When I walked near, she didn't move. I threw some seeds, she didn't move. Threw more, they hit her, she didn't move. After a bit she walked down the driveway, then she started walking down the street. Tried to fly but couldn't, so I herded her into my yard, caught her with a fish net.
Then I discovered what was wrong. Just a baby, badly injured and weak. Her breast had been torn open exposing her innards. I got her to drink some water, Very thirsty, extremely thirsty, dehydrated, she perked up immediately but wouldn't eat. She was still bleeding a bit. I cleaned her up and she seemed like she'll survive. Should have stitches, but I will watch her, should be ok?
SEE UPDATE - She'sssss Back..? (Link Disabled)
Aww... Bert/Ace it is people like you that make us all better beings! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAugh! Poor little thing. I'm so glad you found her and were able to help her! You have a great heart. :)
ReplyDeleteOh I so hope she heals. That is one huge opening. She knows she's in a good place though. Birds talk.
ReplyDeleteAwww, God bless you Bert, you have a big heart overflowing with love.
ReplyDeleteBert, I had one like that several years ago - and while she didn't make it, the comment above that we are all better beings for the common good done by one of us is still true - the only sense one can make of it is that we give our like to the sum of like, and hope it all makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to your little bird. You are a good man.
She needs some Sangre de Drago on those wounds. I used it on some wounded chicken once.
ReplyDeleteAmazing wound-healing stuff and it helps with pain too. Try http://29341.amazonherb.net
goddess speed on the healing little one...ouch!
ReplyDeleteAw, Bert, you are so sweet to care for your friend!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you found her! She's in good hands!
ReplyDeleteBert, we are kindred spirits :) What a blessing you found her, and are able to care for her! I wonder if a cat had gotten a hold of her? She probably won't feel like eating much until she's more stabilized. May she continue to heal under your care, and may you be able to set her wild and free once again!
ReplyDeleteThe mourning doves down here in Texas almost coo like an owl, very interesting.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UPDATE 6/30/10 - 8:00am
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone... So far so good. It's now the next morning and she's still alert and seems to be doing fine. Now that she's survived the night, I expect she will make it, and be ok to fly away before long. Not sure, but it looks like she ate some seed? (some is spilled) and the drinking water level is down.
... Perhaps she did choose the spot I found her ?(top photo)... it's the spot I see just feet away outside my home office window.
Ienvan - I checked the sangre.... expensive stuff, but too late for this bird, she'll be gone soon I'd guess.
Chickie - My guess... a cat. Probably the same one that's killed my pigeons. She seems to have energy, just resting now.
Are you putting any ointment like bacitracin on her wounds? There's also a product called Lansinoh that Target and Walgreens should carry. It's a lanolin ointment mainly used for nursing mothers, when tender skin can get cracked. It coats the tissue and allows healing from the inside out, making scabs less likely to form. I've used it on multitudes of injuries for the kids and my animals. It's a thick ointment, but thins out some if you warm it between your fingers before applying.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, have you thought of a live trap for the alleged cat? Then take it far, far away to a new home. Far away. But then that doesn't stop it from wreaking havoc on other birds...
ReplyDeleteChickie - I was wondering about that... the skin (muscle) does look like it's drying out, looks painful... I'm off to the store right now.
ReplyDelete..... Don't tell anyone, but... I've had a trap out ever since. So far I've caught one raccoon, one squirrel, 2 rabbits, 3 chickens but no cats... not even my own cat who often walks past the aviary door. A year ago when the cat killed 4 of my pigeons I kept the trap set for a loooong time, ... nothing. I have video of "that" cat trying to get into the locked aviary. During the day it seems to only trap chickens, The cat comes around day or night so now I only set the trap at night, concealed inside the entry to the aviary... so during the day the Chickens and Pigeons have to be lucky (no trap).
(BTW - My Tuna Cat was in the house the entire day yesterday when the Dove was found... and he's proved himself in the past. I watched him standing guard over a baby robin fallen from the nest above, and never touched the baby bird... he's learned to ignore birds (good kitty)).
If you lived closer, or I did, I'd use your trapped "finds" to show the 4H wildlife kids on practice nights :) I've been tempted to set out a trap for that purpose, but don't want to catch a skunk and then have to figure out how to let it go without it spraying.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're getting some ointment, it will help. Give Tuna Cat a hug for me for being so good!
