# does it need parents?



## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

i found this bird yesterday. it was hop flying and being chased by cats.
it would fly across the parking lot but would land in sight of the cats and the cats would run at it. 










last night was fine no problems but in the past few hours it has started to squeak alot

it doesnt make the "brbrbrbrb" sound that older ones do
it goes peep peep peep especialy whe it eats seeds

it was easy to pick up yesterday, but today if i put my hand in the cage it punches me with its wing (strong and fast)

it is eating wild bird seed and drinking bottled water. 

sometimes it stands on one foot like a flamingo. 

the droppings look like the kind of bird poop i get on my car

it can fly short and low

it has brown /tan eyes clear and bright
it has a clearish mini tip on the end of its beak
it has adult feathers with some yellow down poking up
most of the yellowish feathers are on its head.
its feet look huge!

thanks


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Yes...this baby *does* need support still from his parents. Often at this age, they pretend to be eating but they really aren't...they are just practicing. I can tell from the poop in the picture, that this baby isn't getting enough substance and so if you will follow the following pre-written instructions, it would be great.
BTW...the wing slapping is a perfectly normal pigeon thing to do...isn't it charming. LOL


If you are seeing bright green poop, it could be the bird isn't eating enough on his own and may need to be hand fed. It also could be ill. Often the young birds will try to eat the seed and so folks assume they are eating when they really aren't.
It would be great if you could post a picture of the poop so we can give you a better opinion.
You can hand feed defrosted corn and peas. Run some hot water over them until they are defrosted and slightly warmed. Put the bird on your lap and hold it next to your body. If it helps, you can wrap a towel around it or put it in the sleeve of a tee shirt, with the head out the wrist. That confines them without hurting them and makes it easier to handle. Gently open the beak and pop the piece of corn and peas at the back of the mouth and over the throat. 
You will need to feed 40-50 per feeding and every time the crop empties until you know the baby is eating on his own. 
This is a wonderful method for teaching babies to eat because they feel the whole food in their mouth and it’s soft and easy to pick up and hang on to. The next step… seeds. 
The crop is located right below the throat and with food it fills up like a little balloon. The peas and corn make it lumpy and squishy.


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

oh? the other pij's Ive saved over the years were older and just needed water grit and seed and rest for 3-4 weeks and were released and are doing fine with the "local flock"

you mean this one does need parents? and I'm them now?
it did eat 1/4 of a dorito and is now sleeping on a French fry. 
I'm going to go look in that seed bowl. how can i tell if it is eating? does it hide the food? if its gone it ate it right

if the poop changes today from yesterday then its getting the seed from me and passing the wild stuff it ate before i caught it right?

hey should we have left it alone? 
why is it peeping when it pecks the seed?
or is that irrelevant?

OK its asleep and has its head tucked in and is puffed up.
ill check back in the am. 


thanks


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

GENESIS3355 said:


> oh? the other pij's Ive saved over the years were older and just needed water grit and seed and rest for 3-4 weeks and were released and are doing fine with the "local flock"
> 
> you mean this one does need parents? and I'm them now?
> it did eat 1/4 of a dorito and is now sleeping on a French fry.
> ...


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

GENESIS3355 said:


> oh? the other pij's Ive saved over the years were older and just needed water grit and seed and rest for 3-4 weeks and were released and are doing fine with the "local flock"
> 
> you mean this one does need parents? and I'm them now?
> Yes..you are the parent now.
> ...



Please do re- read my first post to you with feeding instructions.


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

wow i dont know if i can use force on a bird. can i dangle a worm in front of him?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Come on now...pigeons don't eat worms.

He's not completley weaned yet. It's feed him or he will perish. It just takes a time or two until he get's used to it and soon enough he wil be gobbling the food out of your hand and eating the seed.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Hehehe - holding a baby pigeon and gently prying her mouth open to pop a pea or pc of corn in can hardly be described as 'using force'  (anyway - you have no choice - baby's maybe 15-17 days old & needs sustenance -- and lots of it !) Just do it slowly and smoothly - once he swallows the first few vegges he'll catch on - And absolutely you saved her life !!! One quick Q - did the cats ever catch him\her ? Are there ANY signs of injury such as missing feathers or abrasions or cuts or scabs or scrapes ? If so - this baby needs meds ASAP


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

So where are you located Genesis? Perhaps we have someone in your area who can assist you with this young pigeon. PLEASE do read what's been posted to you by other members.

Terry


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

good morning 
lets go check on the bird
thanks for the overnight replies
be back soon


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

looks good. just stares at me 
no peeping now. theres poop all over the cage floor
the larger seeds are gone but the very small round ones are still in the cup. the french fry is intact and i will remove it now. half the water is gone. 

im going to put it out on the porch and let it wake up fully
before i feed it. 

so let me get this straight. you want me to gently insert 40-50 peas and/or corn niblets into this bird? by prying its beak open? 
how sharp is that clear eggshell cutter tip?

how can we tell for sure if its eating?

someone asked if the cats got it at all. no i dont think so. 
but i did not see the entire events. 

i do see one loose/crooked feather hanginging down out of order sometimes. if you look close you can see it dangling in the photo. (better photos for you after 2pm today)
but no baldness or wounds. it does fly. 
just not long and high.


