# New to doves, now with babies- HELP!!



## Fleetfoxes (Aug 9, 2011)

*UPDATE: EMERGENCY!! WOUNDED HATCHLING!! PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR LATEST UPDATES... AND HELP! *

Hello everyone! I'm very new to the wonderful world of doves and birds in general... I recently adopted a 5 year old Ringneck Dove who I was told was female. We later got 'her' a companion at the petstore. At first they did not get along but after some brief squabbling they quickly started to warm up to each other. Long story short, my first dove turned out to be male and my newer dove was a girl! We put a 'nest box' up on the wall, not thinking much of it, but later discovered our little white dove was warming 2 eggs beneath her.

This morning, to our surprise, the first one hatched. It looks quite healthy, and has pinfeathers already... however, both of the parents are first-time parents and I'm concerned that they may not take care of the baby properly? We check in on them now and then, but they freeze up and get defensive of their baby whenever someone enters the room and so we have not actually seen them feed. I know they feed them with a substance called 'crop milk'... at one point there appeared to be a droplet of whitish liquid on the mother's beak... what else could it be but crop milk?

I can only hope they are indeed taking care of the baby, but I worry... I read on one website that both the male and female take turns incubating the eggs, yet only the female sat on them. I'm concerned that the male may not be co operative? He spent most of the incubation seemingly 'standing guard' of the nest. He did seem to be gorging himself on seed earlier... could he be preparing to feed the baby? How do I know if they are doing what they're supposed to be doing? Can the mother take care of the babies by herself? How long can the baby survive without food? Should I just have faith in them and let nature take its course, or should I consider taking the young ones to the bird sanctuary where a professional can ensure they have what they need? Sorry for all the questions, but I am a complete newbie and very concerned for my tiny new doves!

On a slightly different note, to anyone who knows anything about genetics... the mother is a hazel-eyed white dove, and the father is pied (white and... grey & tan?)... what color might the babies turn out to be?


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Fleetfoxes said:


> We put a 'nest box' up on the wall, not thinking much of it, but later discovered our little white dove was warming 2 eggs beneath her.
> 
> This morning, to our surprise, the first one hatched. It looks quite healthy, and has pinfeathers already... however, both of the parents are first-time parents and I'm concerned that they may not take care of the baby properly? We check in on them now and then, but they freeze up and get defensive of their baby whenever someone enters the room and so we have not actually seen them feed. I know they feed them with a substance called 'crop milk'... at one point there appeared to be a droplet of whitish liquid on the mother's beak... what else could it be but crop milk?
> 
> ...


How high up is the nest box, how big is it, and does it have a lip? Better yet, can you post a picture? If it's up high, it can be dangerous if it's not set up so that babies won't fall out.

Are they really pinfeathers, or is it down? If pinfeathers, this baby is a little older than newborn (closer to 4 or 5 days.) In that case they've definitely been feeding it. 

Have you seen the babies' crops? This will tell you if they are being fed. It sounds like they probably are if the parents are eating a lot and if you saw white stuff on the beak.

This page was of great help to me when I had my first babies in May:
http://pet-doves.com/petdoves/baby_birds.htm

This baby has a full crop--see the little "balloon" at the front of his neck full of crop milk?









Also, make sure you keep from panicking with things. I know I was super highstrung and the parents did everything they were supposed to. Do know that when the babies are weaned the parents may start to peck them if the cage is not big enough for two territories. This just means that the parents want to start the next clutch and see the babies as old enough to go out on their own. Watch for disease. Even at just-weaned age, babies are more susceptible to infections etc.

By the way, you're going to need *wooden eggs *soon. You can't let them continuously raise babies. It's too much for them (unhealthy to have more than 3 clutches or so a year) and too many birds for you. Be sure to check the nest every 14 days or less. I check *every day* just to stay in the habit.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Oh, and here's a page that shows what different colors of babies look like (telling what they'll grow into.)
http://wwingsaviary.lbbhost.com/YoungPages/RingneckYoungIndex.html


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## Fleetfoxes (Aug 9, 2011)

Hi there, thank you so much for replying!
They're being kept in their own room in the company of a rabbit, large enough for them to fly in. I don't think there should be territorial problems but if there are I'm sure I can find a solution. 
I was mistaken on the word, they're not pinfeathers, but definitely down, and lots of it!
Today was the first day the mother allowed me to have a good look at the baby- as you can see, it looks well fed. (sorry for the blurriness!)









Thank you for the information, and yes, I certainly don't want them raising more than they (or I) can handle!! I will make sure to keep them from havign any more. However, will I need to supply them with wooden eggs or is taking away their nest enough?

