Found a juvenile pigeon

[Kwikkordead]

Hi folks this is my first post. I found a juvenile pigeon standing on the sidewalk next to a building where a lot of pigeons nest. It appears to have no broken bones, and nearly fully developed plumage. But it is just too young to fly yet. I couldn't let it just sit there on the sidewalk and come to an early end so I just picked it up like a small chicken and brought it home. I've built a 2' square box with food and water, fresh paper every day and a small cardboard box inside the cage to provide shelter. It had a lot of mites when I picked it up. They were running all over the inside of the box that I brought it home in. I don't really have much experience in caring for pigeons
My hope was to feed it long enough to see it fly away on it's own, but I think that plan is going to backfire and I will have a pet to care for. It seems like a very easy job to domesticate this bird. After only four days it's comfortable with my presence. I'll take care of this little guy if I have to, but I would prefer it to mingle with it's own kind and would love to find someone who has other pigeons and wouldn't mind one more.
I've been feeding it fresh water twice daily in a cereal bowl, Wild Dove seed for food. And the occational bits of broken bread ends. For grit I have some crushed gravel that varies in size from fine dust all the way up to 1/4 inch or more. And every size in between so it can choose what it wants.
It's stool appears to be mostly water which concerns me, but I have no idea what to do about it.

[Kwikkordead]

I forgot to mention that I live in Seattle, WA. If anyone's interested in this bird I would be glad to drive it to your location or meet you halfway as long as I can do it all in one day.

[Reti]

Thank you for caring for this little pigeon.
We might have members nearby, so hang in there, hopefully someone will see your post.

Could you post a ic of the bird so we can determine his age? He might be too young to eat and that could be a reason for the watery droppings.
Baby pigeons learn to drink before they can eat, so make sure the little guy is getting enough food.
You can feed him also frozen thawed corn and peas, if you have to give him that one by one it is easier than giving him seeds.

Please keep us posted on this little one.
Thank you

Reti

[Victor]

Hello Kwikkordead, yes many thanks for saving this little ones life form harms way. While we wait for more replies to your dilemma, in case you have not already done so, just go to the two threads just above this one you posted for some very important pigeon care tips. You have had this pigeon for 4 days now, does he still have a mite problem?

[Victor]

I was outside tending to my wild life and I was thinking that the mite problem is probably there .Outside is where I do my most "daydreaming" and thinking best!

Go to your local Garden Center, and purchase Sevin dust. Apply it to the body area ,under the wings and back side of it but avoid his head area, and insure that you avoid the eyes and nostril/beak area.Treat the living area as well.Treat the bird outside or an room that is ventilated.That will take care of the critter problem.

[Kwikkordead]

Originally Posted by vdog505

I was outside tending to my wild life and I was thinking that the mite problem is probably there .Outside is where I do my most "daydreaming" and thinking best!

Go to your local Garden Center, and purchase Sevin dust. Apply it to the body area and back side of it but avoid his head area, and insure that you avoid the eyes and nostril/beak area. Do this either outside or an room that is ventilated.That will take care of the critter problem.

Thanks I'll take care of that tonight. Including the peas and corn idea. I have seen it drink water so it can do that, but I am thinking that it's just not old enough for adult feed yet.
It does not have the white crown even starting to develope yet, has almost full adult plumage with a few of the little baby hairlike feather left on the back of it's neck and shoulders. I'll post a picture tomorrow, family plans don't allow for the time to do so tonight. The picture that I have is on the home computer and I am now at work.
Another thing, I have it in my back yard where it gets pretty warm during the day. I put a piece of plywood on top of the cage to shade it, is that right or do they like a lot of sun?

[Victor]

Sunshine is very important to pigeons and they just love to baste in it. I provide a half cover on top of mine so that he has an option to choose.I recommend you do provide a partial cover for relief.

[Kwikkordead]

Ok I went home for a minute and moved the plywood so that it has a choice of sun or shade and fed it some peas. Here's the picture of it.

[Kwikkordead]

Thank you for the tip on debugging the bird NumberNine. I'll get to that this weekend. Another priority that I have besides finding a more suitable home for it is to build a bigger place for it to live. Right now it's a hastily constructed 2x2x2 cube box frame with hardware cloth as the cage. You can see it in the picture. It's mostly for it's own protection as we have lot's of crows, and several raccons in the neighborhood. But I really don't want to have to go through all that as I am not really in love with it, but I can't just let it die either. And the thought of imprisoning the poor bird in that tiny cage is unacceptable. My greatest wish for this bird is to fly free, or at the very least be with other members of it's own kind. Do birds in this sort of situation grow up and fly off? Or do they just get "domesticated" and stick around? Sorry about all the questions.
Oh and the droppings are nearly black mixed in with a lot of watery substance.

