# New "mom" to 2 little pigeons



## CMcGale (Aug 26, 2010)

Hi Everyone!
This website is FULL of helpful advice 
Today my 8 year old daughter and I were cleaning out a shed that is being torn down and we found a nest in it. We poked the nest and tried to make sure it was empty before taking it down, but when it came down (I took it down gently just in case) two little baby pigeons were looking up at us. I couldn't put them back because the shed is being torn down so they would have died up there, so we brought them into the house and made them a nest. From what I could find online I guess they are between 5 - 7 days old? A lady at the local feed store said to mash up chick starter with warm water, so I'm feeding them that out of a bottle with the end cut off. They seem to LOVE it and go after the bottle like it's the yummiest thing on earth.

How do I know how much to feed them and how often? My own human baby just started sleeping through the night so I'm not really wanting to give that up again haha, will they be ok through the night without a feeding? And if not how many hours could I let them go without a feeding?

So far we have only named the smallest of the two, my daughter named her Pearly  

Thanks for the great thread!


----------



## shawn arnold (Nov 9, 2009)

I would try to feed them before you go to bed. They will be alright till morning. They will eat as much as you give them.


----------



## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

Hi there! Here there is a webpage that will help you through that kind of doubts: when to feed, how, etc.
http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/caringforababypigeon.htm

I wake up at 6.30 am every weekday, so my rescues do fine from 11.30pm-12pm to about 7am. Mama Pigeon doesn't feed at night, so you shouldn't worry about it either.


----------



## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Keep them warm-warm-warm...I am talking in a space with an ambient temperature of around 80 degrees F, 24/7....At this age the parents sit them a lot of the time and they are usually not left alone for more than an hour or two, maximum.

Thanks for helping them !


----------



## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

Jaye said:


> Keep them warm-warm-warm...I am talking in a space with an ambient temperature of around 80 degrees F, 24/7....At this age the parents sit them a lot of the time and they are usually not left alone for more than an hour or two, maximum.
> 
> Thanks for helping them !


A table lamp with an adequate wattage bulb will provide them heat, its better to measure the temp with a thermometer. If its too hot the beabies will be opening thier beaks a little and gasping. 

Feed them in the morning and when ever the crop is empty, some four to five feeding may be required. You can feed them till the crop is 3/4th full.

I don't have experience with the chicken starter though.


----------



## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Thank you for saving them 
It's best to get some Kaytee hand feeding formula, chicken starter really isn't sufficient for them. You can get it at pet stores.
I start feeding mine around 6 am, they get about 4-5 feedings throughout the day, with the last feeding about 8 pm. They sleep thru the night. Feed enough so that the crop feels like a squishy balloon.
They look to be about a week old. I keep mine in a nest made out of towels on a heating pad set on LOW until 2 weeks old. Good luck with them - sure are cute!


----------



## Ede-bird (Jul 7, 2010)

Good save! They are adorable


----------



## rackerman (Jul 29, 2009)

Thank you for keeping them, you'll get all the advice you need right here on Pt, lots of good people who will help you through this...........
Welcome to PT too.......


----------



## CMcGale (Aug 26, 2010)

Thank you everyone! Jasper and Pearly are thriving! I have them in a nest of shredded newspaper and they seem to like it, make it much easier for cleaning too. I haven't been able to get into a pet store to get the formula that was talked about yet, we live in a rural community. But so far they are staying happy and healthy with mashed up chick starter. The lady at the place I bought it from said it's what she used when she hand raised pigeons.

Sometimes afer they eat they will shiver a bit. Does this mean that they or their food was too chilled? Last night the littest one ate so much that it was bulging out her back, is that normal? I thought she was going to explode! She was fine this morning and tried to over stuff herself again, but this time I didn't let her, just let her eat until her crop was pillowy and squishy. They are both getting the hang of eating out of their bottle and wake me up in the morning before my human baby does to have breakfast. They sleep in the bathroom where it's cat free and peep so loud I can hear them, it's pretty cute.

