# How to raise a young squab?



## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

Hello everyone! 
So just two days back I found a squab in my classroom , whose mother unfortunately hit the ceiling fan and died.. Hence the baby was without food for two days... So now I brought it to my home and I wish to keep him till hes fully grown and able to fly! 

But since he's my first pigeon and this is my first time in this forum I was hoping u folks can help me out with queries! 

Well first is I don't know how old he is.. He has fully grown wings but his chest and head are still bare with yellow wispy hairs.. Hes very active... Loves eating... I am giving him paste food.. Like blended sprouts cereals with water.. And the occasional bird seed which he wants to eat but is not able to coz its solid! Yesterady k taught him to drink water too and he's an accomplished pooping machine 
But how do I make him learn to fly and wen to start giving him solid food?!
I love this little fella and I hope to reunite him with the outside world soon


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Hi and welcome to PT, 
Thanks for your concern about the little fellow. Can you pls upload his pic so we can guess about his age and so what is better to feed him? 
Also when the mother died, was he still in nest because father also takes care of baby so didn't you see his father as it was better for him to be left with father coz with parents they learn to fly and forage for food.
Is he eating seeds and drinking on his own?


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

hi thank you for replying  ya actually i found him on the ground fallen from the nest which was really high.. we left him there for one day in hope of his father cmng back for him but no sign of an elder bird and the following day found him on the same spot looking listless and drowsy... so i took him home with me and he didnt poop for one whole day only watery liquid which i took as a sign of starving... so after one more day of proper food and water he has now bcum a little pooping machine gun and is very active... yes he drinks and eats on his own plus there are a lot of pigeons in my area so i was hoping once hes all grown up i can leave him with them so he can join the flock or the community.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Oh then you did really well to bring him with you. Thank you so much. 
He seems almost two weeks old so you can feed him with defrosted peas/corns thawed under warm water to make it at normal temperature by opening his beak and putting one by one into his mouth and sliding down the throat. 
How are you feeding him when you said you are feeding him some paste?


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

well i started with wholewheat bread soaked in warm water but then i read somehwr its not that healty so now i have switched to the following- sprouts blended together, blended pulses, cornflakes softened in warm water, even mashed boiled rice. i have two Australian cockatiles so ysterday i tried to give him their bird food which are very tiny seeds and he ate that also but hes not able to eat whole sprouted seeds or pulses... he tries to but it doesnt go down his throat. i was also wondering as to from when he will start showing signs of wanting to fly


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

So he ate that blended seeds by himself or you fed him in his mouth by your hands? 
He will take at least 10-12 days in starting to fly when he grows his wings and tail feathers. Usually at 4 weeks they fly OK but not to be there in wild. To release him you will have to wait for almost a month or more so he grows his full wings and feathers and could escape the predators and survive.


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

the first day i fed him with hands but now hes very adept in eating it himself... only water i have to mke him drink.. hes strolls around looking for food pecking on the bed when he is hungry.. food is no problem with him.. plus hes also very active and alert okay so it will take one month for him to grow all his feathers... should i atke him outside in the backyard later to give him trial flights?


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

I wonder how is he eating paste by himself. Lol
Well I think you can give him small seeds like millets(baajra), wheat, barley (Jau), lentils(masoor ki daal), mustard seeds etc. Why I am saying it as you have to release the bird so he should recognise the seeds as seeds and not blended or ground seeds which he won't be able to get there so he should be used to what his seeds look like so he could forage for them and get them, hope you understand what I am trying to say. Cockatiels mix too is OK as it contains seeds. 
Pls don't take him in yard for trial flights for now because if he flies anywhere where you couldn't get him back from, he may be eaten by a predator as he can't fly enough to escape them,he is too young for that. 
Where are you keeping him?


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Can you post a closer pic of the baby pls, he should be elder than 2 weeks if he is eating on his own as you said, a closer and clear pic will give a better idea.


