# One dead baby pigeon and one alive in nest



## pink68112

There is a pigeon nest on our deck with two babies in it. I think they are between 10 days and 2 weeks old. They have some yellow feathers and no more down but just those spiny looking grey feathers. They can stand up and chirp and open their eyes but they don't appear to be flying and I have not seen them leave the nest. 

Today when I looked at them one of them is dead!! The other one seems to be healthy, he was chirping when I first went out there but went silent when he looked at me. I haven't seen Mom around.

Is the one dead baby an indication that the babies have been abandoned? Or will Mom still be around feeding the one that is still alive? Should I remove the dead bird? 

I am very distraught about this as it has been such a joy the last month waiting for these little guys to hatch and seeing them grow up! Thanks for your help!!


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## Skyeking

I'm sorry to hear one baby has died, and I would remove it asap. It doesn't necessarily mean they have been abandoned, but it is possible something happened to the parents.

Does the other baby look fat infront, just below his neck? If his crop is swollen or full that indicates he is being fed, if not, I would keep an eye out and if the parent doesn't show up bring it inside. Mom may have another nest somewhere else they started but the baby should be getting fed by dad.

If you bring him in and I would do so if you don't see parents, let us know where you live and we can help find some help or instruct you on feeding.


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## pink68112

Based on your description, he does not appear that he is being fed (crop, area below neck not at all fat or full looking). Based on what I have read from this board he does not seem to be dehydrated, either. I haven't seen Mom or Dad around at all today. The nest they made is in a bucket which is just sitting on my deck. Do I have to bring the baby inside? I think I will be able to feed him quite easily just in his own nest and it is plenty warm outside (85-90 degrees in the day and not below 70 at night). He is not chirping for food when I go out and look and him and doesn't seem to be distressed. What do I feed him? Does he need water? I live in Omaha, Nebraska.


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## feralpigeon

Hi pink68112, thanks for helping out the baby pigeon. Please do bring the baby inside. You can use an old down vest, jacket or hood to keep them cozy and it most closely resembles what the parents would provide. The heating pad can be put to low with one or more towels on the top to help diffuse the heat but you will have to 'tweak' that scenario until you are certain that the babies are warm w/out getting over heated. If you go the down route, it will clean up w/washing.

If you have pet food stores locally that sell baby bird formula, there are some
good ones on the market notably LaFeber's Nutri-Start Baby Bird Formula:

http://www.lafeber.com/products/nutri-start.aspx

Or KayTee Exact Baby Bird Formula:

http://www.kaytee.com/products/exact/

If you can't find either of these baby bird formulas, then you can use human
baby food as a substitute, specifically Gerber's puree of Chicken and Rice would be an acceptable substitute.

Here's a link for another formula that you can use for handfeeding:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=15236

Next is choosing the method of feeding for which we have many educational
modules on in our Resource Section:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25

Just to get you started in the right direction here are a couple of links:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9682

Or if you select to go the tube feeding route here is a link explaining
this method:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=16235

If you choose the tube feeding method you might also find this
link on crop medicating helpful as it is essentially the same principle:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=15696

Hope you find some helpful resources here and that by viewing these and
being in communication w/the site that you will be able to raise the babies
to fledgling status and ultimately release them into a nearby feral flock.
Best of luck,