Bert, I've live trapped a LOT of stray cats (when I bought this place, there were packs of feral and semi-feral cats roaming the place, killing everything they could find). I learned some things about traps-in-general:
ReplyDelete1. Cats do NOT like to be in enclosed spaces. Period. Unless that live-trap is one of the LARGE ones, you won't have much luck. Get a large Havahart (they make the best ones); yes; they're expensive - but the more room you provide, the greater your chances of catching a cat.
2. The best bait is - surprise - cat food. Problem is, skunks/'coons/'possums all come to it as well. You might also catch a coyote if you have them about and the trap is large enough. Be prepared to walk out with a .22 and dispatch whatever is in there.
3. If you have trouble with other critters (especially 'coons; raiding nests) - leg-hold traps are the best. In over fifteen years, I've never had a 'coon walk into an enclosed live-trap. They've used VERY ingenious means to get to the bait- but they've never gotten themselves trapped. I had a huge problem with 'coons up here for a while - until I installed leg-holds. Yes; it means catching the bastards by the leg, and having them wake you up at night with their chattering - but I've found that feeding them a 22-caliber lead-pill cures that, permanently.
4. Coyotes are murdering bastards, and I have no compunction about killing them by any means. If push comes to shove, a 50-50 mix of strychnine alkaloid (sold by most feed stores in a blue-dyed grain for gopher bait) and cat-food will take out almost anything. Paralyzes the entire nervous system; they'll drop right where they stand. It's quick. Skunks love it in particular; I've used this method more than once to control those populations.
There are specific coyote-traps; they're not cheap, but they work, and they don't catch anything else - they involve a spring loaded noose which is optimized for a coyote's height and neck-size; they'll put up a fight like no one's business when you catch one in a noose-trap, but the people who make this gizmo know their stuff -- I've never caught a dog or anything other than a coyote, for that matter. Once 'in', there's no other course but to shoot it - I can't imagine why someone would want to relocate a coyote, but there are, indeed, morons roaming the planet, as we both know.
Hope some of this helps.
I find it very hard to believe that people would espouse such cruelty in this day and age... and on a blog that speaks about saving an animal. That's so sad.
ReplyDeleteAstra, I sincerely hope you don't really use those traps. Tell me, how would you fight if caught in such a trap? Oh wait... you're too good to be caught.
Sorry Bert. I'm angry. I don't mean to blow up on your blog. Blatant cruelty and lack of concern for those who share our world (they were here before us) turns my stomach : (
Ladies, while I sympathize with your desire to see everything live in harmony, nature doesn't work that way.
ReplyDeleteI raise peacocks on a small farm here in Oregon. These control-methods are the only thing that works. No apologies if you're offended - dispatching varmints which kill my birds is not sport, nor is it an intentional form of cruelty. It just is.
To leave everything alone would risk losing my birds. I'm not willing to do that, so I undertake the control methods which work.
Gemini: Have you ever encountered a coyote? They'll kill small children just as dead as they'll kill domestic animals. Have you ever cornered a raccoon? They'll send you to the hospital - and if you haven't caught or killed the animal which bit you, you'll wind up getting ten days of rabies shots. I'd like to see you live-trap a coyote and try to 'relocate' it - -the show would be pretty interesting in a Hannibal Lechter sort of way - upon opening the trap, a coyote's instinct is to go for the neck. I'm doubting you'd survive the effort.
Tint: Be 'angry' all you like. Until you've had to deal with varmints, you're ill-equipped to pontificate about their 'beauty' and 'wonder' and how 'horrible' it is to control them.
Astra, having spent a lot of my life on a farm with no fences in northern Michigan, I have encountered a lot of different animals, and have also grown up in a family of bear hunters. I still understand the difference between killing humanely and allowing a predator to suffer, merely for living as its instinct prescribes.
ReplyDeleteBut it's ok, I understand. YOUR instinct is clearly quite different from mine. But thank you for the lesson in how nature works. It's been received in the same way as so much of your sage advice.