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

i have uploaded the pic of the food that i give him... by paste i meant semi solid  lol i wonder if i used the right term... i even tried to give him uncooked daal and rice, he tried to eat them but hes not able to... it doesnt go down his beak itself because of which am sticking to semi solid which slides into his mouth easily hes not able to eat soaked daal also as the size is too big... as mentioned earlier i gave him bird seeds (kangni) which he loved and since they are very tiny was able to eat easily... so i am hoping hes soon able to switch to solid seeds okay no trial flying lessons for him but do the squabs show pre flight indications? i keep him in on my bed with my other two birds and he spends the day roaming around and jumping from place to place... at night i keep him in a small cage so he can sleep without scampering away looking for trouble  i have posted anothr pic of him which shows his yet to come feather areas


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

this is his side profile.. so his wings and tail have grown i guess... also i dont have any idea of its sex but i keep calling him "him" only  so is there anyway to guess his gender? i hope these two pics help


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

OK got it, it's kind of crushed seeds. Do you think he eats enough? his crop should be full. If you think his crop isn't full you should hand feed him. 
I asked for a closer pic so I could guess about the size,
he seemed to be two weeks old maximum with this pic and they don't usually eat by themselves at this age but some do, I agree. 
Preflight indications are when he starts coming to your bed from the ground. He will start taking small flights first like from your bed to your shoulder, lol just an example. 
You seem to be a bird lover when you said you keep cocktiels on your bed 
What about cleaning messy collection of poops. Lol
How do you clean that all?


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Oh thanks a lot for this one, saw this pic after my post.
He is of course more than two weeks, almost 22-25 days or a bit more so no worries they usually start eating on their own at this age but as they usually start from the smaller seeds so he is doing what he should. You can carry on with crushed seeds as you are already giving with no problem but anytime if it seems he isn't eating or his crop is empty, you can feed by yourself as well.

No, gender can't be guessed at this age now, it is guessed when they start cooing or they show it by their behavior.


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

hes a very avid eater so i dont think he eats less plus his droppings seem healthy.. (brown solid with white streak) how do i check his crop?.. i know its situated on his back but i dont know how to check it. he hasnt started cooing yet.. its the same chick whine that they do.. hahahahha yes i am a huge animal lover... well i spread newspapers so the droppings not a big issue


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Great!!! If his poop is normal, no need to worry. Crop isn't situated at back, it is at front. 
I am attaching a pic here in which the protruding portion under his neck is crop which is full in this pic and this pic is of 15 days old baby. You can Google for more images of crop for a better idea. When you gently touch the crop you can even feel seeds in that. 
Forgot to tell that never pour water in his mouth if you are making him drink that way, just dip his beak in water (just beak, not nostrils) and let him sip like that, within a few times he will start sipping and drinking on his own. Glad to know you are a bird lover  this site welcomes all bird lovers.


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

NO do NOT put him outside for test flights, his feathers are very ratty. His tail feathers are broken and his body feathers are in bad shape, he needs minerals and MORE food, in these pictures he is very thin and has a bald spot on chest. He needs time to grow good feathers. Do not allow him outside he is no way ready to be released. Keep feeding him LOTS of food, more than he needs and always have the seed out for him to eat as much as he wants for now. Put out a large SHALLOW bowl of water to see if he wants to bathe to get his feathers in better condition. Good work on saving him, but now u need to give him time until he looks like a very sleek feathered accomplished flyer IN THE HOUSE before you attempt to take him out and release him. Then that is another story with more info.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Thanks CBL for the inputs, the baby was starving actually so he is very skinny. And yes he is in bad shape but thank God he is eating on his own  so will be better in time I hope with the poster's help. 
I wondered to see your post this time, awake...


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

Thanku kiddy for the info! Yep will definitely make sure of it now.. Yes I dip his beak into the water and he seems to suck it in... How many times do I feed him a day.. Right now if he's hungry he starts pecking and I feed him .. Plus he always has a supply of food and water with him


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

Yea CBL I found him starving and listless hence I got him with me... The first day he didn't even poop and wen he did it was mainly water but now after two days he is pooping regularly and they are big sized ..
Also do I add the vitamin drops in his water?
And I had thought the bald spot in his chest must have been the area where feathers wre yet to come.. Do u think it's because of some problem?
Yes I am not gonna leave him outside at all.. And I sincerely hope he bcumes healthy soon... Thanx for all the instructions


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Keep the feed and water always available for him so whenever he is hungry, he can eat as he is eating on his own. If you think it is insufficient and the crop seems empty you can feed him in his mouth. If you have yellow peas, you can soak them in water for 1-2 hours and then by opening his beak you can feed him one by one almost 25-30 yellow peas 3 times a day, but if you see his crop is half full or he has eaten some seeds you can decrease peas count like may be 10-15. 
If you have defrosted frozen green peas like from Green Valley etc. or you can buy, those are easier to digest but to get them to normal temperature is necessary so these should be thawed under warm water. Those can be given 35-40 three times a day. 

