# Found a pigeon, and I don't know if I'm doing it right.



## jaunis (Feb 26, 2010)

Hi everybody, 

About 25 days ago I found a pigeon on a tree in front of my house that at the time I thought it was about 4 or 5 days (eyes closed). Having never dealt with pigeons, I started searching again and found some sites that recommended a special formula for baby pigeons called Kaytee Exact. Obviously that product is not sold in Argentina (oh, yes, I forgot, I'm from Arg), then my last resource was to do the mix myself (also from recommendations of a veterinarian and Internet).

I don't know about breeds of pigeons, but one of the most common here is this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picui_Ground-dove. And he/she looks a lot like that (smaller, of course)

Feeding him/her was not too complicated (I did it according to the following video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8404110635196534861) but now it has been almost a month and I have some doubts and problems with this little pigeon:

1) First, the pigeon doesn't look at all like this (25/30 days) : http://www.speedpigeon.com/30-Day_Old_baby_racing_pigeon.jpg. His feathers are much more disordered, as if he were younger (ill? not well fed?).

2) Secondly, I can't make him to eat by himself. I bought a mixture of grains, but all he does is catch them with their beak and drop them. And I guess that since he is in a significant stage of its growth, I'm afraid to stop feeding him to "motivate" him to eat by himself and then have a problem by not having eaten enough food.

3) Thirdly, the mix that I made fall on some chest feathers and wings, which is why many of the feathers of the chest (above the crop) are not developed or he is a little bald in some parts. So that's another reason not to keep feeding him, because the mixture is slightly sticky and clings to the feathers and then when dry is hard to remove.

4) How do I get rid of the food stuck to the feathers? Do I have to? I'm afraid to hurt the feathers. Do the grow again?

Besides all that the dove appears happy and healthy, in fact every day flies from his box to my bed (he is in my room since I also have a dog and a cat) and begins to peck my ear ("FEED ME!") < 3.

Well, I hope you can answer all my (stupid?) questions, greetings to everybody from Argentina.

PS. I just attached a pic so you can see him.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hello and welcome!

Yes, your little one is some type of dove and not a pigeon. Thank you so much for taking it in and caring for it.

As to getting the "crud" off the feathers, start with a very wet and warm cloth and see what you can "wipe" off. After that, use your fingernails and gently "scrape" more off. In the end result, offer a bath to the bird .. two inches or so of lukewarm water in a pan and see if it will clean itself up.

There will be others along shortly, so stand by.

Thank you so much for helping this little dove!

Terry


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Hi and welcome to pigeon talk. In picking up the seeds and dropping them, he is trying to learn how to eat. That just takes a little time. If you stop feeding the formula, and defrost some frozen peas and corn in hot water, to just thawed and warm, (not hot), then hold him on your lap and against your body. Open his beak gently, and put a piece into his mouth, and push it to the back, over his tongue. He should swallow it. Then take another one and do the same. I'm not sure how many for a dove. I know for a pigeon, it would be maybe 45 or 50 at a time, and again when the crop empties, which would be a couple of times a day. But pigeons are larger. If you do this, and then leave some with him, after several times of feeding him this way, they will usually catch on and learn to pick up the peas and corn by themselves. Leave him seed also. Usually they seem to have an easier time picking up the peas and corn. Maybe because it is softer. From there he'll learn to pick up seed. Also, he will need to learn to drink water. Dip his beak into a small dish and show him. He will eventually learn to drink it.Hope this helps.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I just asked another member for advice who is very knowledgeable, and she said go with the frozen peas. Try giving him about 15 at a time, as he is small. Then feel his crop and check that it feels soft and squishy, but not firm. Don't feed again until his crop is empty. Leave some peas and seed with him so he can try himself. Make sure it is frozen peas, NOT canned. Let us know how it goes.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Her size and development look fairly normal for a hand raised dove. I am not certain how the peas will work on a dove, we have never used them on ours, so go slow at first. Defrosted corn should be all right as most doves are seed and grain eaters. We found our eurasian collared dove Poppet very hard to wean compared to pigeons and her feathering was a terrible mess when we got her with formula set like concrete, I found later that the best way of cleaning them is with a warm saline mix.

What part of Argentina are you in? One of our members, Pawbla, is in Mar de La Plata, she should be able to help with resources. I have sent her a PM. I think there is another in Montevideo at the moment who might be able to help with dove identification,.

This page shows photos of the pigeons and doves of Argentina, but the one you have is a juvenile so most probably will not have the adult markings yet. http://www.fotosaves.com.ar/Columbiformes/FotosColumbiformes.html

Cynthia


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## jaunis (Feb 26, 2010)

Thanks you everybody! The eating problem is finally solved, now I have another quuestion: how long should I wait until I let him free? How will I know when he's ready?

Feefo: I'm from Córdoba.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Bit far from Mar de la Plata but I think you have good pigeon resources in Cordoba, you should be able to get grit (translates as "el grit" ), vitamins and probiotics which would be beneficial to it. 

http://palomasmensajeras.com.ar/?p=72

As long as it doesn't become too tame, it can be released once it has good feathering and agile flight, preferably at a location where there is a good supply of food and water and also others of its kind . You should spray it lightly with water every couple of days to help its feathering.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

BTW - fresh peas work as well - just cook them and cool them a bit first. I think smaller doves fledge more quickly than rock doves (pigeons) So a question becomes - can you find others (a flock) of his\her species Jaunis ? Because it's best to release into a number of other doves when the time comes.


