# Baby Wood Pigeon - pls help



## ninaannechalk34 (Jul 19, 2009)

Hello
yesterday we found a baby wood pigeon in the garden. I was going to leave him but too many foxes and cats around at night and not sure how long he had been there. he is about a handcup size, lots of yellow fluffy feathers on a black body. I have him in a bed of dry leaves and shredded kitchen roll and we have been feeding him a mixture of weetabix and skimmed milk - he has had 4 helpings of 5ml in a syringe, thats 5ml every 4 hours. he is full of life and vocal when we talk to him or go to feed him. I have since read that they are lactose intollerant so i will go to the shop and get some readybrek to mix with water, as its sunday pet shops are closed. What do i get for him that will be best and does he not need solids or anything. what do i do - he is actually adorable and has been with us for nearly 2 days. Are we being cruel by hand rearing him, I would love to try but not at his expence. We have a hugh family of wood pigeons in the garden that have been nesting around here for years, the nest is about 30ft up if not more. 

Pls help - what would be the best thing to do? - he feeds well.

many thanks Nina x


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Nina,

No, you are not being cruel at all, the only problem might be if he gets too tame for release.

Is he bigger than this:










How long is his tail?

If you feed him Ready Brek you could dip day old (or older) wholemeal bread in it first, to bulk it up. Feed him until his crop is squishy like a balloon 3/4 full of water, then wait until it goes down before feeding again. Let the crop empty completely overnight.

If you let us know where you are we might be able to find somewhere you could take it for hand rearing or for release (it will stand a better chance if it mixes with other woodies before release).

Cynthia


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## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

Hi Nina and welcome!
You can use dog pelleted food too. Chrush it and mix with hot water. Feed him with warm mix approximately 37~39 degrees Celssius. Works as temporary solution.
Give him heat, food and love. There is nothing cruel, it wil not survive without your help.


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## ninaannechalk34 (Jul 19, 2009)

Hi thank you

He is not as big or as feathered as the one in the picture and his eyes are smaller so i guess he is alot younger than i thought. He is sitting in my lap at the moment after just being fed - i am now giving him a rusk mixed with water - not sure of consistency so it is quite liquid - enough to be syringed in - i make a hole through my finers an dhe opens right up - he takes 10ml and the next feed is 4 hours. then that will be it till morning. I will get some porridge tomorrow to mix with warm water - when do i give him something with a little more bulk? I am in Milton Keynes. I am no bird expert but he/she seems happy. As for the tail - it is really very tiny at the moment - do you think he is a couple of weeks? maybe less. I have been watching another nest of W/Ps through my landing window - they have now flown the nest and its lovely - wish i could pop him in that nest an dmaybe mum would adopt him, its far to high and nestled in for me to get to.

Nina xx


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

OK, how about this one? He is about 10 days old:










The Ark Wildlife Hospital at 43 Crispin Road, Milton Keynes can hand raise it for you. At this time of year they sould have other woodies for it to mix with.

Their number is (07702) 342415.

Cynthia


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## Glyn (Jun 29, 2009)

*!!!*

May i Say If Anyone has baby Pigeons and the parents disown them DO NOT GIVE THEM MILK !! it kills them streaght away , sorry but its for the sake off the Bird


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## ninaannechalk34 (Jul 19, 2009)

Yes he is just like the one in th picture but a little more yellow feathers around. I will give them a call as they are just over the road!
many thanks.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> I will give them a call as they are just over the road!


Let us know how you get along. Woodies are very much loved by so many members here.



> DO NOT GIVE THEM MILK !!* it kills them streaght away *


Actually that isn't strictly true. In his book "the pigeon" Wendel Levi states that he found that cow's milk alone was not enough to keep baby pigeons alive (so they would die on a diet of milk but not because it is toxic to them). However he also noted Aberhalden found that pigeons raised exclusively on fresh milk from cows and goats stayed in good health for two years (but had tatty feathering).

However, giving pigeons cows milk is not recommended, it has little nutritional value for them and I have read that pigeons can't digest lactose which (I think) causes diarrhea and that causes dehydration. But you know what it's like when you read things on the Internet, you seldom have any idea about how knowledgeable the person writing is...which is why so much of the absolute rubbish written on Pest Control sites is accepted as truth by so many.