I couldn't note that bald patch earlier, it wasn't clear on mobile. It could be a sign of canker (common disease in pigeons) so he should be treated for canker before release, we have flagyl easily available and a cheap medicine here. CBL would better tell if to treat now, in my opinion it is better to treat after a few days when he seems a bit healthy because he was starving so he should start getting to at least normal health. But I will wait for others opinion here. 

If you have some birds vitamins (if you use them for cockatiels) that will be good, if you don't have, there are vitamins syrup at pet stores here, I use concitone which I got from a pet store, you may get any other, concitone contains minerals as well. Vitamins are given in there drinking water.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Does he have any other bald patches like it seems on wing and near tail?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Thank you for caring for this youngster.

Here is a link on caring for baby pigeons, which will give you valuable information:http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/caringforababypigeon.htm *


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

No there's no bald spot anywhr except the chest and even there he doesn't seem to have any irritation... Also hes not not showing any physical signs of distress.. Behavior is pretty normal so I hope it doesn't turn out to b canker... What are its other symptoms? 
I always ,give it food while it sleeps and wnevr hes up his food bowl is always finished.. So hopefully he will fatten up pretty soon

Yes I have the vitamin supplements and I have started giving it to him... What about his calcium requirements? I have vuttlebone but I prefer egg shells for my other rbirds... I doubt if he will b able to eat it


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

Thanku skyeking


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

If they don't get sunshine Calcium supplement should be given which has D3 in it because without D3 it wouldn't get absorbed in body, so just check your bottle if it has D3. I use cipcal tablet which has D3 and I give my birds 1/8 of cipcal weekly in their mouth. 
I give my bird crushed egg shells but I used boiled eggs to take out their shells for them so they carry no germs. 
But again with crushed egg shells they should get sunshine to synthesize D3. So just check your bottle what it mentions? Is it liquid calcium or tablet?


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

I have the vitamin and amino acids supplement but not the calcium syrup or tablet.. Should I get one? 
And he has started to show his preference towards seeds rather than the mashed food (cornflakes and oatmeal) but he's not able to eat the bigger seeds... Just the kangni ones


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Well I never gave them calcium at this age as they were being raised by parents but I give at one month when they start weaning, I think no harm in giving as well, it will benefit in strengthening his bones . If you can buy a tablet of cipcal, it will be sufficient for eight weeks, as we give 1/8 of it weekly to healthy ones, not expensive as well, I think 10 tablets for Rps 46 as I remember. 
I think "kangni" you are calling to canary bird seeds? We call it "kukni" or "kakuni", I mix it in their grains as well and I see they like it. Which state are you from? May be language difference, I am from U.P.
He would like lentils too but unsoaked lentils. My young ones start on barley, millets and lentils so you can mix them all, gradually he will start picking and eating them as well.


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

Am from chandigarh, panjab... Kangni is what the pet stores give as the main seed for the birds... And he loves it the most! Yes I tries giving him unsoaked lentils I could see he was interested in hearing if but again the same thing- was too big for him... It's still hard for him to eat the big seeds hence I have to soak them and crush it which he eats easily! 

And I will get cipcal... But how much to give him and how many days to give it to him? Can I use cipcal for my cockatiels also?


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

He will start eating in some time, I have seen pigeons love lentils.
I have told you twice, lol. Get a cipcal, break it in 8 parts and now give 1 part once in a week i. e 1/8 th part of cipcal weekly.  
I will tell again if any confusions, do ask. 
I don't have any experience with cockatiels, CBL can guide you for that, I think CBL has cockatiels.


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## Canpenny (Aug 1, 2015)

Oh great; 
Hahahahah yes sorry for that .. Still had confusion so thought should clear it out! 
And thanku so much again! U have been such a great help.. It really made things easier...
Will keep bugging u till hes ready to fly and leave my home


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

My pleasure  
People here made things easier for me when I needed help so me too happy to help if someone is in need  
pls do keep us posted.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

How is the baby now? No update?


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