What's wrong with our pigeon ?

[MsCannaBass]

We rescued 15 white pigeons from a family thats house burned down in a huge California wildfire. We have had them over a month. They live in a nice large coop with 2 naked neck chickens & a rooster.We found today one of the pigeons we think is hurt. When we went out to feed this morning this little one wasnt moving around & stayed in one place. A roommate was able to gently scoop it up in her hands without resistance. Upon a closer look nothing appears physically wrong with it. She carried it over & put it in a tall box with a clean washcloth & small bowl of water. The pidgeon is now just sitting there. It looks at you when u peak at it but it's just not doing anything. I'm attaching a pic I took.
Any idea of what's going on with it? What should we do with it ? How do we care for it?

Please & thank you!

 

[WVduckchick]

Do the pigeons have roosts where they can get away from the chickens? Could the rooster be abusing it?

Does its poop look abnormal? Check inside the mouth for any sores. Canker is common with pigeons. Others will jump in with other suggestions.

beautiful bird, by the way!


Another thought - maybe she is trying to lay an egg? Or eggbound?

 

[MsCannaBass]

Yes they have a place to roost & its poop looks normal.

Funny you should mention the eggs...in the last week they have been laying eggs. So maybe she is trying to lay one?

I just checked on it & it has moved to the other side of the box but still looks the same. Although it seems to be breathing a little heavy.

 

[backyard pigeons]

We rescued 15 white pigeons from a family thats house burned down in a huge California wildfire. We have had them over a month. They live in a nice large coop with 2 naked neck chickens & a rooster.We found today one of the pigeons we think is hurt. When we went out to feed this morning this little one wasnt moving around & stayed in one place. A roommate was able to gently scoop it up in her hands without resistance. Upon a closer look nothing appears physically wrong with it. She carried it over & put it in a tall box with a clean washcloth & small bowl of water. The pidgeon is now just sitting there. It looks at you when u peak at it but it's just not doing anything. I'm attaching a pic I took.
Any idea of what's going on with it? What should we do with it ? How do we care for it?

Please & thank you!

hello.

Do the pigeons have a place to roost, that the chickens can't get to? This is critical of you want to have success keeping the two together.
This is unlikely the cause, due to no open wounds, but it will happen sooner or later if they don't have perches just for themselves.

Do they touch direct earth? Meaning, soil with no shavings on top of the dirt. If they are touching soil, they likely have worms. Worms don't have many symptoms until they explode in population inside the pigeon. Signs of worms are runny droppings, inactiveness, and not drinking much water. If this is the case, here is how I treat it.

2 cc of ivermectin. per gallon of water of yes, it's an injectable for cattle and swine. It works! Don't do more than this! Keep it out of direct light, as it will 'ferment'. Let the bird drink it. You might have to force some down with a syringe. The bird will likely be sitting on the ground ruffled.

It may have coccidiosis. Do research on this. The droppings may have a bit of blood in them, but not always. The droppings will be runny, the bird will stand ruffled on its perch.

It may be egg bound. I don't know though. It's rare. Feel carefully towards its vent, to see if you can feel an lump. If so, I have no experience dealing with a surgery. But a warm bath can help.

Yes they have a place to roost & its poop looks normal.

Funny you should mention the eggs...in the last week they have been laying eggs. So maybe she is trying to lay one?

I just checked on it & it has moved to the other side of the box but still looks the same. Although it seems to be breathing a little heavy.

how big is it's beak? Is it short? From the picture it looks more like a Satinnete. (Old English frill) but perhaps not.

Lacing like that is unusual in homers, but not unheard of. either way, it's a good looking pigeon!

 

[MsCannaBass]

It does have a few places to roost with out being near the chickens. However they do go on the ground in the coop a lot & the ground is just dirt.

I believe its beak is short compared to other pigeons too

 

[backyard pigeons]

It does have a few places to roost with out being near the chickens. However they do go on the ground in the coop a lot & the ground is just dirt.

I believe its beak is short compared to other pigeons too

I think it has some worms. It will die unless you intervene. get some of what I suggested above. I have not had any success using pigeon wormers labeled specifically for pigeons.

 

[MsCannaBass]

Well this morning the pigeon passed away sadly.

All other pigeons appear to be happy & healthy.

Their poop looks completely normal & no worms have been seen in their poop & we checked the coop for any worms or anything that could be hazardous and did not find anything.

Aside from taking one to the vet to check, how can we tell if they do have worms?

 

[WVduckchick]

So sorry for your loss.

@casportpony @Kiki

 

[MsCannaBass]

Thank you