# Tube Feeding



## fred2344 (Jan 9, 2002)

I've been watching posts related to tube feeding baby pigeons and don't understand why this has to be done?
All of the most experienced pigeon breeders I know have the babies on full formula the first week and formula and small food in the second week and 100% solid food by the third. None of them tube feed. They use syringe feedings.
I have questioned all of them about the use of tubes and to a last, they are all opposed to it. Their very first comment is that there is too much of a risk in scratching the mucous membrane in the throat which would allow any opportunistic organism to invade the system of these young birds. The second argument that they make against it is that it is too much of a shock to the systems. I can see both points as being completely valid.
They tell me that using a syringe is far safer and easier on the birds. I have syringed baby pigeons and baby parrots with no difficulty at all.
Why is there such confidence in this method? Is it that people are not aware that syringe feeding is available to use?
Someone posted a link about tube feeding and the baby being used for the example was too old for formula in the first place. The baby pigeon can develop digestive system problems if it is not fed solid food by the third week of age and the bird shown was being given formula at about that age.
I hope that this post will invite responses because maybe all of the successful fanciers I know and me are missing something.


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"Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace."

Albert Schweitzer


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## bigbird (Aug 19, 2000)

Hi Fred,
You ask some good questions here. I think the decision to syringe feed vs. crop feeding depends upon the feeder. Both methods will get food into the baby or sick bird. There are pros and cons to each method.
Syringe Feeding:
This method is easy to learn.
This method is used even by inexperienced people without difficulty.
This method works fine if you only have one or two babies to feed each day.
This method is very slow, especially if you are feeding 4 or 5 birds.
As the bird gets older, this method can become stressful to the birdee and the feedee. I know because I have gone through it often. When you do not have other pigeons to show the young bird how to eat, it takes much longer to wean the hand fed baby. During this time, the bird is hungry but does not want to be restrained for syringe feeding. I usually end up wrapping the bird in a towel so he will be still while I feed him.
When all is said and done, syringe feeding seems to work fine.

Crop Feeding:
Crop Feeding requires skill and experience to be safe. 
Crop feeding is fast. The crop fills fast, just like when the parents feed their young.
Crop feeding is best suited for birds that are at least 8 days old, younger birds should be syringe fed.
Crop feeding is best for sick adult birds that are in danger of dying if they are not feed.
Crop feeding is used in all of the other poultry fields.
Crop feeding is tried and true method but it its detractors. I have found that the detractors usually have no direct experience with crop feeding or have had a bad experience with it.

The above information is nothing more than my opinion on this subject, hope it was helpful.

Regards,
Carl


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## Nooti (Mar 14, 2002)

Hi Fred, not sure what you actually mean by syringe feeding - I use syringes with a soft flexible tube on the end - so I am assuming you mean syringe feeding using a 1 ml syringe and putting it straight into the crop, then refilling it again and so on. I tried this method many years ago when I first had to hand rear and it was taking nearly an hour to feed both birds, three times a day. That's a huge chunk of the day when one has a zillion and one things to do and feed, and by tube feeding, 2 birds can be fed and everything cleaned up and put away again in 5 minutes.


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## fred2344 (Jan 9, 2002)

Well, thanks for both of you replying so quickly.
I'm still quite confused about the entire issue. I have parrots and visit a parrot store quite often and many times see a slew of babies being syringe fed with formula. The syringe is large and holds the full amount of what is going to be a full crop. The feeding syringe is plastic with a rigid tip. 
The person who does the feeding is very adept at what she does and she simply goes from bird to bird very quickly. She empties the syringe into one baby, refills it and goes on to the next. Maybe there is confusion because folks who raise baby pigeons are not using large syringes that hold the entire crop volume.
I have had the pleasure of syringe feeding both parrot and pigeon babies. The fact that one type has a hooked bill and the other, a straight doesn't matter at all. 
Of course bypassing the trachea and not syringing down the center is critical so as not to cause aspiration. That's a given.
Now what I just typed out is only one aspect of tube vs syringe feeding and I think the bottom line there is that perhaps people are not using large volume syringes.
The rest of it is not so easy to talk about. At the expense of repeating myself, I do have concerns about the danger of scratching the mucous membrane and the shock of feeding a bird in what I believe to be an unnatural way. 
Yes, you folks who raise pigeons have many more more birds to feed than I do. I pick up babies that fall from natural nests and frankly, most of the others I don't get have died under the wheels of cars. I have syringe fed babies under two weeks of age and in the second week, also given small pieces of easily digestible food. By the third week, they are completely on solid food. Perhaps because these are street pigeons, I'm more concerned with canker than those of you who have cooped birds so maybe that is why my attitude is more cautious about scratching the mucous membrane with tube feeding.
For all I know I may be making a mountain out of a molehill but I do appreciate the responses to my original post.



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"Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace."

Albert Schweitzer


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## bigbird (Aug 19, 2000)

I say "syringe feeding" is using a plastic syringe with a hard tip, inserting the tip in the birds mouth so when you squeeze the plunger, the food does not go onto the floor. This is a slow method because the bird must swallow for himself.
I say "crop feeding" is using a plastic or metal syringe with an extension for inserting down the baby bird's throat into the crop. This is the more dangerous method but also very fast. If you use a very soft plastic hose tip and are very gentil with your movements I do not think you have to worry about canker.
Regards,
Carl


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## devorah (Apr 10, 2002)

Hey, just a note here. I work with a large bird rehab center and wanted to respond about tube feeding (crop feeding). We only tube feed birds who *need* to be tube fed because they are orphaned and too young to pick up seed or because they are sick or injured. We have hundreds of birds and, of course, we prefer that the parents feed the young or that the birds eat by themselves. We do get baby birds, sick birds, or birds with injuries or stress who will not eat for whatever reason. We keep them alive by tube feeding them until they can eat by themselves. Our rehabbers tube feed only when absolutely necessary, I assure you!









--Devorah


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