# life cycle of squabs with its parents



## Crakatow (Dec 12, 2004)

Hi All! 
Just wondering if anyone can share some thoughts on the life cycle of squabs. I have a pair of doves nesting on the pillar of my open garage. They hatched around the 10th of January 07 and they are probably about 2/3 weeks old. But well, these days i don't see the mother dove feeding so much, and at night the babies are alone. The temperature here in the night can be about 11 degrees celsius when there is a cool change like tonight. And also one of the squabs is missing. Could it have died ? It seems to be too early for it to fly away. Also, another mother dove was seen setting up another nest couple of pillars away from the baby squab. Could it be the same mother dove of the baby squab or another pair? I put out food and water for these birds, and am delighted with the baby doves hatching and growing. It pains me to see one of them missing. And the other one...seems to be alone most of the time, esp at night. I was tempted to help but i didn't want to because i couldn't be 100 percent sure if the baby squab really needs help? So i just put out food and water for the parents.What are your thoughts anyone?

Regards, Priscilla


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Crakatow said:


> Hi All!
> Just wondering if anyone can share some thoughts on the life cycle of squabs. I have a pair of doves nesting on the pillar of my open garage. They hatched around the 10th of January 07 and they are probably about 2/3 weeks old. But well, these days i don't see the mother dove feeding so much, and at night the babies are alone. The temperature here in the night can be about 11 degrees celsius when there is a cool change like tonight. And also one of the squabs is missing. Could it have died ? It seems to be too early for it to fly away. Also, another mother dove was seen setting up another nest couple of pillars away from the baby squab. Could it be the same mother dove of the baby squab or another pair? I put out food and water for these birds, and am delighted with the baby doves hatching and growing. It pains me to see one of them missing. And the other one...seems to be alone most of the time, esp at night. I was tempted to help but i didn't want to because i couldn't be 100 percent sure if the baby squab really needs help? So i just put out food and water for the parents.What are your thoughts anyone?
> 
> Regards, Priscilla


Actually, if the babies hatched on 10 Jan, they are only 11 days old. I guess my main concern is where they are and if they are safe from falling out of the nest. That MIGHT be what happened with the other baby. If it had "just died" it would still be in the nest.......or some sort of predator may have gotten it? It's really hard to say. I don't know what 11 celius is in temps. Actually at around 10 to 12 days the parents will start leaving the babies for short periods and the older they get, the longer the parents will stay away from the nest. I would, at this point, just watch.......as long as the baby is being fed, it should be ok. It's very possible that Mom is setting up a new nest for the next babies. I assume these are "doves" and not "pigeons"? I think for the most part, both types of birds raise their babies in the same fashion. Do you see Dad too? If there is only one parent feeding, then that could be a problem. I'm sure others will be along shortly to shed a little more light on what they think. The good thing is that you are keeping an eye out, and I again assume, IF there is a problem, you would be willing to step in and help out? If the dates are correct, the babies have about another AT LEAST 3 weeks before going out on their own, maybe a little longer.


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## Crakatow (Dec 12, 2004)

Thanks Renee, well the dates are only an approximate. the mother dove first started to roost/sit on her nest on the 22nd of Dec 05. I remember coz i tried saving her previous eggs.She abandoned them. There are mum and dad always hanging around the nest but i don't see them much feeding the little ones. I definitely don't see them with the little ones at night. Well only one is left now. i hope this one will survive. I'm watching them, i can see the baby from my kitchen window, hard to miss. fingers crossed and praying. 

oh the other one that is missing, i thought it might have dropped from the nest, but my dogs would have gotten to it before i did. i'm still looking....what a shame.

priscilla


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## Crakatow (Dec 12, 2004)

*Got pictures of the baby squab!*

Any thoughts? It is wet and raining this morning. So I thought I'll check on the baby bird and get some pics for you guys to see if you have any thoughts about its condition. The baby bird barely moved while I stood on a 2 step ladder to take these pics about a couple of metres away. Blinked its eyes once or twice. Any comments will be greatly appreciated. 
Regards, priscilla


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Darling baby! It looks to be very well fed and old enough for the parents to leave it from time to time. I hope it will continue to do well.

Terry


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hello Priscilla

The baby looks very well fed and content. My main concern would be a cat or even a raccoon being able to climb onto the ledge and get the remaining baby. That may have happened to the first one. I know of no solution to this problem other than to bring the baby in and finish raising it because if you try to put up something to keep predators away, the parents will abandon the baby.

I didn't know doves would build their nest in a garage.


