Hi, i just joined to see if anyone can help.

I found a pigeon in my office car park. we are surrounded by tall buildings, and although he* does not seem to be visibly injured ( no blood, bent wings or marks) he is not really using his legs properly, and is very lethargic.
he was also quite cold and did not respond as i would have imagined when i picked him up, so i suspect he may have banged into something like a window and shocked or stunned himself. his eyelids are quite heavy, and when i put him down, he flaps to steady himself as i would imagine, but he is not really walking.
I have given him some water with sugar in it with a pippet thingy, and some porridge made up with water, just a few squirts every couple of hours, and he is warm in a hutch in my kitchen. i checked inside his beak to make sure he didn't have any blockages before i fed him, and he is swallowing the food ok. however he is not yet making moves to feed himself. this could be shock so i will keep checking on him and see if after a night of rest and quiet he picks up a bit more.
is there anything else i can do for him??
please email me -
millie_mole@hotmail.co.uk

thank you
Katy, Nottingham, UK

This is not my speciality but if you research a little on this forum you will find there are 3 priorities needed to save or aid an injured or sick pigeon when you have no idea how they became this way.
As I remember they are ..

provide warmth and safety, provide access to water ( 2 " deep container) with pedialite, sugar etc., provide food in the form of seed ( if possible)

I am friends with the flu this past week and am thick headed and not clear thinking... someone will be here soon

this thread pretty much covers it.
http://pigeonchat.forumakers.com/t2799-neighbor-has-pigeon-found-in-her-doorway-in-distress?highlight=helping+a+sick+pigeon

thank you Manic you are right, that is TOTALLY the best thread for Percy-research (i too got fed up of calling him 'him', will have to find another thread that tells me how to tell whether Percy is actually a girl or not...)

keep everything crossed for him, thank you again for your help

best wishes
Katy

Welcome and thanks for helping this pigeon.

Hopefully with some care and rest, he will recover shortly. Good luck with him!

Linda

Percy update!

i have just seen him trying to walk!! thats the first time i have seen him trying to use his feet since i picked him up this afternoon!
will give him another feed before bedtime, and leave him some more over night. hopefully in the morning he might be able to feed himself.
he must have been utterly exhausted and i reckon i just got to him in time.

thank you for your help and advice on here guys! i think Percy will be with us for a while now, so will let you know how he gets on!


best wishes,
Katy

Welcome to the forum Katy and it sounds like your on the right track with the pigeon and thank you for saving it and that thread that Maniac recommanded is a good one with lots of different advice...Glad you are going to keep us updated on the birdie..Thanks once again...

Hi Katy,

Thanks for taking care of the litttle guy. Please keep us up-dated

Kate

thank you! i'm hoping that by tomorrow he will be up and about. we have a secure outdoor enclosure for the ex-battery hens so if he is doing ok and it isn't too cold out in a couple of days i may see if he wants to go for a bit of a stroll. will make sure the hens are elsewhere though as they are a demanding bunch of ladies and i'm not sure he needs a bunch of women hassling him just yet!

good news guys. Percy can stand up by himself this morning! my pics are too large to post on here, but if anyone wants to see and they are on twitter you can follow me -
@Bearoftheworld

Hi Katy and Welcome!

Thanks for taking the time to research how you can help this bird and I'm glad our members have helped you. I'm happy to read that the pigeon is gaining strength and doing better! How familiar are you with pigeons? And what is the "porridge" you're feeding?

Some pictures might help us guess at things but unfortunately many of us do not belong to twitter. You can post your larger photos in your own created photo album because they will be automatically resized.

