# Baby birds lost dad



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

*Please HELP_ Baby birds lost dad*

Can yall help me decide what to do? A hawk got one of the parents of squabs that were born Friday- so they are about a wk old.
If I take the babies and the mother into my back porch, were I can keep it warm- will the mother still take care of the chicks? Or will she still get off the nest from10 to 5? Or will she probulary not take care of them bc i moved them? I know to keep the babys at 90degrees, i hand raised one just recently, but id rather keep the mother with these birds- what do yall think?
Thank you , Sal


----------



## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi Slic75,

Are you referring to feral pigeons that you are keeping an eye on or are these ones that you have in loft or pet situation?

fp


----------



## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Slic75,


You should leave the nest where it is I think...

But you could maybe gently slip an Electric Heating pad under it, (thin cardboard can slip under it pretty well, and then slip the heating pad under that...then pull the thin cardboard out...you can also have the Heating Pad in a plastic bag to keep it clean and to ensure no liquids get into it) in such a way that the Babys will be able to stay warm when Momma takes-a-break to go eat and stretch and so on.

Single parent Pigeons can do fine raising two Babys, so long as they do not give up from frustration or discouragement...

I had a single parent Dad raise his two, from about four days old or so, oweing to how Momma flew off and got lost somehow ( Momma and Poppa were both recovered ferals then liveing in my appartment and neither had ever gone 'out' yet).

Make sure good Seed and Grit is close by for Momma to get to graze on during her short off-the-nest breaks, as too with a nice Bathing Bowl, and drinking water bowl each to be scrubbed and refilled daily.

How cold is it where you are? And is the nest protected from winds and so on? 

Are these ferals? Or, your domestic Birds? And did they build their own nest on their own elected nest site? Or?


Phil
Las Vegas


----------



## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

pdpbison said:


> But you could maybe gently slip an Electric Heating pad under it, (thin cardboard can slip under it pretty well, and then slip the heating pad under that...then pull the thin cardboard out...
> *you can also have the Heating Pad in a plastic bag to keep it clean and to ensure no liquids get into it*) in such a way that the Babys will be able to stay warm when Momma takes-a-break to go eat and stretch and so on.
> Phil
> Las Vegas


I wouldn't recommend placing the heating in a plastic bag.  
To protect the heating pad from becoming soiled, we have always recommended placing a towel on top of the heating pad. 
Cindy


----------



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

Hi there- these are white homing pigeons- they have a loft. The babies were getting cold and shivering and after 2 hours, the mother did not get back on the nest, so I took the babies and the mom and put them on my porch with the heater turned up. I am at work, but i am going to go check on them. The mother is not one of my tamer birds, so she may be stressed by the move. I really hope she goes back to sitting on them. It is about 45-50 degrees today, I am in SC so tommorow it will probulary be 70. or 30 LOL we never know. 
I have 2 birds on my porch now, one that the flock tried to kill and one that i handraised and am trying to wean.
Anyway, the crop on the babies look med- full, not all the way. Do you think if she is not too stressed adn feeds them on her own, i should not worry about feeding them? I have Kdee exact so i am prepared. Should i just watch the crop and decide? I have them in a small bird cage with there nest bowl, food grit and water close by. Thank you - I have only had pigeons for about 6 monthes and am learning everyday. All your help is much much appreciated.


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

AZWhitefeather said:


> To protect the heating pad from becoming soiled, we have always recommended placing a towel on top of the heating pad.
> Cindy


...or a chux pad, they are terrific.


Slic75,

I'm sorry to hear about the father.

You need to insure their warmth, but you do run the risk of mom abandoning them, if she is very insecure of her surroundings inside, and also since the father is gone.

If it is very cold, bring them inside the house, find a quiet secluded warm area where she can nest with the babies (up high, with a front) and keep an eye on them 24/7. If she is okay she may continue to feed them, or will eventually abandon them. But you definitely need to supplement feed.

The longer you can get her to feed them the better, but you will need to help her now that they are starting to double in size, *it is crucial to their health that*they need to have an almost full crop every four hours. They can survive, as they have had the milk for the first crucial days, but they will need human intervention, unless you have another pair that will adopt them, that is still possible if they aren't feathered.

In te future you should keep your breeders inside until the babies are self-sufficent.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

I think that between Dad being gone and moving the Mother, you are going to wind up raising these babies. There's not much chance that Mom would have finished raising them on her own anyway. Two 1 week old babies is just to much. And do what Treesa said, keep your breeders in side until the babies are old enough to fend for them selves in case something like this happens.


----------



## pigeonmama (Jan 9, 2005)

I have a little figurita hen who successfully raised a single squab from hatch to wean, so it is possible, but she only had one squab to care for. Possibly you could supplement/help hen with babies.
Daryl


----------



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

Thanks, I saw the mom feeding them, so perhaps she will continue. Yeah I think it will be best to start keeping the breeders in with babies- I have a devided pen, so maybe I can put my weanlings and unpaird birds in there, and leave the other side for pairs. I feel bad not letting them out though 80(---- but i guess this is best.
Do i need to slowly bring them onto the Kaytee? Thanks, Sal


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Keep a close eye on both to make sure they are thriving. Mom should have food and water in her nest box 24/7.

You should let mom do what she can, and then you make sure the babies are almost full by supplementing where she falls short. If they become hungry and peep for food constantly she may feel overwhelmed and give up.


