Hi there, Im writing to ask for some advice. My dad tried to shoot a poor beautiful nesting pigeon on Sunday (god knows why!) Luckily he missed and scared her off, but this evening I found her cowering in one of my chicken houses. I picked her up and checked her over and she has a nasty graze on her elbow joint. She can flap her wings but she can't fly! She seems okay but let me pick her up, she is very frigtened and quiet but isn't showing the usual sick signs of a bird (eyes closed, puffed up, laboured breathign etc.) I have put her in a spare chicken house with some food and water for the evening but I don't know what else I can do for her?? Or how to tell what exactly is wrong with her. Any advice you could give me would be fab... I'm hoping to help her recover and get her back into the wild. If she doesnt recover she is welcome to stop here... Dad wont be going any where near her from now on. Im very cross with him! I work all day but will check on her as soon as I get home. I'm actually quite good with poultry I breed bantams chickens and ducks so I have all the usual medical supplies, baytril, ivermectin etc. I just don't know where I would start with a pigeon! Is she okay to keep near the chickens also? Obviously I wash my hands after handling any animals and between different species (I keep 64 chickens, 6 ducks, 2 geese, 3 dogs, 3 cats and I foster 14 mice and 2 rabbits!!) but I dont want her to give/get anything to/from the chickens! She has her own house to sleep in in an open barn and she is free to leave if she wants but she'd have to fly over our fence. On the plus side because it's my chicken barn it is fox proof. Please reply ASAP! I need help!!

LulubellaChook, Hi and welcome to our forum. If it were me I would bring her inside to a secure place where the cats and dogs can not get at her inside. Maybe in a dog kennel or a cage or something that is secure and I would put food and water down (mix seeds) and watch her to see that she eats and drinks and I would keep her warm as well. Outside in that open barn even if it is fox proof she would be a sitting duck for other things for she cannot fly just yet. I would also check that elbow on her foot out really well and maybe put some antibiotic cream on it as well. I would keep her away from the chickens and secure her in your home for now until you get a better handle on her situation. She might need water really bad and I would also dip her beak in a bowl of water to see if she will suck it up and have water and food down for her to eat when she gets over the strange situation she is in and you could feed her some of your chicken scratch for now until you can get other things for her like dried peas for these are protein and a pigeon needs protein. You could also get some high calcuim grit for her and have that down for her too. Since you are good with chickens and a assortment of animals I would check her for canker and check her droppings to make sure they are more normal than not for now..Being in the wild she could have worms and a fecal float would be good to have from the vet later but for now just secure her, give her food and water, and keep her warm, make sure she is not dehydrated (not blinking her eyes a lot) and check her mouth area out with a flash light and make sure there is no yellow spots or sores or smell of any kind as well as her vent area and let her be peaceful and observe her. Thats I would do and I hope that this helps you. You are wonderful to care about this pigeon and you could at this point in time be saving her life...Other people with more expertise will be on here and where are you posting from? If it is from the United Kingdom and that area there is a wonderful website that you could browse for even more information and the person who has this website is Feefo and I would be willing to get in touch with her for you if your in that area.
Good luck with your pigeon and hope everything goes well with it...Any questions just ask away and people will eventually be on to help you out...Thanks for caring about the pigeon...

One more question for you said she was nesting--now are there babies in the nest and does she have a male mate with her for this would change the scenerio of bringing her into the house and are they just eggs she is nesting on for if she left them for a long period they are most likely cold now and no good. But if no mate or live babies I would bring her inside..as I suggested... c.hert

Thank you for all your advice it's been super helpful!

It's the bent joint on her wing, and I think I have found a BB pellet wedge in there. Thankfully I got in touch with a UK based pigeon lover and also my rodent rescue friend who have told me what to do and recommended a decent local vet to get it checked out. Unfortunately people view pigeons as vermin here so you have to be careful which vet you go to

I think she was nesting but I cant get high enough to check the nest as it is right in the roof, there aren't any chicks cheeping so I am hoping she had only just started nesting and hadn't laid anything yet. It is still cold in Wales at the moment.

She was bright and perky this morning but I am planning to give her rehydration fluids and chicken mash tonight just in case, she has had access to food and water and I shut her in the chook house to keep her safe. Unfortunately I cant have her indoors.... I also don't want her to get too tame so I think she will have to sleep in one of the caravans, I have heaters and incubators in there so it is quite warm.

Im suprised how happy and perky she is considering her wing looks very sore! I will post a pic when I am home from work.

Thanks again!

p.s. How do I tell if Pudge is a she or a he?

Well it sounds like you are on the right path and yes one must be careful about where they bring the pigeon and make sure you say it is your pet if you bring it to a vet so that they won.t suggest not good things. I am glad you found some confident people to help you with this bird. You are a fine soul to do all of this and here on this forum we just love pigeons. Keep us updated and you are in my thoughts as you take care of your beautiful creature of God.. This forum is for animal lovers of all kinds and one with your love of animals should be on our forum. Keep us updated. Telling males from females in pigeons sometimes can be hard but usually one can tell by their behavior antics. Please keep us updated,. Thanks ..