When it comes time for them to fly, how do I let them go? Or can I let them go? We don't have a place to keep them once they are old enough, will they be ok out on their own?

Thanks again for all your help!

PS - This is Jasper piging out on his bottle last night!

OH! PPS - I read somewhere that Pigeons lay 2 eggs, the first to hatch is the male, and the female hatches a day later? Is this true? We are going off this and saying Jasper is a boy because he looks more developed and is bigger and are assuming the smaller one, Pearly, is a girl!


----------



## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Hi. Well, you are doing an amazing job with them, particularly considering that you are using home-made equipment.

Yes, you absolutely do NOT want to overfeed, particularly at this age. Overfeeding can cause some of the mash to back up and go down the windpipe,causing aspiration which, in babies this young, would be really bad news. So, play it on the safe side regarding the amount of food per feeding. The "ballooning" is the crop getting full of food.

The food should be warmed, maybe just a tad to the warm side of lukewarm, no more. Certainly it should feel comfortable when you drop some on your own skin...not hot. If you warm using a microwave...DO be careful. You have to mix it thoroughly afterward and make sure there are no 'hot spots' in the mash, because microwaves tend to do this. I usually use stovetop-heated water.

I do not necessarily think it is a gender thing regarding who hatches first..dunno, have never heard that. But for sure Jasper is the older baby.

Keep it up, keep 'em fed and warm ! You are doing very well. Great pics, too !


----------



## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

CMcGale, looks like you are getting the hang of things pretty quick. 

Yes, you are right to be careful about over feeding, as this can cause problems we really want to stay away from. Msfreebird, mentioned the use of a heating pad in her suggestions, but I am not clear on whether you are supplying them with supplemental heat, are you doing this, as at this age they need to be kept at around 94 degrees for about another week, until they develope the ability to generate their own body heat. A warm feeling room is most likely not warm enough for them, although it may feel warm to you or me. Jaye is right about watching the tempurature of their food, it should be at 102-104 degrees, or problems could develope as well from cool food.

Keep up the good work and good luck with them,

Karyn


----------



## CMcGale (Aug 26, 2010)

I have them under a table lamp, our house has been overly hot at 27C the last few days! They have seemed pretty happy, but the table lamp keeps them warm at night. I am getting them a heating pad today. They felt so hot when I pick them up that I wasnt sure if they needed the extra heat. With their food I warm it up like I warm my baby's bottles, in a cup of hot water, then I test it on my wrist to make sure it's not too hot, is that method ok?

I'm having so much fun with these little babies! I always hated pigeons because they get into my barn and poop all over my expensive horse tack, but now I'm in love with little tiny dirty birds lol. Even my husband is taking a liking to them, he won't hold them, but he likes to watch them eat.

I will post more pictures as they grow, I can't wait to see what they look like when they have all their feathers in


----------



## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

CMcGale, 27C is about 81 degrees, so as I said, feeling warm to you and I, would be too cool for the babies to thrive. When babies are not maintained at in the correct temperature range, it slows their body down quite a bit and this leads to GI transit issues, that usually do not turn out well for birds this young. A table lamp can work well enough, the trick is getting the distance just right, too cool is not good, but too hot can be just as bad, best thing would be to put a thermometer next to them to get a reading. The heating pad would be best, get the kind without the auto-shut-off, enough of us have used them to know a small towel double folded on top, with the pad set to LOW and you should be safe for supplying heat at a correct range.

With the feeding, testing on the inside of the wrist is fine, should be just a small touch warmer than for a human baby. If you have a thermometer, just one time heat the food to 104 degrees, and test this to the inside of your wrist, from then on you will know what 104 degrees feels like. Because sometimes feeding can be start and go and clean deal, keep a deep bowl of warm water, set to the side, to place the feeding bottle in, for the times you need to set it down for a few moments.

