# hand feeding question



## ryan (Mar 17, 2008)

i am hand feeding a baby homer and he is going onto day 6 tomorrow and i know the hand raised birds are far behind but i looked at pictures of day by day developing chicks and mine is on day 2 by the looks of the pictures..... are they usually that far behind?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

No. I don't think he should be that far behind.
Can you post a picture?


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## ryan (Mar 17, 2008)

i dont have a digital camera but if you go to this link and check out the link on day 2 that is what he looks like. there are no signs whatsoever of eyes opening or feathers coming out he just looks a little bigger, stronger and more active than he did when he hatched.


http://www.speedpigeon.com/baby_racing_pigeon.htm


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## ryan (Mar 17, 2008)

he is very far behind but is very energetic and looks very healthy and is sqeaking all the time.


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

squeaking all the time?, sounds very hungry, when a baby is full they usually are very quiet? So maybe you are not feeding enough at each feeding? Don't be afraid to stuff them cause that's what mom and pop pigeons do to their young! That's why they grow so fast, a constant supply of food from their parents!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Is the bird digesting properly now, or not? 

You have to remember, to allow the crop to empty first before feeding again, but if it is not emptying, you need to follow the advice on the link provided on your other thread.

Make sure the baby is kept warm
Make sure the formula is the correct temp,. not cold, and not too thick.
Add a drop of apple cider vinegar to it and probiotics is also important for proper digestion.

You might even add the infant apple sauce if it is slow to move.


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

DEEJAY7950 said:


> squeaking all the time?, sounds very hungry, when a baby is full they usually are very quiet?
> So *maybe you are not feeding enough at each feeding? Don't be afraid to stuff them cause that's what mom and pop pigeons do to their young!*
> That's why they grow so fast, a constant supply of food from their parents!


Ryan,
Here's a picture of Dolly & Dumpling at 7 days old. Dumpling (R) had just been fed. This might help you determine if your little one is getting enough at each feeding.

Cindy


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Ryan, the part of your description that bothers me is that his eyes have not opened. There should at least be slits showing by now.

I try to never "stuff" a baby simply because I worry about crop stasis when they don't digest as well as they do when the parents feed them. At his age, about 4 cc every 2-3 hours will be enough. Like Treesa advised, let the crop empty between feedings and, if you have scales, weigh him every morning. That way, you can know for sure he is gaining weight.


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## ryan (Mar 17, 2008)

DEEJAY7950 said:


> squeaking all the time?, sounds very hungry, when a baby is full they usually are very quiet? So maybe you are not feeding enough at each feeding? Don't be afraid to stuff them cause that's what mom and pop pigeons do to their young! That's why they grow so fast, a constant supply of food from their parents!


 i really stuff him its that he still has food in his crop and he act very hungry. his eyes are now starting to open now day 6.
no signs of feathers yet.


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## ryan (Mar 17, 2008)

Lady Tarheel said:


> Ryan, the part of your description that bothers me is that his eyes have not opened. There should at least be slits showing by now.
> 
> I try to never "stuff" a baby simply because I worry about crop stasis when they don't digest as well as they do when the parents feed them. At his age, about 4 cc every 2-3 hours will be enough. Like Treesa advised, let the crop empty between feedings and, if you have scales, weigh him every morning. That way, you can know for sure he is gaining weight.


 slits started today. and i think he has slow digestion because he takes for ever to empty his crop. could it be because he is not warm enough?


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Ryan, yes, he needs to be kept warm. It really helps with the digestion and, again, I wouldn't stuff him. You can add about 1/4 tsp of plain yogurt to his formula to help the digestive system.

Can you give us an idea of how much you feed him at each meal and how often?

I'm glad to hear you're seeing the slits.


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## ryan (Mar 17, 2008)

i usually give him about 5 ml every few hours but i cut it down to four every2-3 hours. its an oatmeal baby cereal.


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

from what I can see they should be getting seed by now, since it's their first week the parents would be giving more and more seed and you can see it as the crop is extended all the seeds do show up! Not sure about the oatmeal thing seems like giving a two year old child baby food, but if it works go for it, I just don't see the need to get extreme with what looks like very healthy youngsters!


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## ryan (Mar 17, 2008)

so what your saying is that i should start giving him some seed? if so, should i make a paste with some chicken starter and feed it to him? or is it too soon?


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

ryan said:


> i usually give him about 5 ml every few hours but i cut it down to four every2-3 hours. its an oatmeal baby cereal.