fp


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## pink68112

*Update*

Just wanted to give you an update. We have been feeding the baby pigeon human baby food, turkey with rice puree via a 10 ml syringe with no needle. I have been mixing it with some water to give it a more liquidy texture and serving at room temperature or just slightly above, but never hot. The first feeding was yesterday evening and he took about 25 ml, and 3 hours later about another 10 to 15. He made it through the night and this morning I fed him again but he didn't want as much, maybe only 15 ml. Four and a half hours later I just fed him another 5 or so but he didn't seem to want more. I read for a baby about his age it should be about 30 ml feedings three times a day. He doesn't seem to be wanting that amount, somewhat less, I hope that is not a cause for concern. I have observed lots of fresh droppings in his nest. My husband would not let me bring him in the house so he is staying in this nest outside. We live in a 3rd floor apartment with a balcony. The nest his mother built for him is in a large bucket which sits on the floor of the balcony. We have been keeping him there in hopes she would return or, if she won't come back that this will be a good transition for him. He is not able to get out of his nest. I have been taking a sock and filling it with rice and microwaving it, then wrapping it in the sleeve of an old sweatshirt, and putting it in the nest. He also has an old sweater in there and we put a blanket over the top of the bucket last night (got down to about 70 for a few hours, but 80 most of the night), but just now when I fed him he seemed like he was cold because he kept puffing up his feathers. Do you think he is going to make it? He sure is sweet. He seems like he is sleeping a lot, I don't know if that is worrisome. Whenever I go out there to check on him he is asleep but when he sees me starts chirping and walking around the bucket. When I put him back and move out of view he seems to go right back to sleep, or at least like he is chilling out. Any advice on how to proceed would be appreciated. This board has been a lifesaver.


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## feralpigeon

Hi Pink68112,

The baby may be cold, do you have an old down vest? If not, can you 
run an extension cord outside and wrap a heating pad in a couple of towels
and place the baby on that in a cardboard box? A metal bucket w/out parents 
sitting on the baby sounds a bit unforgiving. Sometimes loosely
draping a light material over the baby helps the baby to hold it's own body
heat in better. I take it the baby's parents have not returned, correct? 

The baby formula sounds fine, one thing though, it can't be warmed in the microwave. You can
warm it by placing jar in a pot of hot water until the temperature has risen
to one that is comfortable to drop on the inside/underside of your wrist.

Are you saying that the crop is staying full and not emptying? Is it possible
for you to take and post a couple of pictures of the baby? 30mls in one 
feeding seems like alot for a two week old baby. I have adults who 
have a difficult time w/22-25mls. Try cutting back on the amount you are
feeding in a sitting until we are certain the baby is in a comfort range w/the 
amount and frequency. Shoot for somewhere in the 15-20 ml range and
keep an eye on how quickly the baby's crop empties then adjust from there.

Also, we really need to address the baby's body temp. comfort range simultaneously. 
Please let us know how things go w/new nesting arrangements.

fp


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## TAWhatley

Perhaps Victor could lend a hand with this little one. I'll PM and e-mail him.

Terry


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## Victor

Hi Terry,

I just PM the member with my home and cell number and will wait to hear from this person with the baby pigeon.


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## TAWhatley

Victor said:


> Hi Terry,
> 
> I just PM the member with my home and cell number and will wait to hear from this person with the baby pigeon.


Thanks, Victor! 

Terry


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## feralpigeon

Good thinking Terry and thanks Victor for stepping in and offering help.

fp


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## Charis

Just checking...Victor, have you managed to talk with pink about the baby?


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## Victor

Hi Charis, No I have not heard from pink 68112 at all. I can only assume all is well with the baby pigeon situation.


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## Charis

Thanks for letting me know. I sure hope the baby is ok.


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## pink68112

*Update 2*

I am sorry about the delay in posting! The baby is well. Per the instruction I received on this board, yesterday I went to Wal-Mart and got a heating pad and set the baby up with a new nest. The heating pad is set to low and wrapped in a t-shirt in the bottom of a cardboard box. Also, my husband finally caved and the baby is now in the house and the A/C is off, so I believe the temperature situation is under control. Ever since he got his new nest he has been a lot more mellow and a little less active (ie-frantic). It doesn't seem like he is unhealthy or lethargic, I think he is just more relaxed now that he is warm. His crop is emptying just fine and feeding has been going well. The schedule has been 7:00 am, 15 mL, 12:00 noon about 5 mL, 4:30 pm another 10 to 15, 8:00 5 ml or so, and 11:30 about 10 to 15 mL. Does this seem about right? I usually feed him until his interest subsides, keeping in mind that he should be in the 15 to 20 ml range. I feed him Gerbers turkey and rice mixed with a little water. I've been watching his poops. They were pretty watery before but today have firmed up because I decreased the amount of water I was adding to the baby food. I am thrilled that Victor is here in Omaha as a resource if I run into trouble. I will keep you updated. Thank you for your encouragement and advice!!


