# feeding 3week old



## BuckwheatsMama (Aug 8, 2016)

I was given a 24 day old tumbler pigeon. I offer him small seeds, but he seems to barely be interested. 
So I grinded some of his seeds, and smashed with peas to make a paste. He seems to like it, but I'm not sure he is getting the nutrition he needs. So, my question is.. is this mix good for him while he is still learning to eat seed? He is starting to drink water just fine.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Well he's old enough to start weaning so it'll do for now, as long as he is getting enough. 
Put seed down in front of him and peck at it with your finger like a beak. Keep doing this and he will learn.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You can also just feed frozen peas which have been defrosted and warmed, under warm running water. Warm but not hot. Then leave some with him, and he should learn to pick them up for himself in no time. Then on to seed.

If you need to feed peas to a pigeon, hold the bird on your lap and against your body. This gives you more control. Reach from behind his head with one hand and grasp his beak on either side. Now use your free hand to open the beak, and put a pea in, then push it to the back of his throat and over his tongue. Let him close his beak and swallow. Then do another. It gets easier with practice, and the bird also gets more used to it, and won't fight as much. If you can't handle the bird, then use the sleeve cut off a t-shirt, slip it over his head and onto his body, with his head sticking out. This will stop him from being able to fight you so much. Just don't make it tight around his crop area. It helps if you have him facing your right side if you are right handed.


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## BuckwheatsMama (Aug 8, 2016)

Awesome.. Thanks for the reply.. and the advice


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## BuckwheatsMama (Aug 8, 2016)

Thank you.. I do have some whole peas in his cage, hoping he tries em out on his own.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

It's unlikely that he will try them. He doesn't know how to eat on his own, as he has always been fed. He doesn't know what food looks like. But if you feed them to him, after a while he will see them as food, and then he will try to pick them up. You will get more into him that way. You may very well be underfeeding him.


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## BuckwheatsMama (Aug 8, 2016)

I do feed him peas.. as well as the seed/peas mixture


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

BuckwheatsMama said:


> I do feed him peas.. as well as the seed/peas mixture


Jay is talking about defrosted frozen peas thawed under warm water by opening his beak and putting in one by one. Are you feeding him like that? 
Because he is not weaned he won't be able to eat by himself and could starve.


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## BuckwheatsMama (Aug 8, 2016)

Yes, Kiddy.. I am feeding him peas, and also a pea/seed mixture. All by opening his beak and inserting. He pecks at seeds in his cage. But barely eats any. I was just wanting to know if the peas and grinded seeds that I am feeding him, will suffice until he is able to eat on his own. 
Thank you for your concern. I do appreciate the responses and help.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Yes it will be sufficient, around 30 peas three times a day is good. We feed peas and not ground seeds paste after two weeks of age so they could recognise how their grains look like and then leave some with them and they try to eat gradually. At first they pick and drop and in some days they start picking and eating. The same time we keep a seed bowl and they keep learning. When they are with parents they learn from parents how to pick and eat, so copying them we play with the seeds in bowl with our fingers showing as we are picking and eating and they try seeing us. I made my one fledgling learn to bathe in this way playing with water with my fingers and now she is so familiar with this technique, she waits for my fingers to take bath when I put a bathing dish full of water. She jumps on my hand and steps down in water walking on my hand. She is 1.5 years old now and still enjoys taking bath with me, I mean with my fingers in her dish. 
They are adorable. 
Can you post a pic of this little kid? Everyone enjoys seeing pics of birds we are talking about.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Here is the link on hand/force feeding peas (frozen that have been thawed and drained and warmed): http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/peasandcorn.htm *


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## BuckwheatsMama (Aug 8, 2016)

Thank you all.. He has started eating peas on his own now.. still tries seeds, but doesnt really eat any. 
And yes, i will post pics. Again, thank you all for the advice


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

That's a good news. Pls try to make him learn to drink water also by slightly dipping his beak in a water dish but not over the nostrils. Do it a few times a day and he will learn to sip in some attempts.


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## BuckwheatsMama (Aug 8, 2016)

Oh, yes, he does sip water.. but only when I help him by dipping his beak into it a little.
And I tried to post pics, but having trouble uploading :\


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

That's great. Keep doing it and he will learn to drink soon.

When you click on "attachment" icon over the tool bar near smiley icon, you will get a window to browse. Browse the pic through that tab and when it shows attached, click on upload. Then close that window and submit reply. That will show here. 
Also, you can use photo bucket link to paste in the window, where you write reply. 
Or there are some third party sites like www.imgur.com or tinypic or sonething like that etc. to upload the pics there and paste that link here. 
So choose whatever works for you.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Good news. Thanks for that. Yes, pics would be nice if possible.


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