Yes, they do have a way of working their way into your heart .

Karyn


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Great job Cmcgale!!!! your a natural.... Im sure they will do just fine. They are going to be imprinted on you as their caretaker, so you may want to think of a place to keep them as pets..


----------



## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

CMcGale said:


> I will post more pictures as they grow, I can't wait to see what they look like when they have all their feathers in


.....they'll get homelier before they start to get cute again....


----------



## CMcGale (Aug 26, 2010)

So the babies are doing great! They are getting pretty dark feathers, Jasper looks to be all black so far and Pearly is black with white tail feathers. They know "mom" and scream at me everytime they hear me!

So I have a few more questions about them 

Will they always just see me as food and always try to eat me or will they eventually just like to snuggle? Jasper likes to snuggle but Pearly has taken to biting... she's a bit of a pig.

Also, when and how can I start introducing them to hard food? 

They are quickly growing out of their tupperware bin and are moving to a large cage soon. It will have to do until they are ready to live in the shed


----------



## FriendoCritters (Aug 5, 2010)

You're doing such a good job, just like Mother Nature; and your babies are so adorable! They look all comfy on the purple towel.


----------



## CMcGale (Aug 26, 2010)

Here are some updated pictures of my little babies taken today 
Enjoy!


----------



## FriendoCritters (Aug 5, 2010)

Wow, super cute, good pictures, thanks. That's how my Smidgeon was when I first found her.


----------



## CMcGale (Aug 26, 2010)

Hi all!
My baby pigiey's are around 3 weeks now, so when should I start feeding them "real" food?
Their beaks are getting hard and they can accidently pinch quite painfully now! 
Does anyone know how I start them on seeds and stuff like that? How do I convince them it will be just as good as their bottle? 
Also, whenever they see me they screach and come flapping for food, but it seems like thats all I am to them! Will they still like me when I'm not the bottle feeder anymore? ha ha


----------



## CMcGale (Aug 26, 2010)

Never mind, they just figured out the eating on their own thing by themselves!! They grow up so fast


----------



## Guest (Sep 9, 2010)

CMcGale said:


> Never mind, they just figured out the eating on their own thing by themselves!! They grow up so fast


seems you got this totally under control , thanks for sharing their progess  they look to be doing great


----------



## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

OH, their adorable and you've done a GREAT job!
My babies like to be "cuddled" AFTER they eat


----------



## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

Wonderful  Thanks for sharing


----------



## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

CMcGale said:


> Hi all!
> My baby pigiey's are around 3 weeks now, so when should I start feeding them "real" food?
> Their beaks are getting hard and they can accidently pinch quite painfully now!
> Does anyone know how I start them on seeds and stuff like that? How do I convince them it will be just as good as their bottle?
> Also, whenever they see me they screach and come flapping for food, but it seems like thats all I am to them! Will they still like me when I'm not the bottle feeder anymore? ha ha


At this age you can put down some seeds for them, either you can pick up a dove/pigeon blend or if this is not available, you can pick up some wild bird seed, just stay away from the kind with whole sunflowers seeds in it, as at this age they can be a little hard to digest for them (you can always pick all the whole sunflower seeds out, if only brands containing them are around).

Here are a few links that describes how to get them nuzzling and eating seeds, also when you spread some seeds around for them, you can make like you are hunting and pecking with them by crooking your forefinger and tapping at the seeds along with them. Also, start to keep a dish of seeds in their cage (no whole sunflower seeds, along with a small water dish,) as well as spreading some out in their cage for the to peck at. Some catch on pretty quick, with others it may take a bit of time, so be patient with them. Once they are eating seeds, continue to supplement with formula until they are a few weeks older.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=495804&postcount=6
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=498972&postcount=11
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=489317&postcount=4 (information on how to get them to start to self water)

You are doing great with them and I hope this helps,

Karyn


----------

