# Advice for baby ringneck



## ZorkyCharlemagne (Jul 13, 2015)

I have a baby ringneck dove that is 19 days old today. S(he) is still in the cage with the parents. After about 5 days, the father lost interest in the baby and no longer would help the mother with feedings or nesting. This morning, the mother was on the nest wing-twitching (like she is about to lay another egg..) while the baby was about to fall out. The baby ended up falling out and is now at the bottom of the cage. When the father saw the baby, he immediately went over and started viciously pecking.. I removed the father and left baby on the bottom with a water dish and some seed. So far I have not seen baby feed himself yet, and I don't know if I should take him out for safety into a private cage. This is his first day out of the nest, and he does not seem interested in the food. I don't think the mother is caring for him any longer, but I am not watching 24/7 so I could be wrong. She seems preoccupied with nesting. What should be my next steps?

Thanks in advance..!


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Your next step is, you have to hand feed/force feed the baby. You can feed him defrosted frozen peas and corns thawed under warm water so they come to normal temperature, shouldn't be hot or cold, just warm. By holding him in lap and opening his beak you can put them one by one in his mouth and slide down the throat and let him swallow and then try another. 

Hen usually doesn't feed them till weaning stage as she stores calcium for next clutch, it is father who feeds them and they wean on seeds. In your case since father has stopped feeding him and he hasn't learnt to eat himself, you will have to hand feed him till he learns to pick and eat. 
Separate him in another cage and for him learning to eat, try to scatter seeds for parents on ground and leave the baby with them while you too being there so if any of them pecks him, you can save. Now let all of them eat, while he will see parents eating , he too will learn from them. When they are done with feed you again separate him but make sure you keep feed available for baby all the time in his cage so whenever he feels like he can try to pick and learn. 
For any further concerns do write back and keep us posted on how it goes further.


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## ZorkyCharlemagne (Jul 13, 2015)

kiddy said:


> Your next step is, you have to hand feed/force feed the baby. You can feed him defrosted frozen peas and corns thawed under warm water so they come to normal temperature, shouldn't be hot or cold, just warm. By holding him in lap and opening his beak you can put them one by one in his mouth and slide down the throat and let him swallow and then try another.
> 
> Hen usually doesn't feed them till weaning stage as she stores calcium for next clutch, it is father who feeds them and they wean on seeds. In your case since father has stopped feeding him and he hasn't learnt to eat himself, you will have to hand feed him till he learns to pick and eat.
> Separate him in another cage and for him learning to eat, try to scatter seeds for parents on ground and leave the baby with them while you too being there so if any of them pecks him, you can save. Now let all of them eat, while he will see parents eating , he too will learn from them. When they are done with feed you again separate him but make sure you keep feed available for baby all the time in his cage so whenever he feels like he can try to pick and learn.
> For any further concerns do write back and keep us posted on how it goes further.



Thank you so much for the reply! I tried feeding the baby and it is almost impossible to get his mouth open. When I try to gently open it, he shakes his head and snaps it shut. I will keep trying.. Do you have any suggestions on force feeding? I will keep the baby cage near the parents so he can see them eat, and also let them all eat together. 
How often should I feeding the baby?


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

My pleasure. 

If you need to feed peas/corns to a pigeon, hold the bird on your lap and against your body. This gives you more control. Reach from behind his head with one hand and grasp his beak on either side. Now use your free hand to open the beak, and put a pea in, then push it to the back of his throat and over his tongue. Let him close his beak and swallow. Then do another. It gets easier with practice, and the bird also gets more used to it, and won't fight as much. If you can't handle the bird, then use the sleeve cut off a t-shirt, slip it over his head and onto his body, with his head sticking out. This will stop him from being able to fight you so much. Just don't make it tight around his crop area. It helps if you have him facing your right side if you are right handed. Start with about 30-35 defrosted and warmed peas. Warm, not hot. Do that maybe 3 times a day, but let the crop empty between times. If you see parents are feeding him or he has started picking and swallowing (not only picking and dropping) you can gradually decrease force feeding and at the weaning stage you may have to feed only once i. e at night and rest of the times when hungry he will try to eat on his own. 
Remember frozen defrosted peas/corns should be thawed under hot water to make them warm/normal from in and outside both. Never give hot/cold stuff to any bird. 

These video link will help you further to understand the process on how to do it(tho this is not in lap but you can get an idea, how to open his beak. If you put him in lap, it will be more easy(if he flaps much you can wrap him in towel to feed)). In start you will see small seeds being fed and in later part, the pigeon is being fed on peanuts. Pea/corns will be fed in the very same way as peanuts. 

https://youtu.be/9ZqI8idx-SQ

Trying for a few times will surely give you a hang of it and you will feed with no problems


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## ZorkyCharlemagne (Jul 13, 2015)

Okay I was able to do the corn kernels. How many kernels should I feed at a time?

