# Adults Pecking Babies



## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

2 Baby pigeons were born on my balcony last weekend and I've noticed various adult pigeons, 3 or more, tending to the babies. Today, 2 adult pigeons pecked one of the babies on the head. The baby is bleeding and has a large gash on it's head, however, is still alive and huddled next to its sibling. I called the local wildlife society and they recommended puttin neosporin on the baby's head to prevent infection and maybe more pecking. I applied the neosporin and I'm keeping an eye on the babies to prevent further pecking(I've seen adult birds returnng to my balcony). Is there anything else I can do? How can I confirm that an adult is returning to feed the babies rather than peck at least one of them to death? Do you recommend bringing the injured baby inside?

Thank you so much. I am very worried about this pigeon.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> 2 Baby pigeons were born on my balcony last weekend and I've noticed various adult pigeons, 3 or more, tending to the babies. Today, 2 adult pigeons pecked one of the babies on the head. The baby is bleeding and has a large gash on it's head, however, is still alive and huddled next to its sibling. I called the local wildlife society and they recommended puttin neosporin on the baby's head to prevent infection and maybe more pecking. I applied the neosporin and I'm keeping an eye on the babies to prevent further pecking(I've seen adult birds returnng to my balcony). Is there anything else I can do? How can I confirm that an adult is returning to feed the babies rather than peck at least one of them to death? Do you recommend bringing the injured baby inside?
> 
> Thank you so much. I am very worried about this pigeon.


Are you prepared to care for the baby until it's grown if you bring it in? I guess I would just keep an eye on things for a while and see what happens. I'm sure that this sort of thing goes on all the time with the ferals "behind the scenes", but knowing it goes on and SEEING it happen is two different things. I certainly couldn't and wouldn't stand by and watch the adults kill this baby. I'm familiar with pigeons but my birds are in a loft setting so this type of thing rarely occurs, actually have never had it occur in my loft, but I know it does happen. Just keep an eye on them if you can and in my opinion, if you actually see the adults pecking the baby again, or if the wound seems to get worse, then intervene if you can by bringing the baby in. I'm sure others will be along in a few with more suggestions.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Where are you located if you don't mind me asking. There may be someone close to you that could step in and care for the baby, if you are not able to or don't want to................


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

Thank you for your response. Two pigeons came back and one is sitting on top of both babies. I saw the same pigeon was feeding them and they didn't seem to be afraid of her. Can I assume this is the mother? Are pigeons crafty enough to pretend to be the parent and then peck the baby later? Could it have been the mother that pecked the baby?

In response to my raising the baby pigeon, I have a cat and live in a hi-rise so no I couldn't raise the baby. However, if it is in danger, I willl bing it inside overnight and then bring to a shelter tomorrow. If I bring it inside, should I also bring it's sibling in as well?


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

I live in Northern New Jersey. I'm not sure where the wildlife society is that I called, but it's in the same area code, so it couldn't be too far. If you know of any place, please advise. Thanks!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> Thank you for your response. Two pigeons came back and one is sitting on top of both babies. I saw the same pigeon was feeding them and they didn't seem to be afraid of her. Can I assume this is the mother? Are pigeons crafty enough to pretend to be the parent and then peck the baby later? Could it have been the mother that pecked the baby?
> 
> In response to my raising the baby pigeon, I have a cat and live in a hi-rise so no I couldn't raise the baby. However, if it is in danger, I willl bing it inside overnight and then bring to a shelter tomorrow. If I bring it inside, should I also bring it's sibling in as well?


Depending on where you are, this time of day is when the mother would be sitting on the babies, so it is very likely that Mom is there for the night. If you can continue to watch the wound and put neosporin on it again tomorrow, things may be ok. Maybe it's just one of those "weird" things that happen and now it's over. If mom is sitting on them now, they should be safe for the rest of the night. I doubt that Mom is the one that was doing the pecking. It's possible I guess, but doubtful. Can you tell how bad the wound is? I mean is it a bad scratch or an open sore? Also, be very careful about taking a pigeon to a shelter. I've never dealt with them, but from all the reading I've done here, it's pretty much a certain death for the baby. They just wouldn't take the time to care for it. IF you have to bring the baby in, I don't think I would take them both. It's possible that something is wrong with this baby and that's why it got pecked, but it's hard to tell.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

I don't know how to post the link.........but if you will go to the top of the page and click on "resources", then click on "emergency care" on the side, you will find a list of vets/rehabbers. I saw that there are two in NJ, but have no idea if they are close to you or not.

