinning it around her so she couldn't thrash around and further injure herself.
I did as much reading as I could and it seems she may have some kind of concussion or trauma but most of the results for "pigeon neck injury" are for those that are sick with PMV. This was an injury she sustained or gave herself during a predator attack. Is there any hope of her recovering or should I put her out of her misery? I can't bear the idea of her being dead but I'd rather than than have her unable to balance nd coordinate herself.

 

[biophiliac]

Sorry to hear about your birds, folks.
I had a bad accident today too. When it rains, it pours.
In a near identical repeat of yesterday's event my white hen got out and got slammed by a cooper's and crashed through trees and dense brush hitting the ground. I was on the hawk in seconds and sent him on his way and my hen seemed unscathed other than some sort of head or neck injury. She can stand and flap but has no control of her balance or what direction she moves in. Her head is tilted to the right. When I first got to her I thought she was on her way out but its been about 5 hours and I got her to sip some water so maybe not all is lost. She can stand up on her own and flap both wings but her head tilt gives her no sense of balance or direction. I ended up swaddling her in a towl and pinning it around her so she couldn't thrash around and further injure herself.
I did as much reading as I could and it seems she may have some kind of concussion or trauma but most of the results for "pigeon neck injury" are for those that are sick with PMV. This was an injury she sustained or gave herself during a predator attack. Is there any hope of her recovering or should I put her out of her misery? I can't bear the idea of her being dead but I'd rather than than have her unable to balance nd coordinate herself.

She could recover. I would give her a chance. Keep her in a small enclosure, cage or box so she can't move too much and let her calm down and then see if she will eat or drink. After a day or so I'd check again very carefully to see if any puncture wounds were missed. It could take some time to correct her balance.

I was thinking about your escape problem and wondered if you attached a tarp over the top of your door hanging down to cover the opening so that you push it aside when you enter and it automatically falls back down over the door opening behind you?

 

[biophiliac]

@Qwerty3159 I think that euthanasia is an option for a bird whose quality of life is badly compromised. I just would not be in a hurry to make that decision. I considered putting down a hen who couldn't fly but after almost 4 months she recovered enough to return to the loft.

 

[Qwerty3159]

She could recover. I would give her a chance. Keep her in a small enclosure, cage or box so she can't move too much and let her calm down and then see if she will eat or drink. After a day or so I'd check again very carefully to see if any puncture wounds were missed. It could take some time to correct her balance.

I was thinking about your escape problem and wondered if you attached a tarp over the top of your door hanging down to cover the opening so that you push it aside when you enter and it automatically falls back down over the door opening behind you?

I like that idea. I might also just make a smaller door inside the door as a sort of feeding hatch. I can't blame them for wanting to be out because they've been cooped up and the weather has been very nice lately but the damn hawks are too much.
Edit: she's wrapped up in a towel inside another towel in a box

 

[WVduckchick]

I've got some sad news. The baby has died it looked like it had been stepped on real bad. Which is surprising because the parents are very experienced.

This means I've lost 4 birds in a week. The baby today, and a egg bound quail on sunday, the roller with the curled foot, and the parlor due to the hawk. And I still have till Thursday till it will be a week...

On another note, I've got some progress done on the coop. Have the frame of the window, which took forever!

@WVduckchick how's your babies!? When are the next eggs due to hatch? Wait... You do have more pidgie eggs right?

Any loft progress is good.
So sorry about the recent string of bad luck.
I have two sets due soon. March 16th and 20th. Bonnie and Clyde first, then Shadow and Java, the parlor rollers.

You've had a real bad run of things. I had the same thing happen with my chickens a few years back and it seemed to never end. Things will get better and springs around the corner. It great you've managed to get some more work done to the loft.

Right? Seems like bad stuff strings together, then we have times of calm and not much happens.

Sorry to hear about your birds, folks.
I had a bad accident today too. When it rains, it pours.
In a near identical repeat of yesterday's event my white hen got out and got slammed by a cooper's and crashed through trees and dense brush hitting the ground. I was on the hawk in seconds and sent him on his way and my hen seemed unscathed other than some sort of head or neck injury. She can stand and flap but has no control of her balance or what direction she moves in. Her head is tilted to the right. When I first got to her I thought she was on her way out but its been about 5 hours and I got her to sip some water so maybe not all is lost. She can stand up on her own and flap both wings but her head tilt gives her no sense of balance or direction. I ended up swaddling her in a towl and pinning it around her so she couldn't thrash around and further injure herself.
I did as much reading as I could and it seems she may have some kind of concussion or trauma but most of the results for "pigeon neck injury" are for those that are sick with PMV. This was an injury she sustained or gave herself during a predator attack. Is there any hope of her recovering or should I put her out of her misery? I can't bear the idea of her being dead but I'd rather than than have her unable to balance nd coordinate herself.

Oh my! Hope she’s ok!

@Qwerty3159 I think that euthanasia is an option for a bird whose quality of life is badly compromised. I just would not be in a hurry to make that decision. I considered putting down a hen who couldn't fly but after almost 4 months she recovered enough to return to the loft.

Have to agree with this.

 

[biophiliac]

@WVduckchick - new pics of the babies? From Rocky and Trig, is that right?

Loper laid a second egg today.

 

[Serin]

Update on my house pigeon, Olive is now molting and drops enough feathers every day to make a new pigeon, so the vaccuum is always plugged in nearby, but beyond that she is a perfect angel with no flaws.

She has been here four weeks. She is now very bonded to me, and goes to other people but will not let them touch her unless she is eating out of their hand (she is with my aunt in the photo below.) With me, she will sit on the arm rest of my chair for hours and let me pet her, and she'll nuzzle me back, as long as I am willing.

She has become very fond of her little plush bed and spends the night in it.

She takes to water like a duck and will just sit in the tub for up to half an hour, taking a soak.

She is very picky though, and still will not eat a pellet or a vegetable. I am pushing to make her diet about half seed and half pet bird pellets for their vitamin content, because she is not getting vitamin D from the sun as she is a house bird, but she doesn't recognize them as food. If I peck around with my finger, she gets the idea but she just picks them up and drops them.

Photos in the next post because I have to post them from mobile.

 

[Serin]