----------



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

Thanks yall- the bigger baby's crawl was pretty full but the smaller was empty, so i fed the bigger baby a little and the smaller baby a good bit. She is scared when i check on them, and she is not sitting on them- but i have noticed that the mothers dont sit alot on any of the babies. I have chickens, and there chicks will die real quick from not being under the hen, so these pigeons are amazing me. Even though I have witnessed 10 babies raised up, they still amaze me- dont think it will ever get old! I hope these babies will be fine and I am commited to helping them old.
My first handraised bird is weaning good, so hopefully these will do good too.


----------



## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Sounds like you have things under control. You seem like a great foster mom even if you are 'featherless'!  Do keep us updated! And post pictures, if you can, when they are a little older...


----------



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

Thanks, the mom seems to only be feeding the bigger chick, but at least she is still feeding. I think she has begun to understand that she gets her chicks back, as she is much calmer when i get them out to feed. They are really neat birds.
I have noticed my male birds fighting alot over the last few days. My cages are big- will they just hash it out? I have seperated my breeding pairs from the ones that are not paired, and the young birds. I assume the fighting is bc spring is upon us. Some of the males have lost some feathers around there neck- what do yall think? Is this normal and will pass? Thank you so much, I dont know what id do without this site.


----------



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

oops one other question, these chicks (the ones that lost dad) have black spots on them (only two small ones) and the feathers are coming in dark in that spot. These are white homing pigeons, should i not allow the parents to breed again? or just not allow the babies? Or not worry about it? These chicks are the first pair that did not turn out all white. thanks


----------



## Mistifire (May 27, 2004)

There may have been a different father if they were not seperated from other birds.


----------



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

*black spots*

Hi there- all my pigeons are white. The "blue" pair (call them that bc i put matching bands on each pair) had two previous babies that were all white. One of the babies that lost dad has black spots. So even if the mother got with another pigeon, they should be white- unless she got with a feral pigeon while she was out, but i think that is unlikely bc they dont stay out very long and they just fly in circles. So i guess i just should not breed the baby with the spots? to maintain an all white flock?

Also, the smaller of the pair of pigeons doesnt appear to be getting food from the mother, and he has a peice of skin missing and was bleeding. I hope it just was an accident. the cut is not that big. Do you think the mother is abandoning just the small one? Is it possible that she may hurt it to get rid of it?

I just wanted to tell yall this.. my first handraised pigeon who I am weaning did a darling thing. I have been letting him in the outside pigoen pen for a few hours a day, to get accostumed to things (dont want to put him out full time bc the birds pick on the weak ones) any way i brought him in the kitchen while i tended to my babies w/o dad, i was in the other room for a while, when i returned the weanling (named Russal) Had balled up a sock and was sleeping on it just like a dog would do. He was so cute!

Thanks for yall's help.


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

If the younger baby isn't getting fed or positive attention from mom, you need to start feeding it. Make sure the crop is almost full, and empties within four hours and then feed again. It is quite possible she attacked it. Make sure you find a safe and warm place for this youngster.


----------



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

*Question: smaller baby screams for food after fed*

Hi there- I have the pigeons inside and they are with thier mother. The bigger one seems to be getting all the food, so every 4 hours i have been feeding the little baby and supplementing the bigger one.

Question: The small bird still acts starving even after his crop is filled. He screams and screams for more food- is this normal?


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

The baby should calm down and be settled after he is full.

How many mls are you feeding him, and how often?
Is he pooping alot? 
Is he skinny or growing & fat like the bigger one? 
Is there any other strange behavior?

... sorry about all the questions, but it might help determine what is going on.

Check down the baby's throat and see if there is any kind of blockage, there may be a problem with canker or something, that is preventing him from digesting, but then there would also not be much poop or none.

If you can't find anything down the throat, and he is pooping alot and eating well, I would take the larger bird away from mom and feed him with a syringe and allow mom to fill up the smaller one first, then return the bigger one. Don't leave the smaller one alone with her in case she hurts him, she may know something is wrong with this one, that we do not.

Please answer the questions so we can better determine the problem, the baby may need to be seen by a rehabber or avian vet.


----------



## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

i was in the other room for a while, when i returned the weanling (named Russal) Had balled up a sock and was sleeping on it just like a dog would do. He was so cute!

Thanks for yall's help.[/QUOTE]


That is so cute. Guess you didn't take a pic of it, would make a great one.

Reti


----------



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

How many mls are you feeding him, and how often? Feeding every 3-4 hr depending on how crop looks- feeding the smaller one about 30cc, sometimes a little more, and he still yells for food, the bigger one i have only been feeding about 10cc bc the mom seems to be feeding him well and he doesnt readily eat from me like the smaller one does
Is he pooping alot? plenty of poop
Is he skinny or growing & fat like the bigger one? the bigger one definately is fatter but the little one looks good too
Is there any other strange behavior- only that the small one beggs for food whenever he sees me and does not seem to get satisfied from the food & mom definately is not feeding him
Thanks- Sal


----------



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

Hey there- got a pic, but he'd already stood up- ill attach it though- he's still cute.


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Thanks for the update.

How old is the baby now?

How thick is the formula?


----------



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

*age*

They were born on Jan 19th- so they are 11 days old.


----------



## Slic75 (Dec 13, 2005)

oh and the mix is a little soupier than it calls for bc i read online that it should be a little wetter than it says in the directions. What ya think?

He's a pic of my 1st handraised pigeon- not the ones that im doing now. He found this sock and rolled up in it and went to sleep- but he got up bf i could get a pic of him laying down.


----------

