Urgent advice requested.

[BitterCowgal]

I am moving tomorrow and really need some advice on how to go about moving a Ringneck Dove squab along with it's parents. The baby was hatched on Jan. 1st, 2008 at around 4am. I am very new to Doves and this is my very first baby bird ever. Of course it would come along right before a very unexpected move....lol. The new house is approx. 30 minutes away. It's supposed to be rather cold tomorrow with temperatures in the lower 40F's. Sunday is supposed to be in the 50F's however and I may be able to put off moving them until then. My biggest concern is how to safely move the little one without causing it chill or it's parents a big upset. I'm thinking that it'd be best to take the nest, with baby, out of the cage and hold it on my lap in the car with my hand cradling the baby. I was thinking my body heat should possibly prevent chill if the nest is also covered with a warm towel. Would this be the best solution? I worry though that the parents won't accept it back after the move and losing the baby would upset me.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hello,

This move will not be good for either parents or new dove squab, unfortunately. Heat and warmth can easily be provided and rigged, but the parents will be very upset and unsure once they are moved. Not only to a new location, but to a new house, surroundings, room, whatever. The change will be too much for them and they will likely not continue to raise/sit and feed their chick after this.

How tame are your adult doves? This could potentially be a factor in whether or not they *MIGHT* resume nesting duties. Otherwise, you're going to have to get yourself ready to hand feed.

[BitterCowgal]

The adults are relatively tame. They don't, by any means, spaz out or anything of the sort. I can, in fact, easily pet them in their cage without any fuss. They will also perch on my finger while in cage. At the moment they are a bit defensive and will lift their wings when I place my hand in the cage but they didn't do that until the egg hatched. I haven't had them very long, however, and haven't even attempted allowing them out of their cage as of yet. I've removed the nest several times since the squab hatched to check on it and get pictures. I don't keep the nest out for very long but the parents seemed very unconcerned. The mom actually took advantage of the situation to go get a drink and a bite to eat. Once the nest is returned, the parent on duty always hops right back onto the nest and settles in.

I did buy some Exact hand-feeding formula just in case. I figured it was far better to be safe than sorry. I'm not sure what to put the formula in to allow the baby to feed though, should it come to that.

Edit-
I forgot to mention that when I purchased the pair, the store owner provided me with the egg that the hen had just laid earlier that day. She happily sat on the egg as soon as I provided her with it in a nest and then laid a second egg the day after. My male, who wasn't her mate prior to me buying them, took right off immediately with his nest setting duties. I hadn't even had them a week before they were setting the two eggs full time. I thought this information might be important.

[Pigeonpal2002]

Well, you won't know for SURE until you move. They just might resume looking after their young one, but don't count on it.

Keeping the chick warm is the easy part, and you just need to keep the young bird separate from it's parents during the move. A nice cozy box with a warm up heating pack will do, might even be too warm.

Once you're moved, get the birds cage set up first, place the chick back with it's parents and then watch very carefully to see how they react. You will soon know if they are going to accept it again.

After that, then we can help you from there. Good that you've got some formula on the ready!

[BitterCowgal]

Not sure if you saw my edit as I posted a second after you did.

Would the heat pack be the same as the ones you use in your pockets or boots to keep your hands/feet warm? 'Hot hands' I believe the brand name is. That'd just be placed into the box near the chick/nest? I hadn't even given a thought to those handy little things and I've got about a dozen in a drawer in the kitchen..lol.

I was definantly planning on moving the birds first as well as making sure to move them during the warmest part of the day. I have Zebra Finches and a Canary as well so it's vital to move them with the least risk of chill. I utilize warmed blankets and a heated car for the adults.

[Pigeonpal2002]

Originally Posted by BitterCowgal

Not sure if you saw my edit as I posted a second after you did.

Would the heat pack be the same as the ones you use in your pockets or boots to keep your hands/feet warm? 'Hot hands' I believe the brand name is. That'd just be placed into the box near the chick/nest? I hadn't even given a thought to those handy little things and I've got about a dozen in a drawer in the kitchen..lol.

Yes, I saw your last edit, and it sounds promising. Again, it's just very different once birds are moved to an entirely different location. They generally need a bit of time to adjust to their new environment. Such "changes" can be quite upsetting to them and to the point that they will abandon their current eggs or chicks.

Yes, the hot packs can be purchased at most/any drug stores. Some you warm up in the microwave, others are chemical reactions to get them warm. In any case; a nice, small, well lined box with some type of heating pack is best for the move. Keep it on your lap in the car and that is it. Baby doves and pigeons aren't so susceptible to cold as you might think. STILL, you do need to keep them toasty to some degree.