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## ninaannechalk34 (Jul 19, 2009)

He went through the night again - tried calling number but no reply yet. I have changed him to porridge as said, i mix it with water but am not sure what consistancy? I have made it quite runny and gave him 10ml which he took fairly quick. ihave noticed his poo is quite liquid and a yellow/green colour, is this ok? I know grown adult do very large white and black ones so is this just because he is young or his diet os poor? he is full of beans though an always seems to be looking for food? What should i do - how long to they eat this foor befor eyou give them a little something a bit more bird like?

Nina xx


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Are you making up the porridge with warm water rather than milk? You can make it fairly thick and you can add some crumbled rusks. Feed him until his crop is like a 3/4 full balloon, squishy but not hard.

This is a photo of a young one just after he had been fed, showing his plump little crop:










Keep trying with the Ark, she might be busy with the animals. When I called her it was about 8:30 and she answered very quickly.


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## ninaannechalk34 (Jul 19, 2009)

Thank you - this looks just like him and that is how his crop looks - he is hungry now so i am going to feed him - i will try again in the morning - woud like to continue with him until he is just a little bigger - is that wrong - i am enjoying loking after him. I suppose it is a little unfair to him as he is not with his own but he is so small and helpless. xxx Thank you for your help. Nina


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Nina,

It is when they fledge that they need the company of other wood pigeons, because it is from them that they learn where to forage and what they can eat. Wood pigeons in the wild have a varied diet that changes from season to season.

Cynthia


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

ninaannechalk34 said:


> Thank you - this looks just like him and that is how his crop looks - he is hungry now so i am going to feed him - i will try again in the morning - woud like to continue with him until he is just a little bigger - is that wrong - i am enjoying loking after him. I suppose it is a little unfair to him as he is not with his own but he is so small and helpless. xxx Thank you for your help. Nina


I am the worst in the world at letting them go when I've hand reared a baby, but as hard as it is, at the right time as Cynthia says, they do need to mix with others to be able to survive.

I saw the last one I raised the other day at the rescue centre where I take mine, a week after I took him in to mix with other Woodies. When I took him he was still flapping his wings begging to be fed even though he could pick up and eat seeds himself by then.  It tugs at your heart strings.
In a week he was already becoming wary of humans and although he looked at me twice, he shied away when someone put their hands in the cage.
This is how they need to be before release, and as much as I wanted to pick him up and have him remember me, I knew he would have a hard time out there in the wild if he saw all humans as friends, as unfortunately they're not. 

You will enjoy rearing him, they're so sweet, and in answer to your question, no it isn't wrong to give them the best start you can, but I'd possibly aim to take him to a rescue centre, (as long as they've got some other Woodies there for him to mix with of course), at the point he is able to pick up seeds himself, just so he doesn't get too imprinted.

Well done for all you're doing for him, good luck,

Janet


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## ninaannechalk34 (Jul 19, 2009)

Oh thank you everyone - I have decided to give him another night here and then will take him/her over to The Ark, its only round the corner. You are right he is a Woody after all and he needs to be scared of us and learn how to be one of them. I am quite sad and can not believe I have grown so attached to a baby Wood Pigeon, who would have thought, he is just so lovely.  Thank you all so very much for your advise as without it I would not have known where to start. 

Nina xx


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## ninaannechalk34 (Jul 19, 2009)

Well I ahve taken him to the Arc now - i miss him already but hopefully one day he will be the elegant looking Woody feeding in my garden and may give me a little nod to let me know its him  xx


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi Nina,

That is good news. I quite understand how you feel but it is the best thing for the baby in the long run.

I just look at baby and remind myself it isn't going to be able live with me for the rest of it's life, so at least you know that it's down to you that it has the chance of a good life now.

I hope one day you will see it again, I'm sure you'll recognise it when it winks at you !! 

Well done and thanks,

Janet


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

You did the right thing.

It doesn't get any easier to part with them once they get older, you just grow more attached because they are such darling gentle birds.

Cynthia


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