# orphan baby pigeon



## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

Hi,
I went out to check on my pair of pigions and found theire newborn babys but no parents. I left the cage for 1/2 hour and checked again and came back to see that the mother bird had made a new nest and the dad was sleeping on the perch, while the babys sytayed in the nest. When I touched one of them, it was extramly cold and barly moving so i brought both of them inside to warm up because outside is only 10 deggree out.(The babys parents lost 4 babys last year because they did not feed one, one fell out of the nest, and the left the other two to die) What should i do and what should I feed them? please help fast


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

*Emergency Care*

Shannon,

Please stand by, you need some emergency care experts quick. Please provide more details for those to follow. How many days old are they ?

Put them in a towel and keep them warm. A heating pad under the towel, I understand will work, but on very low. 

I will direct some experts here shortly. Try not to panic, like I am right now


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

*Bird ER*

Shannon,

I got a call in to some of our emergency care pigeon experts. Feeding these birds by hand requires some special tools and the correct formula. A feeding tube is required, help should be here shortly !


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Shannon,

Thank you for trying to help these babies....unfortunately, I myself, have not had any hands-on experience dealing with a situation such as this. However, many members have successfully raised baby birds and I am sure some of them will be along shortly to give you advice. In the meantime, I have found a previous post of one of our moderators, AZWhitefeather (Cindy) which gives emergency steps towards helping to save a pigeon's life...it is as follows:

It is vital to stabilize an ill or injured pigeon or dove as soon as possible after rescue. Specific steps should be taken.

I would like to share with all of you these basic life saving steps that were passed along to me by a Federal & State licenced wildlife rehabber who has been treating ill & injured animals, to include pigeons & doves, for 15+ years.

HEAT
A bird must gradually be warmed to normal body temperature and be responsive (able to swallow). It is not unusual for a baby bird presented for rehabilitation to be very cold.
Unless there is a critical situation (severe bleeding) all birds should be covered and placed on a heat source* (see below) for at least 20-30 minutes to bring the body temperature back to normal. Allow the bird to stabilize in a quite, dark, warm area.

Give the bird a quick cursory examination. While the bird is warming, take the opportunity to warm the ringers solution** (see below) and prepare any other items you may need to care for the bird.

A COLD BIRD SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN FLUID OR FOOD, PERIOD!!

HYDRATION
Fluids should be given after, and ONLY AFTER, the bird has been warmed, examined for any injuries & a determination is made as to the severity of his dehydration.

Description and degree, of hydrated and dehydrated birds
A well hydrated bird will be very alert, have elastic skin, bright eyes, moise, plump membrane inside the mouth and well formed moist droppings.

A moderately dehydrated bird will be less than fully alert, have dry, flaky skin, dull eyes, non-formed droppings and have a sticky membrane in the mouth.

A severely dehydrated bird will be lethargic or unconscious, the skin will 'tent' when slightly pinched, have sunken eyes, dry or absent droppings and have dry membrane in the mouth.

Depending on the cause and degree of dehydration, reversing this condition can take up to 24 hours. If the bird is alert, he may be rehydrated by mouth by using an eye dropper and putting drops along his beak every few minutes.
(This would be the safest and easiest method for beginners).

If the bird is not swallowing on his own or fully alert, he must be given fluids under the skin (sub-Q method.)
WARNING!! Be certain you learn how to do this before you try for the first time as all birds have extensive air sacs throughout their body that should not be punctured. A needle introduced in the wrong place may paralyze the legs.

*Heat source suggestions:
Heating pad, set on low
Hot water bottle
Low wattage lamp, directing the light into the cage.

Emergency heat source substitute:
Fill an old sock about 2/3 full of rice. Microwave the sock for a few seconds. Making sure it isn't too hot, place it around the bird.

**Ringers solution substitute:
Small amount: Add to a cup of water a pinch of salt & sugar, mix well. Use this solution to rehydrate by mouth.

I'm hoping this invaluable information will help you help our fine feathered friends in need.

Cindy 
__________________
I am also going to give you a link to a thread entitled "Two Hatchlings." It is a very long thread (about 5 pages), but almost everything you might need to know about helping a baby pigeon is contained in this thread....as I said, I know it is long, but I urge you to read it.... Here it is:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=8070



As I said, I am sure others who have had more experience with this situation will be along shortly.

Linda


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Shannon,

You've already been given some great advice .. most important right now depending upon the age of the babies is to keep them very, very warm. Just having them inside at room temperature is not enough if they are only a few days old. They need to be on a heating pad wrapped in a towel and set on low .. again, if the babies are very, very young, they need to be placed in a smallish container like a margarine or cottage cheese container lined with some old toweling or similar fabric and then the container with the babies placed on the heating pad. A small wattage bulb (40-60 watts) over the babies will also work if you don't have a heating pad.