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## TAWhatley

Thanks for the update, Pink! I'm glad things are going well for you and the little pigeon.

Terry


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## feralpigeon

Thanks for letting us know how the baby is doing and many thanks for getting
the heating pad and bringing baby inside. You may need to pad the heating pad w/more than just one teeshirt, even on warm they get pretty hot and it
could cause dehydration in a baby. Might want to toss on a turkish towel
and check back in a half hour to an hour and put your hand where the baby
is to make sure that the heat isn't too much. 

Glad to hear that the baby is happier inside and that the crop is emtying between feedings. You can only fill what the baby can use, so it's good
that you are following the baby's lead and not over doing.

fp


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## pink68112

*Pictures and Update*

Attached are some pictures-I have never done this before and I took them using my cell phone so please let me know if they don't work. Does he appear healthy? Any estimate as to age? Also, is it normal for him to cheep A LOT? Like, even when there doesn't seem to be any reason for him to be distressed (like he is warm and recently fed but still cheeping frantically). Also, he flaps his wings a lot, he can't fly or anything but just flaps and flaps and cheeps. He almost got out of his box today-he is getting awfully agile. I guess I am wondering what to expect from him as he develops and what sort of plan I should have outside of the immediate feeding and keeping him warm. I would like to get him to the point where he could live in the wild but I don't know if that is realistic. I know this isn't the sort of question that can be easily answered in a few sentences so I will keep reading the message boards, but any sort of overview would be great. I am studying for the bar exam right now so I am a little overloaded on absorbing new information  

Also wanted to let you know I tried the balloon feeding method because I was having trouble with the syringe (my husband is awesome at it, feeding takes only 5 minutes and neither of them comes out dirty-but he works alot and I need to be able to feed the baby when he's at work). It was really hard and messy! But luckily the tube feeding is going better and better-the baby seems to be learning to open his mouth and keep it open.

Thanks again for everything.


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## Reti

The pictures are a bit small and not very clear, but he seems fine from what I can tell.
Cheerping is normal, he will do that to be fed and for attention. You've done a great job with this little one.
On the pet pigeons section there is a sticky on information for releasing pigeons into the wild. But he is still too young to be released so enjoy him while he is a sweet little baby.

Reti


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## pink68112

*Update 3*

Today me and the baby pigeon had a check up with Victor who lives only 10 minutes away from us! Thank goodness he checked up on us because we found out the baby has canker and Victor gave me the necessary medication and instructions for how to administer it. We also got a new cage set up that we are using for the time being. The baby has been quieter today and less active, but is this because of the canker and the medicine? I have continued to hand feed but he won't eat as much at one time as he used to (used to eat 30 mL of Kaytee all at once, now its more like 10 mL). I think its because it hurts him to eat. So I have been feeding him smaller amounts and more often. I am still doing only hand feeding. I have been working on weaning but its going very slow and now that he is sick I am putting it on hold until he is better. I would say that he is eating less overall-maybe only around 70 mL of Kaytee in a day whereas before it would be closer to 100 mL. Should I be concerned about him eating less and being less active, or is this part of the canker? Thank you again to everyone in this community and especially to Victor, for helping save this baby's life.