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## Crakatow (Dec 12, 2004)

*Thanks.*

What a relief. I'm glad the baby looks well. It is unlikely that a cat would have gotten to it as the pillar is quite high off the ground. And not sure about raccoons in australia. I don't think we have them around here. My guess is the other one fell off and my dogs got it or it could have been taken by a bird of prey. Just two pillars away from this baby bird is another mother bird sitting on her new nest. Not sure if it is the mother of the baby bird or another new mom setting up another family near this one. Are doves/pigeons territorial? i do hope it is another family and not the same mother bird of the baby bird. I'm just kinda worried coz i don't see the baby bird feeding with its mother bird these couple of days ever since the other baby bird is gone.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Crakatow,


Nice job getting those images!

How nice to have Doves nesting where one may see and enjoy them..!

As others have mentioned, this looks to me also to be every inch a contented, well fed and darling little Dove. And, I would say they are likely better than two weeks old presently, maybe edging on to three...and possibly only a couple weeks from fledgeing in some initial flying forays.

The sibling may have accidently tumbled down from being wound-up at feeding time, and have met some fate from it. Once getting onto around a couple weeks of age, they can get really excited and active and are pretty strong, running and twirling in circles and asserting themselves and so on when about to be fed, and of course when in elevated situations or limited platforms, they can typically have any number of near falls, and sometimes an actual fall from their exhuberance.


11 degrees Celcius, would be 11/100ths above the freezing point of water, where the boiling boint is 100, and the freezing point is 0...I think, so, in the Farenheit way of faith, if my mind is working right, and it seldom does, this would be something like 50 degrees Farenheit, which is just fine for a Dove or Pigeon Baby of this age and appearent health to deal with...she is likely a little 'Furnace' in fact, making plenty of heat for herself and enjoying the cool air.

Pigeon parents for sure, and Dove parents I imagine, will in fact begin 'New' Nests once their present Babys are getting around two to three weeks of age or are reliably endothermic anyway and no longer needing to be sat on.

And will also lay and incubate two new Eggs in the New Nest ( immediately next to or nearbye the old Nest, or even in the 'old' Nest that still has the Babys in it if it is large enough) as they continue to raise their on-going Babys...

When they do this they are feeling very optimistic about the future, and or making haste with what remains of a Season's prospects for the youngsters in the months ahead...or are just not thinking...Lol...


'Crackatow'...reminds me of how one night, I got up out of bed intending to smash my little Toe against a Table leg in the dark, but accidently walked all the way to the bathroom for a drink of water, instead. ( - which joke is stolen from I forget what comedian...)


Best wishes!

Phil
Las Vegas


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## Crakatow (Dec 12, 2004)

*Thanks for all your assurance!*

Thanks to Terry, Maggie, Renee and Phil. I feel much better knowing that the baby bird is well. And that the mother bird nesting a couple of pillars away is normal behaviour. It is indeed a joy having birds nesting in the backyard. I know there's also a pair of mynahs nesting in my shed. Shame that I couldn't save the other baby bird when it fell. Hmm, i was just thinking about it the other day. What if they fall from the pillar......should i put something to cushion the area around it......But my husband would have thought me crazy to go to such lengths for the babies. I should have acted on my instincts, but i couldn't help the dogs carrying it away or even a bird of prey. WHat luck. Well, there is really only so much one can do. I just hope all goes well for this little one left. Thanks all 
What a big relief. 
Priscilla


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Crackatow, 


Yeahhhh, about all we can do when wishing to keep an eye out for Wild 'peepers' or 'squablettes' who might exhuberantly trip themselves over a Nest edge...

...is to just hope that IF they do, we might see them or find them soon after.

Ideally, their parents would continue to feed them even though on the ground, or some lowish place the youngster could climb up on to...

And of course the grounded youngster knows well to seek places to hide, when not seeking their parent's eye otherwise. Or will find a hiding place from which the parents can call them, so the Baby comes trotting out when called for chow-time.

But the danger of course is that some preditor could find them, or, too, that the Baby-Youngster, getting exhasperated with not being attended by their parents, goes 'marching' off to God knows where, trying to find their parents, or trying the only think they can think of, "marching"...

And they can March too...believe me...


Phil
Las Vegas


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## naturegirl (Nov 7, 2005)

Hi Crakatow, at 3 weeks old the babies are ready to leave the nest. You will find them usually together on the ground hidden and staying well out of sight. The Mother knows where they are and will start following her around to teach them how to find food. The reason the Mom doesn't sit with them at night as they get a little older is not enough room and if a preditor comes along it won't kill the Mom and the babies and wipe out the entire family. Those babies are well old enough to leave the nest though. Thank You though for keeping a good close eye on them. Mourning Doves will keep coming back to the same nest repeatedly and laying in that nest, same goes to year after year, if the nest is there the following year she will nest there again. Hope that helps out a little bit 

Thanks 
Cindy


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