The babies will have to be hand fed by syringe, tube, or the "balloon" method which is in the thread recommended to you. You need to get some Kaytee Exact hand feeding formula from the pet store and mix it quite a bit thinner than the instructions indicate. Feed the babies until their crops are full and plump being very careful not to get any liquid into the opening at the back of the tongue. If you can't get the baby bird formula right now, human baby cereal will work as will crushed and soaked non-medicated poultry pellets that you make into a slurry that will pass through a syringe or eyedropper.

Please do read the thread posted by Linda as you will find just about everything you need to know in it.

Best of luck with the babies, and please keep us posted.

Terry


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## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

Thanks everyone,
The babys are only one day old. Right now i am using water and crushed pigion food mixed with gamebird starter in a syringe. My mom is going to pick up some bird formula in the morning. My next question is, how often do i feed the babys?The babys are currently in a tank with a towel and a heat lamp. 
thanks again for all of the help


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Great work everyone. Thanks Linda for posting the information. 

Shannon you are in wonderful hands.
Please keep us posted.
Sorry I'm in such a hurry, I'm running out the door for an appt.

Cindy


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

*Congradulations to the new "Parents" !*

Hello Shannon,

Did you expect to be a new parent at your age ?  

Unless another expert comes along, my guess is your new babies will want to eat, round the clock ! Perhaps every 6 hours, or maybe even more often then that. 

At first, they have tiny little crops, you will want to keep them full. Unlike "real" babies, they are not going to wake you up crying, so this task will require a huge committment on your part. From the stories I have read, if you are sucessful in this noble endeaver, then the rewards are tremendous. 

These birds will bond to you, like none of your other birds. You will have some real friends for life. Make sure you read through that other link:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=8070

I am rereading it myself, so I don't panic next time !  

Please keep us updated !


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Shannon,

The food you are giving is fine. Don't forget to get the babies into a smallish container lined with something they can grip with their feet. Failure to do this can result in splayed legs. They need to be in something small enough to more or less force them to keep their little legs and feet under them in a proper position.

Also .. make sure what you are feeding them is warm .. not hot, but definitely not cold .. cold is too hard on them.

At one day old, they are probably only taking about 1-2 cc/ml at a time. When the crop empties, feed them again .. this needs to be done all day long from early morning (6-7 ish AM) until shortly after dark. I usually feed from about 6-7 AM until 10-11 PM, which is probably a bit longer than needed.

You are doing great! Please keep us posted!

Terry


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Shannon,

Just wanted to let you know: on pages 4 and 5 of the "Two Hatchlings" thread, there is a discussion and a picture of the balloon and syringe method of feeding...many members have had great success using this method to feed baby pigeons. I am sure you are frazzled, but there is a great amount of information in that thread concerning feeding amounts, how often, etc...so please look it over when you have a few minutes. Good luck....it sounds like you are doing a great job.

Thanks
Linda


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## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

Hi everyone again, 
i woke up to find that i have a snowday  and that the two babies were both chirping like crazy. When i fed them, they even seamed to eat most of it willingly; im going to go back to sleep but will keep you all posted on whats going on

thank you so much!!


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

*Chirping Like Crazy !*

Shannon,

That "chirping like crazy", I believe is a good sign ! Keep up the good work, any chance you can share some pictures with us ?

You are making history here, we would love to follow their progress with some pictures, also any details you can share with us. Perhaps at some point, this thread can be a reference point for future new parents.  

The next couple of days, will be the most critical, I am biting my fingernails with worry ! Keep us posted, and thank you for your love and care for these new babies !


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Many thanks for the update Shannon. Encouraging indeed!  
You are doing a fine job. 
At any time, if you have further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to post them & by all means do keep us posted.  

Cindy


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## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

here is a picture of the babys. sorry it isn't very clear, they kept fighting with each other. i think thats a good sign though. I hope that i put the picture in right.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Shannon, 

Thanks for the pic, it's a little blurry but you can tell he/she is a cutie. I just wanted to know if you got the Kaytee baby bird formula yet? If you haven't, I would suggest if you can get your mom to pick up a few things from a drug or health food store. 1) some *probiotics* and 2) *digestive enzymes*. These two things are fairly important in a newly hatched baby to help it digest food properly as well to absorb the nutrients from the food. I realize that this may be a little confusing for you so could you have your mom read this? Another name for probiotics is *Acidophilus* which come in capsules in the vitamin section and the digestive enzymes can be found in the pediatric/baby section. You would mix a *tiny* amount of both in the food you are giving to the babies.


