Good Evening,
I was hoping for some advice. I have been feeding the local birds in my (very small) garden for a couple of years now. Two nights ago, I found a pigeon standing just inside back door, it didn't move when I approached. Only when I got really close it walked off, it is clearly injured. At first I thought it had a broken wing - it retreated into my (open fronted) shed at the back. I made a kind of temporary shelter by moving some spare boards of wood.
The next morning when I checked on it and put some more food down, it tried to run and kept falling over face first, I am guessing it has done something fairly serious to itself. It survived that night and today seems more active, exploring my garden and sneaking out a little way through the gap left for the hedgehogs... but came back at night.
So it seems it is going to live, it is eating and drinking and capable of pottering around. I guess it is not going to fly again though. So I was hoping for some advice, obviously the best thing to do is take it to the vets - however I am unable to afford the standard vet costs. Is it worth me making a more permanent shelter at ground level ? If so, any dos and don'ts ? Since my garden is *really* small, is the wild seed & fat balls I put out enough for it ?
Or perhaps I am missing something more obvious to do ? Thank you for your time in reading this.
Advice please !
Hi and welcome to the site, if you have the means then do get it off the floor, if injured can heal ok as you say eating and drinking then cannot be anything to serious wrong, wild seed is fine not to sure on fat balls though as long as safe and secure will be fine in a box couple feet wide and about 18 inches high
Does it have any rings on or not, also injured wings can and do heal sometimes birds unable to fly very well after others never again
Finally ask any questions you have we will do our best and thank you for trying to help it
Does it have any rings on or not, also injured wings can and do heal sometimes birds unable to fly very well after others never again
Finally ask any questions you have we will do our best and thank you for trying to help it
Thank you most kindly for such a fast response ! I was under the mistaken impression that if the wing ( + ribs ?) were broken then that was that. It doesn't seem to have any rings around its feet. If I get it off the floor, isn't it likely to hurt itself when trying to get down again ? Or did you mean put it into a box with a lid so that it cannot get out ? Do I need to have anything in the box (e.g. conjure straw from somewhere) or just some plain mdf would be fine ?
For birds that do get better, it is likely to be a couple of weeks or a couple of months ? (I can see myself making this elaborate box and then find it flying away a week later
)
My biggest next concern is the local cats - finding it hard to imagine a box that it can get out of when/if it gets better when I can put food and water AND not let it be a lunchbox for a cat.
For birds that do get better, it is likely to be a couple of weeks or a couple of months ? (I can see myself making this elaborate box and then find it flying away a week later
) My biggest next concern is the local cats - finding it hard to imagine a box that it can get out of when/if it gets better when I can put food and water AND not let it be a lunchbox for a cat.
Hi grudruk. Thanks for joining the site to ask about this pigeon. If possible try to get a photo of the pigeon. It may have just been very dehydrated. It does sound as though it could have a problem with flight. It may be just that it is very run down. It probably won’t eat the fat balls. Wild bird seed is fine. A few sunflower hearts would also be beneficial and of course water available. It will be quite happy making itself at home in your shed as long as no predators can get to it. You could make a box for it to get in and out of open at the front rather than the top. Has it got a ring on ?
Let us know how it goes. You could find it improves over the next few days.
Let us know how it goes. You could find it improves over the next few days.
Back just enjoying club racing for the time being.
Just seen that Buster replied just before me. Along the same lines though. It is surprising how quickly pigeons recover. If the wing isn’t broken it could be up and about in a few days. It won’t hurt itself getting up and down into a box as long as it’s not to high up. Cats could be a problem. You could have a box with wire in the front so that you can shut it in at least at night. It won’t need anything in the box. MDF would be fine.
Back just enjoying club racing for the time being.
Good Afternoon, found an old plastic storage bucket - seemed to be about the right dimensions, so turned it upside down for it to use. It has pottered about the garden a bit today but when I got close (to put the kids bikes in the shed), it fell over on it's face a couple of times whilst backing away, it doesn't look well - but does seem to be eating (based on droppings appearing in unusual places). Here are a couple of photos:
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