Feeding and Caring Questions for a Young Pigeon

[Brooks]

Hello,

What should I do to get my pigeon to stop peeping so much? Or is it normal for them to peep a lot? He is about 20 or so days old and I've had him for 4 days. He eats a Exact formula I got from the pet store and I hand feed him from a plastic bag pouch.

He usually calms down if I leave the room but it takes a while. Should I be doing something in particular?

Also how much should I feed him and should I increase his food after so many days? Right now I feed him about 4 fluid oz of food. And when should I start with the solid food?

We keep him in a large box with paper towels for cleaning up. Is it okay to keep him in a big box or is there something better. Is there a certain temperature to keep him at at his age?

When should & how should he start drinking water(what temperature?)

Please help me on these matters, we are saving him from a bunch of construction that destroyed his home.

Thanks.

Brooks & Noel

[pdpbison]

Hi Brooks,


Lol...to really answer these questions well...would take fifty pages...but...lets see what we can do...

Originally Posted by Brooks

Hello,

What should I do to get my pigeon to stop peeping so much?

Feed him...

Or is it normal for them to peep a lot?

Yes...and no...


What is normal for them at this age, is to be stuffed to the gills with whole Seeds, and aside from having their Crops topped-off so they stay 'full', their pigeon-parents pretty much avoid them.

Likely, if he were fed enough ( in his sense of it, ) and fed mostly Seeds, he would peep less...but still tend to peep inquireingly, if you were to look at him or interact with him he would get excited...and really all wound up if he thinks you are going to feed him.

This is why their parents usually avoind them except to feed them off and on through out the day...they just get too wound up if they think it is chow time, even when pretty well 'full'...

He is about 20 or so days old and I've had him for 4 days. He eats a Exact formula I got from the pet store and I hand feed him from a plastic bag pouch.

If he is eating well by this method, just make the formula to be like 40 percent Exact, and 60 percent small whole Seeds. Canary or Finch Seed would be good for this, since it is easy for them to 'gobble' when we feed them.

Their parents can feed them much larger Seeds, but there is no good way for us to do so.

Make the formula the night before...combine the dry ingredients, add anough Water to anticipate their absorbing it, and cover in the refrigerator till morning.

When you are going to feed him, warm the formula to about 100 degrees Farenheit, or so it feels neutral to the underside of your wrist...warm it in a pan of hot Water...(do not microwave...)

And, add more Water if need be so it is fairly 'soupy'...

You can also add some plain Malto Meal, dry, when combineing your dry ingredients, and he would like this. Say, a tablespoon of Exact, a Tablespoon of plain Malto Meal, and four or five Tablespoons of small whole Seeds, and add water for it all to sit overnight covered in the fridge. Or a larger batch if needed, and it might be...

Only use for the day then, and come night make a new batch and toss out the old one.

For his drinking Water, make sure his Water is only offered by you for a drinking occasion...and make the Water also to be about your own body temperature by warming it gently in a Tea Cup or something, in a pan of hot Water.

Just gently guide his nuzzleing Zeak into the tepid Water, keeping your finger tips on his Beak sides, and he will drink.


If his between meals Crop is not nice and 'mushy', if it is more firm than that, offer tepid Water in that way, or, once he drinks on his own, just offer it for him to drink.

Later, once flying, he can have his own little Water Bowl rather than only drinking when you offer it.

He usually calms down if I leave the room but it takes a while. Should I be doing something in particular?

See above...

Also how much should I feed him and should I increase his food after so many days? Right now I feed him about 4 fluid oz of food.

As long as he is making 40 to 50 nice poops-a-day, and his digestive system is functioning fine, you can feed him so he is pretty full, but if with mostly whole Seeds, then for now, ONLY if you pre-hydrate the meal more or less as described...as the Seeds will expand quite a bit when hydrated, and to over-feed 'dry' Seeds can get a little dicey.

Otherwise, volume-wise, I somehow never seem to keep track of how much I feed them, only that they love to eat! And of course they like feeling more or less 'full'...so...

Certainly, a couple ounces for the morning meal, if he is starting off empty, then just keep him topped off the rest of the day and evening, should be fine.

If it was me, at his age, I would be feeding him mostly Seeds with some 'gravy' in effect, for his formula...and getting him onto self-feeding, so we would have both for the next few weeks...


It would be a good idea to add a few drops of raw Apple Cider Vinegar to his formula, when you add the Water to the dry ingredients the night before.

And when should I start with the solid food?

Now would be just fine...


