# Young collared dove behaves weird.



## Little Blind Chicken (Apr 20, 2016)

Hello there.

The other day I've picked up a young collared dove. It is about 3-4 week old I suppose, totally fledged, but still having some yellow fluff, and even able to eat by itself.

The thing is that the juvenile's sitting almost motionlessly all the time, only grooming its feathers, shifting from one foot to another and hardly changing its location worries me a bit. Not squeaking seems strange as well. I'm experienced in handling pigeon squabs, and suspect that their active behavior was absolutely ok.

Also it doesn't eat much, like all the young birds do, preferring mostly hard-boiled egg and buckwheat porridge. The color of dove's poop varies from brown to yellowish, it's liquid and sometimes smells bad.

What can you people say about it all? Is it alright for a collared dove juvenile to be so quiet and not voracious? Every advise is appreciated.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*First of all, the bird requires a dove seed mix for optimum nutrition. The diet you are mentioning may be causing the smelly liquid poop and lethargic behavior. Probiotics will help get good gut bacteria where is should be.

The messy/smelly poop can also be caused by other issues, but I would change the diet first, immediately.

Also the bird needs sunlight and calcium/D3 that is important for young birds. *


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## Whytpigeon (Sep 14, 2015)

Little Blind Chicken said:


> Hello there.
> 
> The other day I've picked up a young collared dove. It is about 3-4 week old I suppose, totally fledged, but still having some yellow fluff, and even able to eat by itself.
> 
> ...


Doves are allot quieter and docile than pigeons. If fed properly it should be more active when it is ready to fledge its nest or sitting spot now that you have taken it. Unless predators were around it should of been left to his parents to feed and guide him. If no problems arise and he lives, he should act like any other colored dove. He or she will want and need a mate as it matures.


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## Little Blind Chicken (Apr 20, 2016)

The problem is that the dove refuses to eat anything but those eggs and buckwheat, even though I offer it a huge variety of foods - and also the bird seems to be too young to consume raw uncooked seeds as it ignores them.
However, he doesn't look like dying from improper at all, simply behaving too quiet.


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## Whytpigeon (Sep 14, 2015)

Little Blind Chicken said:


> The problem is that the dove refuses to eat anything but those eggs and buckwheat, even though I offer it a huge variety of foods - and also the bird seems to be too young to consume raw uncooked seeds as it ignores them.
> However, he doesn't look like dying from improper at all, simply behaving too quiet.


Doves learn to eat from watching their parents. The parent birds eat and regurgitate raw seeds to their young. At his age that you described he should be fully weaned in a week or so. So yes he should be starting to eat seeds on his own. Since you are his parent now, you're the one who is going to have to teach him. You have to open the beak and place a seed or pea in the back of the throat for them to swallow it. Then peck you're fingers in a bowl of seeds and legumes for doves, he will catch on and try to peck at the seeds, patience is a virtue. You will see it's better to leave them to their own parents.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Here is a link on hand/force feeding seeds, you can begin there: http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/peasandcorn.htm

If the bird is not able to eat seeds or not weaned, you should start leaving a small deep spill proof dish with seeds around it 24/7 so it can practice eating them, but still force/hand feed until it eats properly on its own. *


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## Little Blind Chicken (Apr 20, 2016)

As I mentioned in the very first post, the dove is able to eat by itself - no need to force-feed it. It just pecks at raw seeds, throwing them around and not swallowing them like they're just not tasty for him. It goes the way better with soft cooked seeds.

Nevertheless, thank you for info.


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## Whytpigeon (Sep 14, 2015)

Little Blind Chicken said:


> As I mentioned in the very first post, the dove is able to eat by itself - no need to force-feed it. It just pecks at raw seeds, throwing them around and not swallowing them like they're just not tasty for him. It goes the way better with soft cooked seeds.
> 
> Nevertheless, thank you for info.


He is at the playing stage with hard seeds, he obviously needs to be fed ( the hard seeds) and encouraged to eat them. If he is not eating them on his own then he is not eating on his own yet, but I am sure it is close. I think you need to open up and try what we have posted for you. You took him so please do you're best.


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