what to feed baby pigeon

[merwancia]

I am new to this forum. i live in india and here in mumbai, there is a huge population of pigeons. In fact, i have around 4 pigeon nests outside my window.

and i noticed that since 2 days, one of the pigeon mothers had left her baby in the nest. i feel something bad happened to her. at first i thought she must be search for food. but she hasnt returned. so i decided to take care of the baby. i have never taken care of a baby pigeon before. it is around a week old .

i want to know what i can feed it? coz we dont have any pet shops nearby.
i want to know if i can use some homemade fodder from cereals like wheat or rice. we have plenty of them.

i tried to mix some powder of wheat mixed with water. and i fed it to the bird.
coz it was definitely starving from 3 days.

please help soon.

[Pawbla]

I've fed bread and milk successfully on older birds, but no idea about a bird so young. Maybe you could try a baby formula?

[altgirl35]

no milk please, birds are lactose intolerant.
you can feed her frozen corn and peas thawed out and warm, you can open her beak and pop one in at a time, she will eat alot

[plamenh]

Please post a picture to determine age and quantity to feed.

[Feefo]

Hello,

Both pigeon parents look after their chicks, but after 10 days they keep an eye on the baby from a distance, retruning only for quick feeds.

Can you tell us what the baby's poops were like when you took it in? And what its eyes looked like and general demeanour. That will help determine whether it was being fed.

[merwancia]

Originally Posted by Feefo

Hello,

Both pigeon parents look after their chicks, but after 10 days they keep an eye on the baby from a distance, retruning only for quick feeds.

Can you tell us what the baby's poops were like when you took it in? And what its eyes looked like and general demeanour. That will help determine whether it was being fed.

oh my gosh , what have i done? is it really true that the parents return for quick feeds and keep watch from a distance. if that is the case, should i be placing the chick back in its nest?

the baby poop is spiral and black in color with a streak of white sometimes.

i will send images of the bird

[Feefo]

IMO it won't hurt the baby if you feed it and then pop it back in the nest and watch the nest to see if the parents return.

If it was a single nest then it would be easier for you as the squeaking would alert you to the perents' return.

You can bring it in at night for observation. The parents don't mind humans handling their babies so they are not going to reject it on those grounds, I don't think that if they are alive and retruning to the nest they will have already decided that the baby is gone forever.

Cynthia

[Pawbla]

I thought just budgies were lactose intolerant x.X
How did those bird on "emergency feed" manage to survive?

[plamenh]

Originally Posted by Pawbla

I thought just budgies were lactose intolerant x.X
How did those bird on "emergency feed" manage to survive?

Pigeon feed milk will not be able to digest it whole, just partly, bread with milk actually did the trick, as that was what helped them survive.

[merwancia]

the baby pigeon thinks am its mother. whenever i go near, it starts squeaking and starts searching for my hand. she kinda puts her beak between my fingers and i guess searches for food.

for now i dont have frozen peas or corn . so i boiled some rice and mashed it and mixed with some lukewarm water and fed it. it seems to like it a lot.

how long does it take a baby to start eating solid food?

i hope i can be a good caretaker . am afraid to put the baby out in its nest again coz like i said there are around 4 to 5 pigeon nests near my window and they all attack if they see a baby alone and tries to push it down .

[merwancia]

and thank you to all you good people for helping me out .

[plamenh]

Are you prepared to adopt this baby?
The reason I'm asking is because taking baby from the nest will create bond between you and pigeon. He will not be educated by his parents to forage, fly, fend from danger. Baby will be imprinted to you and you cannot release him, or if you do, his chances for survival will not be good. If you want to keep him, it's Ok. Pigeons make great pets, but it is long time commitment. (they live 20~25 years)
Baby pigeon start to eat alone between 20~25 day from hatching, sometimes sooner, sometimes later.

[merwancia]

Originally Posted by plamenh

Are you prepared to adopt this baby?
The reason I'm asking is because taking baby from the nest will create bond between you and pigeon. He will not be educated by his parents to forage, fly, fend from danger. Baby will be imprinted to you and you cannot release him, or if you do, his chances for survival will not be good. If you want to keep him, it's Ok. Pigeons make great pets, but it is long time commitment. (they live 20~25 years)
Baby pigeon start to eat alone between 20~25 day from hatching, sometimes sooner, sometimes later.

of course. i love birds and animals. and any opportunity given to take care , i never miss out on it. i am planning to keep the bird with me . but not as a pet .
in fact , this little baby bird is a new addition to my family of a cute little bunny 'snowflake' , two parakeets , a family of 6 wild birds who have made nest on my plants. they are a very rare breed. even smaller than a sparrow.

[plamenh]

Will you post some pictures? I'd like to see your birds and bunny.

[Feefo]

Have you still got this baby?

How much are you feeding it?

What are you feeding it?

I don't think that rice has the nutrients it needs, specially if it is polished rice... and it is so important to get the quantities right! Please let us know how it is getting along!