Is there any way that you could get pictures?


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

Thanks so much, Lovebirds. It makes me happy to know that they will be safe for the night with their mother protecting them.

I will check on them frequently and will apply neosporin again tomorrow. The wound is large - about 1/2 inch long and 1/8 inch wide (about the width of a pencil). When I applied neosporin today, there was blood on the q-tip. Since birds grow so quickly, do their wounds heal quickly as well?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> Thanks so much, Lovebirds. It makes me happy to know that they will be safe for the night with their mother protecting them.
> 
> I will check on them frequently and will apply neosporin again tomorrow. The wound is large - about 1/2 inch long and 1/8 inch wide (about the width of a pencil). When I applied neosporin today, there was blood on the q-tip. Since birds grow so quickly, do their wounds heal quickly as well?


These birds are some of the toughest creatures I know of!! LOL. We had a bird hit by a hawk, ripped her chest open and punctured her crop. A week late she was back in with her loft mates and flying around some. The wound will heal, but the main things are, one making sure it doesn't keep getting pecked and making sure there is no infection. I hope the wound is the width of a "pencil lead" and not a "pencil" !! The size of a pencil is pretty serious for a bird the size of the the one you are describing. So, they are about 4 or 5 days old you think?


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

I feel much better after hearing your knowledge on pigeons. Thank you so much. 

I took pictures, but I can't post b/c they exceed the limit. Any ideas?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> I feel much better after hearing your knowledge on pigeons. Thank you so much.
> 
> I took pictures, but I can't post b/c they exceed the limit. Any ideas?


They have to be less than 100 kb. Do you know how to downsize them? If not, e-mail them to me at [email protected] and I'll get them posted.


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

I sent the pictures. I've thought about it and I think the birds are 8-9 days old.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> I sent the pictures. I've thought about it and I think the birds are 8-9 days old.



Yes,they look to be about 9 days old. I don't think the wound looks THAT serious. Here are the pictures. I'm really surprised no one else has jumped in on this thread!! LOL Now, since the babies are this age, the only thing that concerns me is that the parents are going to stop hanging around as much and Mom won't be sitting on them very much longer. Another day or so, so....that's when the babies are going to be really vunerable to being pecked again. Just have to watch them and see what happens I guess.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi, I've got be off of here for a while. If you have other questions, just post them here and someone will answer you. Good luck with the baby and keep us updated if you can. You can also e-mail me if you need an answer on something and don't get a response here right away. My computer is always on but I'm not always on here.

PS: you've got a couple of cuties on your hands. If you've never watched a pigeon grow into adulthood, you're in for a treat. LOL


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

Many thanks, Lovebirds.

I've noticed that the beak of the baby that is injured is yellowish/orange and the beak of its sibling is black. Does the color of the beak symbolize anything?

Well, their mom is sitting on them now so hopefully they will be protected all night. I will post an update tomorrow.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> Many thanks, Lovebirds.
> 
> I've noticed that the beak of the baby that is injured is yellowish/orange and the beak of its sibling is black. Does the color of the beak symbolize anything?
> 
> Well, their mom is sitting on them now so hopefully they will be protected all night. I will post an update tomorrow.


The color of their beak doesn't mean anything really. It depends on what color the birds will be when grown as to what their beak and skin coloring is when they are babies. I'm sure Mom will stay all night so they will be fine. I'm up early in the AM, usually by 6:00 so I'll be watching for an update. I didn't say it earlier, but thanks for caring for these babies.


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Wow, Renee....thanks for single-handedly helping out Kristi!!!

Kristi - thanks for caring.

Linda


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Thank you Kristi for helping this baby. The wounds don't look too bad. I've seen far worse in my loft and the chicks survived. Sometimes the parents pay closer attention after a chick gets injured and stick close to the nest, but not always. I'm sure it was one of the other adult pigeons that pecked the baby, as pigeons are usually excellent parents. BTW, both parents care for the young and the male takes on more of the feeding as the babies mature.


