# Young pigeon, how do I feed, when do I let go?



## noodle1 (Aug 30, 2007)

Hi all, 
Im in UK, found a young pigeon on a footpath by road, didnt fly off when I went to pick up so have taken home, he seems around 20 - 25 days old, has downy feathers under wings and when i tried to throw him up to fly he just flew back down with a bump! anyway, he is in my husbands shed on his workbench with chicken wire round so he doesnt fall off, (we have 2 dogs) and seems happy, and I bought him some wild bird seed, yesterday he had a good drink when i dunked his nose in the water, but his poo is a bit green and runny, he has a big bowl of seed but i havent seen him eat even when i push his beak in the seed bowl, so tonight just to be sure I opened his beak and put around 7-8 sunflower seeds in. he spat the first few out but seemed to take the rest. shoud he be able to eat on his own by now? and have had him for around 3 days now, should i try another test flight tommorrow?
tx for advice,
noodle


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## myrpalom (Aug 12, 2004)

*not too soon!*

Hello Noodle
Thank you for caring for this pigeon.
Seems to be a youngster who cannot eat by himself yet.
I do not think it is wise to try to put him back outside all by himself tomorrow.
He needs learn to eat first! 
Also the fact that he cannot fly well make him vulnerable.
I would keep him inside and take care of him for a few more days and make sure that he is healthy.
I am sure that other members will soon come up with more advice. 
Myriam


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi Noodle,

Do you know if he is a feral pigeon or a woodpigeon? We need to establish that, as they don't develop at the same rate and can have different needs.

If he's around that age and not yet flying, he would still be fed by one or both parents. Feral pigeons fledge at 35 days or thereabouts, and usually start to 'practise fly' at maybe a week or so before that - difficult to pinpoint exactly, as they do vary. Woodpigeons are slower growing, and can fly to some extent well before they learn to be self-feeding - they need to be able to, so the parents can show them where and what is food. Does he have any little yellow 'hairs' still?

A temporary measure can be little pellets of wholemeal bread, preferably _not _brand-new fresh today, moistened in water, and popped into his mouth towards the back of the beak. Other items which can help for a short time are frozen peas and sweetcorn (not tinned), thawed in hot water for a while, then fed one by one. Even soaked, small pieces of plain dog biscuit or 'puppy chow'. Tempting him with seed is still good, anyway, as he will at some point become interested and learn that it is food to be pecked at and eaten. 

The poops could just mean that he needs nourishment, or could indicate a problem. Hard to know over the web.

Does the pigeon appear to have any kind of injury - small puncture wounds on the body under the wings, any obvious patches of missing feathers, grazes, or anything like that? Is he able to walk around without any sign of discomfort? Is the inside of his beak/mouth pink and clear of any lumps or discoloration?

He is probably at the stage where he would still benefit from a formula mixed with some softened seed. Unfortunately, the stuff we use (Kaytee Exact or chick crumbs) is not readily available from yer average local pet shop. Cynthia (Cyro51) has been successful in feeding a young bird with readybrek made up with warm water (I believe it's 38 or 39c temperature). I hope she will pick up on this tomorrow.

Unless he actually has some kind of problem with his wings, he will know when it's time to fly. They usually seem to start by flapping and 'helicoptering' on the spot when they are close to flying time.

John

John


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## noodle1 (Aug 30, 2007)

ok thanks, it is a feral pigeon, no signs of injury, he can walk around ok, i do have ready brek, should i just open his beak and try put it in his throat? and how much should i give him, would a level teaspoon be enough. also how often should i feed him? and can hie live on just seed or should i give him the bread and readybrek as well? also one other thing, is it ok to stroke him, i dont want him too tame cos i want to release him, but i stroke his head to reassure him!


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## noodle1 (Aug 30, 2007)

i havent noticed any yellow feathers, he seems to have his wing feathers ok, and i cant really see inside his beak cos he doesnt open it that wide, quite fiddly to get the seeds in  he does have dark eyes, sleeps alot, but seems quite alert when he is awake.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

The readybrek mix is messy to feed, and being so liquid, it is easier to get it in the windpipe inadvertently. One method is the cut-off syringe as in this thread on 'resources'

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?p=63735#post63735

It can also be dropped into the beak, but not too far back, from a teaspoon.

I would like a more 'hands-on' person to come in here as regards well-tried but simple ways of feeding formulas, but he'd be OK with about 30 millilitres 3 times daily for a start.

Meanwhile, the pellets of bread can have some softened seed mixed in so that he has the benefit of some bulk plus some more natural food - parents would be feeding more and more seed by this time. The ideal is for a pigeon to be fed until his crop is plump and squishy, but not hard and 'blown out'. That's the area shown in a couple of further pics here from the same source: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/165797594SYYRWL )

The crop should be pretty much empty before feeding again.

If feeding corn/peas, roughly a tablespoon-worth at one sitting should keep a bird going for a while, so one could estimate about the same for bread-and-seed pellets.

Won't do any harm at this point to give him a little reassurance. Many pigeon like to have their neck and head tickled a little, which would be like his parent preening him. Once he is able to feed himself, he'll need less human attention, though.

John


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## noodle1 (Aug 30, 2007)

thanks. well after all that he died during the night, i dont know if he would have died anyway or the sunflower seeds choked him? ah well, leave it to the experts next time  tx anyway.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

I am so sorry that he died, it was kind of you to rescue him.

He may have died of illness, or the fall. And if you hadn't picked him up he would certainly have died.

Please remember that the "experts" usually learn the hard way too.

I have learnt now that the most important thing is to warm a pigeon first, rehydrate second (with a solution made up of 1 pint warm water, half a teaspoon of salt and half a tablespoon og glucose, honey and sugar) and feed only after a few hours...24 hours for badly dehydrated pigeons. But when I first started rescuing pigeons my first impulse was to get food into them.

Don't let this deter you from rescuing the next sick or injured pigeon that you see. They need kind people on their side. Poor little things have so many enemies.

Cynthia


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