# need help with 4 day-old mourning dove!!



## honeybear6 (Jul 8, 2011)

Hi, everyone.

I've had a 4 day-old dove for 2 days now. I've been keeping him on a heating pad covered in a couple of towels in an old Easter basket with a pillowcase draped over it to keep away drafts. I'm feeding him Kaytee bird formula every 2-3 hours or when he peeps for it. Not sure if his crop is emptying, since I'm not 100% sure where that is, but he's having regular bowel movements. Just figured out today that feeding him with a 1 mL syringe wasn't working out so well, so started feeding out of a ziplock bag with a corner cut off. I'm concerned because I don't know how active he should be at this age...he wakes up to feed, but isn't really alert and sorta flops on his side sometimes. He doesn't use his legs much. Any help would be appreciated! (Gotta go feed him again, lol.)

BTW, my daughter, who found him, has named him Clumsy because he fell out of his nest twice before we discovered his parents wouldn't let him back in the nest. 

I've attached a pic of Clumsy, so you can see how little he is.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

sounds like your doing great! only feed when the crop is about empty.. here is a link to a picture of a full crop, it is the bag looking thing on the front of the breast/neck, when it is full it feels like squishy bean bag.. at his age Im guessing he would need about 5 mls per feeding..and then check the crop.

http://www.urbanwildlifesociety.org/WLR/Baby Pij & Dove Feeding/Maddie full crop.jpg


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

need pic's please...i would change over to a baby bottle with rubber nipple and cut the tip so he can put his beak in and if you can get squab formula that would be best but think the kaytee may work too never used it. if he's 4 days old there will be not much moving other then the little wing flap and a squeak here and there asking for food after eating comes sleeping. are his eyes open? first get some pic's to post so we all can see him and then we'll be able to tell how old he/she is


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## honeybear6 (Jul 8, 2011)

Okay, guys, finally got a pic up there. (Had to resize, which I'm really not good at, lol.) The baby just started to open his eyes for brief periods of time yesterday. I'm glad to know that he's moving about as much as he should be for his age.

Also, there was a problem with the link you posted, Spirit, so if you could post it again, that would be awesome!

Thanks guys!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

oh sorry.. lets try this one of a diamond dove.. in this pic the crop is the ballon or bag looking thing in front on the breast lower neck area and you can see the formula through the skin a bit.. hope that helps.

http://www.diamonddove.info/05_02_very_small_baby.jpg

here is another from the front..it is the bulge in front on their breast it fills like a little balloon..

http://www.eastvalleywildlife.org/_images/DoveHatchling.jpg


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## honeybear6 (Jul 8, 2011)

Thanks for the links, Spirit...can you look at these pics of Clumsy and tell me whether or not his crop is full? And when it's not full, will the "balloon-y" area look darker like the rest of his skin? (I looked at Kaytee's feeding video and there was a very basic sketch of what a crop is and where it's at, but it didn't really show how wide the area of the crop is. Does it take up most of the chest area??)


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

he looks very full in those pics..and may even have some air in there.. besure to get as much air out of the syringe as possible before feeding.. when it is flat and not full, you can try to burp some air out by massaging it up to the mouth to expell it.. just make sure there is no food in there when you do it or else you will push food up to his mouth.


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## honeybear6 (Jul 8, 2011)

Thanks again, Spirit. He seems to be doing much better now...he's getting more alert everyday. I was wondering if you know when he will be using his legs more. He just kinda uses his beak to scoot around right now. Is this normal? Remember, he's only 6 days old. Should I be giving him some sort of supplement or is he getting everything he needs from the formula? 

Bonnie


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

honeybear6 said:


> Thanks again, Spirit. He seems to be doing much better now...he's getting more alert everyday. I was wondering if you know when he will be using his legs more. He just kinda uses his beak to scoot around right now. Is this normal? Remember, he's only 6 days old. Should I be giving him some sort of supplement or is he getting everything he needs from the formula?
> 
> Bonnie


he is getting all he needs.. they usually do not move around untill they start feather out.. soon he will be moving up and down to reach..and then later he will walk more...it takes awhile..he is still very young and they do not move much at this age.


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## honeybear6 (Jul 8, 2011)

*uh oh....now I'm mama bird, times 2*

Thanks for the last info, Spirit. Have a new dillema, LOL. Now, the older chick from the same nest blew out of the tree in the backyard - nest and all. He's got actual feathers, so I'm guessing he's maybe a week older than the other baby, but still too little to make it on his own. Tried putting him back in the tree, but the parents never came back to the nest. I've tried feeding him the same way I've been feeding baby #1 (Clumsy), but he doesn't seem interested. Checked his crop and it feels harder than his brother's (is it smaller in older birds or was I feeling pectoral muscles?). The new bird will let me handle him, but he seems a bit skittish. Is this maybe why he won't eat from the baggie? Also, how much longer will I need to feed him until he's ready to be released? (Can he be released?) Sorry, so many questions, but I'm brand-new to this! Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

Bonnie


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