# What to feed baby other than store bought food?



## miss pidgie (May 26, 2005)

Hi, 

I found a young (about 15 days old) pigeon in the street 3 days ago and I've been trying to keep him happy and well since then. I've been feeding mostly a watery mix of oatmeal and egg yolk and some wet (milk or water soaked) whole seed whole grain bread which he seems to like. Today I tried a little cornmeal in the oatmeal mix but it wasn't an obvious hit. What else can I do other than pet store type bird food? I live in Central Mexico and I don't know where I'd find any commercial chick food. Can he take sunflower seeds? Linseeds? Rice? Wheat? Somewhere I read soaked lentils? How much fruit or veg would he be ready for?

So far he seems pretty good, he chirps greedily for food and lets me open his beak to get the syringe into the back. I just worry that I'll inadvertently kill him by missing some crucial nutrient.

Also, does he need to be fully feathered before he can go without a heat lamp? It's very warm here during the day but I've been keeping him under a lamp (with towels draped over his crate for darkness) at night.

Thanks in advance for your help!


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## bklowe (Oct 21, 2003)

Most use Kaytee Exact Baby Bird Formula. Here in California it is widely available at pet stores. I would think you could also find it on the Internet ... try typing Kaytee into a search engine. Be sure that seed and water are available to your bird even tho s/he is still being hand fed, s/he will soon start eating seed and drinking on s/he's own. You are doind a good job.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello and welcome!

Thank you for helping this hungry little one.

You have come to the right place We are here to help.

First of all, please don't give any milk products to pigeons, it is not good for them. If he is 15 days old, you can try baby bird formula that is carried at pet stores, Kaytee Exact would be best. If you can't find that, try puppy chow that has been soaked in water, and drained. Break in small pieces and put it behind the tongue. He should be fed every 3 hours.

Or can you get a hold of wild bird seed or pigeon seed (without the big seeds in it) at any store there? You can soak that with water for 15 minutes, drain it and feed it to him. make up a fresh batch each time he eats. He will need alot because his little tummy (the crop infront of him) needs to be almost full like a balloon. He is doing a lot of growing which requires a lot of feeding.

Keep him warm and away from any drafts of air, a nice warm box , or round basket layered with towels, and make sure his legs are neatly folded under him when he lays down, don't let the legs slide out from under him. He may not need a heat lamp if it is a hot climate, just a heating pad. Place the heating pad under a towel that he sits on, it should be at low setting. 

If you have anymore questions, please ask.

Treesa


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi miss pidgie, 

Flax Seeds, Wheat ( if not too pointy on the end) Oat Groats, Milo Seeds, Sorgum Seeds...small dried Peas or Lentils of variou skinds...all good as far as I know. Best if well 'seasoned' and dried thouroughly in storage silos or the likes...

Graham Crackers may be dissolved into a slurry along with some people-baby instant Cereals IF they contain decent Vitamines and protean...some powdered Alphalfa or other powdered Greens also may be added to the slurry or 'soup'...a little fresh new Bottle Olive Oil...

Make sure you are going in to their 'right' side of their throat, to get a catheter or soft syringe snout into their Crop...the center opening in there is where they breath from and must be avoided.

I use a little infant Bird feeding powders, but mostly I use Seeds I crush or pulverize in a regular kitchen blender, a cup or so at a time, mixed with other nutrients and small whole Seeds, and I feed them by letting them put their little Beaks into the inside of a regular people-baby feeding, soft rubber 'nipple'. They soon take to it and it allows more kinds of ingredients than a thin enough Catheter would.

A little fine Grit also, should soon be introduced for their little Gizzard to have something to do...Lol...

Maybe consider to wrap the Heat Lamp in aluminum foil or something, as a close, intense 'bright' light I think is maybe not so good for their eyes to be dealing with...

Soon your little one will become an endotherm anyway...and make their own heat nicely enough...  

Phil


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*SEE POST "NOW HES DANCING"*

Bumping this post up, because it is history to the post"now he's dancing"

Treesa


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