How to Build Retrieving Confidence

A Little over a week ago we experienced some rather cool weather and while engaged in kennel chores , which include feeding/watering the birds, I found an abandoned cold lifeless body of a pigeon chick in a nest of our pigeon coop. Disappointed in the parental skills of the chick’s parents I felt it necessary to scold the them as I lifted the cold corpse out of the nest. To my surprise it took a labored breath of air while cradled in the palm of my hand. I stood and observed it for what felt like minutes to see if it would take another breath. It did. With a big sigh of both relief and disappointment I stuck the palm sized pigeon chick in my shirt pocket under my jacket until I could get it back to the kennel. Once in the kennel I tried warming the chick with the heat radiating from my hands but its body was so cold it was neutralizing the heat I was generating. Time for impromptu plan B. By running some body temperature water and creating a pool by cupping my hands under the faucet it wasn’t long before the chick began to respond to the warmth and begin breathing more regularly. Not necessarily sure if what I did was the correct response to save a hypothermic pigeon chick but it worked! Not long after the chick started peeping and acted like it wanted food by burying its beak between my fingers. Locating a large syringe from the medical cupboard I then soaked some chick starter crumble in warm water. I poured the slurry into the syringe and administered the warm mush. From that day to this day the chick lives in a bag cooler out of K9 reach and has been fed 3 times a day with its “nest” bedding also being changed multiple times per day. The last couple days he has had some “Pigeon Walks” outside and really seems to enjoy them.
We call him Paulie.
Related posts