Correction to my original post: baby is 13 days, not 19.


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## ZorkyCharlemagne (Jul 13, 2015)

This is the baby this morning. He is alert, and preening himself- so I think he is doing okay so far..


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Adorable sweetheart, loved the pic  
You can give 30 to 35 corns and feel the crop if it seems full, I think that will be sufficient for this aged baby. actually I have tried defrosted peas but not corns so I am not very sure how many will be sufficient but it should go well in 30-40 I suppose. Feeling the crop will give you more idea.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Looks like a baby pigeon? Is it really ring neck dove baby? Can you post parents' pic pls?


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## Maclofts (Dec 14, 2014)

Yeah it's a ringneck dove baby. You can tell by the size in the picture as well as the thin dove-like beak (unlike baby pigeons who have big, fat beaks especially by the nose part)  here's a pic of my baby pigeon that is about the same age as that dove...


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## ZorkyCharlemagne (Jul 13, 2015)

This is the mother and the same baby back when she would take care of him. The father is much lighter, and with a black ring around the neck. 

The baby is eating corn very well now.. It has gotten easier to open the beak. Here are some hopefully final questions I have!!

1. Is peas and corn enough nutritionally? Should I add anything else to the diet, and when?
2. I am a nurse who works 12 hours, and 3x a week I am gone from 6:30pm to 8:00am.. Will baby be okay not getting fed in that time if I ensure I full crop before I leave and feed right when I get home?
3. How long should I continue feeding the bird in this way? Until what age?
4. I have Kaytee EXACT food formula for birds, should I sprinkle it on the corn and peas?
5. Should I add a calcium supplement at this point?

Thank you for all the info.. I really feel like this bird is making it because of your advice. The last 3 feedings his crop was completely empty beforehand.


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## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

Gorgeous birds you have.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

1)for now peas /corns are good as these are easy to digest and have lots of water so no need to hydrate him as well. For other dry seeds you will have to hydrate him. 
2) You said you work night shift, no issues coz there is no need to feed at night, before leaving feed him and then when you come back in morning. 
3) usually they should wean at 4 weeks, sometimes they start eating before that and rarely after that but I have fed one of my pigeon baby till two months  you have to keep seed dish available for him all the time and do as advised he will learn soon. 
4) no need to add Kaytee exact, peas /corns are good enough for him.
5)no need to give calcium supplement right now, just continue with feed. 

It is my pleasure to advise , we all are here coz we love birds  
Do keep us posted. Thank you for the mommy's pic, love it.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Maclofts, thank you for the explanation and pic, beautiful baby you have, Thanks


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## Maclofts (Dec 14, 2014)

Sorry Kiddy, I don't want to sound like a know it all but thank you that baby is 3 years old now lol  I saved the pic, I thought it was cool.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Honestly I am a learner here and I like when I get a chance to learn from anyone. And I have a 2.5 months old fledgling who looked like this baby at that age , I have his pic of when he was of that age in another device, will try to post it here.

And yes the pic is really cool, I have my devices full of my pigeons pics. Lol


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## Maclofts (Dec 14, 2014)

Haha me too! Here's my favorite pic of the babies, just before they leave the nest...


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Oh that's cool, look like adults  
Mine ones leave nest much before, in two weeks they start coming out and chasing parents and then start sleeping outside nest. Lovely pic. Thank you.


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## ZorkyCharlemagne (Jul 13, 2015)

Those are very pretty birds! 

Baby was on a perch today, all on his own! He is getting much more active. I still let him stay in the parents cage. The father has not had another pecking incident, and has in fact preened the baby from time to time. They're not feeding him, but they don't mind him there while they nest again. I even saw baby try to pick up seed yesterday. He would pick up a seed and then drop it, but it is definitely a start. Thank you for all the info! 

Feedings have been such a bonding time. I feed him a big meal, and then he cuddles on my chest under my shirt and sleeps. He likes it there, too, since Mom and Dad won't let him sleep under their butts anymore. (He tried to climb under them 3 separate times yesterday)


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Yes parents usually don't peck them until they ask for food or they peck when they go close to their nest and eggs or new babies. They do not usually tolerate their presence when the new babies are hatched. So you have to keep any eye on them, if anytime they peck him or you see they are intended , you will have to take him out immediately else sometimes they may hurt badly if he is cornered or not able to escape. 
Yes when you hand raise them, the bond is stronger as they start thinking you as parent, So enjoy your little baby 

P. S I got this pic of my baby pigeon from another device who looked similar to yours one. But yes noted the beak difference afterwards, so yours is dove


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