Emp Bird Food for a baby pigeon Help Please

[GaryD]

Hi All,


We found a baby pigeon last Thursday night in the garden, no sign of the mother or the nest. I would say he was 5 to 7 days old then.

We put him in a small woolly hat then into a cardboard box, Then bed him down in the airing cupboard for the night.

Next morning he was screaming for his food, I feed him with a little warm porridge it was so messy I had to give him a little wash afterwards and dry him off.

I have since found that if I roll up a small strip of paper towel, then make this into a small loop about the size of my little finger he will stick his beak through and if the hole is small enough he will open wide and this then allows me to squirt his food in with a small plastic suction tube.

This is great as the paper towel keeps him clean. what used to take 20 minutes now takes 2...to feed him

The feed we are using is only for baby chicken, for chicks 1 to 4 weeks old he seems to be doing OK with this but I have since brought a bag of "Emp Bird Food Egg Food For Caged & Avairy Birds"
and this is what I would like to know is this OK to feed him on.

I have been mixing THE emp 50/50 with the chicken feed what do you think is this OK ? If so how long should i feed him on this??

I also got a bag of Finch food looks like small seeds anyone know when he will be old enough to feed on these?

the little white tip on the end of his beak is still there but looks like it is getting smaller, is this normal?? as i said he could be about 10 to 12 days old now and looking fit and well

many thanks for any help

GaryD


http://garyd.widdington.googlepages.com/


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[Trees Gray]

Hello and Welcome to pigeon Talk,

Thank you for helping this baby.

Can you tell us where you are located?...., perhaps we can find someone to help and also we need to identify what kind of wild pigeon this could be? Some types of pigeons/doves require different food and care.

You formula should be warm, and please make sure the crop is empty before feeding again. The baby should be kept warm also.

[GaryD]

Hi Treesa,

I am in the Essex, in the UK,

I can post a picture of him or her tonight, we do have a lot of wild pigeons and doves around us
it was a shade of yellow when we found him but now he is getting darker.
How many time a day should you feed it


Thanks


Gary



http://garyd.widdington.googlepages.com/

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[cyro51]

Hi Gary,

I know of members that have brought pigeons up successfully on both EMP and on chick crumbs, a mixture of the two should be fine.

The way that you are feeding imitates the way that parents feed baby pigeons, the little one puts its beak inside the parent's beak and the parent pumps the food in. Try not to squirt, but to pump gently from something with a fairly wide nozzle like a disposable icing bag. The danger of squirting anything into a pigeon's mouth is that it could get into the windpipe and as they cannot cough (they have no diaphragm) they develop inhalation pneumonia.

I would feed 4 times a day, feed until the crop feels soft, like a 3/4 full balloon.

If you stretch out its wing gently and you see a white stripe on it, then it is a baby wood pigeon.

Cynthia

[GaryD]

Hi all,

Thank you so much for all your helpful advise.

I have been mixing his feed with a little warm water to make a soft paste,,, dose he need additional water or is this enough for him

hope you like the photos

What is it with little Babies ,,,,,no mater what it is

WE LOVE THEM


Thanks again

Gary

[kittypaws]

Hi Gary,

He is a little chap isn't he? Definitely a woodie I would say.

At that age I would feed him say 7 - 10 mls 4 times a day ( 9am, 1pm, 5pm and 9pm) of the formula that you are giving him. Finch seed is good for when he is a little older but I think he is probably about 1 -2 weeks off being big enough to start feeding for himself although you could offer it to him in a bowl.

Re water - he should get sufficient water from the formula you are giving him - when he starts pecking at seed then he needs to have a shallow bowl of water.

Although this is later on - if he does start eating the seed, you will probably still have to force feed him as well as he needs to be slowly weaned off from 4 feeds to, 3 , to 2 etc...... but as I say at the moment he is too young to consider this.

Just check that each time you go to feed him that his crop has emptied.

Good luck with the little chap.

Tania xx

[Lady Tarheel]

Just want to say thank you for rescuing this beautiful baby. Sounds like you have things well in control.

