# found ferel baby, what to do now?



## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

hi, my girlfriend found a baby pigeon at her riding stables and brought it home, been looking after the little guy 'Petey pigeoto' for 3 days now. by looking at pics of racing pigeons i guess he is about 5 or 6 days old.
i keep him in my airing cupboard, feed him 4 times a day prob about 5 ml of rearing mix (is this enough?). what does he need to flourish? ive looked everywhere but no-one says where to keep him (light/dark), or a chart of how much to feed the bird at what age.is it just untill the crop is full? have ordered a heat pad, seller says that the temp is between 30 and 40oC.
PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE tell me if i am doing anything right or wrong.really want this little guy to grow big and strong!!!


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Don't suppose you could post a picture, could you? You can weigh them every day and then figure out how much to feed them from that. There are different methods but the one I use is they can have 10 to 15% of their weight per meal. So, if they weigh 50 grams, you can give them 5 to 7.5 mL and so forth. If you can't weigh them, then you just have to do it by watching to see how much they're holding in their crops.

Pidgey


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

First, thank you and your girlfriend for rescuing this baby.

Are you in the UK? We have a few members there who can help you directly. If you can give us your location it would help tremendously.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Well...if you have managed 3 days and he/she is still hangin' in there...you are doing VERY well. You have him on formula and you are keeping him warm, that's good. All of the nourishment she needs she gets from the formula.

A pic would help.

As far as feeding....the main thing you don't wanna do is overfeed...because that can kill a baby this young. So, look for threads here on how full a crop should be ...and images of what an overfull crop looks like...and avoid those situations.

Red flags would be if the lil' pidge becomes listless, starts breathing heavily or erratically, or becomes cold to the touch. If she seems to be energetic, eats with enthusiasm, is vocalizing a bit, and moves about, and is pooping...those are good signs.

Keep us posted.


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

hi, thanks for all of your replies! 
i have taken a few pics of petey and will upload them later, i did them next to a regular playing card as to give you guys some scale. he is very vocal, energetic, he stays warm on a sock full of rice on top of a heat pad,the heat pad only heats up to body temp with substantial weight on it, and the rice stays warm all day. dont know at what age their eyes fully open, but he always looks like he is squinting, but untill today i have kept him in a dark airing cupboard. what is the next step, just to keep feeding him? or is there something special i should do.
yes i live in the uk, in salisbury, wiltshire.

also for when he wants to learn to fly can i put him in my ex-parrot cages? they're about 2m high by 2m wide by 3m long, we have 2 but both full of junk!!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

tozzie said:


> hi, thanks for all of your replies!
> i have taken a few pics of petey and will upload them later, i did them next to a regular playing card as to give you guys some scale. he is very vocal, energetic, he stays warm on a sock full of rice on top of a heat pad,the heat pad only heats up to body temp with substantial weight on it, and the rice stays warm all day. dont know at what age their eyes fully open, but he always looks like he is squinting, but untill today i have kept him in a dark airing cupboard. what is the next step, just to keep feeding him? or is there something special i should do.
> yes i live in the uk, in salisbury, wiltshire.
> 
> also for when he wants to learn to fly can i put him in my ex-parrot cages? they're about 2m high by 2m wide by 3m long, we have 2 but both full of junk!!


I think that as long as the baby isn't in total darkness all day, where you are keeping it is fine for now. IF it was with it's parents, they would still be sitting on it all the time and it would be covered and in the "dark" anyway. Sounds like you are doing all the right things so far. Probably in another couple of days, you might want to take him out of the cupboard for a little while each day.
We'll wait to see the pictures later and determine that.


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

some of the photos i took,sorry for quality, i took them on my phone.hopefully he looks okay to you all. one thing he doesn't do a lot of standing, well none actually,when do they stand up instead of flopping on their chin?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

What a sweet baby!! He looks pretty good to me. They become a little more active around 10 days old or so. Mine, because they are in a loft, will try to stand up at that age and "pop" their little beaks at me, trying to "scare me away".....LOL..

Here's a video I shot of some that are 11 days old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wW3W-qCcls


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

yeah nice i saw your video, do they always attack/scare you or do they warm to you? what measures should i take if i eventually wish to release him? if he becomes too tame can he never leave?!
also what age do you think he would be from these pics?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

tozzie said:


> yeah nice i saw your video, do they always attack/scare you or do they warm to you? what measures should i take if i eventually wish to release him? if he becomes too tame can he never leave?!


Some do, but a bunch of birds in a loft is a totally different situation than what you have. I've hand raised a few and they were my babies until I put them back in the loft and most of them, after a couple of days, decided they liked being pigeons. 
As far as releasing, there are other members who can better answer that question. 
Here's a link you might want to read.
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=11919


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## rainbows (Aug 19, 2008)

Are you sure that is a pigeon and not a dove??


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## kippermom (Jan 11, 2006)

Looks like a pigeon to me...my baby does already have a sharper beak at this age, and are generally smaller too...like the size of your thumb at a few days old......


