1 week old pigeon.. Need sunlight?

all birds should be exposed to natural light sun up to sun down except for nocturnal birds like owls.
not necessarily direct sun, you don't want to cook the itty bitty. if they are tiny and i don't want them to get cold i will cover them with fleece, and tuck them in cozy like a mom sitting on them and just let thier little heads stick out

de Vera Loft said:

I just wanted to know if a 1 week old pigeon should be exposed to sunlight??? If so, how long? And until when?

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Actually, no, it is not necessary at 1 week old, or 2 weeks old or 3 weeks old for that matter.
Birds raised in a loft stay in a nest box until they are weaned at 4 weeks old. Once put in the YB loft, in a few days, they will venture out into the aviary and see the sun for the first time.
I would expect that ferals do the same. They're babies are raised in cubies in buildings or whatever. IF they happen to raise them somewhere where the sun shines on them part of the day, then that's just coincidence.......for the most part, babies stay put the first month of their life. At 1 week, the parents would still be sitting on it 24/7 anyway.....so they wouldn't see the sun.
After it'ss 2 weeks old, it certainly won't HURT anything to give it some sunshine a few minutes a day, but it's not necessary.

This is one of those questions that I don't know the answer. If they can't get the sun, then maybe you can give them in food as in well-balanced food for the parents. It is actually a very interesting question. My pigeons love to sunbath!

Actually, I've tried to put them to our terrace where they can have exposure of sunlight only for around 7am to 10am in the morning together with their parents while feeding them, after that, on our terrace, the sun rises up, so there are no more sunlight over them around 10 am, they can only have the fresh air... Do I have to put them back again to the breeding cage and let them see sunlight after a month?

The youngsters don't need sunlight the first few weeks of life. But around a month they should be outside with the parents enjoying sun. It is very beneficial as it provides Vitamin D, which is important for calcium and other nutrients for absorption.

You can also give them a drop of cod liver oil on the seed, as that will also supply Vitamin D, if they don't get enough sun.

I would think that at one week old the only thing they should be seeing is the underside of their parents' belly!

Dan

learning said:

I would think that at one week old the only thing they should be seeing is the underside of their parents' belly!

Dan

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Thanks.. So you think I should put them back in the breeders loft without any sunlight over them??? Can I give liver oil soft gels to the parents so the youngsters can absorb some of it while feeding them??? If so, how often??? And at what age??? Thanks

I think that perhaps you are trying to make this a bit too complicated. As long as the parents have a good balanced diet, access to plenty of good quality grit and lots of fresh water, the babies are going to get everything they need from them.

As Trees mentioned, at around a month old they will start being more independent, feeding themselves and hopping/flying around the breeding loft. Once their feathers have come in under their wing (again, usually around a month or so) they should be ready to wean.

Dan

learning said:

I think that perhaps you are trying to make this a bit too complicated. As long as the parents have a good balanced diet, access to plenty of good quality grit and lots of fresh water, the babies are going to get everything they need from them.

As Trees mentioned, at around a month old they will start being more independent, feeding themselves and hopping/flying around the breeding loft. Once their feathers have come in under their wing (again, usually around a month or so) they should be ready to wean.

Dan

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OK.. Thanks for the advise.. I'll just let them have sunlight after a month..