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

I hardly slept all night! The babies are both huddled together and alive!!!  The injured baby's head appears to be healing. I'm going to leave work early to ensure the pecking doesn't reoccur. It happened yesterday around 3:30, so I don't know how time-oriented pigeons are, but if the event were to happen again, would it happen at approximately the same time today? Should I apply the neosporin again this morning or wait until this afternoon after they've been fed?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Thank you for your care and concern over these two darling babies.

Can you check the baby? The beak itself may be yellow, but just check and see if this is a growth on the beak. 

Please let us know, because if it is the baby will need some intervention.


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

No, there isn't a growth on the beak.

Upon looking closer at the wound it is looking A LOT better. There was a pigeon there feeding them this morning. I put neosporin on to prevent further pecking. Is the "pecker" less likely to peck the baby now that it has neosporin on the wound?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> No, there isn't a growth on the beak.
> 
> Upon looking closer at the wound it is looking A LOT better. There was a pigeon there feeding them this morning. I put neosporin on to prevent further pecking. Is the "pecker" less likely to peck the baby now that it has neosporin on the wound?



The neosporin may keep the birds from pecking but I'm not sure. You're doing a great job. Just keep an eye on them, that's bout all you can do for now. If the "pecker" comes back, I doubt there's a certain time it will. For now, we'll just hope that it was an isolated incident and the "pecker" has found something else to occupy it's time. LOL


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi, do you have feed and water out for this pair of birds? I'm just wondering because if you do, that may be what attracted the "pecker" in the first place.


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

I threw bread out on Sunday and crackers once prior to that, but there hasn't been any food or water for the birds since then.

Before I left for work they were huddled together sleeping, but the mom wasn't there. I hope they'll be okay until I get home. I won't give them any more food/water, especially since it seems one of their parents is feeding them and it could be attracting "peckers"  . Do they have 2 separate fathers? If so, how would the mother even know? I'm overthinking this whole situation, but I feel really adamant about this bird surviving.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> I threw bread out on Sunday and crackers once prior to that, but there hasn't been any food or water for the birds since then.
> 
> Before I left for work they were huddled together sleeping, but the mom wasn't there. I hope they'll be okay until I get home. I won't give them any more food/water, especially since it seems one of their parents is feeding them and it could be attracting "peckers"  . Do they have 2 separate fathers? If so, how would the mother even know? I'm overthinking this whole situation, but I feel really adamant about this bird surviving.


Well, I'm not saying don't feed them. That's up to you. They are obviously surviving without feed being provided by you. If you wanted to help them out though.........you could put a little seed down maybe twice a day and then after they have eaten and fed the babies, take it back up. Again, that's up to you. I just thought if you were feeding them and had feed out all the time, it would attract other birds, but that's not the case. It's really a "catch 22" .......if you leave feed out it attracks other birds, but if you don't leave feed out, then the parents are forced to leave the babies and look for somethng to feed them. There could be two fathers in the sense that the mother could possibly have mated with two different cocks but not two fathers in the sense that two are feeding them. I don't think that it would be a usual thing for an unknown feral to come a feed some other birds babies. It happens in my loft, but that's a little different. Anything is possible though!! LOL It's also not unusual for the parents not to be with the babies. At their age, and I'm guessing about 10 days old, the parents will leave them but are probably somewhere close watching them. I don't know if you know this or not, but when these babies are about 15 to 18 days old, Mom is going to lay another set of eggs. More than likely she will lay them right there where her babies are now. This is an ongoing thing with pigeons..........LOL, so be prepared!. If you don't want any more babies on your balcony, there are some things you can do, but we'll worry about that when it happens............


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

I went home to check on them and they are both together. The wound looks worse than this morning. I'm hoping that it wasn't pecked again and maybe just a reaction to the medicine or perhaps the next step in healing. Also, the injured baby wasn't breathing as heavily as it's sibling. Does this mean anything? Can I get the seed at Petsmart? Does it have to be in a special dispenser or can I just leave it on the ground? I'll try to post pictures later today.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> I went home to check on them and they are both together. The wound looks worse than this morning. I'm hoping that it wasn't pecked again and maybe just a reaction to the medicine or perhaps the next step in healing. Also, the injured baby wasn't breathing as heavily as it's sibling. Does this mean anything? Can I get the seed at Petsmart? Does it have to be in a special dispenser or can I just leave it on the ground? I'll try to post pictures later today.


