# Little squab eating...what next?



## Little Squab (May 12, 2009)

I found a baby pigeon last week in the park being attacked by a crow. I chased the crow away and observed the little guy for a while. He didn't seem injured but could not fly. He was obviously young since he still had the little yellow feathers all over his head and neck. I waited to see if his parents would come back but I was afraid only the crow would come back to finish him off so I brought him home. The first night I read all that I could about pigeons and found out he was about 21 days old. I tried feeding him bird seed that I had for my wild bird feeders but he wouldn't eat it. Then I read he probably doesn't eat on his own yet so I tried for two days to feed him with a syringe but he would only eat 5ml at a time. I hydrated him with water/salt/suger mixture but was afraid if he didn't eat he would die. Finally I got him eating dethawed-warmed up peas and corn and he has been eating that for the past week. I am worried however cause I never see him drinking. He seems really happy and has even started flapping his wings regularly. He can fly about a meter but that is it. I hang him in a tree in the garden to watch and hear the other birds but I have so many cats around I am affraid to let him out. I want to release him back to his flock when he's ready but how do I prepare him for that, how will I know when it is the right time and he'll be ready to return and how do I release him??Please I need all the help I can get, I am just a beginner at this. Thank You.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Sounds like you've done a terrific job so far. Try dipping his beak in some water. They suck up water, sorta like a straw, so the water needs to be in a dish and about 1in deep.
Read this thread on releasing and then ask questions. Others will be along I'm sure to give advice
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=11919


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Can you let us know where you are? I think that squabs are better mixing with other pigeons before release, so that they get used to their own kind and can be released together as a small flock. This would mean sending it to a trusted sanctuary.

Is it a feral pigeon?

Cynthia


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## Little Squab (May 12, 2009)

Yes it is a feral pigeon and I am in Montreal Canada. The first thing I did when I brought it home was to call a bird sanctuary and they told me that they no longer take feral pigeons cause in the past they brought disease to the sanctuary and it killed some of the other birds. So then I called the SPCA and they said they would probably have to euthanize it if it wasn't eating on it's own. So I decided to give it a go try and see what I could do for the little guy. Today he started eating lentils and brown rice on his own!!! Do I need to buy him some grit now that he is slowly coming off the warm peas and corn?


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

I am glad that you kept it safe. There are a few sanctuaries that rehab pigeons, but they are not all that common.

I would make grit available to it anyway, as well as helping with grinding down seed grit has essential calcium and minerals.

THis is a link to a thread on releasing a youngster, it has various links to other sources of information:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=25642&referrerid=560

Cynthia


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Little Squab said:


> I live one block from his old flock in the park, can't I just release him there when he's ready or is that just a romantic idea and it doesn't work that way?


Although I don't do rehab and don't release pigeons back to the wild, I do raise pigeons and I know that their parents teach them to eat, and in the wild, teach them WHERE to eat........by you raising the baby and feeding it, it will have no idea how to find food since it's just magically appearing right now when ever he gets hungry......LOL
If it's to be released, it has to learn how to survive on it's own......and it can and will learn that, but it's just not as simple as just throwing it up in the air one day and saying "have a good life buddy"..........
Plus, if you allow the bird to become to friendly, it will not fear humans and could very well just land on someones head one day if it gets hungry. We all know that could end badly for the bird.


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## Little Squab (May 12, 2009)

For now I will keep him safe, get him some grit, and try and teach him to drink water. I believe he must be about 30 days old. But I am still a little unclear about what the next phase is....do I need to teach him to fly? He already jumps around from one furniture to another, flying no more than a meter each time. But does he need to be around other birds to learn to fly. I wonder does anyone know how old a young pigeon in the wild begins to fly well? I am afraid the longer I keep him the more tame he will be come and unfortunately I can not keep him as a pet, as cute and adorable as he is. I was hoping I could just release him back to his original flock in the park when he is ready.....but maybe that's just a romantic idea. I don't know what my other options are since I can't find a pigeon rehabilitation sanctuary in my area.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Little Squab said:


> For now I will keep him safe, get him some grit, and try and teach him to drink water. I believe he must be about 30 days old. But I am still a little unclear about what the next phase is....do I need to teach him to fly? He already jumps around from one furniture to another, flying no more than a meter each time. But does he need to be around other birds to learn to fly. I wonder does anyone know how old a young pigeon in the wild begins to fly well? I am afraid the longer I keep him the more tame he will be come and unfortunately I can not keep him as a pet, as cute and adorable as he is. I was hoping I could just release him back to his original flock in the park when he is ready.....but maybe that's just a romantic idea. I don't know what my other options are since I can't find a pigeon rehabilitation sanctuary in my area.


Well, I know the pigeons in my loft can fly decent at about 30 days. I would think at least 35 to 40 days old for a baby to be able to keep up with a flock. I wish I could tell you more.......keep checking the thread. Others will hopefully come on line and give you some good pointers.


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