# what to feed baby pigeon



## merwancia

I am new to this forum. i live in india and here in mumbai, there is a huge population of pigeons. In fact, i have around 4 pigeon nests outside my window. 

and i noticed that since 2 days, one of the pigeon mothers had left her baby in the nest. i feel something bad happened to her. at first i thought she must be search for food. but she hasnt returned. so i decided to take care of the baby. i have never taken care of a baby pigeon before. it is around a week old . 

i want to know what i can feed it? coz we dont have any pet shops nearby. 
i want to know if i can use some homemade fodder from cereals like wheat or rice. we have plenty of them.

i tried to mix some powder of wheat mixed with water. and i fed it to the bird. 
coz it was definitely starving from 3 days.

please help soon.


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## Pawbla

I've fed bread and milk successfully on older birds, but no idea about a bird so young. Maybe you could try a baby formula?


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## altgirl35

no milk please, birds are lactose intolerant.
you can feed her frozen corn and peas thawed out and warm, you can open her beak and pop one in at a time, she will eat alot


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## plamenh

Please post a picture to determine age and quantity to feed.


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## Feefo

Hello,

Both pigeon parents look after their chicks, but after 10 days they keep an eye on the baby from a distance, retruning only for quick feeds.

Can you tell us what the baby's poops were like when you took it in? And what its eyes looked like and general demeanour. That will help determine whether it was being fed.


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## merwancia

Feefo said:


> Hello,
> 
> Both pigeon parents look after their chicks, but after 10 days they keep an eye on the baby from a distance, retruning only for quick feeds.
> 
> Can you tell us what the baby's poops were like when you took it in? And what its eyes looked like and general demeanour. That will help determine whether it was being fed.



oh my gosh , what have i done? is it really true that the parents return for quick feeds and keep watch from a distance. if that is the case, should i be placing the chick back in its nest?

the baby poop is spiral and black in color with a streak of white sometimes. 

i will send images of the bird


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## Feefo

IMO it won't hurt the baby if you feed it and then pop it back in the nest and watch the nest to see if the parents return.

If it was a single nest then it would be easier for you as the squeaking would alert you to the perents' return.

You can bring it in at night for observation. The parents don't mind humans handling their babies so they are not going to reject it on those grounds, I don't think that if they are alive and retruning to the nest they will have already decided that the baby is gone forever.

Cynthia


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## Pawbla

I thought just budgies were lactose intolerant x.X
How did those bird on "emergency feed" manage to survive?


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## plamenh

Pawbla said:


> I thought just budgies were lactose intolerant x.X
> How did those bird on "emergency feed" manage to survive?


Pigeon feed milk will not be able to digest it whole, just partly, *bread* with milk actually did the trick, as that was what helped them survive.


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## merwancia

the baby pigeon thinks am its mother. whenever i go near, it starts squeaking and starts searching for my hand. she kinda puts her beak between my fingers and i guess searches for food. 

for now i dont have frozen peas or corn . so i boiled some rice and mashed it and mixed with some lukewarm water and fed it. it seems to like it a lot. 

how long does it take a baby to start eating solid food? 

i hope i can be a good caretaker . am afraid to put the baby out in its nest again coz like i said there are around 4 to 5 pigeon nests near my window and they all attack if they see a baby alone and tries to push it down .


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## merwancia

and thank you to all you good people for helping me out .


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## plamenh

Are you prepared to adopt this baby?
The reason I'm asking is because taking baby from the nest will create bond between you and pigeon. He will not be educated by his parents to forage, fly, fend from danger. Baby will be imprinted to you and you cannot release him, or if you do, his chances for survival will not be good. If you want to keep him, it's Ok. Pigeons make great pets, but it is long time commitment. (they live 20~25 years)
Baby pigeon start to eat alone between 20~25 day from hatching, sometimes sooner, sometimes later.


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## merwancia

plamenh said:


> Are you prepared to adopt this baby?
> The reason I'm asking is because taking baby from the nest will create bond between you and pigeon. He will not be educated by his parents to forage, fly, fend from danger. Baby will be imprinted to you and you cannot release him, or if you do, his chances for survival will not be good. If you want to keep him, it's Ok. Pigeons make great pets, but it is long time commitment. (they live 20~25 years)
> Baby pigeon start to eat alone between 20~25 day from hatching, sometimes sooner, sometimes later.



of course. i love birds and animals. and any opportunity given to take care , i never miss out on it. i am planning to keep the bird with me . but not as a pet . 
in fact , this little baby bird is a new addition to my family of a cute little bunny 'snowflake' , two parakeets , a family of 6 wild birds who have made nest on my plants. they are a very rare breed. even smaller than a sparrow.