Well, I'm not sure about the breathing. Does the babies crop look full? Maybe another picture to compare to the others would be good. I think you can get the seeds at Petmart. If they don't have a pigeon mix, then a dove mix will do. I'm sure that will be better than whatever they are finding now. You do not have to put it in a "special" dispenser, but I would put it in a bowl of some kind. That way after they eat, you can get it up and keep the other birds from eating it. Also, if you can put a small bowl of water out for them. What the parents do is eat whatever they are going to feed the babies, then they get a big drink of water to soften up the food before they give it to the babies. Pigeons suck up water sort of like using a straw, they don't drink like other birds, so if the water is about an inch deep, it will work. I may be gone for a while but I'll check in later. If you need to send more pics, you can and I'll get them in a little while.


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

I bought the food for finches b/c it looked the smallest and that's what they recommended. I haven't seen the mother eating it though. The baby is breathing better and will hopefully improve daily. Here's 2 pictures.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Well the wound does look open, but I don't know if it looks any worse. You are a better judge since you are there and can see it. Hopefully it will improve soon. Just keep the neosporin on it if you can for a few days. The babies look good and alert so I think they are fine. The one may have a slight headache.........LOL but I think he'll be ok. Good job.....I'm not sure what is in finch feed? What kind of seeds are listed on the package?.The size of the seeds aren't really important. By this age, if they have a pigeon mix, they are feeding the babies peas. I give my breeders peanuts and they will immediatley go get a drink of water and feed them to the babies.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Here is a good variety of seeds that is best for pigeons.

http://www.purgrain.com/ingredients.htm


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

The food is called Finch & Chips made by Morning Song. The ingredients are: Sunflower chips and Guizotia abyssinica/niger(I have no idea what this one is). I put the food and water out and I'm keeping an eye out for the mom, she was there earlier feeding them.

I noticed last night that initially the mom was only sitting on the uninjured bird and sort of nudging the injured one with her leg. I almost intervened, but didn't b/c I've seen her be a little rough with them when feeding them. Is that normal? Later, I noticed her sitting mostly on the injured bird and only partially on its sibling. I guess they are getting too big for her to sit on both at once. 

Also, the birds seemed to be playng and the uninjured sibling was inadvertently pecking the other bird's wound and when I put the neosporin on this morning it was bleedng a little bit. I guess this is normal. Overall, they are getting bigger and the wound seems to be healing.

When will they be old enough to eat themselves?

Thanks again for answering all my questions , it's really helped in my effort to save these two little creatures!


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

I heard the babies chirping so I went to see what was happening and I saw a pigeon come and peck the baby. It pecked once on the body and I thought it might be the mother cleaning it, but then it pecked the head and I immediately shooed it away. What can I do to prevent this? I suspect it happened the same time yesterday, too, b/c I wasn't home then to shoo the pecking bird away. Why aren't the parents defending the babies? Does anyone know of a refuge in NJ where I can take these pigeons so they won't be pecked to death?


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

I'm sorry this is still going on. Dad should be defending his babies, but this may be a young, inexperienced pair and they don't quite have the hang of parenting yet.  Try pulling the food and water entirely to keep other pigeons from having a reason to visit your balcony. Is there another place near by you could feed them that is _not_ on your balcony? Anyway, I'm sure there are other food sources around. Feral pigeons are adept at surviving in cities.

You can try the resource list on this forum (if you haven't already) but I don't know if there's anyone close enough to help. http://www.pigeon-life.net/prd.htm Hopefully if you call one of them they can refer you to someone in your area.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Birdmom4ever said:


> I'm sorry this is still going on. Dad should be defending his babies, but this may be a young, inexperienced pair and they don't quite have the hang of parenting yet. Try pulling the food and water entirely to keep other pigeons from having a reason to visit your balcony. Is there another place near by you could feed them that is _not_ on your balcony? Anyway, I'm sure there are other food sources around. Feral pigeons are adept at surviving in cities.
> 
> You can try the resource list on this forum (if you haven't already) but I don't know if there's anyone close enough to help. http://www.pigeon-life.net/prd.htm Hopefully if you call one of them they can refer you to someone in your area.