Astro, my family and I have been farmers for many generations. By what standards to you judge me 'ill-equipped to pontificate'? I rescued a black mamba and took it to the local snake park. Have you ever had to deal with one? I've also had to deal with humans who are by far and away worse animals than those you are going on against here. I wouldn't put them in a trap the way you describe.... and yes, they kill innocent children too. I experienced that first hand. Yes, some people are worse 'varmints' than those put into cruel animal traps.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious. By which natural law is a peacock more important than a coyote? Perhaps the coyote is protesting quite rightly that the 'varmint' peacock doesn't belong in the US? In the East (not eastern USA), they would be in their natural environment ; )
Bert, I have to apologise. I shouldn't have replied in anger on your blog. I posted in a hurry and had to go out or I'd have deleted my comment. I was angry at the attitude displayed, but your blog comments aren't the place to take out that anger. If you feel my response was out of line, you're more than welcome to delete it. I won't be offended : )
A fence?
ReplyDeleteWell, any disagreement won't likely be settled here anyway....nor anywhere else either I suppose. Seems it's a case of agreeing to disagree.
ReplyDeleteYou're right there, Bert.. and again... I'm sorry. The blog is about saving a life. It should stay that way : )
ReplyDeleteTint - Per Chickie's suggestion, I went out and bought some ointment. The birds bare muscle and skin was starting to dry out and shrivel and it looked painful. She (the Dove, not Chickie) was very cooperative when I put it on.
ReplyDeleteShe (the Dove) is very healthy and seems to be in no danger of dying. Now I'm just waiting until she's well enough to be set free. I'll make sure she can fly first though. Maybe I'll have to teach her to fly?...HA Ha ha HO Ho ho.
I wonder if her skin will heal over sufficiently. It'll be interesting to see how she fares. Do keep us informed. The ointment was a good idea. It didn't occur to me at all. How's Velcro's foot healing?
ReplyDeleteThought this might be apropo!
ReplyDeletehttp://duchamp.multiply.com/journal/item/30/Critters
I think it's amazing you can heal her with that big of a wound! I really wouldn't have given her good odds. Glad she found you, rather than me. ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear the dove is still alive and seems to be mending!
ReplyDeleteTint- I'm worried about that too. She seems to be healthy enough to be set free but I still don't know if she's able to fly yet... and... the wound is still too fragile, so it might take a week or more before releasing her. She was very relaxed when I put the ointment on her.. I got the feeling it made her feel better ? ... relief.
ReplyDeleteduchamp - I can relate to your critter problems... had them too. "Can't we all just get along?"... (NO).
geminai - Considering how severe it was... she is doing great. She seems to be healing nicely and is otherwise quite healthy now.
varainy - She's doing great, she thinks she's ready to go, but... would like to see her wound heal a bit more first, I think she'll be back to normal before long and lead a normal bird life.
I believe animals are not dumb, and they have a good idea about who's trying to help them. :) I'm not surprised she was relaxed with you.
ReplyDeletegeminai - When very sick, my wife's family dog begged to go in the car cause he knew it would take him to the vet... One of my dogs was just the opposite. She was so terrified of the vet she had a heart attack and died while the vet was holding her.. while we watched (She was there for a heart murmur). My last dog knew the vet would help, but still didn't like it too much.... but was quite willing.
ReplyDeleteWhen my Velcro Pigeon was attacked and injured, she escaped and intentionally flew to a neighbors for help.. the man just simply reached up and put his hands around her, that's what she wanted, she wanted help. You saw my blog on that - "Missing"...
Yep, I remember the Missing blog. Smart girl. :)
ReplyDeleteSo sad about your dog who had the heartattack! Augh. I would have been heartbroken. So I guess even though some animals KNOW a person's good, they don't always like it. ;) Our two looooove the vet's office, even though both have had to have surgical procedures there. But then, our two loooooove almost everyone, and the vet has treats. ;)
I think lots of pets react negatively to a trip to the vet, though they've never had a bad experience. I think they can sense fear and pain of other animals there and it makes most very uneasy.
ReplyDeleteThat and some pet owners (especially those of pampered little house dogs) become so uneasy themselves that they transfer the feeling to the lil' pooch. If they know "baby" is going to get a shot, they become so upset themselves that the dog is a nervous wreck before the vet ever touches them.