# Young pigeon not gaining any weight



## mikis343 (Nov 26, 2013)

I recently took home a young pigeon about 20 days old after he kept falling out of his best in the cieling of a parking garage. The first time his crop was full so I thought he was being fed and just fell out by accident so I put him back but the next day he was back on the floor and his crop wasn't full so I decided to take him home because I didn't want him to end up on the ground again and get run over by a car. I have had him for about two weeks now and he is not gaining any weight. I feed him about 30-40 peas two or three times a day. For some reason he refuses to drink water even if I use the plastic bag method he just sticks his beak in and then pulls it right out when he realizes it's not peas, so I have to use a syringe with a really long nozzle and pump the water into his crop past the tounge. His poops were very wet and bright green at first then I started adding acv to his water and they turned brown and got a little more solid now they are still quite wet and change from brown to green every few days then back to brown again. He is very active and alert but has had a very sharp Kiel bone with no muscle whatsoever on it since I got him. What is wrong? Are the peas not enough? Today after feeding he weighed 131 grams.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

He's old enough to be eating on his own. Has he tried pecking the peas from your fingers? If so, you can leave some peas with him and he will start eating by himself. Then start mixing in some seeds and after a while he will start pecking those as well. 

You can dip his beak in a small bowl of water (not over the nostrils) to get him to start drinking water.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*The bird does not need water if he is getting peas that are (frozen thawed and drained), he will get enough in peas. 

I would get the youngster on a good pigeon seed mix, that will help get weight on-he needs the variety and nutrients in the mix. Also, a good probiotic or organic greek plain fat free yogurt would also help get weight on. 

If bird does not show any muscle, he needs calcium/D3, he is deficient, as peas have next to nothing of calcium/D3, and he is still growing. He may be quite deficient in B complex too. *


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Pictures of the bird.
And you weight them before feeding, not after. That way you can tell if he has gained weight.


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## mikis343 (Nov 26, 2013)

He is already eating on his own but I don't like to leave bowls in with him as he will just make a mess. I will start feeding him more seeds instead of peas. I didn't know that they didn't need water on peas. That probably explains his droppings. I will look for the yogurt you described, but how do I feed it to him?


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Darling little guy! Thank you for helping him. You can get powdered probiotic for birds if you have pet stores and it is easy to just sprinkle it on their food if you can't get him to eat Greek yogurt.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

They will always make a mess, even if eating seeds. Just put layers of newspaper down and the foodbowl on top and throw away the toplayer every day. The sooner he eats by himself the better, he will know exactly how much to eat. Before you start with the seeds, it will be better for him to learn how to drink water.

Quite a weird looking pigeon you have there.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Pigeons are messy eaters, just a fact.

That bird looks deficient or hungry or something.....Is that bird's breast/keel bone sharp or protruding? If so, it needs to eat more. Get a good pigeon seed mix.

I take a tiny spoon of good thick organic greek plain no fat yogurt and gently open the beak and put a little inside, not down the throat. Close beak and the bird will swallow some and flick off some, either way it will really help. He will gain some good gut bacteria which he needs.

Have you looked down the birds throat, notice anything unusual..other then pink color?*


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Lack of feathering on the face indicates that he could possibly have canker. I would treat for that.


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## mikis343 (Nov 26, 2013)

He is now eating seeds and drinking on his own and is starting to gain weight again. His feathers on his face are still not growing are you sure it is canker? He seems otherwise fine his throat is pink and looks healthy. Also his droppings have returned to normal. He is now starting to try and fly but his tail feathers seem to be growing quite frail. A lot of them have fallen out for some reason and the ones that are there are quite flimsy and have a lot of stress bars. I saw some plain no fat yogurt at the store and I'm probably going to get him some either today or tomorrow


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Yes. How long did you medicate?
How much did you give?
What med did you use?


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## Whytpigeon (Sep 14, 2015)

mikis343 said:


> He is now eating seeds and drinking on his own and is starting to gain weight again. His feathers on his face are still not growing are you sure it is canker? He seems otherwise fine his throat is pink and looks healthy. Also his droppings have returned to normal. He is now starting to try and fly but his tail feathers seem to be growing quite frail. A lot of them have fallen out for some reason and the ones that are there are quite flimsy and have a lot of stress bars. I saw some plain no fat yogurt at the store and I'm probably going to get him some either today or tomorrow


Baby pigeons grow so fast that they need calcium with D3 Which seed diets lack. Give a supplement in form of a half tablet 500 mg calcium with vitamin D3. Right down the throat. Do this for three days, then get a liquid that goes in his water.


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## LeeLu (Sep 23, 2012)

mikis343 said:


> He is now eating seeds and drinking on his own and is starting to gain weight again. His feathers on his face are still not growing are you sure it is canker? He seems otherwise fine his throat is pink and looks healthy. Also his droppings have returned to normal. He is now starting to try and fly but his tail feathers seem to be growing quite frail. A lot of them have fallen out for some reason and the ones that are there are quite flimsy and have a lot of stress bars. I saw some plain no fat yogurt at the store and I'm probably going to get him some either today or tomorrow


Try SAFFLOWER seeds...doves love them, they contain a special oil that helps healthy feather growth.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

LeeLu said:


> Try SAFFLOWER seeds...doves love them, they contain a special oil that helps healthy feather growth.


*NOT TOO many, those seeds should be just 2% of a good pigeon mix, too much fat causes liver issues and give the bird diarrhea.

Have you given him any yogurt yet, mikis???

...and as mentioned the calcium/D3 is crucial for such a young bird.*


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