# Feather Loss on Fledgling Morning Dove



## Lyna (Sep 16, 2014)

Hi. New here but hope I'm able to get some help answering a questions about Morning Baby. Due to some rough weather and becoming completely abandoned after a hail storm here in Kansas, I took and and have been caring for a baby morning dove. I thought I had nursed him back to being in good health but after about 2 weeks (He is about 3 to 3 1/2 weeks old now) the feathers in his crop area began to fall out. I thought I may have inadvertently done this by wiping food from him after meals so I've tried to be more careful and yet still he is losing feathers. Neck and crop are bare. He can still fly (started flying last week) and seems happy, hungry and fine but just doesn't seem to me to look like he should. I will try to figure out how to upload a photo but until then can anyone please tell me if there is something else that could be seriously wrong? I've been feeding him organic layer pellets mixed with some vitamin enriched bird food that my friend gives to his cocktails. I successfully hand raised two fledgling pigeons earlier this summer with this same diet, so I don't know if I may be missing out on some important information about diet or is there something else wrong?


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## Lyna (Sep 16, 2014)




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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Lyna said:


> Hi. New here but hope I'm able to get some help answering a questions about Morning Baby. Due to some rough weather and becoming completely abandoned after a hail storm here in Kansas, I took and and have been caring for a baby morning dove. I thought I had nursed him back to being in good health but after about 2 weeks (He is about 3 to 3 1/2 weeks old now) the feathers in his crop area began to fall out. I thought I may have inadvertently done this by wiping food from him after meals so I've tried to be more careful and yet still he is losing feathers. Neck and crop are bare. He can still fly (started flying last week) and seems happy, hungry and fine but just doesn't seem to me to look like he should. I will try to figure out how to upload a photo but until then can anyone please tell me if there is something else that could be seriously wrong? I've been feeding him organic layer pellets mixed with some vitamin enriched bird food that my friend gives to his cocktails. I successfully hand raised two fledgling pigeons earlier this summer with this same diet, so I don't know if I may be missing out on some important information about diet or is there something else wrong?



sometimes canker can cause feather loss around the throat, check for that. if he is in good heath then it is probably the formula that stuck to his baby feathers and he will grow newer adult feathers. he should be flying well before he is released back to the wild.


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## Lyna (Sep 16, 2014)




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## Lyna (Sep 16, 2014)

Thanks, I will look into that. He developed a small bump on his bare crop yesterday too but it appears to be smaller today. Wish I could post pic.


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## Lyna (Sep 16, 2014)

His feathers grew back. I think that small boil on his chest may have just been an in grown feather (like a hair)


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