Kristi, I'm so sorry this is still happening. I've got to go ship birds for a race this week end so I'm on my way out the door. It's looking more and more like that baby is going to have to be brought in but I don't know what to tell you to do with it if you can' keep it. Hopefully someone will come along with some ideas. I'll check back in later.................


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## Jiggs (Apr 1, 2005)

I am sorry to hear about that as I have never seen ferals attacking babies that are in a nest in the "wild" unless maybe the other bird might also want to nest there?

Once the birds start squeaking you could maybe try make a nest in a bowl and move them to a safer corner where they are not as visible and they will call to mom and dad when they are hungry and the other bird "might" leave them alone if it cannot see them right away.

I also agree with the feed - is there not a possibility that there are seeds close to the nest that other birds try and get and then peck the youngsters if they are there?

I move my youngsters a bit sometimes when they nest in the doorway of the loft or in a weird place and most times the parents will feed them there in the new place but you would have to watch if they dont - Thats about the only idea that I could come up with sorry - good luck


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## Jiggs (Apr 1, 2005)

Now I am really clutching at straws!!

You could also MAYBE trap the birds in on the balcony with netting sort of like making a mini loft and feed the mom and the pop until they youngsters are mobile and then remove the netting? Would that work?


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

I brought the food in earlier this afternoon when I saw a white pigeon that I had never seen before. 

Just now I saw what I believe to be the mother feeding them and another bird was with her making sure that 2 other pigeons didn't land on the balcony, maybe the dad is protecting them now. It looks rather brutal when she's feeding them. Is this normal? The mother is sitting with them in the windowbox that is their makeshift nest and they're chirping. Does that mean they are content and that they recognize their mother?

I called a woman on the list that was posted and I'm going to meet her tomorrow to drop off the babies. I think this will give them the best chance of survival.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> I brought the food in earlier this afternoon when I saw a white pigeon that I had never seen before.
> 
> Just now I saw what I believe to be the mother feeding them and another bird was with her making sure that 2 other pigeons didn't land on the balcony, maybe the dad is protecting them now. It looks rather brutal when she's feeding them. Is this normal? The mother is sitting with them in the windowbox that is their makeshift nest and they're chirping. Does that mean they are content and that they recognize their mother?
> 
> I called a woman on the list that was posted and I'm going to meet her tomorrow to drop off the babies. I think this will give them the best chance of survival.



I'm glad the hear that someone is going to take the babies. I could hardly wait to get home to check this thread out and see what was happening.!! The older the babies get the harder the parents "pump" to feed them, so although it may look brutal, its not. It's just the way they feed them. If the person taking them keeps you updated on how they are doing we would love to know. Again, we all appreciate you taking the time and making the effort that you've made to see that these babies survive. Now you know where to come if you ever run into another "pigeon" problem. Thanks Again.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

I got an e-mail from Kristi yesterday. She didn't let these babies go to whoever this lady was because the parents were being more attentive and she couldn't bare to take them away. She sent me a couple more pics. I wrote her back and asked some questions but haven't heard back from her yet. I'm hoping these babies are ok. ?? I'm sure they are. Kristi was too concerned for their well being to turn her back on them now. I'm sure she's keeping an eye on them.


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

Thanks, Lovebirds, for posting the update. The babies are doing great! I have a few more questions. Thank you everyone!! 

1. The babies are approximately 15 days old, how can I prevent their mother from laying additional eggs on my balcony? If she does lay more eggs, are my only options to let them hatch or destroy them? Can I relocate them?

2. Are the babies less prone to being pecked again the older/larger they get?

3. I read that they fly at 4 weeks and are completely independent at 8 weeks. Will they still use the planter on my balcony as a nest during weeks 4 to 8 until they are independent?

4. Should I clean up the area of pigeon poop or do they use that to mark their territory?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> Thanks, Lovebirds, for posting the update. The babies are doing great! I have a few more questions. Thank you everyone!!
> 
> 1. The babies are approximately 15 days old, how can I prevent their mother from laying additional eggs on my balcony? If she does lay more eggs, are my only options to let them hatch or destroy them? Can I relocate them??


