[Amantha]

Hello experts��
Our little guy (or girl?) is just about 4 weeks old. He seems to be healthy but has had a couple of new curious behaviors the last couple days.
1. He gets super excited for his twice daily bottle feeding but looses interest quickly. This morning he got excited but then all he will do is stick his beak in and ten shake the formula all over me. I have been leaving seed in his cage to wean him and I think he has been eating it. Sometimes I see him just throwing it around his cage but he is certainly pooping a lot to be starving. Is he weaned? Should give up trying to feed him by hand?
2. His tail feathers shiver like he is cold. Is this normal? If not, what does it mean?
3. He is itchy! Constantly scratching himself causing dander to fall. Is this ok?
4. He is getting some good air with flapping but hasn't made any leaps. When I take him out of his cage, he will look off the edge of the counter and flap sometimes but there has been no official flying. Do I need to be providing more "free" time for him? Is not learning to fly stressing him out?
I am extremely novice to pigeon (any bird) raising so I appreciate all the help offered.
Thanks!

 

[Skyeking]

You need to monitor his eating. Exactly how much is he eating?

How many poops is he pooping in his cage per 12 hour period?

Does he have a sharp keel bone?

Once pigeons are fully grown they don't eat as much as when they are in the growing stage. It takes a lot more food and energy to lay down new cells. They also can lose their appetite for formula.

He should be eating at least one tablespoon of pigeon seed three times a day, not throwing around but actually eating.

If he is not eating he may have a blockage, or crop issue.

 

[Amantha]

Thank you for responding. I will monitor the seed intake more closely in the morning. He poops 4-5 times and hour and his poop is definetley more solid than before. What is a sharp keel bone? (Forgive my ignorance).

 

[Skyeking]

Thank you for responding. I will monitor the seed intake more closely in the morning. He poops 4-5 times and hour and his poop is definetley more solid than before. What is a sharp keel bone? (Forgive my ignorance).

The keel bone is the breast bone, it is one way to tell if the bird is starving if it becomes sharp.

It is obvious to me, that if he is pooping solid poops 4 times an hour then he is probably eating enough. However, I would continue to monitor him.

 

[Jass SamOplay]

This is the age when he should be eating seeds,Amantha. By giving him formula you're trying to fill his crop,he won't be motivated to eat on his own if you keep feeding him like that. If he is behaving healthy than he will be good with 2 feedings per day,preferably the seedmix. Don't give him formula anymore. If you feel he isn't feeding himself satisfactorily you can supplement his feed until he weans completely by handfeeding him green peas and few corn seeds which are frozen,thawed and drained under hot water. Motivate him to pick the seeds by giving him seeds when he's hungry. Give him calcium,vitamins and minerals supplements for proper body functioning to step fast towards self dependency.

 

[Jay3]

Yes, he should be weaning at this point. If he has been eating seeds, so you know he knows how, you can give him seed and watch to see if he is eating it. Peck with your finger, like a beak to show him. To encourage him to learn to eat on his own, You could let him have seed all day, then just give him a feeding at the end of the day for a while. If you have a gram scale, you could weigh him every few days to see if he is gaining weight.
The frozen peas which have been mentioned are great for weaning. Defrost and warm them under warm running water, and hold him on your lap and against your body. Open his beak and put in a pea, then let him close his beak and swallow. Also leave some with him to pick up by himself. It is sometimes quicker to get them to pick up peas then it is seed. They are easy to pick up because they are soft. It would be a better alternative than the formula. The longer you feed formula, it will make weaning more difficult.

 

[Amantha]

Thank you all so much for your help! I am now giving him peas to feed instead of formula but he is not happy about it. Can you tell me how to supplement vitamins for him? Also, this itching/shaking thing that he does... is that from stress? It seeks like they are related as he shakes then becomes very itchy. Is it normal?