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## Lovebirds

pink68112 said:


> Today me and the baby pigeon had a check up with Victor who lives only 10 minutes away from us! Thank goodness he checked up on us because we found out the baby has canker and Victor gave me the necessary medication and instructions for how to administer it. We also got a new cage set up that we are using for the time being. The baby has been quieter today and less active, but is this because of the canker and the medicine? I have continued to hand feed but he won't eat as much at one time as he used to (used to eat 30 mL of Kaytee all at once, now its more like 10 mL). I think its because it hurts him to eat. So I have been feeding him smaller amounts and more often. I am still doing only hand feeding. I have been working on weaning but its going very slow and now that he is sick I am putting it on hold until he is better. I would say that he is eating less overall-maybe only around 70 mL of Kaytee in a day whereas before it would be closer to 100 mL. Should I be concerned about him eating less and being less active, or is this part of the canker? Thank you again to everyone in this community and especially to Victor, for helping save this baby's life.



I've never seen canker, but I believe since you've got the meds and have the baby on them, you should be ok. I hope...........as long as you can get some food into him, he may loose a little weight, but from what I understand, the canker meds work pretty fast. Others will be along I'm sure..........


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## Pidgey

When he responds to the canker meds, he'll perk back up pretty quickly. They do eventually slow down a bit because they get past the big growth spurt, though.

Pidgey


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## pink68112

The baby has been fluffing up his feathers a lot more than usual. Is this because of the canker? Do you think I should hook up the heating pad again for him? He's at least 3 weeks old so he doesn't use it anymore but since he is sick I wonder if it will help?


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## maryjane

Just saw this post, sounds like you're doing an amazing job with him! I would go ahead and put him back on the heating pad, as birds especially do better with heat when they're distressed or ill. The canker meds work very quickly and he should be feeling better soon. Thanks for taking such good care of him.


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## Victor

It was a pleasure meeting pink 68112 and her squeaker. It has pretty much lost all its yellow plumage, and starting to look like a pigeon. It is all the markings of a blue bar. He is a sweet little thing and was very cooperative. I could also see that he just adores his caretaker, Pink. In a few days, the youngster should hopfully see improvement.

I am going to sehdule another follow-up visit with Pink so we can discuss a heathy diet when the pigeon gets a bit older.She already has the Bragg's ACV. I advised her to put the ACV on hold untill the squeaker is off the canker meds.

While here, she visited with my pigeon gang. It was a good all around visit, and I can see she does care for this little one.


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## Maggie-NC

Hi Pink, welcome to the forum and thank you for caring for this baby. You're in good hands with our Victor.

About the amount you're feeding him. The key is to make sure his crop goes down before you feed him again. For the next few days, I would go with about 15 cc per feeding, probably 4 x day. He would also benefit from being on a heating pad while he is feeling a little "puny". Make sure he is in no draft.


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## pink68112

The baby is back to his old self!! I was relieved beyond words this morning when I woke up and he was cheeping up a storm (like he used to before he got sick). He ate really well today, too and was much more active than he was in the last couple days. The area on his lower beak that was previously swollen from the canker appears to have shrunk. I am continuing with the instructions on the canker meds and looking forward to our next check up with our pigeon pediatrician, Victor


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## Margarret

Pink, that is wonderful news that the baby is better. You are doing a great job. And you couldn't have a better pigeon pediatrician than Victor!

Margarret


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## Victor

*Great News!*

That is just wonderful news! 

I am happy the little squeaker is doing better.

Just keep up what you have been doing till Sunday.

Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday you can bring him over and for one more "check up".

You are doing just great!

Thanks again for your concern.


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## Skyeking

I'm glad baby is doing well and that Victor was there to help diagnose the canker.

Thank you Victor, and pink for giving this little one a wonderful start for a happy & healthy life.


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## mr squeaks

WELL DONE, VICTOR AND PINK!!

I am sure your pij is going to have a great home, Pink, and be quite spoiled!

BTW, do you have a name yet??

Looking forward to healthy and happy updates!!

Shi & Mr. Squeaks


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## Victor

*Follow-up visit*

Pink 68112 brought her squeaker over yesterday morning and the little one is doing just fine. The inside of its mouth is a healthy color and the appitite is back.

I brought Squeaker in the coop while the rest of the flock were inside their aviary to check him out. He flew just fine and landed on my arm. He (assuming he) hopped up my shoulder and just so darling. 

