# Young wood pigeon wants to go with parents but can't fly yet. Also how much to feed?



## sbarra1x (Sep 12, 2012)

*Quick version below.*

Hey.

About a week ago there was a family of wood pigeons nesting in a tree at the bottom of my garden but a neighbourhood cat knocked their nest down and attacked one of the young ones.

I noticed the commotion and stepped in to save the wood pigeon, which upon inspecting I could see had a relatively deep wound on it’s left wing.

The parents were hanging around trying to protect the young pigeon, but she could not fly and the cat just kept coming back, so I had to take her in temporarily.

Her wing is now almost fully healed and her parents have been coming down to the garden to feed her every day while I stay on cat watch.

Very recently however she has gotten to an age where she is almost able to fly and about 3 days ago she attempted to follow her parents out of the garden, landing on the fence and then swooping down into my neighbours garden; she was lost in there for about 40 mins while me and my two neighbours searched with torches. 

Thankfully we found her but both my neighbours have cats and we frequently get foxes poking around so I couldn't risk losing her again and not being able to find her.

I figured I would keep her in my spare pigeon loft and take her into my shed to do some flying exercises until she is ready to fly properly, or at least as close as possible (She’s tame enough with me though not sure if that’s a good thing?)

I am however concerned about how long it is safe to keep her from having physical contact with her parents?

For the last 3 days I have been keeping her in my spare pigeon loft during the day but with the mesh door across so she can still see her parents (and they her) as they are still coming down into the garden to eat seed, and the young pigeon has even been mimicking them, learning to peck at seed so that’s some kind of interaction at least.

Is it safe to leave it any longer? Should I let the pigeon out next time her parents come down? If she get lost there is a high risk of a cat or fox finding her.

Also because she is now unable to be fed by her parents how much pigeon seed should I be feeding her each day? She is eating some on her own but only when her parents are pecking at seed in the garden and it doesn't look like enough.

*Quick version:

Young wood pigeon rescued from cat a week ago.

Been getting fed every day by its parents in my back garden but has until recently been unable to fly.

Has recently started attempting to fly.

Got lost in neighbours garden after failed attempt to fly off with parents.

Was very hard to find but we found her, however both neighbours have cats and we always get foxes poking around.

Don’t want to risk same thing happening and not being able to find.

Been keeping her in spare pigeon loft during day last 3 days and parents still coming down to garden to eat pigeon seed which she can see, and she is learning to peck at seed by watching them through the mesh.

Have been doing flying exercises with her once a night last 3 nights in shed to help her get ready to fly away with her parents when I let her out.

Wondering how long I can leave it without her having physical contact with parents and only being able to see them (very close) through lofft mesh.

Also how much pigeon seed to hand feed as not eating enough on own yet.

Thanks!!!*


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

The parents would top up her food for roughly two weeks after fledging and I think that even if they cannot feed her at the moment they would recognise her outside the nest, specially as they are able to see her now.

Try defrosting frozen peas in warm water and popping them into her mouth one at a time. When I have done this with young woodies they get so fed up with my slowness that they start grabbing the peas from my hand though once they can eat seed they lose interest in defrosted peas. A young woodie would take about 80 or more peas per feed, but it is safer to keep feeling the crop to make certain the peas shift around like beans in a beanie bag or to feed several more meals a day.

A very small mix, like canary mix, is good for weaning them.


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