Too, you can fill a little Shot-Glass with plain, dry, small whole Seeds, as Finch Seed or Canary Seed, and gently guide his nuzzleing Beak into it, keeping your finger-tips on the sides of his Beak, and he will 'gobble' the Seeds this way...almost as 'if' he had his Beak in his parent's Throat.

And, if you do this a few times-a-day, in a day or two or sooner, he will be half gobbleing and half pecking all on his own, then pecking on his own, which of course takes the heat off of you for having to feed him.

Then, once he is pecking, just 'peck' with him useing your crook'd index finger, once you have done a couple days of the guided 'gobble'...


Seeds put on a white towell, make it easier for him to peck them, and see them.

We keep him in a large box with paper towels for cleaning up. Is it okay to keep him in a big box or is there something better.

If possible, do not keep him in anything, just allow him some place to be like on a dresser top or something with a towell on it, someplace he can sort of feel is 'his' elevated Nest ledge...he should stay put for a while yet...

Then, he will soon be wanting to climb and explore and be trying his Wings, and he needs to do all that with no restraints, he will need to be allowed to do this to develope his muscles and so on for flying...so...

Is there a certain temperature to keep him at at his age?

Unless you are in a really frigid clime, he should be fine.

If it is cold there, you can set up an electric heating pad under 'his' towell, on his Nest Ledge place...and have it set to medium with a single layer towell on it.

Usually they cuddle with their sibling...


[quote]
When should & how should he start drinking water(what temperature?)[quote]


In Nature, they learn to drink and to peck only someways after being able fliers, since their parents have no way otherwise to show them these things.

Otherwise, they can eat and drink by themselves, with guidance, certainly at 14 days more or less.

...and even though I often let them do so, to guide them to peck on their own 'early', they LOVE to be fed, so, I feed the heck out of them even as I also let them self feed in moderation...progressively till they are 40 odd or 50 odd days old, when finally they decide they are too grown up for it. But by then, I have tapered it down to one little token feed every other day or so, and them doing all their own self-feeding the rest of the time of course.

Please help me on these matters, we are saving him from a bunch of construction that destroyed his home.

Post a pic or two so we can all see him...!

Thanks.

Brooks & Noel

Good luck..!

Have fun!

Phil
Las Vegas

[Brooks]

this was so incredibly helpful. thanks so much for the advice, we will implement your suggestions accordingly. he really is a joy to have around, we're having a lot of fun caring for him and knowing that we've helped him out. there are many cats around our house and we knew if we were to just leave him outside on his own (in hopes that his mother would find him) he would not make it.

we've been taking many pictures, i will be sure to upload them soon.

thanks again & sorry for the multiple questions. as a first time bird caretaker, this is opening my eyes. i barely knew what a crop was until the little guy showed up.

cheers,

Brooks

[pdpbison]

Hi Brooks,



Well, those were all essential 'questions'..!

So, glad you thought to ask them.

You can also add some fine Grit to his formula, Parakeet or Canary or Finch Grit...for his Gizzard...

They are a joy...for sure...

Lettuce know how it is going?

And how the poops are looking...?


Where you at in this big old World of ours?


Best wishes!

Phil
Las Vegas

[Brooks]

Hi Phil,

We're up in Portland, Oregon. We love it here!

So we've run into some problems with the little guy, I'll point you to the thread:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=17900

cross your fingers! if he worsens through the night, we'll definitely take him to the vet tomorrow.

[pdpbison]

Hi Brooks,


Well...Portland is a mite cool and damp usually...( which I love!) so...if you have an electric Heating Pad, maybe set it up for him so he can be definitely warm if he wants...and you can have a box on it's side even, for him to have as a sort of warm 'cave' that way, even with some cloth draped over the front partially...

Have trhe Heating pad in the Box ( since you do not have a Cage, correct?) with one side open then...have a towell ove the heating pad and over the rest of the box 'bottom'...set the pad to 'medium' and make sure there is room for him to be off of it if he likes.

If the pad seems too warm at that setting, just add another layer of towell to it...


I was in Portland for the 'NCECA' ( National Conferance for Education in the Ceramic Arts - ie: shameless and expensive Tade Show pretending to be about 'education' ) Conferance last March, and really loved it up there...a very beautiful cultured City chock full of nice people...great restaurants, and cool old homes and other buildings.


If I was not so poor, I'd move there in a heartbeat, but it is too expensive now for the likes of me..! I am ten or fifteen years too late...!


Best wishes,

Phil
Las Vegas