Also, the second baby is finally hatching. The other one is 2 days old. Is this age difference a problem? Will the younger baby make it? 









And finally, here is the nest box. It is nailed into a 2x4 and very secure. The nest itself is in very deep and the baby is unlikely to fall out, at least at its current size. The hay inside is very soft. Is there anything that can be done to improve it? Is it too high up, and is there anything I can put underneath it to cushion any potential falls?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

no you do not want to take the nest away.... you want them to go through the motions and sit eggs..just use the fake ones. everything looks from the pictures like they are going the way it should, just keep a peek on them and the birds should do everything... less poking around the better. I would not change anything at this point..just keep it the same, it looks good.. they do not like change.


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## Fleetfoxes (Aug 9, 2011)

spirit wings said:


> no you do not want to take the nest away.... you want them to go through the motions and sit eggs..just use the fake ones. everything looks from the pictures like they are going the way it should, just keep a peek on them and the birds should do everything... less poking around the better. I would not change anything at this point..just keep it the same, it looks good.. they do not like change.


Okay, I'll do it that way then. Thanks for the advice!

The second baby just hatched today (or possibly last night)... he looks healthy, but is significantly smaller than the other one because he hatched much later. His crop doesn't look as full as the bigger one (if it's full at all, I'm not sure). Should we hand raise him if it looks like he isn't getting enough attention, or should it be able to hold its own? I'd like to know ASAP.


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## Fleetfoxes (Aug 9, 2011)

As you can see, the first baby is stuffed to the gills! But the second baby isn't looking so full...










I'm also very concerned about what appears to be a wound on the little one! I know this can be very serious for a baby so young... is there anything I can do? Could neosporin help?

I need advice ASAP... the longer we go without this baby being fed, the more grim it looks! 

Also, should we worry about the nest not getting cleaned because it is so deep set, or is it not a problem? Thanks


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Fleetfoxes said:


> As you can see, the first baby is stuffed to the gills! But the second baby isn't looking so full...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Keep an eye on that younger baby. I had one about that much younger and the parents did ok. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. It would be worth it for you to search threads about handfeeding and collect the materials for it just in case. If you do not feel that he is being fed, sometimes you can get away with leaving him in the nest with the parents and just doing supplemental hand feedings. 

I know neosporin can be used on older birds--don't see why it couldn't be used on a baby. Maybe some of the more experienced people can say for sure though. Don't bother the nest too much at this stage.

The first time I clean the nest is a little bit past a week old. You can gently move the parents and carefully move the babies and switch out the hay. After this the next time I clean is in about 3 days, then in the next three days. When the babies get pinfeathers that start to open I clean every other day. Eventually they get pretty big and I clean it every day. Just be really gentle in how you scoop up the babies. Make sure that the hay is deep enough that they have something to hold onto with their little feets. (It looks good from what I can see.)


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

If you do see the second not being fed as much you can remove the bigger and let the small get fed first..then return the biggy back to the nest where he will nudge to get fed to.. that is allot easier than supplimenting if you do not have to.. it is a bit awkward feeding a baby dove for someone who has not done it before as they do not gape like song birds do... at this point even if he has some in the crop it is a good sign..usually they(smaller ones) catch up pretty fast... if not then cross that bridge if it happens or needs to be done.


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## Fleetfoxes (Aug 9, 2011)

Unfortunately the parents were neglecting the smaller one and he was not getting fed. We tried to handfeed him but being beginners things were pretty unsuccessful. We took him to the bird sanctuary to be raised there, I think he has a pretty good shot.

Now I'm worried about the larger one... he is 6-7 days old and is clearly being fed, but his mother will no longer sit on him... she is also attempting to mate with the father again. Is this normal? Will the baby be okay not being warmed for so long?


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Fleetfoxes said:


> Unfortunately the parents were neglecting the smaller one and he was not getting fed. We tried to handfeed him but being beginners things were pretty unsuccessful. We took him to the bird sanctuary to be raised there, I think he has a pretty good shot.
> 
> Now I'm worried about the larger one... he is 6-7 days old and is clearly being fed, but his mother will no longer sit on him... she is also attempting to mate with the father again. Is this normal? Will the baby be okay not being warmed for so long?


Yeah, if I remember right that's about when they stopped sitting on mine. Do you have a picture though? It'll help me more to see the stage he's at then to use numbers. I'm all visual.
Anyway, over time they will sit on him less and less and less and he'll get more and more feathers. Before you expect he'll be flying and roosting with mom and dad at night and they'll be wanting to start a new nest.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Here's the whole thread with day-by-day updates as my first set of baby ringnecks grew up:
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f24/removing-fake-eggs-from-ringneck-dove-nest-52214-4.html

Lots of pictures of each stage.


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