[Kwikkordead]

Thanks for all the help NumberNine.
Any takers on this pigeon? I don't have enough time in the day to properly care for it and give it the attention that it needs to be healthy mentally. I can feed and protect it with a cage, but for the most part it's going to be ignored in the back yard while I'm off at work for 10-12 hours daily. I'll drive it into the next state if needed.

[Skyeking]

Thank you for your care and concern of this youngster. I understand how you feel.

What a cute youngster. From the picture he looks to be about 24 days old.

Can you give him just a few more weeks, maybe even 3 to grow up and go out on his own? He will need to practice his flying skills daily, in an enclosed area, if that is possible.

If not, why don't you post a thread in the adoption section and explain the situation, and see if you can find someone in your area who can care for him until he is full grown and flying solo.

Treesa

[Kwikkordead]

Originally Posted by Trees Gray

Thank you for your care and concern of this youngster. I understand how you feel.

What a cute youngster. From the picture he looks to be about 24 days old.

Can you give him just a few more weeks, maybe even 3 to grow up and go out on his own? He will need to practice his flying skills daily, in an enclosed area, if that is possible.

If not, why don't you post a thread in the adoption section and explain the situation, and see if you can find someone in your area who can care for him until he is full grown and flying solo.

Treesa

I can do that easily. It's good to know that it's not real dependant on interaction to stay in good spirits.

[Skyeking]

Since the little guy is drinking already it won't be long before he will be eating on his own. You should leave a deep spill proof dish of seed, as well as water, out for him while you are gone so he can practice his eating skills. He will become an easier house guest once he is eating on his own too!

Treesa

[Kwikkordead]

Originally Posted by Trees Gray

Since the little guy is drinking already it won't be long before he will be eating on his own. You should leave a deep spill proof dish of seed, as well as water, out for him while you are gone so he can practice his eating skills. He will become an easier house guest once he is eating on his own too!

Treesa

Can these birds be house trained? Or do you have to take measures to protect the carpeting?

[pdpbison]

Hi kwikkordead,



You could consider to try this - (this is still my rough draft primer for initisl guidelines of feeding an new young or adolescent Columbiforme. This is also a great moralle booster for them. One your's age will be eating on it's own tonight or tomorrow if you follow these steps, and, also, in kindness, also feed them a couple times a day as well as pecking with them as they do eat by pecking Seeds on their own...)

Go to the Grocery Store and buy some regular Baby Nipples.

Take one and with scizzors, cut off the flange or collar.

You will be useing the hollow side of it to put formula or Water in.

Any formula you feed them should be fairly thin, since they are in essense, drinking it more than eating it.

Small whole Seeds may be added to varying percentages to the otherwise 'gravy' of the formula.

Individual Birds, Doves especially, can be a little finicky, so, if you have a Dove, expect to try different variations of formulas and or percentages of small whole Seeds or other ingredients untill you hit on a combo or recipe they go for.

The formula must be fed to them at around "wrist" temperature, ALLWAYS.

Make your formula in a cup which is sitting in a pan on of Hot Water. Keep it sitting in the pan of hot Water so it does not cool off while you refill the Nipple.

Test the formula by putting your finger into it and stirring. It should feel like 'no temperature'.


For your purposes right now kwickkordead, you could make some formula out of Graham Cracker and Corn Meal and be allright since this is not as crucial as it would be with a Bird who you will be feeding for it's sole source of food.

Also, get a small sized to-go-cup or Dixie-cup and cut off about 3/4 inch or 1 inch at most of the bottom to make a small, shallow Seed-feeding cup.


Moisten your finger tips in warm Water...

Approach the little Bird from straight on from the front, at about their eye level. Set them ON something even to do so, something where they have room and will not be precarious.

Slowly reach for their Beak while saying 'OooOOOooo! - OooooOOooo!' in a medium, slow, lowish voice. Kinda like if you were saying 'MmmmMMMmm!' to convey how something tastes good, but where the 'MmmmMMmmm' would have your mouth closed, the 'OooooOOOooo!' is done with one's mouth, one's lips, made into a little "o"...