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## jaunis (Feb 26, 2010)

I've been feeding him with a mix of sorghum, corn, and canary grass. And we have no need of frozen food since you can get them fresh (and organic, with no pesticides) anywhere (and personally I think is much better for humans and for animals).

His/her mother is still around my house, I guess, in a tree just the front of it. And yes, that kind of dove is very common here, I've seen like 6 of them around here.


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

Way more quickly, our eared doves are ready when they still look like nestlings.
Also, frozen food is more expensive than fresh one xD.
I PM'd you


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Feefo said:


> Her size and development look fairly normal for a hand raised dove. I am not certain how the peas will work on a dove, we have never used them on ours, so go slow at first. Defrosted corn should be all right as most doves are seed and grain eaters. We found our eurasian collared dove Poppet very hard to wean compared to pigeons and her feathering was a terrible mess when we got her with formula set like concrete, I found later that the best way of cleaning them is with a warm saline mix.
> 
> What part of Argentina are you in? One of our members, Pawbla, is in Mar de La Plata, she should be able to help with resources. I have sent her a PM. I think there is another in Montevideo at the moment who might be able to help with dove identification,.
> 
> ...



Gee Feefo, just to clarify this for future readers of this post, why would you give the bird corn rather than peas? I only ask as I am confused because peas have nearly twice the amount of protein as the corn, and is easier to digest. Also, peas do come in the dove mix we have bought, but never corn. Thanks.

And yes the reason we say frozen peas and corn, is only because they are precooked a bit, and all you need to do is to defrost in warm water. And they are nice and soft. You can take just what you want from the bag, and that makes it very handy. Fresh would be just as good of course, but you would have to cook them first and use them up in a day or so, or freeze them anyway. It's just more convenient if you can get them. And probably more people have them on hand than fresh peas or corn. Canned usually have salt or preservatives, so that wouldn't be good.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> Gee Feefo, just to clarify this for future readers of this post, why would you give the bird corn rather than peas? I only ask as I am confused because peas have nearly twice the amount of protein as the corn, and is easier to digest. Also, peas do come in the dove mix we have bought, but never corn. Thanks.


Certainly Jay3, I would be happy to! although I thought I had explained the reason for my doubts sufficiently in the post when I wrote : _*I am not certain how the peas will work on a dove, we have never used them on ours, so go slow at first. Defrosted corn should be all right as most doves are seed and grain eaters.*_ I will try to clarify further for future readers:

Jaunis said he thought the dove is a *Picui Ground Dove*...we don't have them in the UK so I have no first hand experience and I don't even know whether their natural diet includes flowers, leaves, fruit or vegetables...or even insects. 

I only have collared doves, they will pick the corn out of the pigeon mix but not the peas...they also avoid the defrosted and raw peas we offer the wood pigeons...but I only used my own doves as an indicator of the* likelihood *of the Picui eating peas, as different species of doves have different diets.

However I know that *most* doves feed on seed and grain and it is reasonable to assume that a dove whose habitat is shrubland will be predominantly granivorous. Corn qualifies as grain, peas don't. I don't know what your source based the advice of feeding peas to the dove on, it may well be someone with experience of Picui's, but I doubted that...so I advised *caution* with the peas as I really don't think it is wise to stuff a bird whose diet we are uncertain of with food that might disagree with it.

I hope that this helps clarify my advice.

I doubt that we will have many Picui dove rescuers on this forum, but if we have I am certain that jaunis' information on what he has been feeding the dove will be more valuable than any of our guesses , so I would like to finish by highlighting that:



> I've been feeding him with a mix of sorghum, corn, and canary grass. And we have no need of frozen food since you can get them fresh (and organic, with no pesticides) anywhere (and personally I think is much better for humans and for animals).


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Thanks Feefo for answering my question. Appreciate it. But according to this article, looks like we were both wrong. They don't eat either peas or corn. 

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-breeders/doves-and-pigeons/doves-and-pigeons-2004-03-03-11111.aspx

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The Dove With The Beautiful Eyes
The picui dove eyes are extraordinary.

By Tony Brancato


Feeding
Because picuis are small doves, they relish small seeds and grains. *Their diet consists mostly of enriched finch seedand some spray millet, safflower seed and niger or thistle seed. Many of our doves love some soft foods.* *The picuis are no different. Every other day I feed all of our doves steamed rice, mixed with raw grated carrots, sprinkled with vitamins, yellow corn meal, and raw chopped-shelled sunflower seeds. Fresh water and health grit, as well as cuttlebone, should always be available for doves.*

Tony Brancato has bred doves and pigeons for 35 years. He currently breeds 25 species of seed-eating foreign doves. Brancato lives on the Central Coast of California.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Don't think it's a question of anybody being 'wrong' - not you, Feefo or your someone knowledgeable. People just share what has worked for them and what they observe is preferred by different species. The softened peas and/or corn are frequently recommended here for sub-adult (or sometimes adults with feeding problems) pigeon/doves because they are reasonably nutritious, filling and also reasonably easy to digest. Sounds like the eating issue is resolved in this case anyway.

John


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