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Do you have street pigeons at the stables? Although he doesn't have the "banana beak" he could be a wood pigeon or a collared dove. He could also be a stock pigeon, but they breed in holes in trees. There are a couple of pictures of baby wood pigeons in my Wood Pigeons album. Just click on my user name, choose public profile and the albums will be listed on the right hand side of the page.

Can you stretch out his wing and see if there are any white feathers sprouting there?

Try not to let him get tame, specially if he is a wood pigeon as they imprint so quickly on humans. If he does he will be unreleasable. One of our members (who will be posting the full story) has just rescued an imprinted woodie that had been released in the park. There he perched on peoples' shoulders and showed no fear of bull terriers. There were two siblings released the same day, one disappeared immediately. 

You could give him a Beanie baby for company and only handle him when feeding. Avoid making eye contact when you do this.

Cynthia


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

how can you tell whether it is a pigeon or dove?
put a toy in the nest? or outside the nest?
also all his feathers are grey/black colour, i have only really touched him during feeding so hopefully i can release him at some point.
i dont think there are any street pigeons there, but i haven't seen any pigeons either,or doves.i will go later and have a snoop around for some nests or birds.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Well, no white band on the wings rules out wood pigeons and baby collared doves are a "sandy" colour. I will add some to my albums tomorrow.

That would leave the street pigeon and the stock dove/stock pigeon. They would be harder to distinguish at this age.

Cynthia


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

i looked at your pics of baby wood pigeons and petey looks very similar to those, is the white bit at the end of the beak a specific thing in wood pigeons?


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

my girlfriend has just been back down to the stables, and had a look at the nest, the adult has got a light grey head with white/light tail feathers.thats all she could see from below,does this help with the diagnosis of which bird i have?


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## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

Hmmm....can you reach the nest? Is there still one baby in it? Pigeons lay two eggs so there is possibly one baby still there. Is it not possible to replace the baby in it? Contrary to popular belief, pigeons will not abandon their young if they have the scent of humans on them.


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

pigeonpoo said:


> Hmmm....can you reach the nest? Is there still one baby in it? Pigeons lay two eggs so there is possibly one baby still there. Is it not possible to replace the baby in it? Contrary to popular belief, pigeons will not abandon their young if they have the scent of humans on them.


perhaps,with the help of a very long ladder,its pretty high up,in the top of a hay barn.il go down and see whether its possible.
thanks for the info, always thought birds rejected young that stunk of human, good to know!!


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## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

OK, keep an eye on the youngster and check that he is being fed when you return him. He should have a full crop just before dusk.


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

pigeonpoo said:


> OK, keep an eye on the youngster and check that he is being fed when you return him. He should have a full crop just before dusk.


no cant get to the nest had a go tonight after work with a triple ladder, he fell quite a way, but luckily onto about 1m thick hay pile.hes getting all his feathers now and looks totally different,lots of little tail feathers , i think hes not wood pigeon but street pigeon though. 

does anyone know what age to try and release him at, obviously when hes a good flyer,but can a bird be a good flyer but too young to release?


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Before release he should be able to forage for food by himself. Ideally he would be mixing with other pigeons first.

It might be worth keeping an eye on the pigeon in the nest, see when he starts making trips down to the ground and see if yours can join him. He might be too young for his nest sibling to remember him, but they often recognise each other after a period of separation and greet each other with touching affection.

Can we have an updated photo which shows his whole body including the feet?

Cynthia


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

just tried to upload some pics wont upload for some reason, will try again tomorrow.


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

i dont know why but i cannot upload any photos, it keeps saying upload failed.can anyone shed any light?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

tozzie said:


> i dont know why but i cannot upload any photos, it keeps saying upload failed.can anyone shed any light?


They're having trouble with the web site, but the proper people have been informed and hopefully it will get fixed today sometime.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

It could also be that the photos is too large. Can you check the jpg's?

You could try posting them into an album (go to your profile and check albums), I think there they are reduced automatically. Otherwise mail them to me [email protected]

I am just going out for lunch but will be back at 3 ish.

Cynthia


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

sorry i haven't been on for a while, been sorting out my life post pigeon,but i have managed to upload some more photos of the little fella. i have been slowly trying to get him onto dryer food and not ground up,but have been getting him to drink too.what age should i try to introduce completely dry food like the rearing mix,or can i use normal bird food like canary stuff?
thanks for all your time and effort guys its all very much appreciated.
Toz


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## rainbows (Aug 19, 2008)

I still think that is a baby dove and not a pigeon. How old is it now.?


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

rainbows said:


> I still think that is a baby dove and not a pigeon. How old is it now.?


i guess it would be about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks old now.how can you tell if it is a dove? the adult in the nest my girlfriend said had white or light grey tail feathers thats all she could see from the ground.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

I think it's some type of dove also but don't know what type. I'm going to move this to the UK birds forum.

