2 hatchlings...

[Izzy]

Ohhh, ok, Cynthia, thanks for telling me that, lol! I try to think I'm a little computer savvy, so that was driving me crazy, lol! I knew I'd seen other pictures posted on this forum, didn't know why in the world I just had links, lol! I guess it's not a big deal if you can click on them and see them anyhow.

Thanks for the compliment Cynthia, I have to admit I'm quite fond of them myself, lol! If memory serves me right, 'feral' is another word for wild, yes? So, does that mean they could be like a mix of different breeds/species of pigeons? I agree they will be beautiful no matter what they grow up to be, growing up is the part that is most important of all. I know that the majority of pigeons I see here in the city are a blue/gray variety, so I'm guessing they will be sort of like that.

[Izzy]

Here's one picture from Wednesday, two days old. Don't know if you can see much of a difference, except for the eyes. But the down has gotten longer and curlier since that day. Not a whole lot bigger, but hoping their new diet will correct that very soon.

Sorry the picture isn't the best, I was trying not to handle them very much and took the picture very quickly, lol.

[Feefo]

Hi Izzy,

Feral pigeons are all descended from the rock dove, which is the basic blue pigeon with the black wing bars. So the grey ones are reverting to their "pedigree". The prettier pigeons are essentially (in my view) mongrels, but so very beautiful in their variety. So if the norm out your way is variations of grey, then that is likely to be what they will grow into. But every pigeon has a distinctive personality and the real delight is getting to know your pigeon's inner self!

BTW I much prefer it when photos appear as part of the post and you can see them in context!

Cynthia

[Izzy]

Oh wow, thanks for the info Cynthia! I still have so very much to learn about pigeons, lol! I can't believe how much I've already learned about them just since Tuesday. You are so right about their personalities though and I know I really haven't anything yet! Even as small as they are now, I have one (the darker beaked one) which is very calm and quiet and the 'other' one which jumps around alot, chirps and is generally very vocal, lol!

Can you tell me at what age I will be able to find out what sex they are? Is there a link you can provide me with that tells me how to sex them?

Thanks again!
Izzy

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hey Izzy,

The babies look GREAT! Good work. It's very hard to sex pigeons until they are MUCH older. You won't really know until they are sexually mature at around 6 months old. My babies are 4 months and I'm Still not sure yet:P The babies beaks are the same colour as my chicks were at birth and I have a black and red pigeon. So, I'm thinking you might have a blue bar in the darker beaked bird and a lighter coloured, in the lighter beaked bird when they are adults. Just a guess though. Excellent work on them they look very good and healthy.


Brad

[Izzy]

Hiya Brad! Thanks for the compliments! It's great to hear from you experienced pro's that they look good, cause I have no past comparison to use, lol! I've had such good luck this past week with them, especially not having a clue what to feed these little guys. It's really a blessing they are still with me and I hope they thrive.

I feel like a mom taking out her wallet and showing off my kids, heh. Boy, didn't take me long to get attached, huh? I remember telling my friend the day he brought them over that the last thing I needed was a couple of pigeons, lol! I had expected them to be like the other birds I tried to rescue, so was really trying to mentally prepare for them to not make it the first 24 hours. I sure hope they continue to make progress because I know if I lost them now I would be completely devastated.

I'm very excited to see when the feathering part starts. I'm glad their beaks are a little different in color, because I would never be able to tell them apart otherwise, lol! I can't wait until they develop more and you know I'll be keeping you updated.

I know I've said this a million times, but can't thank you and Cynthia enough for your help! I don't know who I would talk to about this if it hadn't been for you two.

Izzy

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hey Izzy,

I meant to tell you earlier to not be discouraged about them not gaining weight. Chances are, they have but your scale (since it's not digital) isn't showing you since the change is so small. You will continue to feed them this exact formula for up to 3 weeks most likely. But thicken the formula gradually as it instructs on the package. Also, tube feeding is not for everyone and it can be difficult and for someone that doesn't know how to do it, harmful to the baby. So, just continue to feed as you have been.


Brad

[TAWhatley]

Hi Izzy .. your babies are absolutely precious! You've done a terrific job with them! It can be a bit difficult when they are so very small, so you really, really have done a wonderful job with them.

Terry

[Izzy]

Hi there Terry and thank you so much! I just finished feeding them again and though it was really a struggle since Tuesday to hold them correctly and open their little beaks, just a little bit ago, as soon as I touched the sides of their beaks, they would both open up wide, lol! So, not only are they gorgeous they are very smart too, woohoo, looks and brains, heh.

Today was a gorgeous day, right around 89 degrees. I was wondering if they were too young to be exposed to natural sunlight? It was a little windy, so I was worried about drafts and I left them inside today, but was wondering when it would be safe to let them enjoy the outside also? Should I wait until they have feathers before I start moving them around? They are so fragile and I don't want to push it.

Thank you,
Izzy

[Izzy]

Oh my goodness! I think the Kaytee is really kicking in because I woke up to two very vocal, demanding little pigeons about a half an hour ago. It was the first time ever that I didn't have to wake them up to feed them and they were very hyper, chirping a lot and looked like they were 'fencing' with each other with their beaks when I first saw them.

