# I'm new with pigeons,i got mine last summer i could do with some help.



## -Heather- (Feb 25, 2006)

Hi
This might surprise some people but im 14 and i took a liking to pigeons because i found a injured racing pigeon in a corn field up clent.
So i kept this pigeon in my shed,i dont know what was wrong with him all i new was that he could not fly.
Well i had this pigeon for 3 months then i let him go i dont know weather hes a live or dead.
Now i got my own birds 3 boys and 2 girls i did have 2 girls and 2 boys but this dove come back with mine 1 day and now i have 3 boys.
Recently they had eggs the oldest babys both died ,the 1 died of a infection in his mouth so he could not eat or drink,the other well i found her dead on the floor.
Would the unpaired dove have killed the baby pigeon?


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## Anarrowescape (Jan 6, 2004)

welcome to pigeons.com 

sometimes babies wonder from the nest and may die of cold. If the unpaired dove was wanting the nest area it may have been possible it pulled it. i hope your next babies will be sucessful


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## -Heather- (Feb 25, 2006)

*I'm new with pigeons,i could do with some help.*

Hi
Thank you for replying to me i have got 1 remaining baby and he is doing really well,his mommy has laid 2 more eggs in the same nest and my other pigeon pair have laid 2 more eggs my mom said im only allowed 10 altogether which is fair but mi friend is going to give me a white dove to so they can pair up i can't wait


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## -Heather- (Feb 25, 2006)

Hi 
My pigeons are breeding,which i am very happy about the only down side is when they die 
So what do i do when the mother pigeons abandons her babys/baby?
What do i feed them on?
How will i look after them?
Could anybody answer my question?
thank you

Heather


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

-Heather- said:


> Hi
> Thank you for replying to me i have got 1 remaining baby and he is doing really well,his mommy has laid 2 more eggs in the same nest and my other pigeon pair have laid 2 more eggs *my mom said im only allowed 10 altogether which is fair* but mi friend is going to give me a white dove to so they can pair up i can't wait


Hi Heather, Welcome to Pigeon Talk,
My suggestion would be to purchase some artificial (wooden) eggs. They are not expensive & can be purchased where pigeon supplies are sold. Mine came 12 to a package. Money well spent.  

There's a lot to consider when taking on the responsibility of raising pigeons and/or doves, even if it's just a few.

*** You need to have a space large enough to accomadate *all* your birds.
*** I have read that putting doves in the same living quarters as pigeons is not the best idea as the doves are much smaller & the pigeons can be more aggressive.
*** Do you have an avian vet or rehabber nearby that can help you if another one of your birds becomes ill? 
*** Do you have any medications on hand?

Cindy


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Heather,

It sounds like your baby that died because of a mouth infection that kept him from eating and breathing actually died of a disease called "canker" (not cancer) that is also called "Trichomoniasis". Their parents probably gave it to them. You can search on those keywords either on this site or with an engine like Google. There are medications that can take care of it but you have to be very careful when you get into that side of taking care of birds. Also, doves are very susceptible to this disease, more so than pigeons.

Pidgey


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## -Heather- (Feb 25, 2006)

*Hi Cindy*

 Hi Cindy 
The male dove came home with my pigeons and compared to the pigeons he is huge!
I keep them in my shed which is fairly big.They seem happy living together,the reason i need to get the dove a hen is because he is bigger than the pigeons and he is chasing the already paired pigeons mates (males)
away so if he has a hen of his own im sure they will all be happy.
When i brought the pigeons the man who sold me them new i was a first time owner but never told me all the things pigeons need i never new that such a small animal could be so complicated!
But thank you for your tips.
o one more thing, if it came to it how would i get rid of the dove beings i never brought him home in the first place i have no idea 
thank you 

Heather


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Any way you can post pictures of the birds?


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## christina11 (Jan 20, 2006)

Well if the parents abanden them u could take care of them but its lots of work when there young needing to be fed every 2 to 3 hours even at night till there older you must also know how to tube feed them and you can also give them to another pair of pigeons if theyll take them do u have any pairs sitting on dummy eggs??? and what to feed them is just the regular seeds and grit make shur they have acsess to food all the time and make shur there food dish will not tip when your out of the house and the water too.


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## -Heather- (Feb 25, 2006)

Hi Christina11
Thank you for replying 
I dont have any pairs sitting on dummy eggs.
Thank you 
Heather


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## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

Hi Heather,
Welcome to PigeonTalk 
The best thing you can do for your Pigeons and Doves is to get comfortable here and post lots of questions and get to know everyone here.
This forum is an excellent source of information and there are many people here with years of experience who can help you out with any problems or questions you may encounter during the course of keeping your Pigeons/Doves.
You will find many friends here to talk with and learn from.

If you search around you will find many threads and stickys on basic pigeon care and maintenance,for now I will give you a small list of what I conider the basics of good Pigeon/Dove keeping:

1. Pigeons need a safe place to live, free from preadtors, draughts and rain. Pigeons are not Ducks...they like their environment to be dry (apart from when they take baths).
2.A basic pigeon food and a pigeon grit are the two parts of a healthy pigeon diet.
Here is a pic of what both of these look like:
http://www.pixalbums.net/post.php?site=Pigeon&album=Alaska&pix=pfood.jpg
Although it can differ slightly, here is a list of some of the main seeds contained in a pigeon seed mix:
http://www.pixalbums.net/post.php?site=Pigeon&album=Alaska&pix=pfoodcontents.jpg
You can usually find both of these at a animal food supply store, and remember the pigeon grit is red in colour (it has extra minerals and salts in it to keep pigeons healthy), not grey like other grits.
3. If you don't want them to breed as mentioned, it is best to get 'false' eggs for them to sit on.
Once mated together a pair of Pigeons can lay two eggs per batch every 15 days, before you know it you could end up with MANY pigeons of you do not setup a breeding prevention program (the false eggs). Basically all you need to do is watch your pairs and when they lay eggs just quickly swap them over with the false ones. This way your pigeons will continue to sit on them for about 18 days until they give up on them.
If you simply just take the eggs, they will start to court again and lay eggs again quite quickly and over time this can wear out your pigeons which inturn can make them more susceptible to disease.
4. Keep your loft (your shed) as clean as possible...if you let any dropings etc build up it can increase the risk of you pigeons/doves getting disease.
5.Taking about disease, it is a good thing to read up a little on common pigeon disease so you can keep an eye on your birds and make sure you keep them in the best of health. Some common pigeon diseases are Canker (Trichomonosis), Worms, Coccidiosis, Salmonella (Paratyphus).
Does anyone have a good link to sites with info on this? I used to have a few but lost my favourites on a recent harddrive crash.

Anyways that is some basics, if you need more info feel free to ask
Regards
Alaska


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