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

TAWhatley said:


> So where are you located Genesis? Perhaps we have someone in your area who can assist you with this young pigeon. PLEASE do read what's been posted to you by other members.
> 
> Terry


Balto/Wash area


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

you can roll him in a towel like a burrito if he is moving around alot, do as stated above, he needs to eat, he will swallow the pea or corn you put in his mouth at the back of the throat.


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

can it be raw corn? like from right off the cob? i have fresh raw corn i just got at the store for dinner. can i pull some niblets off the cob?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

GENESIS3355 said:


> can it be raw corn? like from right off the cob? i have fresh raw corn i just got at the store for dinner. can i pull some niblets off the cob?


I think the thawed frozen peas and corn are best as they are softer(from blanching before frozen) and have more moister in them. if that is all you have at the moment, use the raw corn, cut if off the cob and blanch it in hot boiling water for 3 or 4 minutes to soften it and let cool to room temp. and feed it.


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

I think so. But be sure to wash it really well. Do you know if they use pesticides where you got it from?

Sharp? Since when bird beaks are sharp? lol. It won't hurt you. They don't have really strong beaks as they don't crack the seeds, they swallow them whole. And they aren't like carnivorous so they don't need strong beaks.

You can gently press the sides of the beak with thumb and index fingers and open it by pushing the lower half (idk if you get which part) it down with another finger (middle one for example). Then you grab the corn and put it in his mouth, then release the beak. He will swallow it whole.


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

http://img444.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=dsc00574g.jpg

feeding it the corn now. its not as easy as you said but not as hard as i thought. 10 pcs so far.

after the feeding it stuck its head out and peeped alot. 
http://img180.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=dsc00578qr.jpg

im gonna put it in the cage so it can drink and feed it more later

heres 24 hours of poop
http://img404.imageshack.us/i/dsc00581kz.jpg/


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Good start but 10 pieces isn't nearly enough. You need to feed 30-40 pieces each feeding and probably 3 times a day until he is eating well on his own.


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

now it eats half of the corn from my hand


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

That's wonderful!!!! Let him have all he wants.


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

so does that mean no more "force feeding?" i was "force feeding" when it suddeenly just picked it right outa my finger tips. and went peeeppeep!
then i put some in my hand and it pecked it and ate each niblet. 


sometimes it picks up the corn and just throws it around for a few times before eating it. 

it stopped and flew to a shelf and is napping now. 
it sleeps on one foot like a flamingo is that ok?
has good balance and big feet


i dont have seed with me now so i put corn in the small dish but it doesnt look like its eating corn from the dish but it did eat it from my hand.
it will eat seed fromn the dish (at leat it looks like it does)

will this bird be able to be returned to the wild or is it domesticated now?
will it be able to live outdoors in my yard?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

GENESIS3355 said:


> so does that mean no more "force feeding?" i was "force feeding" when it suddeenly just picked it right outa my finger tips. and went peeeppeep!
> then i put some in my hand and it pecked it and ate each niblet.
> 
> 
> ...


Not just yet.


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

Now what?

Went from,

Force feeding to hand feeding to cup feeding to floor feeding.
Now I can put a pile of wild bird seed on the ground and it jumps down and eats it.
Ate lots of corn at first with a calcium supplement made from oyster shells.
It eats the calcium right from the can. I just hold it up to the cage and it runs over and eats several mouth fulls.

Goes nuts when I get my hand near the cage and runs over and sticks its head between my fingers flaps its wings and peeps and jumps up and down?

Drinks water from a cup and bathes in a large tub

Has almost doubled in size. Almost all the yellow down is gone.


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

He/she goes nuts because she wants to get fed, haha. She'll stop doing it in a while.

Well, still needs some more time before release, but you're on the right tracks. Just keep taking care of her, take her outside caged and make her socialize with other pijjies (you can drop some seeds and they will probably come down to eat), give her some flying time in a room with windows and doors closed for her to practice...
Sounds like a 25-30 days old bird. She'll need at least 15-20 more days.


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## Cyreen (Jun 6, 2010)

GENESIS3355 said:


> it did eat 1/4 of a dorito and is now sleeping on a French fry.
> I'm going to go look in that seed bowl. how can i tell if it is eating? does it hide the food? if its gone it ate it right:confused.


I'm sorry, but this was funny! I've seen ferals scoff down some really questionable stuff. This is about the same age Ollie was when I found her; gotta love squeakers!


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## silvertip47 (Jun 30, 2010)

Ok I am in the same boat, and the first few feedings, I really thought the little thing would end up starving to death, It was taking forever to get one stinking pea into its mouth, And there were 2 of us doing this. But the next morning, after the excitement of getting food, I managed on my own, and every feeding after that got easier, too the point that 4 days later, (very exhausting days for me, because I worry and constantly check) the bird pretty much eats on its own. Peas corn, and dove seed, and it loves its water to drink. Hates baths though, we have tried several times and it just hates them. Trust me, I knew nothing about pigeons especially baby ones, until 4 days ago. And I didn't think I could do it, but I did. Good luck, I know exactly how you are feeling.


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

What is it that im waiting for? 
I have an extended vacation next week and can’t take birds on the plane.

the bird
Eats, drinks, fly’s, chirps, poops, grooms, bathes, 

Im almost afraid to let it go as it might kick some feral flocks butt. This is a strong healthy bird. (Wonder if it was the calcium supplement)


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

*update*

voice has changed from peeping to honking. trys to keep flying in the cage and has knocked a few feathers loose


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## GENESIS3355 (Jun 16, 2010)

Gets Set Free Today!


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