I was a bit alarmed, because I thought maybe something was wrong with them. Earlier yesterday they had 4cc's and it took 6 hours to empty their crops. Last night at 11pm, they each had 5cc's of Exact and their crops were empty at 4:45am. As I reached to take them out of their box this morning, both of them stood up immediately and put their beaks inbetween my fingers and opened up very wide! It was like I couldn't feed them fast enough! I gave them each another 5cc's, but they continued to move around and chirp very loudly. Their crops looked full to me, but as I went to pick them up and put them back in the box, they again, opened up wide. I figured they still must be hungry so gave them each 1 more cc, before they finally started to slow down and doze a bit. Normally, they are dozing off towards the end of the feeding and asleep when I put them back in the box.

Couple of questions, should I be paying attention to them when they want more food? Was it alright I gave them more today because it seemed to be the correct thing to do. Why was the crop empty at 5.5 hours with more formula last night? Do I need to maybe start to thicken the mixture a bit now? Should I just keep feeding them until they fall asleep? They seem so different today and I'm a bit worried. Their eyes are opened up pretty much now, I'll take more picts later today.

Is everything that's happened this morning normal? I was used to them being pretty out of it most of the time, so seeing them move around so much and chirp alot was a little bewildering.

Ok, last thing. I had decided to name them because I can't imagine waiting 6 months to find out their sex just to give them a name. I was going to look up some names to find something very creative and unique, but their names came to me last night after I fed them. The darker beaked little one is now named "Mel", short for mellow, as he is pretty laid back, dozing off alot. The lighter beaked one is now "Misty", short for mischieveous, as she is super vocal and always poking at my hands and crawling around alot.

They are now 6 days old, if you want to add anything that might be happening in the next few days with them, I would appreciate the heads up, lol!

Thank you very much,
Izzy

[Izzy]

Just me again, it's been about an hour since I feed them. I just went to check on them and they are both chirping again and their eyes are open. I'm not sure what they want. They are not cold or too hot, could they be hungry again?

Mel starts to doze off, then Misty chirps and wakes him up and they do their little 'fencing' thingy and it just keeps repeating.

Ok, I just looked in on them right now and they are quiet again, whew. I'm kinda stressing out, I just want to make sure I listen to them and that they are ok. I figure if they chirp it must mean something, right? Or maybe it doesn't?

Hope someone shows up soon.

[Pigeonpal2002]

Morning Izzy,

First of all, I LOVE your choice of names, very cute. I haven't named my birds yet, it's hard to make a decision:P As for your chicks being more active this morning, I think that is pretty normal. They gain strength quickly and now that they are being fed properly and a proper diet, this seems all typical. The sparring is also normal and sometimes siblings will fight with each other or even try to get food from one another. From my experience with babies and when Mary was handfeeding my chicks, they seem to learn to open their beaks for food as well. I'm thinking that the Kaytee is easier to digest and now that their systems are getting used to it, it might be digesting quicker now. You kind of have to work with what you see. When the crops are empty, that is when to feed them again. You don't need to feed them at night though at this point. Follow your instincts of exactly how much to give them. If they seem hungry still, give them a bit more. Just make sure that the crop never gets too full though. You probably could start to thicken the formula just a wee bit. Perhaps not to go to the next level quite yet that the instructions tell you though. I'm not a "pro" as you think I am. My experience comes from reading, learning and most recently from talking to Mary every day when she was hand feeding my chicks. I will talk to Mary to get more info for you, but she hasn't been around this weekend. Mary is the REAL "pro" with hand rearing and has done it so many times. Hang in there, everything seems very normal and very good so far.


Brad

[Izzy]

Good Morning Brad! Whew, glad to see a post, lol! I don't mean to be such a whiner, it's just today is so different from this past week of my having them. I had been used to very quiet little birdies, little chirping, but mostly sleeping. All this movement and chirps isn't something I'm used too, but you are right, it sounds normal. I mean, they should move and chirp, lol!

I need to use common sense and not freak out whenever I encounter something I'm not used too, so I'm kind of embarrassed about my couple of posts this morning. I tend to overreact and I apologize. I was just so afraid I wasn't doing something that I needed to be doing.

Ok, I'm rambling on again, thank you for your post, made me feel better.

Izzy

[Pigeonpal2002]

Izzy,


There is ABSOLUTELY no reason to feel embarrassed about your concerns. Most of us pigeon "freaks" are very hyper-sensitive to our birds.LOL Never be afraid to voice your concerns to the forum. Mary should be around later this morning and I'll make sure she gets in touch with you and she will have many more answers and suggestions to calm your nerves


Brad

[Izzy]

LOL, thanks Brad! I just felt pretty silly after rereading my posts. Asking if chirping and moving around is normal? Sheesh, I feel like that has to go down as the dumbest question in the world, lol!

I just so want to make sure I'm doing everything I'm supposed to be doing and not make any mistakes, if possible. They are still so tiny and vulnerable and even though they've only been here 6 days, I'm so very attached to them. I also don't want to post a message every second and start to annoy everyone here.

Ok, I'll shaddup now and try to relax. Thank you again.