If you got the baby bird formula, then never mind about any of this


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## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

we just heading out to get the bird formula

thanks


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

*Keep us posted !*

Thanks for the pictures, take some more when you get a chance. They will grow very fast over the next week. So far, it appears you are becoming an expert !


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## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

*possible new problem*

hi again, 
i have a new question to ask. the pet shop told us to look out for pnemonia because the birds had come from outside and now were inside. what are the signs of this and if i see them what should i do?


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Shannon, 

Don't believe everything you hear from employees at pet shops. They aren't always very knowledgable, especially since most don't even have pigeons for sale. Just keep an eye on the pigeon and report anything unusal to the group.


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## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

thanks brad, 
they don't seem to being doing anything different besides getting more active. they keep tipping each other over though, along with fighting with each other for food.


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## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

*Sad update on the baby pigeons*

i fed both of the baby's befor i went out to feed my horses. when i was feeding the baby's one of them kept tipping over and never could flip himself 
rightside- up. both of them had done this a little the first day and the secound but i thought that it was normal because of how helpless they are. anyway, i went outside for about a 1/2 hour and came back to find the smallest baby dead. i noticed that he was very thin. before he died he was the one who seemed to eat the most but never grew. my other bird seems OK and is a lot heavier and looks chubby, he doesn't seem to eat that much but has grown and has a full crop. I am beginning to think that the parents might have had a reason why they left theses two to die. if anyone knows any reason why this might have happened, please could you tell me?

shannon


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## jonathand (Feb 11, 2005)

i am sorry to hear about the baby but this does happen alot. Some of the parents do abbanden their babies but their are lots of reasons why but i think if you take good care of the baby you have now he will make it. If you are saying his crop is full and he is chubby well than he is a healthy baby. Again sorry to hear about the little one.
GOOD LUCK jonathan


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Shannon, 

I am very sorry to hear about the one baby. But Jonathan is right. It's hard to say for sure what happened, but it does sound very similar to a bacterial disease called salmonella. Oftentimes, this is what happens....one youngster fails to thrive and will die while the other one remains healthy. Let's keep our fingers crossed on the other baby.


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Shannon,

Thank you so much for doing all you can to help these babies...I am sorry to hear about the one passing, but here's best wishes that the remaining baby thrives.

Linda


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## TaylorGS (Feb 27, 2005)

Hello,
I once had a baby pigeon named Lardon. Since he was a newborn, I fed him Kaytee; Exact formula. Found at your normal pet stores. I also fed him with a eyedroper. I hope that helps. Oh, also if the babies are a few weeks old, feed them regular pigeon food.
Taylor


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## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

*another update*

hi everone again,

the other baby died a few hours after the first one died. my mom was looking at the eggs that they came out of and said she saw blood in both of them. i went out to check on my other two babys that hatched a day after these and they both are almost twice the size of the two that died. i think that the orphans parents left them becasue their was somthing wrong with them to begin with. also these two both kept tipping over.

thanks everone for the help


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

Shannon,

I am sorry to hear the news. You tried your best, but Mother Nature some times has her own plans. Keep coming back, and let us know how the rest of your birds are doing.

Take care,


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## jonathand (Feb 11, 2005)

*soooo sorry!!!!*

i am soooooooooooo sorry to hear this, i no how it feels the same thing happend to me i tried saving two baby pigeons that were abbaded from their parents and they died on me i was really sad and i no how u must feel. Keep me posted and tell me how the other little babys are doing again sorry.  it does happen alot i no you were trying very hard but it is ok it does happen.

Jonathan


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## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

thanks everone,
i will keep u posted on the other babys. they both seem well even though its only about 15 degrees. later im going to post some pics of them if the mom lets me get close enough. thanks again for all of the help
shannon


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Shannon, 

Thanks for the update on the other two chicks. I'm sorry the remaining chick from the first clutch died as well Keep us posted and post the pics whenever you can, we'd all like to see them.


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Shannon,

So sorry the other baby died too....guess it was not meant to be, despite everyone's, especially your, best effort. Thanks again for trying to help.

Linda


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## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

Thanks everyone. I will try to put some pictures of my other birds and babys once my camra gets a new batterie.
thanks again everyone


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## shannon123 (Mar 1, 2005)

Here is a picture of the babys that are alive. Sorry its hard to see thebabys, the mom kept biting me. The other picture is of the dad and some others


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Thanks for sharing your babies with us Shannon.
Your birds ar beautiful.  

Cindy


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

What a proud, protective mama bird....I am sure the babies are beautiful....Mom and Dad are very handsome......best wishes.

Linda


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