The mother probably will be laying another set of eggs any day now so there's not really much you can do to stop that. But, if you don't want any more babies raised there, after she lays both her eggs, take them inside, boil them, let them cool and put them back. Mom will never know the difference and she and Dad will sit on them for about 18 to 20 days and after they don't hatch, they will walk away and start all over again. We replace eggs with plastic eggs all the time to keep from having to many babies in the loft. You can't relocate them because the parents will not realize that "their" eggs have been moved. 



Kristi1023 said:


> 2. Are the babies less prone to being pecked again the older/larger they get??



It's hard to say if they are less or more prone to being pecked. I would think that just because of the simple fact that they are older and will start flapping and crying for food more loudly, that they may draw MORE attention. If another strange bird were to land on the balcony and the parents aren't there the babies might run to them and beg for food, not knowing any better. Just have to watch them for the next 3 weeks or so.....



Kristi1023 said:


> 3. I read that they fly at 4 weeks and are completely independent at 8 weeks. Will they still use the planter on my balcony as a nest during weeks 4 to 8 until they are independent?


I'll let someone else answer this because we do things different than what nature intended in the loft. Our babies are independant when they are 25 to 28 days old. LOL



Kristi1023 said:


> 4. Should I clean up the area of pigeon poop or do they use that to mark their territory?


It's perfectly fine to clean up around the nest. We clean around 15 nests every day from Jan. to April every year. LOL. Seriously, they don't mark their territory. They just poop and leave it for you to clean up!! LOL

Hope this answers your questions. You've done a terrific job looking out for these two cuties. We will INSIST on more pictures you know. We are all picture finatics.............LOL I'll be glad to post them whenever you send them to me.


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

The pigeons are getting so big and they're really cute! The pecked baby's wound has healed and it has a cute bald spot on it's head.

This morning I noticed a strange pigeon in their nest (a planter box) and then it started to peck them. I shooed it away. I think another pair of pigeons is trying to nest there and will kill the babies in order to do so. Soon after that, 3 pigeons landed on my balcony and the 2 males were fighting, pecking each other and flapping their wings. When I noticed the stranger biting baby's father's neck I scared them away. The parents came back after that and I haven't seen the stranger since. Do you think the father scared the other one away? What can I do to protect these babies? They are about 17 days old.

Thank you.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> The pigeons are getting so big and they're really cute! The pecked baby's wound has healed and it has a cute bald spot on it's head.
> 
> This morning I noticed a strange pigeon in their nest (a planter box) and then it started to peck them. I shooed it away. I think another pair of pigeons is trying to nest there and will kill the babies in order to do so. Soon after that, 3 pigeons landed on my balcony and the 2 males were fighting, pecking each other and flapping their wings. When I noticed the stranger biting baby's father's neck I scared them away. The parents came back after that and I haven't seen the stranger since. Do you think the father scared the other one away? What can I do to protect these babies? They are about 17 days old.
> 
> Thank you.


Kristi, at this age there's not a lot you can do except hope that Dad will continue to protect them. It's going to be another 2 weeks or so before these babies are ready to get out on thier own. Is there any way that you can set up some kind of cover for them to get under? In another few days, they will start venturing from the nest possibly. If you took a piece of board and set it up on a couple of bricks for instance, they could get under it and the adult birds would not be able to get to them. Just a thought. I don't know what kind of set up you have there but the babies are old enough now, that if they see their parents they will beg for food so it's not SO critical that they stay in the planter box/nest. They are old enough to start moving around some, so if there was a way to temporarily fix something that they could get under, you could almost remove the planter box all together and the parents would keep feeding them. I usually take my babies out of thier nest bowls at 18 days old and put them in the floor during the day and then put them back up in their nest box at night. If you can come up with some kind of "contraption", that might keep them from getting pecked at. You could try it and if it doesn't work put the planter box back.


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

Well, everything was going great with the babies, until yesterday. I got home from work a little later than usual and found both babies out of the nest and pecked on the head. The wounds are not as deep this time, but are still pretty large. 

The pecking pigeon was still on the balcony and not afraid of me. The “pecker” was relentless; every time I would chase him away he’d come right back. I tried spraying him with water and when that didn’t work I sprayed him with windex, which still didn’t work. In between all of this one of the parents came back to feed the 2 little ones. 