Bev came out and met Pink and Squeaker as well. He happily jumped on her shoulder as well. Her pigeon is very people oriented. 

We discussed a good pigeon diet and suplements and gave her a sample bag of everything discussed, including a bag of bath salts.

A bit early to tell, but I am leaning towards this young pigeon being female.

Another nice visit.


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## Charis

Nice update, Victor.
I appreciate you helping out with that little one. I just knew you were the right person for the job.
You still rock!


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## TAWhatley

Wonderful update, Victor! Thank you!

Terry


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## mr squeaks

*AWRIGHT, PINK, VICTOR AND SQUEAKER!! WONDERFUL NEWS!!*

Sounds like a very loved spoiled pij...just right!

HUGS

Shi & Squeaks


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## pink68112

Sorry I have not posted any updates but I am taking the bar exam next week so I am studying frantically. The check up with Victor was great! The lesson on nutrition was helpful and he gave me a ton of goodies for the new baby, like probiotics, bath salts, treats, lentils, garlic, etc. Victor also loaned me a new cage! I have been having a little trouble, though, the squeaker hates to be in his cage. When I put him in there he flaps around frantically and climbs the walls and squeaks like crazy. He is so hysterical I actually worry he might hurt himself. The cage has been Victor approved and seems completely suitable. The squeaker just hates being confined. Last night I put him in there before going to bed, and after almost 40 minutes of freaking out he finally calmed down, but this morning when I took him out he was freaking out again and it was obvious that he hadn't had anything to eat or drink all night (even though he has water and seed in his cage). Any suggestions for how I can get the squeaker to warm up to his new environment?


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## Lovebirds

pink68112 said:


> Sorry I have not posted any updates but I am taking the bar exam next week so I am studying frantically. We had another check up with Victor and the baby got a clean bill of health at this point with the canker completely gone. The inside of his mouth is pink and healthy and there is no more swelling in the lower beak like there was before. Victor also gave us a lesson on nutrition and a ton of goodies for the new baby, like probiotics, bath salts, treats, lentils, garlic, etc. Victor also loaned me a new cage! I have been having a little trouble, though, the squeaker hates to be in his cage. When I put him in there he flaps around frantically and climbs the walls and squeaks like crazy. He is so hysterical I actually worry he might hurt himself. The cage has been Victor approved and seems completely suitable. The squeaker just hates being confined. Last night I put him in there before going to bed, and after almost 40 minutes of freaking out he finally calmed down, but this morning when I took him he was freaking out again and it was obvious that he hadn't had anything to eat or drink all night (even though he has water and seed in his cage). Any suggestions for how I can get the squeaker to warm up to his new environment?


As far as "liking" the new cage, he may or may not take to it eventually. I would think and I may be wrong, that if he's to be caged sometimes, he has to learn that it's his "home". If you take him out every time he "freaks" he'll learn that behaviour and that's all he has to do to get his freedom. Animals are smart in that way. I went through this with my pet cockateil. He used to scream at the top of his lungs and I would let him out to shut him up. I finally just started ignoring him.......and it was hard to do, but he's actually stopped a lot of his screaming. Still a little loud in the morning, but he's learned when his "out of cage" time is and has excepted it.
Also, your bird won't eat at night or drink. They roost at night and don't see to move around. If you've got a light on all the time by chance, I would cut it off. He needs his rest, as we all do. I would get him on a schedule of some sort and stick with it, for a while until he calms down and learns that he's not going to be caged 24/7.
Now, having said all of that, I DO NOT have a pet pigeon in the house, so I may be way off base here. If I am, someone will come along and straighten us both out. LOL


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## Charis

Pink,
You might try covering the cage when it's time for both of you to go to sleep.
My two house pigeons hate being confined to their cage and while they have gotten used to being in there with out thrashing about, they still refuse to poop in their cage. When I'm home, I have an open-cage door policy. I confine them when I leave for their safety.


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