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## plamenh

Will you post some pictures? I'd like to see your birds and bunny.


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## Feefo

Have you still got this baby? 

How much are you feeding it? 

What are you feeding it? 

I don't think that rice has the nutrients it needs, specially if it is polished rice... and it is so important to get the quantities right! Please let us know how it is getting along!


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## merwancia

Feefo said:


> Have you still got this baby?
> 
> How much are you feeding it?
> 
> What are you feeding it?
> 
> I don't think that rice has the nutrients it needs, specially if it is polished rice... and it is so important to get the quantities right! Please let us know how it is getting along!



yes i still have the baby. it is fine though there is something that concerns me. the stools are a bit runny. what do you think is the reason . is it because of the rice? today morning i fed it wheat soaked in water and blended into a solution.

other than peas and corn, is there anything else i can feed it? 

i feed in intervals of about three hours using a straw. shes put her beak inside the straw and drinks the solution from it. i fill about an inch and half of the straw. some of it spills out when she drinks. so that measures around 5-6 six straw each time. she moves her beak away when she is full .

please do tell me a remedy to make her digestion proper. i am worries abt that. other that she is doing fine.


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## plamenh

Runny poop can be because of to much fluids she takes. You can add a drop or two of honey in the mix to make it a bit more nourishing. Puppy chow crushed and mixed with warm water will also work.


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## Feefo

These are suggestions from one of our members (gingerpoo):



> brown rice, wheat germ, lentils, peas, corn (or polenta), stone ground wheat, couscous,... grinding that up and adding some warm water to it for some time as well.


My emergency feeding stuffs have included porridge made up with warm water (not milk). Wholemeal or wholegrain bread moistened with warm water. A bit of boiled egg, chopped. The sort of baby food that comes in jars, chicken flavour. 

Always give the food at 39C, that is the temperature it would receive the food from his mother at.

A straw is a bit narrow for it to suck food out of. In nature, what they do is put their beaks inside their parents beaks but then they gape, opening their mouths very wide, and the parent pumps the food into the open mouth. You could put the warm food into the finger of a rubber kitchen glove, or the nipple of a baby's feeding bottle, cut a small slit and gently slide the beak in to the slit, then when it starts to gape squeeze gently so that the food goes into the mouth. In this video a syringe is being used. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3GPWhHeG4s

Here are photographs and instructions on using that same method of feeding:

http://www.urbanwildlifesociety.org/WLR/BabyPij&DuvFeedg.htm


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## merwancia

actually there was a reunion between the mother and her baby. in the afternoon , i felt the baby's mother was searching for her in the nest. also the baby seemed to sense it. she was squeaking very loudly. and i was very worried abt her runny stools as well. maybe she couldnt adapt to the food i was giving her. 

to test if her mom is back . i put her back in her nest and waited for a while. she stoped squeaking and after abt 15 mins, her mommy came next to her. but she dint feed it that time. later after an hour, i saw the mother and the baby bonding and she was feeding her. i almost had tears in my eyes. i felt so guilty to have been negligent of the fact tht the mother was still alive. and i had separated the two . 

am really glad i could give the baby back . coz a mother knows wats best for her child. and i would be in no way perfect for taking care of her. 

shes happy now. right next to my window. 

in a way i am happy to have given her back to her mommy and am sad too , coz i was getting attached to her. 

thank you all for being so kind and helpful. you were all very prompt in your replies. and sorry for troubling . 

am sure now the bird is safe and she will grow up like every other pigeon 

thank you all


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## altgirl35

that's wonderful! i'm so glad she is reunited with her parents, now you can watch from a distance like it should be.
she will get to be a free bird, what a happy ending!


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## Feefo

I am so glad that they were reunited, it must have been wonderful to watch.

I hope that the baby thrives, keeps safe and that you will be able to enjoy watching it grow up and fledge.


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## Jay3

Great ending to what could have been another story. You did the right thing in putting it back. And you have learned something. Sometimes we just have to sit and wait to be sure of what is going on. Wild things usually know what they're doing. Now it'll be fun watching it grow up as it should. Free!


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## Pawbla

plamenh said:


> Pigeon feed milk will not be able to digest it whole, just partly, *bread* with milk actually did the trick, as that was what helped them survive.


Oh. Well, at least I know now. Thanks, by the way.


It's amazing that they both got together again <3.


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