Anyone handfeed baby pigeons? Help!?

Question

I'm getting a few pigeon eggs off a friend and need to know the following...

How many CCs of formula?

What Temp?

How many times daily?

For how many weeks?

Best weaning foods?

Any other positive input works too...Oh and no "Don't do it" kind stuff...Best answer goes to a detailed answer that isn't a link!

Answer 1

DO NOT feed baby pigeons worms. They don't eat them in the wild, they won't eat them in captivity, and worms can carry parasites.

I strongly suggest feeding them with Kaytee Exact powdered parrot formula. You can get it at almost any pet store. Don't get the tiny bag - you'll use it up in a week. The easiest way I have ever found to feed baby pigeons is with a paper Dixie cup - let me explain...

In natural settings, parent pigeons will take the baby's beak into their mouth, the baby will practically go down the parent's throat. Baby pigeons don't "gape" and ask for food with an open mouth like most other baby birds do. To feed them with Dixie cups, fill the cup almost full with prepared formula, and then take a pen or pencil and poke a hole in the side of the cup. Position the baby's beak into the hole, and tip the cup. They should start chugging the formula down like there's no tomorrow. That's because this best simulates the parents' beak surrounding theirs. Using syringes is usually awkward and can drown them. They aren't used to it.

The Exact formula comes with a blue scooper. I usually feed baby pigeons exactly one scoop of prepared powder, and mix it with warm/hot water. It cools fast, so if you start with warm water, it will thicken VERY quickly. Start with hot water, and it cools to warm very quickly, and stays runnier longer. During the feeding the formula may start to set and cool at least 2 or 3 times, so you'll have to watch it and add hot water as needed until they finish the cup. It has to  be pretty runny so it can flow down their throat, but not watery. Too much water and it could drown them.



Feed them this amount at least twice daily, but no more than 3 times. They'll eat more as they get bigger. You'll be able to tell when their crop is full/empty. They can hold a lot of food in that little pouch, and when they're full you'll know it.

They'll eat this food for about 4-6 weeks, and when they start weaning, leave some small seeds (like finch seeds) in their cage/box to practice with. Also leave a small cup of water that they can't knock over. They'll slowly start to eat more and more seeds, and want less and less formula. Eventually they'll stop wanting the formula altogether, and eat only seeds. They do this on their own, so don't cut off the formula until they're ready.

They'll usually start trying to fly around 4 weeks, and will be completely able to fly around 6-8 weeks. At that point, keep them caged up or expect p**p all over your house.

Hope this helps, and with any further questions, don't hesitate to send me an email.

By the way, when they first hatch, they'll need to stay warm - they can't regulate their own temperature yet. Keep them on a heating pad with lots of warm towels. They might also need more than 2 feedings a day with smaller quantities, until they are fully feathered.

Answer 2

ground up worms they will eat as much as they please they have a high metabolism

Answer 3

The reason I link rather than explain is that the link not only describes the process exactly but also shows visuals of just what you need to do.  If you've never hand reared a baby pigeon from hatch (and the odds are slim even with tubing correctly) then you need all the help (visual and otherwise that you can).  You'd be much better off if your friend let the birds at least rear the babies till they were abotu 7 days or so before you tried to rear them -- if only because pigeon milk contains some immune factors from the parents that really don't get replicated in the tubing process.  (BTW - I've got almost 50 years experience with pigeons so I know what i'm talking about)

Now - check out

http://pigeoncote.com/vet/feedbaby/feedb...

http://www.duckpolice.org/BirdWeb/Pigeon...

http://www.duckpolice.org/BirdWeb/Pigeon...