# feeling overwhelmed



## miss_sadie (Apr 13, 2014)

I had 4 baby feral pigeons brought to me a few days ago, from an abandoned farmhouse a few miles out of town that some teenagers had disturbed. After unsuccessfully trying to reunite the babies back with their parents, they have been staying in my living room. Two are maybe a couple weeks old, the other two's eyes have just opened and are very small, i do manage to hand feed them all a few times a day, they squeek and tweet, dance on their back legs and flap their wings when they hear my voice. Is there anywhere in Saskatchewan Canada that anyone knows where these birds can be taken for proper care or possible a home??? I'm currently taking care of an adult who got attacked by a dog, but 5 is too many for my sanity. I feel as though it might be wrong to have saved the babies, making them human friendly, only to release them into a cruel world. Any pep talks or words of wisdom from one animal lover to another?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I started out by coming home with 6 feral babies when someone had an old porch torn down. Poor things were scattered all over the yard when I got there. A couple were only a couple of days old. I had never raised pigeons before, and had no idea of what to do next. I learned and we all got through it. You'll be okay, and it will get easier as it goes on. The older ones should be able to be hand fed frozen peas which have been defrosted and warmed, in another week or so. 
Is it possible to post pictures to get a better idea of the ages? 

How are you feeding them? And what are you feeding them? They should also be on a heating pad, or somehow kept very warm, especially the younger ones, or they won't be able to digest their food properly. I used a ceramic reptile heater over a fish tank with my smallest ones. Worked great. I kept a thermometer next to the nest so that I could monitor the temp.


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## miss_sadie (Apr 13, 2014)

*baby bird pictures*

I've since been informed that this group of teenagers have returned to the abandoned house at some point and killed a bunch of the adult birds. My blood is boiling and have since contacted the RCMP to see if there is anything that can be done to stop this needless cruelty. I have my doubts they will do anything, but i don't know what else to do. 
At any rate, the first couple days they were fed what i had on hand, lamb milk replacer, cream of wheat, oatmeal, ground up sunflower seeds. I since had done some reading that dairy was a no no, so i stopped the milk replacement and added warmed peas (which works great) and a baby food puree of either pears or peaches, some water as well. They are also getting finch seed from an empty bic pen feed into their throats, all seem to be receptive to this and are handling the forced seed feedings quite well. They constantly squeek and almost honk and makes me feel as though they are hungry all the time. Do they know when they're full?? or will they allow me to keep feeding them. I have no idea what i'm doing, but i'm trying. Thanks for helping


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

The easiest way to feed them is with a large syringe that you cut off at the end, and fill it with baby bird formula. You then cover the cut end with some self adhesive wrap, and put a rubber band over it to hold it on. Cut a small slit in the bandage, just large enough to get a beak into, and the baby will feed himself. This is a more natural way to feed, as the baby is putting his beak into the syringe, just as he would his parents beak. I'll go find some links of pigeon babies being fed this way.

They don't need the baby food fruit. Until you can get some baby bird formula, you can mix dry baby rice cereal, the kind without the milk in it, and some baby food peas and carrots. Adding a small bit of applesause (baby food), to the mix will help the crop to empty. You would know when the crop, the small pouch under their throat and against their chest fills up like a soft pillow. Not hard, but soft and squishy.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Here you go. If you can't find a large syringe, then you can use one of those little bottles pet stores sell for feeding puppies and such. You can also get some thin plastic gloves and cover the end with a finger that you cut off the glove. Just cut a slit in it for the baby to put his beak into. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1aPHzKZaQE

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s5ZY3U2lKU&feature=related


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I would cut out the fruit pigeons don't eat fruit and the sugars can cause a yeast infection in the crop. the peas are fine and the ground up finch seed or seeds and legumes work fine. the crop in the one in your picture that is facing his front to the camera looks like what you want the crop to look like after feeding. just don't feed if they still have food in the crop. have you tried a search online for bird rehabbers ? there are some who take pigeons and others who don't as they are not native.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Here is a good link to find info for feeding your babies.
http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/caringforababypigeon.htm

Check the crop before you feed them and make sure that it has emptied from the last feeding. You don't want to put new food in with old, as you will cause problems with the crop. And make sure the food is nice and warm, but not hot. Too cold and he won't be able to digest the food, too hot and you will burn his crop. And they need to be kept warm or they won't be able to digest the food either. Using a heating pad, with a layer of towel over it, and set only on LOW. Then put the babies on that. You can probably feed them every 5 or 6 hours, and aim for about 4 times a day, but first check the crop.


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## miss_sadie (Apr 13, 2014)

Thank you ever so much for your replies, ok no more baby fruit, i did try the natural feeding methods but it wasn't working very good... they don't seem to open their beaks to take the mush out of the slit properly, we wore more than they actually ate, which was nothing. It seems to work better to eye dropper the wet mix into the back of the throat. I don't have a pet store anywhere near me, 2 hours away is the closest, that's why i went to a feed supply, hardware and grocery store of course buying 75% the wrong things. I'm surprised i haven't killed these poor things with what i THOUGHT was safe to feed them, pigeons don't eat fruit??? i thought all birds ate fruit. I bought a milk based baby formula, another strike, must read the fine print apparently. Ok... oatmeal, cream of wheat and peas it is.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

That is actually the easiest and fastest feeding method. Maybe you cut the whole too big or small? They put the beak in and eat. They are at an age where it would feel natural to them, as that is how they feed from the parents. You can ad baby food carrots to the mix, or cook some up soft and blend them up to a paste and mix in. Adding just a small amount of yogurt that has the live probiotics in it would give them the probiotics they need. Or regular probiotics for people. Just a small amount. Be careful when feeding with an eye dropper to get it way to the back of the throat, and over the back of the tongue, or you can aspirate them. When they are a few weeks old, you can hold their beaks on each side, and gently lower them into some tepid water. But be careful not to go up over the nostrils. They will eventually learn to drink this way, but I'd wait till they were a bit older. Right now, they get some moisture in the baby food.
Also some form of calcium should be added to the mix. Maybe you could grind up a cuttlebone to a powder, and add some to the mix.


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