# Making substitute Pigeon Milk for orphan hatchlings



## pdpbison

Sooner or later, or even at-the-moment, the nutritional needs of Hatchling or less
than week-old Baby Pigeons presents itself as a present concern
for the novice or veteran rescuer or rehabber

So, the issue of Pigeon Milk is something we may wonder
about a little at liesure, now, to maybe establish recommendations or detailed testimonials, which may inform about 
some reliable product, or home-made formula, or other recourse for this exigency when it occurs.


So, the basic question then, is - How may accomidate the needs of these neonates? which is also, how may we best approximate the
composition and properties of Pigeon Milk? And, how may ensure that our errs be on the side of doing no harm when we do err?

In so far as it has been cursorily described chemically to some
extent, ( at least as far as I could find so far) or in terms of it's catagoricly named constituents which
have been
identified, subtleties will of course exist which Science or
cursory Chemical Analysis may not quite apprehend. 

Never the
less,
if we can compare what information we can find about it, we
can see what may be done to approximate it's composition, at
least for it's salient constituents.

A quote I found last night, on the net -

"Doves and Pigeons along with some species of Parrots are
the
only birds that produce crop milk.
Studies have shown it is manufactured in the crop and the
process beings while the parents are brooding the eggs. Soon
after sitting the eggs the cell division of the crop
increases about 600 percent. After about week the process
increases at a higher rate.

When analyzed the milk was found to contain About 70 percent
water. The other 30 percent contained, 38 percent fat, 58
percent was protein and 98 percent of this protein, is true
protein.
Also found was small amounts of ash, calcium, phosphorus
sodium, potassium,
lecithin, and all of the known B vitamins.
One teaspoon also contained as much vitamin A as drop of
cod-liver oil.
By the way both the parents Hen and Cock produce it."

(endquote)

So then, a good place to begin !

As an aside, I believe Humming Birds, Penguins and some others also
produce "Milk' in one manner or another, either in their Esophagus or in their Crops.

So...what things may we suppose could be combined to come
close, for our practical purposes?
What straightforward products will contain the kinds of
ingredients, proportion of them, or singly of them as may be used for combineing with other reliable products or ingredients,
for these occasions of Hatchlings who would appreciate our
efforts?

My initial thoughts have been to speculate along the lines of approximately this - 

A proportion of "Nutrical", Olive Oil, a small carefully calculated amount of Cod Liver Oil, Pea or other
Vegan, possibly "Nutiva" Hemp Powder or combinations of several Vegan Protean Powders of a low Sodium low Iron kind,) mixed
with an appropriate amount of Distilled or
purified Water, or with possibly Oat Milk...possibly a small amount of 'Braggs' Liquid Aminos.

I have not thought this out yet as for the details of proportion and alignment of basic Fats and Proteans to the ratio indicated in the short quote.

Also, the quote I found says nothing as for incidental Sugars or
Starches...

Ideas?

Recommendations?

Experiences?

Yours, 

Phil


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## John_D

Phil - there is a substitute called the 'mac milk diet' which, I think, someone here told us about. I think it was 'invented' by a rehabber.

MacMilk: Crop Milk Replacer Recipe

1 jar (71 grams) strained chicken baby food
1 hard-boiled egg yolk (16.6 grams)
1 tablespoon low-fat yogurt (15.3 grams)
¼ teaspoon corn oil (1.13 grams)
247.6 mg calcium carbonate
2 drops cod-liver oil (from gel cap)
1 drop vitamin E (diluted 1:10 in corn oil; see notes)
1 small pinch vitamin B complex (see notes)
25 mg. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)

For birds days 1 to 3, digestive enzymes (see notes)

Method: Mix all ingredients in a blender. Allow the digestive enzymes to work on the food for ½ hour before using at room temperature. Warm it to 'wrist' temperature before feeding.

Note: because the replacer offers more calories and is more bioavailable than other diets, you may require less than you are used to feeding. Weigh the bird, calculate its energy
requirements and feed accordingly.

MacMilk® Astrid MacLeod and Janine Perlman, 2001©

NOTES

Vitamins: Vitamin E, as purchased, is too 'strong' for the correction required in this diet. Mix one drop of vitamin E (from a 400 IU/ capsule) with 10 drops of corn oil. Shake or stir well. Then, use 1 drop of the diluted vitamin E in the recipe. The remainder can be kept in an airtight container and stored in a cool, dark place. It can be used over the next few days -. Because vitamin E degrades, it will have to be mixed fresh after a
few days, so don't make too much at once. The amount of B complex required is too small to weigh on a gram scale. The amount required for this recipe is a pinch the size of one sesame seed.

Enzymes: Hatchling doves do not have high enough levels of proteases and other enzymes to digest foods well. Although crop milk is high in protein, as described earlier in this section, some of the protein is in the form of 'free amino acids' - thus, already broken down. This is one of the reasons that raising hatchling doves has been very difficult in the past. We can break down the protein in the crop milk replacer by adding digestive enzymes.

Birds days one to three: digestive enzymes must be added to all hatchling diets, and can be discontinued after day three, when the bird's own digestive enzymes are at higher levels. Pancrezyme can be purchased from a veterinary clinic. Enzymes from the health food store probably will not be effective. Because enzymes are required for hatchling diets and in emaciation protocol, they are good to have on hand.

(Did that come from Terry originally??)

There is more on feeding generally, and changing diet with age.


John


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## Vyshka

John_D said:


> 1 jar (71 grams) strained chicken baby food


Does strained chicken baby food mean you strain chicken baby food, or there is a type called that because it’s strained? Sorry, I’m just trying to get it right. ❤


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## Doves Witness

It is a type of pre-made baby food, although given recalls in the past, straining it again yourself might not be such a bad idea.






Nutrients in Babyfood, meat, chicken, strained


Detailed nutritional values of Babyfood, meat, chicken, strained. Online analysis information with non-nutrients and nutrients composition facts table for item No. 03012 found in category Baby Foods. Data contents chart for nutritionists. Food details for BABYFOOD,MEAT,CHICK,STR in different...




www.traditionaloven.com




^ The nutrition info for the baby food shows 63% protein, 33% fat, which is pretty close to pigeon milk by itself.

The main thing that pigeon milk has, which the baby food doesn't is antibodies that help to protect the young birds' health. If the yogurt you use in the MacMilk recipe has "live cultures", the young birds will get some probiotics from it. Greek yogurt with live cultures usually has the _least_ amount of lactose, which pigeons don't digest well.




> Pigeon milk contains protein (60%), fat (32–36%), carbohydrate (1–3%), minerals (calcium, potassium, sodium, and phosphorus), and antibodies (Davies, 1939; Kocianova et al., 1993).











The Composition and Function of Pigeon Milk Microbiota Transmitted From Parent Pigeons to Squabs


Mammalian neonates obtain antibodies, nutrients, and microbiota from breast milk that help them resist the complex growth environment. Similar to mammals’ lactation behavior for their offspring, parent pigeons regurgitate pigeon milk (PM) from ...




www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
















http://www.researchgate.net/publication/248626757_Nutrition_of_the_domestic_pigeon_Columba_livia_domestica



Another topic on the subject of pigeon-milk replacer: Mac milk


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