# A Long Pending Hello and a Question



## deepaksikkanthar (Jan 20, 2013)

Hi Everyone 

I am from India and been lurking these forums for a very long time . I have a pair of pigeons and there offsprings which are just 3 weeks old . 

Now the question is my friend gave me a pair of feral pigeon eggs which he found in his outdoor AC unit when they took it down . Now I have been incubating those eggs under a light and they hatched yesterday . I have been feeding them fresubin gut friendly diet which is lactose free to them through a syringe . Is it possible to raise them from they are this young ? Is there something else I can do ? and commercial squab formulas are not available here .


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

A brief answer:

Yes, you can. Becoming informed about the possible dangers and pitfalls is the first thing to do. One of my first pair of baby pigeon rescues died because I knew next to nothing about raising baby pigeons. By the time I decided that my rescues were pigeons and not crows or blackbirds, found this website during my twice-weekly access to the internet (in 2004), one died from improper food or crop stasis. They need apple cider vinegar (or the proper equivalent in India), probiotics, et cetera. 

Since you have been "lurking these forums for a very long time," perhaps one thread you have missed is

PT member *Rallow*'s thread, "Would like fertile egg."

Result: "*the Dinkster*."

(Suggestion: Start at the beginning of the thread).

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f24/would-like-fertile-egg-13269.html?highlight=wanted+fertile


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

It is a tricky situation, as Larry says. Very difficult to get a newly hatched baby thru the first week of his/her life. Warmth and food are the most important things. Keep those babies in a constant warm environment 24 hours a day (at least 27 degrees C if not more).

Then be careful when feeding that you do not overfeed. This can cause aspiration (food goes into the wind pipe) and eventual death. Also, keep an eye closely on how their crops are emptying. Never feed on a crop which still looks full or half-full.

While the thread Larry liked to is good, it is also over 12 p[ages long....perhaps someone else here can offer a thread or sticky which addresses the question in a more direct manner ? I do not have time to search now, myself...


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

deepaksikkanthar said:


> Hi Everyone
> 
> I am from India and been lurking these forums for a very long time . I have a pair of pigeons and there offsprings which are just 3 weeks old .
> 
> Now the question is my friend gave me a pair of feral pigeon eggs which he found in his outdoor AC unit when they took it down . Now I have been incubating those eggs under a light and they hatched yesterday . I have been feeding them fresubin gut friendly diet which is lactose free to them through a syringe . Is it possible to raise them from they are this young ? Is there something else I can do ? and commercial squab formulas are not available here .


I guess you were surprized they hatched!? now what to do, if they are alive then you are doing well. I think over feeding is the most common mistake and feeding when the crop is still full is another.. heat is important too, they can't digest if they are not warm 90f, they can be taken from heat when they feather out if they make it. at that point come back and ask what to do to get them used to eating peas and corn..one step at a time.


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## deepaksikkanthar (Jan 20, 2013)

Thanks for the reply guys . I have kept them in a plastic container filled with Hay in my closet with an electric bulb on constantly . and I am feeding them fresubin gut friendly lactose free meal replacement . I mimic the adult pigeon by encolosing the chicks beak with my fingers and fill it with the formula from a syringe .


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

Might as well mention it now, before it's too late: watch for *splay leg* or *splayed leg*. My first surviving pigeon chick, *Pidgiepoo* -- my avatar, (the one that didn't die from improper feeding), had a slightly out-turned left leg because he did not have the proper bedding to keep his legs from sliding out beneath him. If their legs develop in the wrong position the first week or so after hatching, they will be unable to walk properly, if at all, if it is not corrected in time.

I had my chicks resting on a terry cotton washcloth in a bowl, but apparently this set-up didn't work. Pidgiepoo's leg wasn't too bad, it was everted at a 45-degree angle from pointing straight ahead, but he walked with a limp, and one side was lower than the other, and he didn't walk with his chest as high as other, normal pigeons. He waddled a bit.

I've read that some chicks avoid splay leg when they have another chick to push against, or some sort of resistance like a rock or two in the nest. They shouldn't have a slippery floor.

Check out some other posts on this subject, to get the best and most complete advice on the subject. I've forgotten some of what I've read on the subject.

-- How warm is it where you are? What part of India?


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