# Parental Care



## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

I have three pair of birds and no current options for adding more. However, I am curious about what care the parents give to their hatchlings beyond keeping them warm and fed.

Do the parents groom baby pigeons? When do the babies start preening? When do they start bathing (on their own, not counting you bathing them)?	

I think I read that the cock bird teaches the babies to poop outside the nest (by backing up first). How does he do this?

Thanks for any information or insight!

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Terri B


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## maryco (Apr 1, 2002)

Hi, 

Maybe I can post some experiences I've had in the past week because I'm raising 2 runt babies for another member on pigeons.com.

Dotty and Pearl cared for them in the first few days since hatching but now I'm taking over and letting them have a rest because the job got too hard and Pearl almost got sick yesterday night.

As for you questions... From what I see the parents do groom the babies, in fact I noticed this right after they hatched Dotty and Pearl would groom the little yellow feathers








And now the babies are about 6 days old and since yesterday they started grooming themselves and they don't even have any feathers. They just look so serious about it, one grooms behind and under his wing and makes sure he always looks good (LOL!) Too cute!
Sometimes they even groom each other








So about your preening questions I would say the behavious starts when they are about 4-5 days and as they grow and get feathers they make sure to always keep themselves looking in tip top condition.

I don't know about the bathing but I think when babies are squeakers in the wild they learn to bathe once it rains or they find a puddle of water, also drinking is not something they know how to do coming out of the nest so I guess once they see water they start to drink and learn how to take a bath or hold their wings up for the rain to clean under it.

Now for the pooping.. hmm. I've seen this all the time but I'm not sure about the cock teaching them how to do it because their eyes are shut after they hatch but they still do it. I got these babies now trying to get themselves to the corner of the basket to poop but the blanket is too high because they are in a basket so they have a hard time but I know they want to do this and either this is a behaviour they are born with or I have no idea









Over the past week I've learned alot about babies as I've only raised one baby pigeon 2 years ago and this is just a great educational experience!









Mary


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I have seen my babies try to bathe in their drinking water at about 15 days old! I take them out of the coop for an hour a day, as the parents leave them alone so long. They have access to a closed in porch with all accomodations.

They not only learn to eat by themselves, but get interested in bathing, once they see the water, doesn't matter what kind of container it's in. LOL!

Mary,

I can just see the runts grooming each other! Hw cute! Enjoy these days, as they grow up fast! 

Treesa


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

Orphans know that you back up to poop - maybe this was such a positive survival mechanism (avoiding bacteria), that it got hard wired.

Some birds are religious about this and some are highly flawed.

I had and orphan chick who burrowed under a pillow to sleep between meals--Only his little butt of a tail sticking out. When he wanted to poop, he would back straight out, one step, two steps, contract, no deal, three steps, four steps, boom. Then he would walk straight back and burrow under the pillow.

[This message has been edited by dano7 (edited May 24, 2004).]


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Good information. Thanks!


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Terri B


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

That poopy thing is one of my favorite memories of my PP Pigeon! A little after he'd fed his tiny babies, he raised himself up off them and very gently pecked at a baby's lower back. Sure enough, the little mite edged out from under his pa and squirted a little poop out to the side of the nest, then crawled back under PP. Pigeon toilet training - and the reason so many take two or three steps back to poop as adults!

John


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

So it seems like a least some of the parents do contribute training. Their beak can damage flesh when protecting eggs and nest, yet be so gentle when caring for mate or babies. Pigeons have some pretty neat equipment!

Terri B


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