Ryan, if you can get Kaytee Exact hand feeding formula, it will be better for the baby than the baby cereal. Personally, I would not be giving it seed yet. I just feel it is too young. I know the parents routinely give them seed after a certain age but they always drink a lot of water to go along with it. I would have no idea how much water to give them and would worry about it getting in their airways. I'd rather play it safe and let them get a little older before giving them seed.

I have ground up seed in the blender to a very fine powder and mixed some of that in with the Kaytee but I don't think that is really necessary since the Kaytee already has ground seed in it.

Try the 4 ml every two hours. Make sure it is warm but not hot when you feed it.


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

Jeez I don't mean this to sound mean but GOOD GOD don't you think this is going a bit overboard, I mean those babies in the picture look perfectly healty and the less interference from us the better IMHO!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Lady Tarheel said:


> Ryan, if you can get Kaytee Exact hand feeding formula, it will be better for the baby than the baby cereal. Personally, I would not be giving it seed yet. I just feel it is too young. I know the parents routinely give them seed after a certain age but they always drink a lot of water to go along with it. I would have no idea how much water to give them and would worry about it getting in their airways. I'd rather play it safe and let them get a little older before giving them seed.
> 
> I have ground up seed in the blender to a very fine powder and mixed some of that in with the Kaytee but I don't think that is really necessary since the Kaytee already has ground seed in it.
> 
> Try the 4 ml every two hours. Make sure it is warm but not hot when you feed it.


I agree with you Maggie.......yes the PARENTS would be giving them SOME seeds by now, but WE aren't their parents. 
Ryan, I personally would continue with Exact or whatever you're feeding for another 4 to 5 days . The parents don't have choice in what to feed them because after about 6 days or so, they have no more crop milk. They HAVE to feed the babies whatever YOU are feeding them.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DEEJAY7950 said:


> Jeez I don't mean this to sound mean but GOOD GOD don't you think this is going a bit overboard, I mean those babies in the picture look perfectly healty and the less interference from us the better IMHO!


DJ......you do realize that the baby pictures in post number 7 of this thread is NOT Ryan's babies.............he's already stated that his (at the time) 6 day old baby looked like a 2 day old baby.


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## DEEJAY7950 (Dec 13, 2006)

No Renee I missed that, thanks for clearing that up now it's a totally different picture for sure! Thanks again!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

DEEJAY7950 said:


> No Renee I missed that, thanks for clearing that up now it's a totally different picture for sure! Thanks again!


That's what I thought when I read what you posted. I figured you knew that you don't give a 4 or 5 day old baby (or one that LOOKS that age) seeds......


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## ryan (Mar 17, 2008)

lol i was getting a little confused with what you were saying. he is on day 7 now and opens his eyes every now and again but only for like a second. he still shows no signs of feathering and is a little bit small but he looks healthy.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

ryan said:


> lol i was getting a little confused with what you were saying. he is on day 7 now and opens his eyes every now and again but only for like a second. he still shows no signs of feathering and is a little bit small but he looks healthy.


Just keep doing what you're doing.......DeeJay probably did what I do ALOT and that's skim through posts, miss one here and there, don't pay attention to what I'm reading...........I'm SO bad about that.........even the PMV thread that's going right now........I totally missed the age of the bird and when I realized the age, I started thinking differently about what was going on with the baby.
I think you're doing a good job.


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## ryan (Mar 17, 2008)

so far. thanks!


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Get some of the kaytee formula, that's the absolute best thing to do. Baby cereal is really only supposed to be used short-term, in emergencies. 

The baby bird formulas sold in pet shops are designed to give the bird ALL the nutrition it needs to grow and be healthy.

I feed mine Kaytee for two weeks and then start adding a bit of seed to it. Please get some formula for him and go from there. Heat is very important to help him digest but not TOO hot. A heating pad on low setting, with a towel over it, is best. 

If you can add a 1/4 teaspoon of yogurt, it should be plain yogurt and organic if you can get it. Good luck.


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## ryan (Mar 17, 2008)

thanks but kaytee is not sold down here. the squab is doing good with the cereal tho its been 8 days now and he's still alive, far behind but still alive and energetic.... thanks again


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## JoeAlv (May 10, 2008)

*baby pigeon ?*

I have a baby pigeon too, i thin he's about 10 days old and so im feeding him watery seed diet, should i be feeding him formula still??


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