# found baby abandoned pigeon, have no idea how old



## elviradane (Jun 3, 2011)

hi guys! im new here ........i found a baby pigeon abandoned and i have no idea how old he is and what i should be doing. i went to the store and got some baby pigeon mix and ive been syringe feeding.....he keeps crying and is very affectionate .......what should i do and how old is he?
or could he be a pigeon at all?


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Eyes are open, so he would be 4-5 days old, they need an awful lot of care at this age, what are the circumstances of you finding him, can he be put back into his nest?

Here is are some links to get you started, please pay special attention to the mentions on warmth/heat, both in where he is being kept and food temperature when feeding.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f20/feeding-help-needed-for-newly-hatched-pigeons-47336.html

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f20/help-egg-is-hatching-and-i-dont-have-a-clue-47170.html

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f6/rescued-feral-help-please-48513.html#post522672


Any questions, ask, and good luck,


Karyn


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## elviradane (Jun 3, 2011)

when we found him at my husbands job,the workers took his nest off the pallete it was on and put it on the floor in the sun and it was destroyed, the other eg it was with was cracked too and destroyed, this poor baby was in the sun and my husband said the mom wasnt around at all.....thank you so much......the food im giving him is the kaytee baby bird mix that i mix with warm water.....i put him in an open small box with a towel and a warm water bottle, hes in my den in a very quiet area.......when i take him out to feed him hes very very vocal and very affectionate.....he eats a bit, but hes constantly crying for more i think.....hes emptying his bowels normally too


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## elviradane (Jun 3, 2011)

should i just use the regualr syringe?


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## elviradane (Jun 3, 2011)

and also, how do i know if the crop is empty?


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

elviradane said:


> should i just use the regualr syringe?


I would try the baby bottle/latex glove method first, it seems to have had good results and the thing about the bottle method is it will retain the warmth of the food longer, which is important, here is the link (it was in the information I posted before:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f5/hand-feeding-babies-made-easy-36768.html

OK, I guess there is not going back for this little one, we'll just have to do the best we can for him.

When you make the Kaytee, mix it up and them let it sit 15-20 minutes, then go back and make final tweaks for thickness and warmth (102-104 degrees). Between now and say two weeks old the biggest issue with them doing well will be greatly influenced by them being kept at the right temperature and being feed food at the right temperature, it's also really important that the formula is not too thick, you want it about the thickness of a melted milk-shake.

Karyn


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

elviradane said:


> and also, how do i know if the crop is empty?


This link was also in the information I provided earlier. Scroll down to mid page and look at the photos of the babies sitting in the nest. You see under their chin/neck area what looks to be an inflated pouch under the skin, this is their crop, and in most of the photos it is full, when empty it will look deflated and flat looking. Don't feed him until his crop is as full as the little ones in the link, as when the parents feed them, they can really stuff them and this is fine as they know what they are doing. You want to shoot for say 1/2-3/4 as full, where you can see the crop nicely bulged, but not where it looks like it is going to burst in any way. Also, you want to let the crop empty before feeding each time, do not add new food to old food still in the crop, as this can cause problems with digestion, you will feed, let the crop go down and then feed again, and so on.

http://www.mumtazticloft.com/BabyPigeons.asp

Karyn


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## elviradane (Jun 3, 2011)

thank you guys so much! so ill def get a baby bottle


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

elviradane said:


> thank you guys so much! so ill def get a baby bottle


Yes, please do and don't forget, you'll need a few latex/vinyl gloves as well to act as the aperture baffle. Also, please do read all of the threads and go through all of the links within the links I first posted, you need to know a whole lot, real fast, and the information within will help a great deal with this.

Karyn


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## elviradane (Jun 3, 2011)

thank you so much!


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## elviradane (Jun 3, 2011)

thank you guys so much for all your help! the little guy is doing amazing! hes stretching his little chicken wings and is very very affectionate! i was wondering, after i feed, hes still crying and still has his mouth open begging for food but his crop is puffy......what should i do?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

elviradane said:


> thank you guys so much for all your help! the little guy is doing amazing! hes stretching his little chicken wings and is very very affectionate! i was wondering, after i feed, hes still crying and still has his mouth open begging for food but his crop is puffy......what should i do?


only feed till the crop is full... make sure it is not air but food in there.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

spirit wings said:


> only feed till the crop is full... make sure it is not air but food in there.


Thanks for the update, glad he is doing well. Yes, as Spirit Wings says, do not over feed, even if he says he wants more...more....more .

Karyn


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