Help! Baby Pigeons! How to care for!

[MsLightnin]

Some workers tearing down building found 2 baby pigeons. Instead of leaving them there, brought them from a 2 1/2 hr. drive after they got off work and called me for help when they got them home. I do not know the first thing about how to finish raising these little babies. They are starting to get their feathers and they cheep for me. I would say by looking at Baby Sara's photo's, they are between 14-17 days old. I've felt them and they are very snuggy warm. What do I feed them. I do have chick start to finish. Also, we are wondering if they still need to be on a heat pad or will a light do? Can you help me? Janice

[This message has been edited by MsLightnin (edited May 11, 2004).]

[alea]

Wow!
Go back to the home page, click on picture of baby Sara and give us an age estimate.
In the meantime, get a box with some paper towels and/or old t-shirts. Put babies in there. If you have a heating pad with a low setting put that under the bedding.
Sounds like they will need birdie baby food. You can get that at most pet stores, but puppy chow soaked in water until fluffy (saturated) also works quite well in a pinch. This happened to me 4&1/2 months ago, and let me tell you, you came to the right place. Others will be along shortly, I'm sure with more help. I await your age guess...
Alea

[MsLightnin]

Thank you Alea. They are peeping regularly and as I said, I looked at Baby Sara's photo's and they appear to be between 14-17 days old. The one is peeping and seems to want to get attached to my finger. Will they eat on their own at this age, or will I need to hand feed them? I spread paper towels on the bottom of the box. Any help here will be greatly appreciated. There is no animal rescue here and no one to call. Janice

[maryco]

Hello,

Thanks for helping these squeakers.
They could be abit young to eat on their own but you can try, I would hand feed though with the dog food or even soaked seeds (be sure to avoid the hole behind the tongue as that is the windpipe and if anything goes in there the bird could aspirate and die)

At about 18 days I think they should be able to eat on their own if they practice hard enough.
Their feathers under the wings should be fully grown out and the flight feathers should be long and almost touching the tail before you introduce them to wild birds again for release (if that is what you are going to do)

If you have any more questions just post

Mary

[maryco]

Thought this might help as well!


When I feed the pigeon I put the bird on a table infront of me, the
bird's right wing should be facing me and his beak is facing to my
right. I take my left hand and put it on the bird from behind then
with my index finger and thumb I keep his beak open (My thumb is
towards me and my index finger is on the other side of the beak)..
-------------------------

When Pigeons are (about 13 days old) you can switch to either soaked
seeds or soaked puppy chow.
I soak wild bird seed for about 4-5 hours then soak it in warm water,
drain it and mix abit of baby bird formula with it, Now you can hand
feed it to the baby by holding his mouth open with your left hand and
scooping and putting it in his mouth with your right hand. He will
swallow it.

With the puppy chow you can soak some pieces in warm water, drain
then cut them up and put piece by piece in his mouth and again he
will swallow.

Feed until the crop feels squishy, with the seeds it will feel like a
beeny baby but it shouldn't feel hard otherwise he is over fed and
could aspirate.
At about 15-17 days you can introduce dry seeds, put them around the
baby and peck with your finger at them, he should get the idea

Hope that helps!

Mary

[MsLightnin]

Thank you so much! I don't know if I will be able to let them go, however, all my birds freerange anyway. I don't believe, being pigeons, they will leave where they are raised and that suits me. I just hope I can save these little things. I am fearful, as this is all new to me. Now, give me a guinea, peahen, duck, goose, quail or chick and I'm right at home with raising them and hatching them also. I appreciate all the help I can get! Thanks again! Janice

[alea]

Sorry Janice,... I realized after I posted the original message that you DID give an age guess. Tried to edit it, then my internet went down. (I'm embarassed... such an inadequate first responder). Anyway my vote is with Mary... what my edited message would have said was this:
See if they eat on their own. Try some soaked seeds first and "peck" at them with your finger, as Mary said. Also provide a spill proof, shallow dish of water and see if they drink. You may dip their beaks in a few times until they get the hang of it. (Avoid immersing their nostrils).
If they don't eat or drink anything by tomorrow, I would hand feed. Even if they are 17 days old, my feeling is, a few extra days won't hurt.
Check the crop. If it is really empty I might hand feed tonight anyway, just to be safe. Who knows how long they were without parents until they were found?
Advice from a novice...
Alea

[MsLightnin]

Thanks to both of you for your help. I did get them both to drink just a little water. I also got them to dip their little heads into a baggie corner and eat some. Their is one a little bigger and he ate a lot more than the little one. I'll try again before I go to bed. I mixed some of my Chick Start to Finish (unmedicated type) with some warm water. Then put it in the corner of the baggie. It was difficult at first, but they each sorta got the hang of it. Hopefully, they will get along ok with that. I got some of my wild bird seed, got all the sunflower seeds out of it and have it soaking overnight to try and feed in the a.m. Then, off to the feed store I go to see what I can find for them. Thanks Bunches. Janice

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello Janice & Welcome,
First off: Many, Many thanks to the kind hearted 'construction' workers for not only rescuing these two sweet babies but also for going the extra mile (no pun intended) to get them to safety.

Many thanks to you, as well, for taking them in & caring for them. What a wonderful team effort.

I'm sure you will do just fine with these sweet babies, given the experience you already have combined with whatever information we can provide.

It's not unusual for one sibling to be smaller than the other as the eggs generally hatch a couple days apart. The first born has a two day 'head start' on the growth process, which, as you will see, is rapid.

You can also click on 'resources' (in the upper right corner) to obtain more information on caring for baby pigeons.

Please keep us posted on how things are coming along.
Cindy

[MsLightnin]

Oh, so many thanks to you all for helping me. This a.m. I cut a finger off a pair of rubber gloves, put the feed in it and got both babies to eat good. Had to keep refilling it with warm food, as they were so hungry. I am so pleased with both of them and their efforts to accept me and my fumbling attempt to be mama. The pet store in town has the Kaytee Exact formula for baby birds, which they sale by the pound and feeders supply has the pigeon seed. So....hopefully....with a lot of faith and persistance, I can save these poor little babies. Thanks a lot! Janice

[Trees Gray]

Hi Janice,

Great news. Please give us an update and feel free to ask any more questions.

Treesa