# baby fantail dove/pigeons dying at age 2-3 weeks??



## supanana (Dec 2, 2007)

Hi everyone,

I wonder if u can help?
We have 2 white fan tail doves at home, the one is a spectacular specimen however he has a deformed wing, confirmed not to be a genetic disformity and most probably happened due to a break when he was younger. 

I am writing this mail as this now is the 4th baby bird to die from our breeding pair at age 2-3 weeks. the babies are not deformed and look like healthy individuals (with crops full etc and white feathers replacing yellow down). We have a cage out side which allows the birds to be "free" and enclosed this off due to fear of other birds killing the babies! the babies have no wounds etc and look to the naked eye to be perfect specimens!

has anyone had a similar experience, any ideas of what is causing this?
should the next pair of babies we remove from the nest at 2 weeks and try to hand rear?

any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks
neil
south africa


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I'm not sure if doves get the same diseases as pigeons, but what first comes to my mind, is either Paratyphoid or E-coli. Symptoms of both diseases can be suspected with young dying in the nest, but it could be something else. Have the parent birds been immunized for Paratyphoid? Are rodents able to get into their seed?

Is it possible snakes are getting in? If you have openings that are larger then 1/4 inch, it might be allowing snakes in.

What do the babies poop look like?


----------



## Flying_Pidgy (Apr 26, 2006)

this sounds very much like paratythoid , i think trees gray hit the money on that one.

i had this happen to me a couple times too.


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

If it is Paratyphoid you will need Baytril.


----------

