Topic: poorly pigeon - help!

[detailista]

An urban pigeon has been hiding out on my balcony for 3 days, looks very bedraggled....

I'm worried that she's not moving and is standing in a large pile of her own droppings - will this do her any harm ?  i don't want to force her to move but will do so if it would be better to wash down the floor.

she'll even let me get up right next to her and i've given her bread, rice and water.

anything else i can do to help her recover?

[Ninnyscrops.]

I've only saved a couple of squabs in springtime, but with the weather being cold at present, if you can find a cardboard box and line it with an old towel and move her into it, continue to feed and water her she might make it (a little bit of fat mixed in with the rice or bread too).

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will point you in the right direction, but remember they are sky rats to most of us allotment peeps and you might not get a lot of sympathy  ;)

Ninny

[detailista]

Thank you Ninnyscrops - Well done for the ones you saved!  (though yes, I see them as flying rats too!)

I think my endeavours to try and save her are more to do with having to clean up a pile of flesh and feathers last week when a cat got a dove in the garden and not wanting to do that again!

My 11 year old is somewhat phobic of 'poison peckies' so I'm having to keep it a secret from her at the moment!

Am hoping to get it well so as to not have the poop smell (or a carcass) on my doorstep. 

I don't think I'm brave enough to pick it up and put it in a box, though I might put a box out for her. 

thank you for your words of encouragement and for suggesting the fat- I wouldn't have thought of that. 

x detailista

[Toadspawn]

Has it eaten any of the food you have given it? If not then try wheat grain, split pea seed, lentil seed and in the country at the moment pigeons are eating oilseed rape leaves so you could try some cabbage leaves.

However, to be honest I think you are unlikely to succeed. The pigeon is basically dying possibly because of an infection which would need treatment with antibiotics or similar. I doubt it would be cost effective to try and treat it. If it is not ill it may just have reached the end of its natural life so I would be tempted to put it out of its misery as quickly as possible. A good thump on the head with a stick or something heavy is effective particularly as you do not feel happy touching it, otherwise ringing its neck is very quick and easy.
Sorry to sound so cruel but in the long term it is probably the kindest thing to do.
You can then dispose of the body and clean up any mess.

[detailista]

Hi Toadspawn,

thank you for your reply :)

it's taken 2 golf ball size portions of cooked rice but not fancied grated cheese or dried fruit or nuts.

I think you're right - it does seem to be at the end of it's life but I don't think I can bring myself to kill it myself, am a squeamish vegetarian, ( it's taken me twenty years to be able to cope with digging the garden and seeing worms chopped in half!)

Maybe I can find a volunteer to deal with it.  I'll call in a favour or two.

thanks for your help toadspawn and Ninny

much appreciated, i like to think you would have liked pidge too if you'd met her!

[emmy1978]

Oh poor old pidge. I dislike them too but hate to see anything in pain or ill.  :'(
A few years ago a sparrow flew in to the glass in my open back door (soon put stickers all over it!). It was obviously very hurt and I put it in a box and took it to my neighbour as she adored birds I thought she might know what to do. We nursed it for a day and then, as it didn't pull itself together and couldn't stand her hubby popped it on the head. I've never got over it.... :'(