Pigeon Talk

[cavemanrich]

Back again today looking for advice,

I’ve actually never had this happen before but I have a pigeon with a sore/injured wing. The 4 y.o. hen I mentioned in my previous post. She can fly up and down to the perches and her nest box with some effort but the wing definitely is bothering her. It’s drooping slightly but not hanging down at an awkward angle. No blood or anything and no collisions with power lines as far as I know, I noticed the injury today, she hasn’t been out of the loft in about a week as she is currently feeding squabs.

Will it heal on its own, or time for the vet?

How is your pigeon doing now???? Its been 10 days

 

[Qwerty3159]

How is your pigeon doing now???? Its been 10 days

Thanks for asking. Not 100% better but she is nearly there. The last few days she has flown some laps with the other pigeons but lands early. I see some improvement every day, there is no longer any hesitation to fly up into the nest box or across the yard to the driveway where I typically give them treats. I had her locked up for most of the ten days to try and heal but she is very ready to be outside, I’m hoping the light exercise will help too.

I took her to a vet end of last week and they palpated it, there was swelling at the elbow but nothing felt broken or fractured. I didn’t pay for the x-ray because I felt like the entire visit was a waste of money, it was nice to have my suspicions confirmed but unfortunate to not hear any new information.
On the way back from the vet I stopped to visit a local racer and he told me the same thing - for free - and that it would heal on its own.

It’s not noticeably swollen anymore. Luckily she’s a tough bird with a good mate and I don’t think the injury has been bothering her too much. I think having squabs to feed helps, so she’s active and not moping around.

 

[rolohman]

Thanks for asking. Not 100% better but she is nearly there. The last few days she has flown some laps with the other pigeons but lands early. I see some improvement every day, there is no longer any hesitation to fly up into the nest box or across the yard to the driveway where I typically give them treats. I had her locked up for most of the ten days to try and heal but she is very ready to be outside, I’m hoping the light exercise will help too.

I took her to a vet end of last week and they palpated it, there was swelling at the elbow but nothing felt broken or fractured. I didn’t pay for the x-ray because I felt like the entire visit was a waste of money, it was nice to have my suspicions confirmed but unfortunate to not hear any new information.
On the way back from the vet I stopped to visit a local racer and he told me the same thing - for free - and that it would heal on its own.

It’s not noticeably swollen anymore. Luckily she’s a tough bird with a good mate and I don’t think the injury has been bothering her too much. I think having squabs to feed helps, so she’s active and not moping around.

Thank you for the update, from a lurker! Just getting started, and it is really useful to even just hear about how someone more experienced would approach such a problem. Wishing yours the best of luck in continued healing!

 

[avjudge]

Well my lone pigeon quandary from two weeks ago may have solved itself. I just may have lost another pigeon, male this time. I was away yesterday afternoon and when I came home and closed up the aviary I found my original pigeon, Milou, was not there. I have had my homers stay out overnight — not often or recently, but it has happened — but Milou appeared to be a utility breed, 50% heavier than my homers. He would occasionally go out, flying from aviary to house roof, and this week he and his mate were between eggs so that might have tempted him out as they went together. I haven’t seen any sign of white feathers in the yard, but my best guess would be a hawk. Our local hawks are small, Broadwinged, but I have also on two occasions seen a member of our town’s bald eagle population making a pass across our yard.

If he doesn’t return I will watch through the winter and see if the two lonely hearts pair up.

 

[avjudge]

.I just may have lost another pigeon, male this time. . .

Well this is pretty definitive. Across the road from the barn & aviary, in the llama pasture - hard to see in the picture but there are drops of blood here and there all over them. There’s another similar pile a few feet over.

 

[Qwerty3159]

I’m sorry to hear about that.

That definitely looks like a bird of prey attack to me, the plucking at the scene of the attack is always a telltale sign. I would keep them inside for a bit.

Nothing is for sure, but they’ll come back after a successful hunt almost always

 

[avjudge]

I’m sorry to hear about that.

That definitely looks like a bird of prey attack to me, the plucking at the scene of the attack is always a telltale sign. I would keep them inside for a bit.

Nothing is for sure, but they’ll come back after a successful hunt almost always

Yes, that sounds like a good idea. It also seems to be the season for it; the only thing until now that seemed like a hawk attack was the day a couple falls ago (I believe it was also October, two or three years ago) when I was sitting at my desk and heard a *thwang* like something hitting a window screen. I looked out — the window overlooks the backyard — and saw a largish brown bird flying from the aviary to land in an apple tree. I have always assumed that it thought it saw a bunch of easy marks there on the floor of the aviary, and didn’t recognize the presence of the hardware cloth sides.

I was keeping my birds in at that time and needless to say did not change that for the rest of that season.

 

[Qwerty3159]

For sure, fall at least in the northern hemisphere is definitely a period of heightened hawk activity. It’s rare for me to have any issues with them at all from spring-end of summer and then it ramps up fast by October, continuing into the spring.

There’s a variety of factors, young hawks born this year are now fully independent from their parents, some will be struggling for food as bird populations generally decrease locally with migration and the halt in breeding. Additionally, many of these hawks migrate (broad-winged and red shouldered will fly south) and the juvenile hawks born this year will also be moving around looking for new territories.

And yes, the hawks will absolutely slam the wire and try to get the birds inside. A few winters ago I went out to my loft and saw blood splattered all over the snow, I was fearing the worst and expecting one of my pigeons to be dead inside, mangled by the hawk. All I found was a bloodied, snapped off hawk talon on the outside of the wire and some shaken up pigeons inside. Birds of prey seem to get VERY dialed in when they’re chasing potential prey, and the Cooper’s hawk in particular (which is probably what’s taking your birds) is a seemingly reckless creature. This is one reason hawks and owls get hit with cars in such frequency compared to other birds.

 

[avjudge]

Well, that was fast! I went out to serve breakfast and Binnie was on the perch outside Miraboo’s nest box. Seems like she doesn’t intend to remain single for any time at all. After flying down for food she returned to her own nest box, but an hour later I found her with Miraboo inside his again.

 

[Qwerty3159]

For how strong the pair bond can be, they waste no time pairing up again after the loss of a mate.

I have one hen who has been widowed three times, I think she’s cursed lol