One other thing I meant to mention. Just do the best you can. That's all any of us can do. Considering the circumstances of how we got this baby we don't know if he will make it. They are so frail and helpless that sometimes nothing will help. I don't want this to discourage you because we have had other newborns make it that thrived and I'm hoping for the same result with this new baby we have .... and yours. So, just hang in there.

I'll try to check back in from time to time to offer whatever help I can but we are kneedeep in pigeons right now so my time on our forum is pretty limited these days. Best of luck.

 

When you open its beak, look down its throat and you'll see a small hole. Just make sure the syringe goes past that. What type syringe are you using? Do you have a nipple? Also, you can try the nipple method.

 

Thanks so much, Maggie. I seriously am terrified of doing something wrong!

So as long as I squirt the food down in back of the tongue, it won't go in the airhole? Where is the airhole?

 

Hi Newpidgey

I also have a brand new baby - just hatched yesterday. The main thing you need to do is make sure both babies are kept warm. I use a margarine type container, wad up paper towels about 1/2 full, then layer about 4 kleenex on top of that. Place the babies in the nest you've made and you can brace them on either side by using tissues because they flop their heads so much. They actually seem to like laying their heads to the side on the tissue. I then placed the nest in an aquarium type box with a lid (with holes of course) and place a single tissue loosely on top of the baby. I use a heating pad that is on top of a folded towel to protect furniture/upholstry then another towel on top of the heating pad. I set the heating pad on medium and constantly monitor the heat in the nest. I know many people use low, but with the towel between the heating pad, plus the paper towels and tissue it does not get warm enough for my satisfaction.

Re the feeding. I use Exact, mixed to about the consistency of thin pancake mix. I use a 3 cc syringe with a Catac (brand name) nipple (about 1 1/4" long) attached to the end of the syringe. When I mix the exact, I put about 1 tbsp. formula in a small container, add hot water from the faucet and mix very well. You may have to keep adding very small amounts of water (always hot) to get it to the right consistency. You'll note that the exact will thicken as you stir so just keep stirring. When I pull up the formula into the syringe I "tamp" it down to get all the air out of the syringe - just tap it on your counter. Hold the baby steady, insert the syringe past its airhole and slowly push the plunger until about 1 cc goes in (we're talking tiny amounts) let the baby rest a few seconds, then put in another 1 cc. One of the things we're doing with this baby is set a box on top of the kitchen counter, cover the box with a towel, place the baby on it and feed it from there. It gets the baby at about eye level so you can see better what you're doing. Do not leave the baby unattended at any time or leave him out longer than it takes to feed him.

We judge the amount by the crop. It should be plump and cushiony feeling. Right now, we feed our baby appx every hour and a half to two hours. We also monitor his poop to make sure it is pooping ok. Make sure to change the tissue every time you feed and even in between because you don't want the baby to be touching the damp poop.

The amount you feed will increase over the next few days. Right now, ours is to tiny to take more than what I've indicated.

The baby that you said just hatched will be very tired so just make him as comfortable as you can.

I know this is a long post but it is so difficult to explain to someone else how to do this and it is VERY SCARY.

 

You might want to try Phil's baby bottle nipple feeding technique. Fill up the nipple with formula and then gently put the baby's beak into the formula and let the little one suck up the formula similar to how they would with a parent bird.

Terry

 

The problem with that is, the formula can go into the tiny air hole and they can asperate and die.

If you can get a hold of a tiny 1ml syringe to start that may help. The food has to go behind the tongue, then it won't go in the air hole.

 

Yes, I have the baby bird formula. I've read all of the resource postings too. It's just that they're so small I can't distinguish between putting the food in their crop or their windpipe. My main question is this: Can I just squirt the food slowly into their mouths and let them swallow it on their own rather than trying to stick something straight into their crops?

 

The first few days the babies will eat just a little but they usually don't eat their first meal until they are all dried up that takes a few hours. They eat thru the night the first few days.

Did you get a baby bird formula?

If you haven't done so now is the time to go into our RESOURCES section in the DAILY forum and review the threads on feeding babies.

 

Oh, and I never tried to feed the one that just hatched. It was the one that hatched this morning that I was trying to feed.

 

Okay, I moved enough of the shell so that he could put his head out and I was spritzing a bit of warm water in there every 20 minutes or so since I last posted and now he's gotten out!

My only problem now is the feeding...I tried looking into its throat but it's too small to see anything. I don't want to suffocate the thing. So I just kind of squirted the food little by little into his mouth and let him swallow it. Is that okay? I'm so worried and at such a loss. They're so small. Can I just squirt it bit by bit into the mouth? Will the baby be able to swallow it like that?

 

If the chick is stuck to the inside of the shell please try the following:

First, gently remove shell so that chicks head is free, but absolutely no more, or.....

Second, you can put a little saliva into the hole of the egg, the saliva is warm and slippery , then return the egg to the nest. This doesn't sound nice, but it has worked!

If the chick is healthy it should be able to hatch safely.

 

Actually, there's not a lot of time but this is the problem: if it's dried, then the chick can certainly be stuck in one position. The old way of taking care of it was to spit in the shell (I know, sounds perfectly nasty) a little bit so the little fellow can get unstuck. THE RISK YOU RUN is that the yolk of the egg is slowly pulled into and consumed by the growing chick. If you take the chick out early, the yolk may not be fully absorbed into the navel (yep, the belly ****on) and that can spell certain doom for the little one.

It's a tricky call. I have had a chick do exactly what you're describing and have helped him out of the shell. I had another do something similar (there was a hole, but not big enough to look into, and I helped him out too early. It's something that's a risk and only you can figure out whether there's been enough time for the little one to be fully developed by now. It's your call.

Pidgey

 

How long has it been piped? Can you increase the humidity? Sometimes the extra moisture will lubricate them so they can move easier.