After 2 weeks treatment I decided to remove the wing bandage from the young Woodpigeon to check the condition of the break. It looked reasonable enough, but the joint was thicker than the other wing.
This was to be expected, as the bone heals it forms a callus over the break. The problem is, the break was right at the wing joint where three bones meet, the Ulna , the Radius, and the Carpometacarpus.
The worst possible place for a wing fracture, as the movement and flexibility of this joint is essential for flight. I could see the wing was drooping slightly, but still clearing the floor at least. As I observed the bird, it suddenly decided to take off from the table, flew about 6 feet and crash landed on the floor!
That was yesterday, today I let it wander around the kitchen and again it decided to take off, this time from the floor and landed on a shelf successfully !
I don't want to get too excited about this as the flight was anything but smooth, but nevertheless it was flying. Bearing in mind it has lost almost all it's tail feathers, and these will take a few weeks to grow back, and has probably never flown before in any case, I think I can take a positive from todays events.
Will continue with the anti inflammatory medication to try and reduce the swelling at the joint. I don't want it causing any damage by flying too much too soon, so will keep it indoors for a while yet before putting it in the aviary....still keeping the fingers crossed !
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