Advice on baby ringneck dove please

[SharenYorkshire]

Ive taken a few pictures and hopefully this will help at ageing her as my descriptions are not the best.
Perhaps someone could let me know how old they think she and if she looks ok [IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

[Feefo]

It is still pretty young, but should be able to feed itself by now. This a link to a collared dove's development, I assume that the dove was found when it was around 5 days old. Look particularly at the shape of the head and the length of the beak. Young doves (like yours) will their foreheads bunching out a bit.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/296351231eZzmzT

Always leave a scattering of very small seed round it. He ma be feeding while you are not watching, or refusing to feed because he is full.

Doves are seed eaters, so I am a bit uncertain about whether she should be receiving meat related food at this age.

This is a link to the International Dove Society, it gives ideas for recipes.

http://www.internationaldovesociety....ecipesinfo.htm

BTW his wing feathsers look a bit rough, before he leaves he should have waterproof, smooth feahers. You can help him by misting him with warm water every two days.

[SharenYorkshire]

Originally Posted by cyro51

It is still pretty young, but should be able to feed itself by now. This a link to a collared dove's development, I assume that the dove was found when it was around 5 days old. Look particularly at the shape of the head and the length of the beak. Young doves (like yours) will their foreheads bunching out a bit.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/296351231eZzmzT

Always leave a scattering of very small seed round it. He ma be feeding while you are not watching, or refusing to feed because he is full.

Doves are seed eaters, so I am a bit uncertain about whether she should be receiving meat related food at this age.

This is a link to the International Dove Society, it gives ideas for recipes.

http://www.internationaldovesociety....ecipesinfo.htm

BTW his wing feathsers look a bit rough, before he leaves he should have waterproof, smooth feahers. You can help him by misting him with warm water every two days.

Oh no! I was told by the rescue to give her meat, i scatter seed near her and she is definately not eating it or showing any interest she just goes to the nearest corner and stays there.
Do you think that perhaps she is ill?
Will the meat have caused her any harm?
Im at a total loss, from the phots of Kelly i would assume she is between 1-2 weeks but again im not sure and i dont know why she isnt attempting to eat on her own.
Any advice on what to do i seem to making a pigs ear of this?

[Feefo]

No, you're not making a pigs ear of it!!! Maybe they recommended meat because during the first three days of life its parents will give it "crop milk" which is high in protein.

What are his poops like?

Cynthia

[SharenYorkshire]

Thanks Cynthia

Her poops are black with white surrounding, quite firm not runny at all.

Can you suggest something to bind the seed with to make pellets so its possible to get a little food down her please.

She has been perched this afternoon looking out onto the garden too.

[jbangelfish]

Never meat, never.

You can bind some seed to bread soaked in water. It is best to use whole grain bread if you have it.

This bird looks to be around 3 weeks old or so and may be able to eat seed on it's own. If not, you can feed seed by hand by opening the mouth and putting them toward the back of the mouth. Sometimes they will be stubborn and throw it back out. A little ball of soaked bread makes this easier and also provides them with the water that they need.

While bread is not the greatest diet for them, they will do well enough on it to get to the age where they can eat on their own. As someone said, scatter some seeds around the bird and see if it tries to eat them.

Water is easier as you can put the bird near the water and dip it's face into it, being careful not to drown it or choke it of course but this will usually inspire the bird to start sipping water for themselves. Pigeons and doves drink water in one big gulp, using their beak as a straw. Most birds have to dip over and over to get a drink.

Bill

[Feefo]

Hi Sharen,

You can moisten day old wholemeal bread, roll it into a pilule and roll that over small seeds.

I have just checked my two again because I seldom see them eating. They don't have full crops, but there is seed in there. If you count out a few seeds and leave them aroun her you might find that some disappear.

You will feel so much better once she is ablt to feed herself...I hate force feeding doves because they are so fragile and squirmy.

Cynthia

[philodice]

I teach my baby doves where the water is by putting their toes in it. When they feel the water on the toes, they dip their little heads down and drink. I've never been able to get a dove to drink by pushing the head down manually, they hate that.

[Feefo]

I use the dipping the beak in water way, but I will try the toe dip next time, it sounds so much safer!

Cynthia

[SharenYorkshire]

Yay! ive finally seen her pecking at some food

Right so ive worked out she is around 2 weeks old and is starting to eat for herself, what do i do now? She hasnt eaten much, do i carry on trying to force feed her? How much seed is she suppose to eat a day, if you could give me it in teaspoon quantities that would be great, when should i release her?

I would just like to thank you all for the advice you have given, i really didnt have a clue and this site has helped me and more importantly the dove immensley.

Sharen

[Charis]

I can't tell you for sure how much this little dove should eat but it's really important that you continue to feed her until she is doing a good job of eating on her own.
I think it will be a time yet, before she can be released.

[Feefo]

I am wary of advising you to feed a dove a specific amount at any time because their crops vary in size and what is right for one dove could be too much for another. All I can advise is that you feel the crop and only let it get 3/4 full. However, a rough guide to mainatin its weight is to feed it 1/10 of its bodyweight each day. Do you have any digital sacles. The best way of telling whether a pigeon is thriving is to weigh it daily.

Now that it has started the weaning process you can cut down to 2 meals a day.

Cynthia

[SharenYorkshire]

Im afraid i dont have any digital scales but i have been feeding her until i see her crop start to bulge, i have just bought some pigeon food will she be old enough to eat this, can i feed her some of the pea sized pieces that are in it? She has been eating a millet mix so far with small amounts of wholemeal bread.

[Feefo]

My collared doves won't eat the large peas and stuff, although Poppet likes maize and peanuts, and the wild ones are the same so I don't think that pigeon mix can be right for them except for the smaller seeds like wheat and safflower. They might find the larger seeds indigestible,

They love chopped peanuts and sunflower hearts.

This is a link to a supplier of dove mix, to give you an idea of what they need...but they hate linseed, and will usually leave it, however hungry they are.

http://www.pets2home.co.uk/item--Buc...g--591871.html

Cynthia

[SharenYorkshire]

Thankyou for the link ive ordered some of the dove mix.

The dove always seems to hold her beak slightly open, and never seems to close it, im starting to wonder if this is why she doesnt eat much of the scattered seed however she is trying, is this normal?