# no luck feeding two found baby pigeons



## fimbulwinter (Jun 21, 2007)

i got these guys from work. they were out of the nest and stuck inbetween a walkway and apartment building. the only refuge was a rock wall. i decided to take them home because i worried kids might mess with them or theyd get stuck in a stairwell. ive had them now for 24hrs. ive been unsucessful in feeding them. ive tried the balloon method with kaytee exact and just leaving the exact in a small dish without luck. i also attempted filling the crop with a syringe and hose but so far havent been able to get the beak open and neck straight by myself. i might have more luck later tonight when there will be some one to give me a hand. 

any other suggestions on trying to get these guys fed?

should i take them back and let them take refuge in the rock wall?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Post a picture of your tube-feeding equipment and I'll fetch a link about that kind of stuff.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

There are a few different tube-feeding versions shown here. It's really not that hard getting their beaks open when you hold them the right way. It usually takes about three days before they start getting the idea that you're the new parent, by the way. These guys could actually easily learn to eat wild bird seed/dove mix at this point, though, as well as learning to drink from a bowl. If you put seed in front of them and try pecking at it with your finger or a pencil, they will begin to get the idea. The hungrier they get, the more easily they'll learn, by the way. And if one gets it, the other won't be far behind. Anyhow, tube-feeding:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=16235

Pidgey


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## fimbulwinter (Jun 21, 2007)

the black bit is heat shrink tubing. i read some where on here or another forum about using it. the little blue tube is what came with the syringe and seemed to be too short and thick.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, that's good equipment then and is what I use. If you want to make it a little more comfortable for the bird (possibly--it might not matter) then you can take the end that's going down the hatch and make it more "bullet-nosed" by shrinking it with a match. You cannot put it in the flame or it'll do it too much--you have to VERY QUICKLY almost touch the flame with first one side and then another until it just barely does it. That's a small fraction of a second each time.

Anyhow, look carefully at the picture series. You can "burrito" a wiggle-worm by wrapping the bird in a towel (legs back is good) but you can't get it too tight or they'll suffocate (birds can't breathe by the diaphragm--their ribcages have to physically expand and contract). Anyhow, it's often easier for beginners to get the beak open and the tube down with some restraint like that.

Pidgey


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## fimbulwinter (Jun 21, 2007)

so i can get away with seed then? id rather avoid tube feeding. not having experiance makes me nervous. if they dont pick up on the seed when should i intervene and tube feed? or will they just eat when they are hungry? should they be kept inside or are they fine outdoors? do they prefer any sort of nesting material?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

You'll want to hold the syringe to achieve an insertion angle that causes the line of the tubing to gently slide along the roof of the beak. Just like in our mouths and throats, the back of the throat begins to curve downward. That is to say that in our normal position, there is a 90 degree turn to make from the back of our mouths to down the gullet. With them, it's best to stretch their head and necks out to straighten out that curve. It's also better to run the tube in the left side of their beak (THEIR left, not yours) and cross it over to the right side (THEIR right) of their throats and down. Not a lot, just a little. 

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

At that age, they'll probably prefer something low to perch on like a board or a brick and papers to poop on below (you'll prefer that, anyhow). It's not uncommon for them to mess in their water and food bowls no matter where you put them in the cage or box. Actually, it IS uncommon for them not to.

Anyhow, they don't yet know how to either eat seed or drink but they can learn fairly easily at this point. The worst part is that they won't get as much nutrition out of it because they tend to prefer the smaller seeds at this point although I had one (only one) who seemed to prefer gobbling the dried peas first (at that same age). You'll just have to try it and see how they fare. They're not going to starve to death within a few hours, by the way. You've got a few days to teach them in before they'd actually start to wilt.

Pidgey


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## fimbulwinter (Jun 21, 2007)

thank you for all the help pidgey!


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Welcome.

All a part of our friendly service with a  

Pidgey


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

Hi Fimbulwinter,

Looks like you got two kids shopping for their first set of wheels  .
Welcome to Pigeon-Talk and thanks for taking these two home with you. I see Pidgey's taken all three of you under his big wing so you're going to do just great. 

Look around, lots of great info and expert advice here to help you get your dynamic duo successfully launched


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## jazaroo (Jan 1, 2006)

Hi fimbulwinter,

Welcome to Pigeon-Talk, and thanks for helping these little guys out.

Here are two links to videos made by one of our UK members, Cynthia (cyro51) that demonstrates how to hand feed by "seed popping" and tube feeding, you may find them useful. Also, please, as well as providing water and seeds in a dish, spread some seeds around for them to peck at. Here is also a link by Phil (pdpbison) with instructions on teaching little ones to eat on thier own, they should get the hang of it in short order.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=uU1SO0ZJoow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HulTENCRFvU

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=197030&postcount=5

Good luck with them,

Ron


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## fimbulwinter (Jun 21, 2007)

good news! before leaving for work today one of them started to mimic my rod pecking at the seed. at first it was just pecks and seeds flying about then not more than ten seconds later one of them was opening its mouth and eating. now after coming home i find all the seeds gone and they drank half the water!


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

You have some fast learners there. Wonderful.
Thanks for the update.

Reti


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

There is nothing like a little hunger as the driving force to learn to eat.  

Thank you for the happy update, they certainly are an adorable AND smart little nestling pair.


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## fimbulwinter (Jun 21, 2007)

now that they are eating what are my next steps? what do i need to expect? im assuming theyll start flying soon find some where to live and come back to visit? i havent been able to find anything past taking care of them.


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## Jazicat (Oct 31, 2005)

They're very cute and look like my girls when we adopted them Sounds like you're doing a good job with them. Could you keep them as pets?


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## fimbulwinter (Jun 21, 2007)

i wouldnt have a problem adopting them but we have a cat and dog.


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## fimbulwinter (Jun 21, 2007)

good news! for the past five days these guys hung out in my workshop so they could practice flying. the past two days i left the door open. today they ventured outside to the fence and hung out for a couple hours, then up onto my roof, and then onto my neighbors roof. after a while they were gone. i got curious after a couple hours to where they were so i took my bike and rode around the block. i found a group of four or five pigeons hanging out on a roof top with two of them hanging out side my side that look exactly like the ones i had. yay!


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## Becca199212 (May 10, 2007)

Gld to hear about their new friends!
Hope they still have time to visit you!


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