Sexing pigeons can be very difficult. I hope Percy continues to improve and keep us posted.

see profile pic! (hopefully)
a friend who has cared for quite a few wild pigeons suggested hand feeding him some oats/cereal/seeds mixed up with water to a paste to make it easier for him to eat. haven't given him any bread as i felt that would not be good for him.
he has also been able to drink water if i dip his beak into a cup for him, and have done this for him every couple of hours. seems to be helping him and as you can see he is strong enough to stand on his feet properly now. . . still watching him closely though, and have a plate of seed in there for him too in case he has an urge to try and eat by himself. he is also nice and warm

Hi Katy,

It's hard to tell anything from your avatar picture other than Percy looks like a nice checker. A little scared too understandably, but comfy and warm in the battery cage. The porridge mixture doesn't sound too bad, but how are you feeding this? Must be pretty thick and hard to feed. lol. I'm sure the pigeon will start to eat the seed on it's own you're putting out and probably is pecking at them when you're not looking.

Hoping that things have improved further for the bird.

he still won't eat by himself, i have to feed him with a syringe and make sure the food is quite liquid like he's a baby. he will stand by himself but he tends to tip over forwards when you put him down on a surface. he will automatically flap his wings out but doesn't have much strength. when he is standing he doesn't tend to move about at all, and hasn't eaten any food i have left him overnight.
i am really worried that he hasn't started eating for himself yet, even though he is definitely more alert now

he isn't standing very well now

don;t know what to do.

Your long distance in England and I am going to try to get a hold of a person by the name of Feefo because I am concerned about his legs for he should be walking and hopping and this does not sound good...Keep feeding him and try to pop so whole seeds in his mouth and not so much liquid liquid it would be easier for you for he is fully feathered. If you could get a better picture of him to put on here as well especially the legs and the position that they are in this would be good. Make sure he has all the water he needs with dipping his beak in the water and keep him very warm and cozy and secure. Bird seed is good, millet, wheat, small corn, dried peas,oats,flax, sunflower,hemp, and all the other seeds that you have where you are and a hard boiled egg from calcuim and protein and rolled up lettuce, peas, corn, apple, (cut up in pieces) and put down throat carefully....Feed about every 3 or 4 hours until night 5-6 and then put him to bed for the night and leave him have peace to gain strength for the next day. I don't like his feet problems and you might need professional help while he is still young to do something with but we really need pictures.....My friends web site is
http://pigeonrescueuk.webscom/ Hope everything gets better and I hope Feefo gets in contact soon.

if you see he cant stand properly now

This does not look good and we need some professional people to help you with this and I am hoping Feefo gets back to me quick and your live in Nottingham England and she might be able to get us a good rehabber or something in your area. She is wonderful with pigeons and they have been her whole life but for some reason she has trouble getting on to Pigeonchat (technical problems) and usually she can read the chats from the outside and contact me pretty quick and I hope this is the case right now and then I will let you know what she says.. I don't like the looks of his eyes either and just asking do you have any avian vets there or do you know where there is rehabbers in your area. For the vet say the bird is a pet and don't let them put him down if they suggest that for there is help to be got on different forums. Can you open his mouth and flash a flashlight down to look for yellow sores, mucus, or bad smell and turn him over and look at his vent--any sores or yellow spots , lose of hair, smell anything unusual. He looks like he needs complex B vitamins and calcuim and a rehabber or vet could help you with this.. Do not overfeed him for this would make a factor for lung impact and keep him warm so that he won't use up his energy to warm himself. Keep her quiet and secure and do the same until we locate a professional person...It does not look good and you have a right to be concerned at this point...I will post as soon as Feefo contacts me to let you know what she is going to suggest. She is a birdie friend and has saved a whole bunch of pigeons and has contacts in your area as well--she is wonderful and you can trust her....

thank you. i spoke to a rescue place earlier who said to carry on trying, not long after that he stopped standing. i have given him so seed and am keeping him warm & hoping for the best. also doing some reiki.

Good for you Katy and I will post as soon as I hear something from Feefo and she can recommand a real good rehab place that does not put birds down or give you advise on what to do with your birdie...There is a variety of things that might be wrong: Worms: Canker: Vitamin B and D deficiencey: splayed legs: and other things as well and as you know this all needs to be sorted out. His eyes look funny to me and reminds me of a worm problem---but I don't know---Feefo will help and I will contact you as soon as I get her post....