Terry


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> I think it's some type of dove also but don't know what type


That is a eurasian collared dove. We only have them and the turtle dove here. 

He is still very much a baby, see the little stumpy tail? But he will be fully fledged in about 10 days time.

I have uploaded some photos of collared doves into my album. The first 7 are in sequence and are of Coriander as she grew up. I will add the number of days between each photo in a while.

You can start scattering very small seed around him now, he will probably pick them up out of curiosity.

Collared doves are usually in pairs, the nest siblings tend to stick together after release. They join oter collared doves where there is food, but they do not behave like a flock.

I have released many into my garden, where there is always food for them, but my garden is pretty sheltered from sparrowhawks. Or you might want to take him to a sanctuary for the winter.

Cynthia


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

what seeds are best for him? also can you tell the difference between the male and the female? thanks toz


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

I was certain that I had posted a reply, but where did it go?

They like wild bird seed, our Poppet loves TK conditioning mix, peanuts and Maize.

Poppet has been with us for 4 years and we are still uncertain whetheer he is a he or a she.

This site has somenice photos of collared doves, plus a variety of alternative names, the more to confuse.

The picture of the hen on the nest is a good illustration of your girlfriend's description.

http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?action=searchresult&Bird_ID=702&Bird_Image_ID=31689&Bird_Family_ID=&p=1

Actually they have a good collection of other photographs, including the "common" wood pigeon...

http://orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?action=birdfamily&Bird_Family_ID=91


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

*maybe petey might need a home after all*

i'm pretty sure that i won't be able to release him now as he and i have become quite attatched, he tends to fly to me when i open his cage ( i keep him in a cage that i have biult in our spare room,we have cats and dogs, but we keep doors shut at all times,although i think he needs the double protection of the cage just incase of trespassers). 

so... i was just wondering if anyone would like to have him when he is an adult? (i would like to see him grow and become the beautiful bird that he has the potential to be). i know of a couple of places around salisbury that he could live, but i thought that having someone who is surrounded by this brilliant and helpful community would be the best thing, you guys would love him as an individual,and not just a 'bird'
if anyone could get back to me on this i would be very grateful, i do not mind the delivery, i would be happy to be his sauffeur,if it meant happiness for the rest of his life.

tozzie


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

pics of him in his cage, do i need anything else in there? he has water.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Have PM'd you, Petey is welcome here. You have looked after him very well and I love his cage!

Cynthia


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## Coney (Oct 26, 2008)

hi,
i am in a similar situation,in that i have rescued a collared dove,not sure of sex.I have built a cage for it in our upstairs spare room.It has some wing damage from when it was attacked by a sparrowhawk.It can fly but not very far,so im really keeping it until it recuperates and i can release it safely.It is eating and drinking well and seems in good general health.
The main problem im having with it is my wife wants rid of it.So i dont know,i'll do my best for now and we'll see how it gets on.

Thats a nice big cage you've built for it.I leave the door open as well so it can exercise its wings and have a bit of freedom.

Some things i think you could add to your cage maybe.

maybe put it a little higher up so the dove feels a little more secure,like its in a tree etc.Put a shelf with ramps up to it.I used wooden plank,drilled holes tied with string to wire mesh.
I read somewhere they dont like to roost on round roosts so i put in little rectangular sticks for it to sit on
A brick for it to sit on

Grit,broken up oyster shell for calcium,digestion etc.
cant think of anything else right now .Anyway good luck.

Col

Ps Sunlight -- they need sunlight to make,,,,, emmm,,,, cant remember but some vitamin( vA ? maybe?) that otherwise you would need to give in their food .I have mine up on stilts at the window so it can get plenty sunlight and also see its old pals (Doves) flying about).Also gives it something of interest to keep its wee mind active etc.,,


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Col, that dove won't survive long with wing damage, it needs the agility to escape predators.

What part of Scotland are you in? There should be a sanctuary that it can go to.

Cynthia


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## tozzie (Sep 29, 2008)

now thats the kind of info im after bricks, square beading... quality!!

anyhoo does anyone know the best way to get a bird eating normal food (by normal i mean seeds,oats etc...,instead of a syringe?) and drinking?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

tozzie said:


> now thats the kind of info im after bricks, square beading... quality!!
> 
> anyhoo does anyone know the best way to get a bird eating normal food (by normal i mean seeds,oats etc...,instead of a syringe?) and drinking?


Keep smallish seeds like parakeet, finch, or canary in a deep non-tippable bowl as well as a deep non-tippable bowl of water in the enclosure. Gently dip the beak in the water to encourage drinking and "peck" at the seeds in the bowl with your finger. The young bird will get the idea fairly quickly. You can also do what we call "seed pops" here where you drop a few seeds at a time in the mouth. Another technique that often works is to spread some seeds on a white towel, peck at them with your finger, and hope the young bird will peck in curiosity and discover seed eating in the process.

Some youngsters catch on to self feeding and drinking very quickly and easily and others will make you just about tear your hair out waiting for them to learn.

Terry


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