After you move, let us know how things go. Again, you will know pretty quickly whether or not the parents are going to resume nesting or accept their baby back.

[BitterCowgal]

Would it be safe to assume that if, after moving, the parent on duty settles back onto the nest, that the squab has been accepted back and all should be well?

I'm very grateful for your advice. I'm glad to have stumbled upon this forum for certain.

[Pigeonpal2002]

Originally Posted by BitterCowgal

Would it be safe to assume that if, after moving, the parent on duty settles back onto the nest, that the squab has been accepted back and all should be well?

Only YOU will/would know this. You would just have to keep a very careful eye on parents and baby for a few days at least. If you see them accepting the baby back, feeding it several times a day, then chances are...things would be fine from then on out.

[BitterCowgal]

Thanks a bunch! I'll be sure to update here on the forum after the move with a status report.

[Pigeonpal2002]

You're welcome...do let us know how it goes!

[maryjane]

Welcome to the site. I hope your doves accept the baby and all goes well. If not, I thought I would share an easy way of hand-feeding that I have found works best for me. Here is a link to the pictures and explanation of it:

http://picasaweb.google.com/awrats3333/BabyFeeding

There are other methods of feeding that work well for others, just do a search for "hand feeding" and you will be able to pull up other posts. Good luck!

[mr squeaks]

I, too add WELCOME TO OUR SITE!

Mmmm, maybe I'm too late but how BIG is their cage? Couldn't you just cover the cage well, move to heated car and move the cage/parents/babies all at once?

OR, any possibility of putting parents and babies in SMALLER cage just for the trip?

Maybe keep them covered once you have moved to give them a chance to "settle" if need be...

Please let us know how things go. They sound like good parents and, hopefully, won't feel the need to abandon the little ones...

ALL THE BEST WITH HUGS AND SCRITCHES

Shi & Squeaks

[Maggie-NC]

We took a days old baby pigeon to the beach with us several years ago - about a 3 hour trip, in early March. I filled a hot water bottle and kept it at the side of the box I took her in and it did just fine. Mostly though, I held the baby for the majority of the trip and she was snug as a bug. Her parents had abandoned her so they didn't make the trip.

I don't think I would put the baby in with the parents. For one thing, you don't know how the parents will react (and doves can get pretty hyper) and they could accidentally hurt the baby. Covering the parents' cage is an excellent idea.

Have their usual cage set up ahead of time and as soon as you get to your new home, place the baby in its usual nest then put the parents in. I think, as long as things in their immediate vicinity are familiar, they will adjust.


Forgot to mention that I did have the baby wrapped in soft flannel even when I held her and had to be careful she didn't overheat because the sun was coming in through my side window directly onto her. I would just lift the flannel off her from time to time.

[TerriB]

Best of luck with moving your birds! If possible, try to set the new nest in a similar place as the old one. Pigeons have excellent spatial orientation and mine seemed to accept a moved nest better if it's still in the same relative space.

[BitterCowgal]

We moved the Doves last night. I spent about two hours sitting in front of their cage last night to observe their reactions to the nest being returned. At first they did nothing more than stand around, which is as I expected. About 45 minutes to an hour later the mom went and hopped on the nest. She kept picking the wax off the pin feathers of the baby, then she settled down their on the rim of the nest and started going to sleep. At that point, I reached in and gave her a nudge to make her hop the rest of the way in the nest, which she did and then settled down over the baby and slept the night this way.

This morning I checked the baby and his crop feels full. He was a bit cool imo though. The parents, even prior to the move, don't set on him all the time. They'll go over, set on him for a few minutes and then hop off and will leave him alone for some time before returning for another few minutes. Is this normal behavior of parent doves? They started it when the squab was about 3 or 4 days old and had his wings nearly fully covered in pin feathers. Should I be worried of this behavior? The baby is now 7 days old and has pin feathers on both wings entirely, as well as over his back and has adorable pin feathers for a tail. Since the mom was picking at the waxy covering on the pins on his shoulders, he has a few wee feathers peeking out. I can tell now that he'll be Tangerine like his momma.

I do have a 10 gallon aquarium (for use as a brooder if needed), a heat lamp, a digital thermometer and a jar of Kaytee Exact hand-feeding formula on hand and ready just in case. I don't however have a syringe nor a dropper to make a feeder. I'd read on another site that someone used a dixie cup with a hole part way up the side. I thought I'd try that approach if push came to shove. I don't know however frequency of feedings or any other things that need to be done.