I have a few questions. First of all, the pecking pigeon is making a loud, guttural cooing noise – Is this a mating call? I think they are trying to nest on the balcony and get rid of the babies that are there. Secondly, the pigeon would have pecked them to death so I set up a contraption based upon some of the advice I received here. I cut a hole about 4 inches in diameter in a wire mesh trash can(which is about 2 feet high and 18 inches in diameter). I put duck tape around the opening so the sharp wires wouldn’t cut the babies or the mom/dad. I am hoping the mom/dad can feed the babies through the hole. I laid a towel on the balcony and scooted them onto the towel and put food and water (which they immediately knocked over) into 2 containers and put the can on top of them with a covering over the sides of the can and a weight on the top of the can. They aren’t as frightened when the pecking bird comes back, which it does very frequently. Is my contraption a temporary solution? Is there anything I can do to humanely scare the pecking bird away for good? I tried putting a small American flag out there, spraying with water and windex, chasing it away. Are the babies old enough to eat the food that I put in the new “nest”? They are 24 days old and should be flying soon.

Ideally, I’d like to keep them in the nest contraption until the pecker goes away and have the parents feed them through the hole in the nest. Then put them back onto their normal nest (a planter box). Any ideas on how to achieve this?

Thanks again for everyone’s knowledge and advice!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Krisit, good the hear about the babies again,although it doesn't sound like it going real well.............
Are you sure that the bird pecking the babies this time is not one of the parents? The parents should be getting ready to start another nest and it COULD be them just trying to remove the youngsters so they have somewhere to lay. Just a thought. It's just sort of curious that the "pecker" bird was not frightened by you. The babies MAY be ok under the trash can if the parents can get to them to feed them, but my concern is, that IF there is another pair of birds wanting to nest there, a dark cubbie under that trash can JUST MIGHT appeal to them and they may still try to "oust" the babies. I know that a lot of ferals are the same color so at this point I don't know if you are actually seeing a strange bird or if Mom or Dad are just trying make room for more eggs. If the parents and the "pecker" are different colors, then that's different. Any chance of you catching the "pecker"? You MIGHT be able to catch it and take it off a few miles and release it. It may or may not find it's way back. But then, what if IT has babies somewhere. It's not a good situation. These poor babies sure were born into a mess. I'm surprised they've made it this far. Hopefully someone will be along with some better ideas. It would be a shame for you to have watched these babies for so long and then something happen to them. Thanks to you, they've made it this far. Good luck. I'll check back in later. Got to ship our 500 tonight............


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

Hi Lovebirds,

Thanks for all your attention to these pigeons. The parents have white feathers on their bodies and the others don't. I tried to identify the parents as soon as I could after the first pecking so I'm sure it's not the parents who are pecking the babies.

What is happening is that 2 birds are scaring the parents away. Every time one of the parents comes to feed the babies one of the evil birds lands on my balcony and the parent flies away, but the parents have been able to feed them. The evil pigeon is cooing a lot and it's not afraid of anything. The only way I can scare it off now is by throwing jellybeans in its direction (I'm sure my neighbors love this!  ) Why is this pigeon targeting my balcony and this particular pigeon family? Today I am going to set up a box trap and trap at least the worst one of evil couple and take them away. I've read all about the box trap on this discussion board so I hope it works.

The babies (I named them Oz and Jax), will be 4 weeks old on Wed, May 17, and will hopefully begin flying. They are practicing flying now. 

If anyone has any ideas why the evil pigeons are targeting this family and if the box trap is a good idea, it would help a lot. Thanks!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> Hi Lovebirds,
> 
> Thanks for all your attention to these pigeons. The parents have white feathers on their bodies and the others don't. I tried to identify the parents as soon as I could after the first pecking so I'm sure it's not the parents who are pecking the babies.
> 
> ...



I don't know why this is happening except that another pair of birds wants that space?? Anyway, I think that taking that bird off somewhere and releasing it is ok. It MAY find it's way back as I'm sure they travel quite a bit during the day looking for food. But, it's worth a try anyway. It won't be long before the babies are on their own now so just a little longer and you'll be in the clear. Let us know if you catch that bugger. Oh, love the names too. Any chance of getting another picture of them before they take off on their own??