[GaryD]

Hi All,

Well I think someone looks happy,,,,

its five days now since we took this little one in after finding him in our garden.
The only problem we have is we are off on Holiday next week, lucky one of our friends said they will take over fostering him.

I will miss him and miss seeing him growing up but we still have him for seven more days

Can I ask how old he needs to be before we release him back into the wild

thanks

Gary

[Trees Gray]

What a handsome face!

[cyro51]

He is still a long way from being releasable, but when the time comes he would be better off if he could be taken to a sanctuary where he can mix with his own kind and be rekleased as part of a flock. That will hopefully keep him safe from predators and help him learn where to forage and for what.

Cynthia

[kittypaws]

Originally Posted by cyro51

He is still a long way from being releasable, but when the time comes he would be better off if he could be taken to a sanctuary where he can mix with his own kind and be rekleased as part of a flock. That will hopefully keep him safe from predators and help him learn where to forage and for what.

Cynthia

Hi Gary,

Cynthia's advice is good. I volunteer at London Wildcare which is in Wallington in Surrey near Croydon/Sutton way - it is quite a way from you, but when he is a little older, if you fancy the trip out to us, we would certainly carry on the caring for him. He would be placed in an aviary with other woodpigeons and have his weight monitored to check he was eating Ok before being released probably into the park surrounding the Centre. It's just an idea for you.

Tania xx

[GaryD]

Hi



We live in a small rural village. We are surrounded by doves and pigeons who are always in our garden along with a lot of other birds.

Tits and Blackbirds often nest in the garden and this year we had Wrens nesting in out thatch roof.

I suppose the idea of our little one flying back to see us now and again dose appeal but Yes you are right, I was thinking of turning him over to a bird centre at sometime.

how old would he need to come to your centre?.

I grew up around Corydon so I do know Corydon and Wallington, it would be a bit of a trip from where I now live but if it gives the little fellow a better start in life then no problem.

is there a course of action for releasing a home reared bird, I read its best not to talk or handle them to much as they will think you are their mum but I must admit its hard not too


Thanks

oH Please take a look at my home village website

http://garyd.widdington.googlepages.com/


Gary

[amyable]

Hi Gary,

Widdington looks absolutely gorgeous, what pigeon wouldn't want to live there!
Really great pictures of your baby too.

It is hard not to let them get too attached to you, or vice versa. Obviously the only way to prevent this is not to handle them or talk to them too much. Difficult if you are hand feeding them as they do see you as the parent.

If you aren't able to get to Wildcare then you might try starting to put baby outside in your garden in a cage for part of the day once it's a bit more self sufficient, where it can see the other birds. I usually scatter seeds around the cage area to encourage the wild birds to come down and feed nearby. Sometimes they are a little wary of the cage, but at least the baby can get the feeling of being amongst other birds.
Once it is feeding itself it could stay out longer if you're around to keep an eye on it in case of preditors. Eventually when it can fly you need to keep food available but let it have the option to leave the cage and support it until it decides to leave.

As Cynthia and Tania said it does help if they can be released in a group, but if not possible, a gentle introduction to the wild, and less human contact is needed. Good luck which ever way it goes.

Janet

[kittypaws]

Originally Posted by GaryD

Hi



I suppose the idea of our little one flying back to see us now and again dose appeal but Yes you are right, I was thinking of turning him over to a bird centre at sometime.

how old would he need to come to your centre?.

I grew up around Corydon so I do know Corydon and Wallington, it would be a bit of a trip from where I now live but if it gives the little fellow a better start in life then no problem.

Hi Gary,

Best time is when he doesn't want to be handled anymore and you are probably looking at a good 4 -6 weeks to be honest. He will get as big as an adult but won't have his white collar - he won't like being handled either so that is a good time to bring him over.

Yes I guess it is a long way out - there maybe places nearer you - I think there is one near Billericay but then again not too sure how near that is to you.

Good luck with him - he's yours for a while yet!!

Tania xx

[cyro51]

We also have a sanctuary in Norwich, it might be a longer distance but a quicker drive. Last year sometime we also had a member that took a collared dove to a sanctuary in Essex...it sounded like a good place, but I can't remember if we got details.

Cynthia