# I found a 13 day old pigeon? What kind of foods should i give it?



## tennisplayer15 (Apr 21, 2009)

So near my house there was a pigeons nest and a baby fell out and the was no way to put the pigeon back in so i decided to take him/her. I didnt know how long it had been lying there with no food/water. From what i can tell the pigeon is around 13 days.. there are still some bald spots on his back/under the wings and he still has the baby yellow feathers. 

I have been feeding him soaked white bread , a boiled crushed yolk , and seed with water. What else can i feed him? Also how often? Ive been feeding him as often as i could .. every couple of hours...

Soon i start school (in a week) so how long does it take until he becomes independent? Starts flying? Mating?

Thank You ! 

I just need some information since im not very experienced with baby pigeons.

Btw i have 2 birds at home. You can check out their pictures on my profile!


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## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

You can give him defrosted and warmed corn and pies. You allready know how to feed, just give him 40~50 pieces per feed. You can feel his crop should be squashy not too full. 2~3 times a day is enough. White bread is not good for babies. Give him some wild bird seeds to peck and learn to eat. 20~25 days old youngsters should start pecking seeds. Arround 30 days they are weaned.


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

It will take more than a week for this one to be totally on its own....
Mating won't happen for 6-1year...a long ways off.

You will have to make sure that it can eat/drink on its own.. They use their beak like a straw to drink water...so a shallow dish. Food if it can eat on its own pigeon feed/mix is needed. For now offer defrosted peas and corn....if it does not eat them pry mouth out and one at a time pop them in. Formula (exact bird ) may be needed.... done the same way as the corn...don't shove the syring down its throat...just in mouth. Little bits at a time (1cc at a time).It might take longer, but it works.
Be sure to keep inside where it is warm.

Where are you located?
Someone might be in your area to help.

Being a student and raising any animal is tough....a pigeon is no different. 
Are your parents willing to help? 
Pigeons require a lot of care.... 
You won't be able to just let him go in a few days or even a week. 

How does the inside of its mouth look? Any yellow stuff??

-Hilly


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## tennisplayer15 (Apr 21, 2009)

inside his mouth its just pink no yellow.. Also since im going to be a junior in hs this year my schedules going to be longer... but im going to ask my friends for help since my parents work late. Im hoping that he will be able to eat on his own soon. Hes actually pecking my laptop right now =)


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## tennisplayer15 (Apr 21, 2009)

Thank you for suggesting peas and corn. I just defrosted some peas and corn and will feed him soon.


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## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

Warm them to your body temperature, cold food will hurt his crop. It is responsibility to have pigeon, but you can feed hin mornings before school and afternoons. I feed squeekers at 6:00 and 16:00. during the day they are on their own.


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

Having him eat is just the begining....then the picky eater comes in.
You also will have them flying, pooing a bit, and requiring attention. They are a bit like kids at times.

You also need to decide very soon on if you will be able to care for him permanently, adopt him out, or raise for release.
The three different ideas, have to be raised three different ways....and that needs to be decided soon.

You then also need to get your parents on board with whatever idea you choose as a family.

I can't stress enough on how he can't just be thrown outside (not saying that you'd do that...just pointing it out).

Pigeons can live for 12+...so long time. You'll have school, friends, gfs/bfs, work, college...a lot going on.

I'm not trying to discourage you either. Most people (yes even adults) don't know what they took on till it is too late....and the pigeon suffers.

You did an awesome thing by helping it...we just have to plan its future and keep it healthy.

A picture of it would be awesome!
-Hilly


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

*You already have a dove and pigeon right?*

Thanks for taking care of this baby. I looked at your pictures as you said, so you already have a pigeon and a dove, right? They are very cute. We would love to hear how you came by them. 

As for the new baby, keep him away from your other birds obviously to make sure he isn't sick and doesn't give them something. He may be unreleasable if we can't get his legs back in good shape. But if you already have two then another one shouldn't make much of a difference.  Keep us posted!


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## tennisplayer15 (Apr 21, 2009)

To: HILLYBEAN

So Ive read what your said and your completly right. I would never just throw him out into the streets. Ive decided to keep him since ive become so attached to him. When i go to college im sure my parents can take care of him/her (I think its a he) If by any circumstances i wouldnt be able to provide good care i would find a good loving exprienced home. I already have 2 birds so i know the resonsiblities and the cleaning up part lol. So far hes doing good and also i dont understand why so many people hate pigeons and think they are disgusting.. I mean they arent the cleanest birds but still... While i was going to take him (as he was lying on the floor) many people walked by and just looked at the bird with disgust. No one even thought of helping the poor bird.


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## tennisplayer15 (Apr 21, 2009)

To : MARYJANE

Ive kept the baby bird and my other birds apart but sometimes i put him around them for 5 min just so they can get used to each other. My dove (male) likes the bird , while my pigeon dosent really like him. Hes the kind of bird that needs time to get used to new companions.

Its kinda a long story of how i came by my birds.
Ive never thought of having a pigeon as a pet.. I was walking my dog one day and in this place (kinda like a park) my dog found a pigeon hiding. she was dirty, bald spots all over from bad nutrition, she was very dehydrated and scared. I noticed her wing looked broken and she had many open wounds. I decided to take the poor bird and nurse her back to health. She has 2 braclets one on each claw but ive never been able to track the owner down. Somehow i think that someone left her because she couldnt fly anymore. Anyway long story short shes been with me almost a year and has mostly healed (besides for her wing) and as you can see from the pictures no more wounds and no bald spots. The first day i took her in she was so hungry..she wouldnt stop eating and drinking for very long time. I decided later on to buy her a companion since she was getting bored being a alone. Since no one sells pigeons in nyc i decided to buy the closest thing to one which is a dove. At first they didnt like each other but i took a risk and now they are like lovebirds. So yeah long story but thats how i came by my birds and now i have 3 lol =)


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## tennisplayer15 (Apr 21, 2009)

Btw I.ll probably post a picture of him today. He is adorable!


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