# Baby ? Pigeon Please HELP!!!!



## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

Hi all, I started a thread the other day, however my account hadn't been activated so I couldn't reply. Thank you everyone for replying. Just to give you an update.....

He is preening and stretching his wings. I am feeding him every 2 hours through a syringe with the end cut off and I put his beak in and he takes a little food. However his crop never seems to get any bigger after the feed. I am dipping his beak in water for him to drink and he takes very little. I am feeding him small budgie/small bird hand rearing food and I have ordered the parrot hand rearing food that was recommended on a thread here. I am in Nottm in the UK. I have him half under a heat lamp. Here is a photo, can anyone please confirm that he is indeed a swab?
Thanks in advance!!!


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## kbbigman (Jun 4, 2009)

Hi SarahJane, hang in there and I'm sure someone will provide some practical help I have never hand raised so all I can offer you is my support and hope everything works out for you two, don't give up!!!! Is the picture on your album page as then we can see it larger than on here???


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

kbbigman said:


> Hi SarahJane, hang in there and I'm sure someone will provide some practical help I have never hand raised so all I can offer you is my support and hope everything works out for you two, don't give up!!!! Is the picture on your album page as then we can see it larger than on here???


Hi there I took the pic from my facebook profile page so I can direct anyone there. Thanks for your support. I have had him since Sat evening and I am terrified of losing him!!!


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

Bumping
My
Thread


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

Hello, anyone out there who can give me some advice?????? Please??????


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

I don't think anyone seems to be online at the moment?????????


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

HELLOOOOO anyone there?


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!anyone out there?


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

Hello is there anyone there?????????????????????????????


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

Hellooooooo?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

?????????????????????????????????????


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

No-one there at all??????????/


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

No-one there from the UK???????


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

This would seem to be a fairly young, roughly fledgling-age Dove of some kind, rather than a Pigeon, proper.


Old enough to be 'pecking' if she can see others doing so, to emulate...


How have her poops been? (size, colors, consistancy, number-in-a-day...)


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

pdpbison said:


> This would seem to be a fairly young, roughly fledgling-age Dove of some kind, rather than a Pigeon, proper.
> 
> 
> Old enough to be 'pecking' if she can see others doing so, to emulate...
> ...


Hi there poop today was a little green and he has been pooping around same number of feeds so about 5-6 per day and once overnight. Sizes are small


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

That is a young collared dove. Before you found him he would have been still being fed by his parents. Hopefully someone else will post-im going to try and find some hand rearing info for you. He's prbably just started to learn to peck since being with you. He probably has just fledged, sometimes they fledge a little early and spend a couple of days on the ground before flying. 

more to follow...


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

PoppyFieldVet said:


> That is a young collared dove. Before you found him he would have been still being fed by his parents. Hopefully someone else will post-im going to try and find some hand rearing info for you. He's prbably just started to learn to peck since being with you. He probably has just fledged, sometimes they fledge a little early and spend a couple of days on the ground before flying.
> 
> more to follow...


Hi there thank you for the info, looking forward to hearing what you can find out about hand rearing.


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Have a look here, she looks roughly 2 weeks +??? 
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f25/eurasian-collared-dove-development-9515.html

Im hoping more experienced members will come and give advice. So far I would say keep feeling her with the syringe but make sure she's got lots of seed she can have a peck at. 

When Ive had young collared doves in the past Ive used ready brek (with water, not milk) with a little added sugar for energy. Have a look for some EMP - hand rearing egg food. You add a little water to it and mine loved it. 

She's at a fledging age so would be starting to learn to fly.


