Dove raised by pigeons

[Birdmom4ever]

I just wanted to share on the forum that my rollers successfully fostered a baby mourning dove.

Several weeks ago my neighbors brought me a baby mourning dove that was probably about 10 days old. It was alert and looked healthy, was just getting pinfeathers, but it was small even for a dove. My neighbor told me its sibling was twice its size and the tiny one had been pushed from the nest. My guess is the parents were young and began incubating when the first egg was laid, so the chicks hatched a day or more apart.

I placed the baby under a pair of pigeons who were at 20 days. (We always have multiple pairs on wooden eggs as population control.) The pigeons fed the baby dove immediately. They were probably surprised when their "precocious" chick flew a week later. Unfortunately the other pigeons in the aviary attacked the baby and it lost most of the feathers on its back. So I moved the entire family to a small aviary on our patio. The pigeons not only continued to feed their little foster chick, they kept sitting on their new nest even though I moved it.

The little dove is now over a month old and eating and drinking on its own. It has the spots on its wings and pointed tail of an adult mourning dove. It's still with its foster parents and cuddles up with dad at night. Soon I will put them back in the aviary and release the little guy. I'm proud of my pijjies for being such good foster parents.

Picture is attached. Sorry it's not better, but the dove is wild as can be and I can't get close with the camera. Just as well, since we plan to release it.

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Birdmom,

How wonderful that this little dove was able to be saved by you and your pigeon couple. Both Dad and foster baby look adorable...Very nice success story you've shared.

[Birdmom4ever]

Thank you! I didn't want to hand feed it, which would have resulted in it imprinting on humans. I was reluctant to take it to the Wildlife Center because they are swamped with babies this time of year. Fostering it to pigeons seemed the best solution and I'm pleased it worked so well.

[pdpbison]

Hi birdmom4ever,



What a cool picture!

Little dove is certainly quite alert to your pointing that Camera there...Lol...

They are wacky and flighty, those Doves.

What a happy story, your Pigeons feeding and raising it as they did...

Very nice...

Phil
Las Vegas

[Skyeking]

Hi!

That is the cutest picture! I just want to congratulate the mom and papa roller, for doing such a fine job raising this youngster.

Pigeons do make great parents, and I applaud you for doing this.I always try to keep a pair on dummies during the baby season, just in case also.

Thank you for sharing

Treesa

[Birdmom4ever]

Thank you all. It amazes me when I look at the little dove today (I named it "Liberty" because we're going to release it). When it came it was only the size of a newly-hatched homer.

The foster parents were both pigeons that needed homes. Dad, Charley, came from a breeder friend of mine. He's a cross between a Vienna Short-faced Tumbler cock and a Parlor Roller hen, which is why his beak is so short. I have him and his nest mate, Frankie. Last year I agreed to foster them for a friend (their dad couldn't feed them, so their parents would have had a hard time raising them) and he told me I could keep them or not, as I wished. As crossbreeds they aren't "worth" anything, but their beaks are long enough for them to feed babies and they are cute and unique, so I kept them. The day he brought them over Charley was only half-hatched--his backside was still in the egg! But they did just fine with a pair of my rollers fostering them.

Mom, Helena, is also a rescue of sorts. She appears to be a Birmingham roller, though she isn't banded. Last December she narrowly escaped a Cooper's hawk and trapped into the loft of an acquaintance of ours who has racing homers and is also a falconer. He knows we have rollers so he called to ask if we were missing one. We weren't, but I offered to take her because I knew he'd toss her out again if I didn't. She paired off with Charlie and they are among my best parents. Gotta love these happy endings!

[alaska]

Congratulations on your successful fostering of this baby Dove, you must be very proud of your Pidgeon Foster Parents.
Goes to show even Crossbreeds that 'aren't worth anything' are truly very important indeed.

PS My pigeons get daily visits from a pair of Doves that look just the Little one you raised that live locally, they love to hear all the stories of the big wide world from them
Regards
Alaska

[Danielle Chase]

Wow, what a heart-warming story!