# Handrearing Pigeon/ Any Bird !!! Help



## slimeysnail (Jan 29, 2009)

Hi guys, I have posted this question here and in a couple of other places, in the hope that someone might be able to offer a little advice.

I was driving home from work tonight, and noticed a little yellow bundle at the side of the road. It was under a railway bridge that always has pigeons nesting under it, and its happened a couple of times before where I have picked up injured, young birds from here. So I stopped and picked up this little pigeon, that was freezing cold and very weak. There was no where to put him back to the Mum pigeon, and if I had left him he would have been squashed- theres no doubt about it.

I have never had such a young pigeon to rear before, but I am experienced in crop feeding other birds etc.

I know my best bet is to get some hand rearing formula and tube feed, which is fine, I can do that tomorrow.. but tonight... what am I to give him tonight?

He is warming up with a statted heat mat, and I have given him a little warm water with salt and sugar in to rehydrate, but is there anything I can give him to fill him up? His crop is empty and I am desperate to get him through tonight, but I just dont know what to give him.

I read about peas.. but hes that small I dont think he could eat a pea.. I have budgie seed and wild bird seed, but he definitely wont peck at it on his own, maybe pushing seed to the back of his mouth? I dont know..

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

I have attached a pic of him.

Thanks, Sarah


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

Soaked peas should be ok, his parents should be feeding him solids already anyway. I top my baby show pigeons up with them all the time.

Just pop one in the back of its throat at a time and follow it down its neck with your finger and thumb into the crop :2thumb:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Lol, many years ago, I reared a baby wood pigeon on brown bread (Hovis, as I recall!) and milk- almost certainly not a recommended diet these days, but he grew up big and strong and was released as a healthy young adult :lol2:


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## guineapig (Jan 9, 2011)

ive reared many younger pigeons than this one and it will be able to swallow a pea at its size dont worry i wouldn't recommend any small objects as they may be inhaled and it could die in extreme cases like yours i got a syringe attached a bit of a drinking straw to it and fed it some wet mashed up chick crumb yes the stuff people give to poultry it works a treat and ive never lost any doing so but using the straw has to be done with care as any quick hand movements will injure the pigeons throat


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## Jesss (Mar 24, 2011)

No idea about the hand rearing it! Just wanted to come and say that I've never seen a pigeon so young. It looks like a clown! 
Please update on progress


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## slimeysnail (Jan 29, 2009)

Peas and sweetcorn went down extremely well last night and this morning for his breakfast. Hehe. I cant believe how easily he swallowed them !!! 

He was very lively and happy this morning, as he is now. He has a crop full of handrearing mixture and is looking quite pleased with himself hehe, as am I !!  :blush:


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## saxon12 (Mar 7, 2012)

Iv hand raised pigeon's in the past and had great luck with digestive biscuits iv socked them in a little warm water so they go like a paste the younger the bird the more runny and then used a baby medicine syringe and gently open the beak and then fed slowly after a day or so they get used to it and open up for it and have raised big healthy birds that way (use the biscuits that are lower in sugar but it don't really matter)
your best with 3/4 biscuits at each feed and then as it get's older and bigger then more also as it gets older offer normal bird food and good luck as they are great once they get older my one thought i was his mate :lol: but he was a nutter but they can become great pets also be careful as a few of mine would never fly so you could be stuck with him/her for life :lol:


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## slimeysnail (Jan 29, 2009)

Thanks for the advice guys. Pedro as he has been called is dong brilliantly well.

Squeak squeak squeak lmao !! 

When do they stop the noise.. I swear its getting louder !!

He came on a 600 mile car journey the past couple of days. I think he liked it lmao.. I had him sat on the dash board at one point to shut him up :2thumb::gasp:

:flrt:


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

slimeysnail said:


> Thanks for the advice guys. Pedro as he has been called is dong brilliantly well.
> 
> Squeak squeak squeak lmao !!
> 
> ...


He'll stop squeaking once he pretty much goes through his first moult and matures :2thumb:


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

Oh, i forgot to say. Make sure you put a pot of dry peas in with him about now so that he starts learning how to eat. Mine get a pot of food in once they're pretty much feathered - so they learn to eat before they leave the nest :2thumb:


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## slimeysnail (Jan 29, 2009)

Thankyou, I was wondering when I was to start putting in dry seed for him. 

Will he definitely be able to digest the dried peas as young as he is?

He is learning to stick his beak in my hand, which I have progressed to a cup... but he still expects me to open his beak and pop things in for him LOL:flrt:


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

Young pigeons still get fed by their parents while they're flying round for the first few weeks, along with the food/water they're taking in. So aslong as you're still feeding him soaked and offering dry then he should be fine - along with dipping his beak in water so that he learns to drink. Eventually you'll get to a stage where he's eating enough for himself and will stop begging for food. :2thumb:


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