Found a scared flightless pigeon after a storm

[green&grey]

A pretty bad hailstorm just ended here, and I noticed there was a pigeon on the back porch of my house. He wasn't moving for a long time. At one point he stretched his wings and I realized that he didn't have any flight feathers.

I caught him in a net and now he's in the bathroom..

He seems to have lost most of his primaries and is really scared of me, but otherwise seems to be in good condition.

I've no idea how to handle pigeons. There's nobody in the house who can drive right now(and won't be for a few days) so what do I do with him? I'm scared that if I let him outside my dogs(or something else) will get him.

 

[Birdbabe]

Just keep him fed and hydrated till you find a place to take him. Thanks for helping.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Thank you for taking him in and helping him. Maybe you can get some more info here: Pigeon-Talk - Powered by vBulletin

 

[Crow lover]

Does he whine when_frightened? If he does he might be a baby. A baby that whines and gets over excited may not be weaned. If that is the case you should ask for help on feeding ideas. if you can post photos that would help. Don't put it outside in that condition. You don't have a cat carrier you could keep it in? Pigeons are so easy to care for.... seed and water. Make sure it does not have any wounds caused by a cat or a hawk that might have pulled the feathers out. If you find wounds it is more urgent you get it to a wildlife rehabilitator for antibiotics. After a hawk/cat attack a bird may seem fine for a couple of days, but the third day an infection can set in and it can die. Stretch it's wings out and blow through the feathers looming for cuts or puncture wounds. Pigeon bites do not hurt.

 

[green&grey]

Thank you for the replies, and sorry for mine that is late! Its been a pretty busy week and nothing urgent happened with the pigeon so I just read over your responses without replying.

No, I don't think he's a baby. He looks full grown to me and doesn't whine when held. He did go like "groo groo groo" a few times on his own though. I'll post a pic.

I looked over him and didn't find any wounds or cuts.

We kept him in the bathroom for a couple of days, but cleaning proved difficult, and he somehow managed to get into every nook and cranny of the bathroom despite not having primaries.

We went into a panic thinking he escaped... he was looking down at us the whole time...
Welp, I guess that's a lesson for me should I ever decide to clip my parakeets.

We tried putting him in a small quarantine cage(closest thing to a cat carrier we have) but he would struggle so much to get free.. Honestly it was kind of scary. So then we made him a chicken wire pen on the back porch. In there he also has some perches and a cardboard box wrapped in plastic to keep him warm and dry if it rains. He seems to be doing very well there.

Since there is no wildlife care centers or whatever here that could take him in, we turned to pigeon-keeping societies but they seem quite unresponsive, even with actual tagged racing pigeons. So it seems he will stay with us until his primaries grow out again.

 

[Birdbabe]

Glad he's doing better, love the pics.

 

[galah!]

Good luck!

 

[Laurie]

I don't know too much about pigeons but I was told a couple of things when I found one once. They do use perches but they love ledges even more so if you can provide some sort of ledge that would be great. Also, unlike parrots who drink by scooping water and tipping their heads back, pigeons use their bills more like a straw so they need to have a water dish that is somewhat deep. Most parrot dishes are fine but you can't just use something super shallow like a lid or something.

 

[BeeBop]

Def keep him warm and give him seed or bread if it comes to that. I heard pigeons were really affectionate, you might have a new buddy

 

[iamwhoiam]

He looks good and seems as if he is enjoying his new home.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

He's so cute!!!

 

[sunconures]

I hope he does fine! Honestly, I think he will. You're doing a great job so far.

Keep us updated.

 

[green&grey]

His feathers seem to have started growing in! I named him Fiji.
We made him a new pen, pics coming soon.

 

[DQTimnehs]

Very cute!