i live in the united states and her most people consider pigeons "flying rats" however me myself see them as one of Gods creatures and when one is hurt I come to its aid if I can. I need to know information on what to do when a birds wing is broken. I would like to keep him as a pet now or return him or her to the wild when it is all better any help would be greatly apreciated.

If you find a bird with a broken wing, you might be able to help. A bird who has a broken wing will usually be grounded and will hold one wing lower than the other. If you can easily catch the bird, that in itself usually means the bird is injured. Read through the instructions below to get started.

Note: If you don't know what kind of bird you're dealing with, you might need to get help from a rehabilitator. Some large birds (hawks, owls, herons, etc.) can cause you injury. Pigeons and all other kinds of doves cannot cause injury to humans. You can pick up the bird and help without worrying about getting hurt or hurting the bird.

Step One: Bring the Bird to Safety

Before doing any work, bring the bird to a safe, quiet place away from all other animals. If necessary, use a net to catch the bird, but be very careful not to cause further injury. A pigeon who is otherwise healthy but has a broken wing will try to run away from you. You’ll need to try to corner the bird so you can catch him. Confine the injured or sick pigeon in a small place (box, cage, pet carrier). Wait until you are inside a closed-off room before working on your bird.

Step Two: Examine the Bird

The fact that a bird isn’t flying doesn’t necessarily mean that the wing is broken. The bird may be sick or injured in some other way. A broken wing will hang differently from the other wing, lower or at an awkward angle. It may drag on the ground. If the wing was broken recently, it can usually be fixed. If the bird has some other problem, though, or is sick, you must get the bird to an avian vet immediately.



Before working on the wing, look for any open wounds. If you see any blood or sign of infection, you should get the bird to an avian vet immediately. If you are caring for the bird yourself, wash the wound (I use a heavily diluted iodine solution) and apply antibiotic. If the bird has an infection, it will need to be on antibiotics, so you will need the help of an avian vet.



Step Three: Immobilize the Broken Wing

If you are sure that you have an otherwise healthy bird with a broken wing and no infections or serious open wounds, you may proceed to secure the broken wing.

Part One: Gather the necessary equipment:

vet tape (gauze that sticks to itself)

scissors

Part Two: Tape the Wing



1. Cut about 10-12 inches (unstretched) of tape.



2. Using your hands, secure the broken wing against the body in its natural position.

3. Wrap the tape on the outside of the broken wing and around the body under the healthy wing.

CAUTION: You must be sure that you are not obstructing breathing! Do not wrap too tightly.

It helps if you can have someone else hold his feet back and then hold his good wing up.



4. Secure the tape to itself.



5. Watch the bird for several minutes. The bird might fall over and be awkward for the first day. His feet should be free to move around, but his broken wing needs to be immobile. He might use his other wing for balance – that’s fine. Be sure that his feet are behind the tape (on the tail side) and that they do not get caught in the tape.

WARNING: If the bird is able to drink by himself, be SURE that his water dish is small and shallow so that he will not drown. The bird has limited mobility and can easily drown in his water dish unless you place the dish strategically and make sure it is shallow (not more than 1/3 inch deep).

Step Four: Hydrate the Bird

If the bird is injured (but not sick), be sure that he gets water immediately and try to get some food into him. Leave him some good seed and check frequently to make sure he's eating. If he's not, you'll need to hand feed him or get him to an avian vet immediately.

Note: Tubefeeding is for pigeons ONLY. For pigeons and doves, use baby bird formula, such as Kaytee Exact. It's safest to just put a swallow at a time into his beak if you're unfamiliar with tubefeeding. Use wet cat food for insect-eating birds.



Step Five: Check the Bird

Keep the bird in a safe place and confined to a small area, preferably a bird cage. Check the bird frequently to make sure the tape is still secure and that he's eating and drinking. You will need leave the tape on for two to four weeks. Change it weekly or more often if it gets soiled.



Step Six: Let the Bird Fly Again

After the bird's wing is healed, you will need to put him in a bigger place and let him learn to fly again. If he can fly well, he can be released to the same place where you found him. If he cannot fly well, he should not be released. In the latter case, get the bird to a rehabilitator or anyone who is willing to care for him.

I think that is wondeful that you are trying to help the bird and Im glad this board has people like Ed that are willing to share their knowledge.

Here's a little thing I also do for a broken wing after I tape it up. I find a sock that is not loose or tight on the bird cut the toe and heel off and cover the broken wing and body with it keeping the good wing free. I do this only if the bird pulls at the tape trying to get it off or gets it off.

To speed up recovery, I use Arnica Montana 1 pill twice a day. You can get it in the health shop.

Ed,

WOW!!!!

FANTASTIC post. So helpful with such good information and especially with the pictures! GREAT JOB!!

Barnba - Hope Ed's great post helped you out.

Linda

Great information from everyone here!

Welcome to the forum Barnba and thank you for your kind care of the pigeon. Wishing you the very best of luck with his/her recovery. Do update us when you can.

I found a pigeon outside.It's been hit by a car in bad shape.I brought him in cleaned his wounds gave him pedialyte a nice warm towel in a box.PLEASE HELP

MY number 606-439-6131

Im glad you found the bird.
How bad is it hurt?
Can you post some pictures of it?

Ed he looks pretty bad but is drinking water.I can try to post pic. just learning the computer.

virginia noffsinger wrote:Ed he looks pretty bad but is drinking water.I can try to post pic. just learning the computer.

i got the pics there

Hi Virginia,

Thanks for helping out this needy pigeon, the injury looks pretty bad. Are bones exposed? Can you post any larger pics?

I don't know if this is helpful for you or not, but my Wildlife Rehabilitation Society was definitely useful when I found Ollie. Below is a link to the Central Kentucky Wildlife Rehabilitation and they have a list of licensed rehabilitators by county, second bullet down on the homepage.

Central Kentucky Wildlife Rehabilitation

Good luck.

Excellent resource link to rehabbers, Cyreen!

I got the pigeon to the vet.Thanks to all of you.He/she is gonna be allright.The wildlife people will be here to get it.Thanks again for all the great info.Great website.

Hi Virginia,

Thanks for the update and I'm glad to hear that the pigeon will probably be ok. Did you take the pigeon to the vet yourself? And were you able to contact someone from the rehabbers lists Cyreen provided? When the wildlife person comes, ask them about their policies and if they will actually rehabilitate the pigeon and release if able. Not all organizations have the same policies.

I am glad we could help you in some small way though.

Yes,I took the pigeon myself.I also contacted the people off the list cyreen gave.They are coming tom. to pick him/her or pollie as i called it ,up.I was able to come home smiling noing pollie is going to be allright.I also just called to check on pollie and they said all is good.I miss pollie already.Thanks again to all of you and this website.

You did an awesome job! I'm glad I could help.

Well done Virginia for helping this poor pigeon who, thanks to you will now hopefully have better times ahead once he/she has recovered.

Welcome to the forum by the way and I'm glad we could be of assistance to you. I do hope you will stick around and share stories about your own pets.

Thanks Cyreen for the rehab link you posted. A most useful resource for a member and injured pigeon who needed it most urgently.