Do this and gently, from the front, with moist warm finger tips, massage it's little Beak.


If the Bird "nuzzles" and or responds with signs of accepting your invitation to feed them...gently guide their Beak into the hollow BACKSIDE of the Nipple, into which you have put, say, for the first experiment, merely some TEPID Water.

If the Bird is interested and responding, it may very well be quite assertive and enthused, pushing forward forcefully, squeakinf and flapping it's Wings.

Try and support the Bird from it's shoulders with your free hand, and try not to press against it's Crop.

Hold the Nipple at about their Crop level and tilted toward them. when feeding them formula, let the Bird guide you as for how they wish to pull their head 'in' for swallowing, and how they may stretch their neck 'out' for gobbleing or drinking. There is a cadence they will prefer and it is subtle, so you have to let them guide you in how it works.

If you can get the Bird to be "nuzzleing" in this way, you can feed them IN the hollow back side of the Nipple, with various sorts of thin, 'Gravy' thin formula recipies.

Now, for having done that a few times, you may then, also, gently guide their Beak into a small container, in this case, something LIKE a 'Shot Glass' or the bottom of a small size to-go Cup you have cut out from the whole to-go cup.

Gently, keeping your finger tips ON their little Beak, or on the sides of their beak at it's root, and guide their 'nuzzleing' Beak into the little cup or glass which you have filled with PLAIN, WHOLE, SMALL, SEEDS...

The Baby or young Pigeons and Doves I have done this with so far, made 'gobbleing' - 'feeding' motions with their Beaks, and in effect, by opening and closeing their Beaks, ate very well the little whole Seeds in the small glass or cup bottom, into which I had guided their Beak...and on whose little Beaks I keep my finger tips gently resting untill they DO do this with out me doing so.

For the first few times of this, one keeps one's finger tips ON their little Beak.

One also ALLWAYS from the first, ANY TIME ONE IS TO OFFER FOOD OR WATER, one makes the "OoooooOOOOoooo!" sounds.

The moist finger tip Beak massage need only be done the first time. THAT IS THE INITIAL INVITATION, that is the 'Curtain Raiser'.


If all of this is not done, and done in an easy sensitive sequence for them, we get all the problems that almost everyone writes in with every day.

All these damned force feeds and problems and admonishions of how the Bird needs 'Tough Love' because no 'Love' deference or patience has been shown them in any real terns THEY understand or will do well with.

This works just as well for Baby or young Doves as it does for Baby or young Pigeons, who very soon know what you are 'talking' about when you make the sounds for them. Who in fact after the FIRST time one does this and does it right, they know what you are 'saying'.

Mine (Baby or young Doves) tended to come running when I would announce the arrival of 'chow time' by these sounds.

This then, the little 'Seed Gobble' which they WILL do in a 1 inch or so little cup of SMALL WHOLE SEEDS, if guided to it gently and correctly...it will very soon, VERY soon, lead naturally and easily and effortlessly, to them pecking and eating Seeds ALL BY THEMSELVES out of the same little
cup and then soon after, off of a folded Towell ( A folded towell lets them peck 'deeper' around the Seed to get a grip on it, than a flat hard surface will).

You can and SHOULD also 'peck' with them of course with your crook'd index finger. Have the back of your hand or your knuckles against them when doing this


Most Grocery Stores for that matter carry Canary Seed, Parakeet Seed and so on. Get the Seeds when you go there to get the Nipples.

Good luck!


The guidelines for 'release' we can go into later.


For now, you are the surrogate parent of thise Bird and they naturally will rely on you to some extent.

Please do not confuse this with 'bonding' or 'imprinting'...rather, just accept that this Bird does not have anyone else TO feed them for now, and since they are relying on you, they will accept you to one degree or another unless you are ttally annoying and frightening to them.

Be nice to the Bird, be gentle and affectionate, with no worries of it being a problem.

This Bird will need to be allowed to explore and be progressing in it's muscle developement in it's own way, and at it's own self-elected pace toward flying. Cages are not a good idea for Birds of this age who need to be testing their Wings as they please and when they please and who need to be developeing their flying muscles in various little explores and excercises.

A sleeping cage is a good idea for them to stay put in a definite place out of harm's way over night.


Till next...

Have fun!

Phil
Las Vegas