# Female dove raising two chicks solo, smaller chick in apparent distress (7 and 8 days old)



## mennake (Jun 23, 2012)

I have a nest outside my front window with a little dove family. The first egg hatched last Monday (March 8) and unfortunately that same day, the male disappeared. I saw a bunch of feathers nearby. Mom came back a few hours later and attended to the newborn and unhatched egg. Second egg hatched next day. Now I know the second one is always smaller...but now 7 days later the difference is quite noticeable and I am worried. It also appears to be shivering, I think (I am in LA and it's about 55-62 degrees during the day right now, plus we just had some major storms). It is about have the size of the older chick. I can't get a great picture at the moment because of the lighting. I provide seed and water in another part of the yard so mom doesn't have to travel far (she'll leave once or twice during the day for sometimes up to 3 hours). But understandably she is already at a disadvantage without her mate. I am not sure I can even get to the nest, but should I even consider it or let nature take its course? I ask because I am not sure I should invade a nest that hasn't been abandoned.
Thanks,
Menna


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

A photo will be helpfull. It's normal for the parents to start leaving the young alone when they are older. If you can reach the nest easily, you can give additional feedings to the smaller one. You will need a handraising formula for parrots and will have to look at videos on youtube exactly how to do this.


----------



## mennake (Jun 23, 2012)

Marina B said:


> A photo will be helpfull. It's normal for the parents to start leaving the young alone when they are older. If you can reach the nest easily, you can give additional feedings to the smaller one. You will need a handraising formula for parrots and will have to look at videos on youtube exactly how to do this.










Here is a photo- as I said the lighting is very poor there- this is the best of several I tried to get. Little one is obviously in the left. I haven’t been able to reach the nest unfortunately. I did get some parrot feeding formula in case I am successful. I will post again if anything changes. Thank you.


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

If you can work out a way to get to the nest, you can just check the crop of the smaller one regularly. But then one should also be careful not too scare the larger one out of the nest. I'm sure the smaller one will be ok.


----------



## mennake (Jun 23, 2012)

Marina B said:


> If you can work out a way to get to the nest, you can just check the crop of the smaller one regularly. But then one should also be careful not too scare the larger one out of the nest. I'm sure the smaller one will be ok.


Thank you, Marina. The littler one doesn’t seem as distressed over the last day or so. Still quite small but seems to be catching up to the other one, and mom is doing her thing and taking good care of them. For now I’ll keep observing. I didn’t know a single dove could raise chicks to without a mate. I’ve only seen this once before and it was the female that was lost and the male didn’t tend to them during the day - so they were taken by some predator at two days old.


----------



## Hope.sierra78 (Mar 22, 2021)

Doves & pigeons are closely related & I have owned pigeons for years so hopefully I can help! Pigeons normally raise one baby better than the other & unfortunately that means their is potential for one to die often. I have successfully raised baby pigeons using research online but sometimes it is simply too late. I recommend mixing up a formula for it that you find online & feeding it while mommas away. Pigeons abandoning their babies due to human touch is generally a myth especially if she doesn't watch it happen. If it gets a diet of your food & the mothers food then eventually you could bring the bird inside on just your food but a sudden adjustment at that age could be deadly. It also might be ready for seeds if it is almost completely covered in feathers!


----------



## mennake (Jun 23, 2012)

Hope.sierra78 said:


> Doves & pigeons are closely related & I have owned pigeons for years so hopefully I can help! Pigeons normally raise one baby better than the other & unfortunately that means their is potential for one to die often. I have successfully raised baby pigeons using research online but sometimes it is simply too late. I recommend mixing up a formula for it that you find online & feeding it while mommas away. Pigeons abandoning their babies due to human touch is generally a myth especially if she doesn't watch it happen. If it gets a diet of your food & the mothers food then eventually you could bring the bird inside on just your food but a sudden adjustment at that age could be deadly. It also might be ready for seeds if it is almost completely covered in feathers!


Hi Hope,
Thank you. Both babies are still here. They hatched on the 8th and 9th so I guess technically would be ready to fledge soon. I am unable to safely get to the nest, unfortunately. The younger one is still about half the size of the first hatched. It does seem to have the same kind of feathers, however. Not the chick fuzz. And is very feisty. I am wondering at this point if I should attempt to bring it in when it fledges? Could it use more time with formula? A dove pair successfully raised two clutches in this nest last year and I recall the babies just hang out below the tree for a while after they fledge...but I am worried the smaller one may not be ready. On the other hand, it has survived this long. I've read that it is traditionally the male dove that feeds the fledglings once they've left the nest?
Thanks,
Menna


----------



## mennake (Jun 23, 2012)

Something I just noticed about the runt chick (other than being half the size of the other) is it clearly does not have those distinctive long tail feathers. Like I mentioned earlier, it does appear to have the rest of the normal fledgling feather type on its body. I mention this because they are now 13 and 14 days old. Little one is still asking mom for food. The larger one seems more subdued/less needy. At this point I am more concerned about what happens when the larger one fledges. In previous years the chicks were the same size and pretty much fledged the same day.
Thanks


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

It's always better for them to be raised by their parents. The parents show them where to find food, water, shelter etc. It's very difficult to get food into them at that age. The cut-off syringe method only works for young babies. So one has to force open those tiny beaks and put food inside. 

I guess the larger one will fledge first, and the smaller one will stay in the nest for longer. Just make sure he is getting fed. Feeding goes so quickly, you might miss it. But you will hear him whistling to the parents.


----------



## mennake (Jun 23, 2012)

Marina B said:


> It's always better for them to be raised by their parents. The parents show them where to find food, water, shelter etc. It's very difficult to get food into them at that age. The cut-off syringe method only works for young babies. So one has to force open those tiny beaks and put food inside.
> 
> I guess the larger one will fledge first, and the smaller one will stay in the nest for longer. Just make sure he is getting fed. Feeding goes so quickly, you might miss it. But you will hear him whistling to the parents.


Thanks Marina,
I did not know this about the cut-off. They are both still in the nest, mom has come by a couple of times and they seem ok - I saw them get fed this morning. It's been amazing to watch the perseverance of this little family.


----------



## mennake (Jun 23, 2012)

So we had a major wind event last night and it blew the whole family out of the nest. They are now on the ground. I don’t think the little one can fly. The bigger one fluttered into the nearby bush just now as they are being harassed by squirrels. It won’t stop doing that whistling sound for mom.


----------



## mennake (Jun 23, 2012)

So we had a major wind event last night and it blew the whole family out of the nest. They are now on the ground. I don’t think the little one can fly. The bigger one fluttered into the nearby bush just now as they are being harassed by squirrels. It won’t stop doing that whistling sound for mom.
View attachment 97247


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Oh no! I hope they are still ok. You can put another nest up for them as close to the original one as possible. A small round reed basket will work fine. You can fasten this with cable ties. I did it once when the neighbour cut down a tree and the mom continued feeding the babies in the new nest.


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

She won't abandon them if you touch them.


----------



## mennake (Jun 23, 2012)

I found an experienced bird rescue person in my neighborhood. The chick was very hungry and has already eaten three times, and is adjusting very well.


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Oh that's great. Is the older one ok?


----------



## mennake (Jun 23, 2012)

Yes! It flew away when I got the little one. I saw it again later back on the ground, mom was nearby.


----------

