Concerned about squab

[The Pigeon Girl]

well to me it seems as if they are favoring feeding the stronger one. I've only seen them feed the weaker one a few times, its obvious that they aren't feeding the weak one as much. should i take him out and raise him myself? i don't want him to die he is looking weak. and if so, what food do i feed him. both are about 2 weeks. i currently only have 16 percent pigeon food. and also oyster grit. or should i just leave him? please help and thanks!

[spirit wings]

try taking the bigger squab out for a few hours when they feed.. then put him back in..he may be hogging the feedings. If you do feel the need to take the small one in you would get him warm and feed kaytee exact hand feeding formula and then start soon on some defrosted peas and corn put in the back of the throat to feed him.. feed just untill the crop is fullish..not too full but like a little bean bag sack. feed again when the crop is empty.

[Jaye]

At 2 weeks old, if one is looking weak...you can do that (take the strong one and see if the parents feed the weak one).

I, personally, would just be inclined to bring the weak one in and handfeed, keep warm.

Kaytee is good stuff....now, at 14 days old you can also begin to handfeed thawed peas and corn.

Get him fattened up for a week or two, maybe also check for any signs of canker and medicate if necessary. Then perhaps return him/her to the nest so she/he can fledge with his sibling. Take note if you return her/him whether the parents have a problem with this....

Are these Ferals ? ...or yours ?

[The Pigeon Girl]

there mine, it is a Birmingham roller and Armenian black tail tumbler.

[Charis]

I am suspicious that the smaller baby may have a canker infection, which can cause one baby to thrive and not the other. Can you post a picture of the two of them?

[Msfreebird]

I would do what Jaye AND Charis suggests. I would take him inside and check for canker, then finish hand raising him. Alot of times the bigger one will hog the feedings. I've tried taking the bigger one out for awhile, but that never worked for me. You have to stay right on top of that and do it a couple times a day. I found that to be too much work, especially when working full time

[APF_LOFT]

Originally Posted by The Pigeon Girl

well to me it seems as if they are favoring feeding the stronger one. I've only seen them feed the weaker one a few times, its obvious that they aren't feeding the weak one as much. should i take him out and raise him myself? i don't want him to die he is looking weak. and if so, what food do i feed him. both are about 2 weeks. i currently only have 16 percent pigeon food. and also oyster grit. or should i just leave him? please help and thanks!

in my loft or breeding cage the weak have no right to survive. weak pigeon produce weak pigeon if you keep raising weak pigeon your loft will be full of weak pigeon. weak pigeon is a waste of time and burn more money for medicating.

[Libis]

Originally Posted by APF_LOFT

in my loft or breeding cage the weak have no right to survive. weak pigeon produce weak pigeon if you keep raising weak pigeon your loft will be full of weak pigeon. weak pigeon is a waste of time and burn more money for medicating.

Sometimes they're just born later than the other baby. This does not mean that they'll grow up weak. My birds tend to start sitting on the first laid egg and this causes this sort of thing to happen.

Actually, in my ringnecks, my smaller younger baby grew to be much stronger than his sister as an adult. Also, the sister who was stronger and larger as a baby grew to have vision problems. You can't always tell how they will be as adults by what happens when they are squabs.

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by APF_LOFT

in my loft or breeding cage the weak have no right to survive. weak pigeon produce weak pigeon if you keep raising weak pigeon your loft will be full of weak pigeon. weak pigeon is a waste of time and burn more money for medicating.

I bet you are glad you were not a weak "pigeon" in your family. you may not be here now to post such a dumb thought. IMO

[Charis]

Originally Posted by APF_LOFT

in my loft or breeding cage the weak have no right to survive. weak pigeon produce weak pigeon if you keep raising weak pigeon your loft will be full of weak pigeon. weak pigeon is a waste of time and burn more money for medicating.

I agree that your thought process on this subject needs some expansion, as it is quite archaic.I view it as a cop out to avoid responsibility on your part.
Say you get sick, an antibiotic would save you...should you be denied because doing so is a waste of time or to continue your line would create weak humans?
Even if you do have a sick pigeon, medical science has evolved so that they can be treated.
Say, for example, a rodent soils your loft and a pigeon becomes infected with salmonella...that certainly is no fault of the pigeon nor should the pigeon die because of it when treatment is readily available.
Say the pigeon as a canker infection...most pigeons are born with it and again treatment is available and it's easy to treat.
As humans, we interfere with nature all the time on our own behalf...why not for those that can't do for them selves and want to live?!

[Msfreebird]

Originally Posted by Libis

Sometimes they're just born later than the other baby. This does not mean that they'll grow up weak. My birds tend to start sitting on the first laid egg and this causes this sort of thing to happen.

Actually, in my ringnecks, my smaller younger baby grew to be much stronger than his sister as an adult. Also, the sister who was stronger and larger as a baby grew to have vision problems. You can't always tell how they will be as adults by what happens when they are squabs.

I see that ALOT! The weaker one's end up being the stronger ones!

[Msfreebird]

Originally Posted by APF_LOFT

in my loft or breeding cage the weak have no right to survive. weak pigeon produce weak pigeon if you keep raising weak pigeon your loft will be full of weak pigeon. weak pigeon is a waste of time and burn more money for medicating.

Charis's response was much nicer than mine would be........I say this is BS!

[Jay3]

The smaller baby can be taken out and fed, then returned right away to it's nest. Do this a couple of times a day. If you just feed it and return it, then you won't have to worry about whether or not the parents will accept him/her. And he can stay with his family. It just makes more sense than keeping him away from them.
There is a good chance that they won't even know him after a couple of weeks. They will always know the other sibling as theirs, but this one will be an outsider.

[Jay3]

As Charis has mentioned, could be that he is sick. Could you post a picture of the babies?

[Quazar]

Originally Posted by APF_LOFT

in my loft or breeding cage the weak have no right to survive. weak pigeon produce weak pigeon if you keep raising weak pigeon your loft will be full of weak pigeon. weak pigeon is a waste of time and burn more money for medicating.

This is the kind of comment that really gives pigeon racers a bad name.
People with this attitude obviously care more about their financial gain and their own success/advancement in the sport than they do about the birds, and IMO they should not be allowed to keep birds.
When one takes on the responsibility of keeping birds (or in fact any living creature) & allows them to breed they should also be prepared to take on the responsibility of caring for them & their young in whatever way they can, irrespective of whether they "meet your racing standards" or not.
Fair enough, in the "wild" the weak may not survive, but if you have raised these birds & put them together then effectively you have instigated the bringing of a life into the world, at least have the decency and morality to help & take care of it.