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

This is a link for hand rearing pigeons and doves:
http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformation.org/S/00Man/AvianHusbandryTechniques/UKBHusbIndTech/HR_Av_Pigeons_Doves.htm

"Food: 

Suggested foods for hand-rearing pigeons and doves include: 

Canary rearing food, mixed as indicated on the packet.(D29) 
Mixture of chick crumbs/rearing mix/millet/water for hand feeding with boluses of food. (D24) 
Bread soaked in creamy milk may be used initially for hand feeding with boluses of food.(B186.8.w8) 
Proprietary rearing food for tube feeding, e.g. KAYtee Rearing food (D24), Tropican Rearing Mix (Rolf C Hagen).(B151) 
An appropriate vitamin/mineral supplement must be used in the rearing mix. Appropriate quantities of calcium and phosphorus are particularly important to avoid metabolic bone disease which is a particularly common finding in fledgling collared doves (Streptopelia decaocto - Eurasian collared-dove).(D24)"

"Weaning: 

Once well feathered, add small seed to the canary rearing food.(D29) 
Grains such as wheat and maize, fresh green vegetables and grit should be available to older squabs.(D29) 
Small seeds and chick crumbs (smaller species of dove) or pigeon seed mix and pellets (pigeons and larger doves).(B151) 
Squab should start picking up food items by about one month old.(B186.8.w8)" 

Bear in mind this little guy is closer to a weaning age as she's got most of her flight feathers by the looks of it--please tell me if Im wrong. Supplementing her feeding is important. 

To check is she's underweight, youll need to check her keel bone. http://feistyhome.phpwebhosting.com/skeleton.jpg
The keel bone is labelled "sternum keel" in this diagram. If you gently hold her up and blow on her chest you may be able to see where the keel bone is. 
The muscle on either side of the keel bone should be level with the keel bone, if she's underweight the bone will jut out and be very prominent.

Another thing to watch out for in collared doves is problems with their legs-is she ok in this area??


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

Hi again, just had a snooze- I will check his sternum when I feed him again in a minute- his legs and feet seem ok, although he is not standing and walking well, a little wobbly, would you say the age is 2-21/2 weeks. Do they leave the nest then when they are fledglings?


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

OMG you won't believe it-he has started eating on his own-don't quite know how it happened but he ate loads!!!-can't get him to drink tho'
I have bought him a new cage with a perch for his feet and he is sitting on the perch at the mo


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Sarah Jayne,

Unfortunately each time you bumped your thread up it looked as if you had a reply. People tend to prioritise threads where there have been no replies or few replies, which is why yours was neglected.

Collared doves are fully fledged by 17 - 21 days.

Well done for getting him to eat, and for providing him with a perch, collared doves need to perch on a branch or siimilar. His tail is a respectable length, I think that by this stage his legs should be strong enough to stand on. Is his beak hard or slightly soft and rubbery?

I think that he would benefit from a calcium supplement. If you PM me your address I can get some in the last post (5:15) and you should receive it by tomorrrow.

Collared doves are a bit awkward about having their beaks dipped in water, try putting water in a small shallow contained next to him, he might drink on his own.

These are two collared doves with a calcium deficiency that I rescued. At that age they should have been able to stand and walk without difficulty, but in the photo they are perching whilst slightly propped up by the branches. They eventually made a full recovery and were released.










Cynthia


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## sarahjane67 (Jul 19, 2009)

Hi, thank you so much for your post, it was extremely helpful. I have been on and off pigeon-talk all day -however wasn't on when you posted.
I will pm my address and thank you so much for offering to send the Ca supplements-i really appreciate it. I realize that they test the ground with their beaks to see if it is stable to stand on, so as I have moved him into a larger cage, I have been putting him on and off the perch as he can't reach down to test the floor,even tho the perch is at its lowest (about 2in off the floor), I have put a bowl of water and some seeds in his cage and despite eating like a ganet this afternoon, he is pecking away at the seeds. I am quite chuffed with him and myself!!!


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## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

Hi Sarah Jayne,
Cute little dove you have. Don't wory, it will learn to perch as the time comes.
Maybe this link can help you:
ftp://80.92.102.163/Uploads/PigeonDoveCare.zip


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> I realize that they test the ground with their beaks to see if it is stable to stand on,


Does he seem to do that? It is more likely that he is using his beak to walk.



> Don't worry, it will learn to perch as the time comes


A high number of our UK fledgeling collared dove have metabolic bone disease, probably due to lack of sunshine. When this is the case they need calcium + Vitamin D3 supplements to strengthen their bones.

Cynthia


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## kbbigman (Jun 4, 2009)

Hi Sarahjane, just checking in to see how you are both doing?? Hope things are going well?? Michelle.


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