# baby pigeon feeding question



## sallysinnamon (Apr 18, 2016)

I have a baby pigeon whos mom abandoned. i have kaytee exact formula and have been feeding it. hes now five days old. i have been doing a lot of reading. I've read that hand raised birds don't grow as fast because they don't get pigeon milk. I've found suggested feeding reccommendations.. from what i understand he should be significantly larger by day 5..and the food was signifigantly increased to 10 ccs every 5 hours. however he is still really small. should i stick with 3 ccs every 3-4 hours? or should i check on him in between and if his crop is empty feed him? i don't wanna starve him.

so i guess the question is..is it better to just watch his crop and feed when empty at this point? or stick to feeding every few hours.. thanks..


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*It is true that nothing can copy the pigeon milk.

Thank you for rescuing this baby. Has the baby received any crop milk from the mother/dad? 

Is he begging (shaking his wings and peeping) asking for food when he sees you when before feeding? What does poop look like and how often does baby poop?

Please check this link on baby pigeons (feeding, what to feed, etc) http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/caringforababypigeon.htm 

Here is the link on feeding dosage for kaytee: http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/whattofeed.htm

Always make sure crop is completely empty before feeding, baby should always be warm when feeding and food should be warm: follow instructions carefully. *


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## sallysinnamon (Apr 18, 2016)

*baby pigeon*

hi! the baby received no pigeon milk. due to a young mother and bad nest location she kind of abandoned him while he was hatching. i kept my eye on him for bout 20 min she showed no interest in giving him any kind of attention or warmth. so..he was pretty motionless and cold when i took him. i blew on him a little..and put him under a light. it was around 12 am so i figured if he made it through the night, i would get the bird formula.

all seems good. he shakes his wings and begs. i saw on a site what to watch for when his crop is full enough. right now we are at 3 ccs every 3-4 hours. but i read at day 5 he should be at 10 ccs every 5? and theres no way his little crop can take that.

he also does this thing sometimes..when hes eating his crop is full and I'm ready to stop. and he stretches real big and wiggles around and it disappears.. this is all just very new to me..im thinking i should stay on the 3 hr feeding schedule for now until he can take more ccs?

hes definitely bigger than when he hatched. his eyes are not open yet. still has yellow fuzz and is unsure of what to do with his legs..

his poop isn't too watery..but not dry either and its brown, its not green so that's good. how often should he be pooping? he hasn't pooped in the last 3 feedings..


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Please use a heating pad set on low with towel between baby and pad,do not use heat lamp.

How thick is the kaytee formula? (check link for how many parts water to formula)

If his crop is moving slowly, add a drop of applesauce (prefferably organic or non GMO) that will get it moving.

If his crop is completely empty after 3 hours, continue on that schedule.

What is history on baby? Is this a feral or domestic pigeon?

*


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## sallysinnamon (Apr 18, 2016)

i will give him a heating pad..i have him on one when i feed him. the light i have for him providing heat is indirect..i have a thermometer all set up to make sure his temperature is maintained..and its a minky fleece hes on that retains warmth. hes not in a spotlight..if you think the heating pad and no light is better i will do that.

the kaytee formula right now is 1 part to 2 parts water. 

thanks for the applesauce trick..so far the crop is emptying ok..but i will keep it in mind.

it is a domestic pigeon, but the mom nested in a corner of the bottom of the cage. with not much of a nest around her eggs. 

ive done pretty good with googling information and putting bits together from here and there. but when i googled pictures of 5 day old pigeons I've found some that looked like mine and I've found some that were twice the size. that coupled with reading he should be on 10ccs at a feeding now..made me question everything. thank you for your help


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## sallysinnamon (Apr 18, 2016)

*day 7..crop stasis question*

so I've read the threads regarding this, I've looked up to see what I could find. baby started eating more. temperature of food is right, temperature of his dwelling is right. it was like he was taking in air. so..i went slow and gave it time. the air went away I was able to feed..however it would fill again. today, his crop is not completely empty, and its inflated a little. from my readings it could be yeast..I've read about apple sauce, yogurt..apple cider vinegar..

my question is if all these things get mixed in the food, and he isn't supposed to eat until his crop is empty..how do I give it to him? his poop is still brown and pretty normal looking..so things are still moving in his system..but you can definitely see the food sitting in the bottom of the crop..

I just checked on him..crop seemed empty..rethinking and wondering if its a ruptured air sac. it puffs up when hes excited..deflates..reinflates when eating, deflates..etc. and theres a crackling sound if you massage it.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Yes, you would mix a tiny drop of ACV or applesauce in the next feeding of formula when crop is empty. I wouldn't add them all together. 

Did you have the baby on heating pad prior to feeding?

Is there some history on the bird? If so, you need to stick to that thread so we have all the information on this youngster.

I will merge the threads if I find one.

*


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## sallysinnamon (Apr 18, 2016)

thanks! sorry about the thread thing.

yes on a heating pad before heating. thermometers in the food. I've been a little ocd with the temperatures..

the only history is..this is day 7 of hand feeding. yesterday is when I noticed his crop filled with some air.. I was told to watch his shoulders, that you'd be able to tell when he was full, well he'd get all excited and theyd puff up like balloons..then go down. then go up.

ive rethought crop stasis since his poop is still moving. still lively. still chirping. eyes opening. I've since looked at pictures of a ruptured air sac, and its not quite like that either. I'm really confused..its stressing me out. hes come this far..


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## sallysinnamon (Apr 18, 2016)

how often should he have plain water? or not at all yet?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

He is fine on formula and doesn't need extra water. Once he gets weaned on to a seed diet he will need to drink water. They usually drink right after eating.


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## Prasad (Jul 2, 2021)

sallysinnamon said:


> I have a baby pigeon whos mom abandoned. i have kaytee exact formula and have been feeding it. hes now five days old. i have been doing a lot of reading. I've read that hand raised birds don't grow as fast because they don't get pigeon milk. I've found suggested feeding reccommendations.. from what i understand he should be significantly larger by day 5..and the food was signifigantly increased to 10 ccs every 5 hours. however he is still really small. should i stick with 3 ccs every 3-4 hours? or should i check on him in between and if his crop is empty feed him? i don't wanna starve him.
> 
> so i guess the question is..is it better to just watch his crop and feed when empty at this point? or stick to feeding every few hours.. thanks..


Emergency basis: feeding 1day baby pegion, best is to leave to any pegion which had leaid eggs 3days ago, they instinctively feed other hached baby pegion.(my experiment was surprisingly successful).


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