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

What did you mean about sipping your 500? 500 pigeons? 

Yes I will post pics later - I have to recharge my camera. I didn't know what a huge responsibility these 2 would be esp w/ the evil pigeon. I've had friends helping me with "pigeon patrol" as I feel bad leaving them alone b/c they might get pecked. 

Again, if anyone has any other ideas on why the evil birds are so relentlessly targeting this pigeon family, please let me know.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> What did you mean about sipping your 500? 500 pigeons?
> 
> Yes I will post pics later - I have to recharge my camera. I didn't know what a huge responsibility these 2 would be esp w/ the evil pigeon. I've had friends helping me with "pigeon patrol" as I feel bad leaving them alone b/c they might get pecked.
> 
> Again, if anyone has any other ideas on why the evil birds are so relentlessly targeting this pigeon family, please let me know.


We are having our 500 mile race this week end. I meant we were going to shipping to ship the birds and no, I didn't ship 500 pigeons. LOL Actually only shipped 3 because of the weather. Do you still have the flower box on your patio? If you do, maybe you should move it. This other pair of birds may think that looks like a good place to lay eggs. If it disappears, they might look for another spot. I really don't understand why they are doing this. I mean, lets face it, they've got a WHOLE world out there to find a nesting spot. You may have become a "pigeon magnet"!!! LOL


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

Sorry I haven't posted the pictures, yet.  I have taken them.

I'm so confused now. I think it's the mom that has been gone for about a week and now she's coming back again. She doesn't feed them, but one of the babies has almost identical markings. She coos a lot and it seems like she's guarding them and at first they were afraid of her, but now they're not. Can I assume she's the mom? Is it typical for the mom to disappear for a length of ttime when the babies are about 17 days old? SHe hasn't laid eggs on my balcony. Also, the father does all of the feedings now, is this typical?
Thank you.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> Sorry I haven't posted the pictures, yet. I have taken them.
> 
> I'm so confused now. I think it's the mom that has been gone for about a week and now she's coming back again. She doesn't feed them, but one of the babies has almost identical markings. She coos a lot and it seems like she's guarding them and at first they were afraid of her, but now they're not. Can I assume she's the mom? Is it typical for the mom to disappear for a length of ttime when the babies are about 17 days old? SHe hasn't laid eggs on my balcony. Also, the father does all of the feedings now, is this typical?
> Thank you.


It is typical for the father to be doing most, if not all of the feeding. Do you ever see both parents there together? She MAY have laid her eggs somewhere else. If they are never there together then that would be my guess. The babies being marked identically to another bird doesn't necessarily mean that it's the mom but it may be. As long as she's not hurting them, I would assume it is. According to a recent previous post, you said they would be 4 weeks old tomorrow? They shouldn't be there to much longer now. You've sure done a great job.


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## Kristi1023 (Apr 26, 2006)

Yes tomorrow, Jax will begin his 4th week and the following day Oz will. They have graduated from their nest, to deck chairs and now to the deck table which is about 3 feet off the round. It's cute to watch them practice flying. I suppose they'll move onto the balcony railing and then off they go. I'll still worry about them; I've learned some valuable life lessons from these 2 little ones. Will they come back after they take off for the first time? And are they old enough to eat the seed by themselves?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kristi1023 said:


> Yes tomorrow, Jax will begin his 4th week and the following day Oz will. They have graduated from their nest, to deck chairs and now to the deck table which is about 3 feet off the round. It's cute to watch them practice flying. I suppose they'll move onto the balcony railing and then off they go. I'll still worry about them; I've learned some valuable life lessons from these 2 little ones. Will they come back after they take off for the first time? And are they old enough to eat the seed by themselves?


It's hard to say whether they will return. Someone who deals with ferals may know more about that than I do. They should be eating seeds(or whatever they find out their in the world) by their selves now. They will beg the parents for feed as long as they will feed them. Probably in about 4 or 5 days they'll go for a real flight. That would be cool to watch. I hope the come back to visit you.


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## Rachel5000 (Jun 17, 2021)

I just read through this entire thread to see what happened to these babies.... what a letdown. Hope they lived happily ever after.


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