If you find a baby pigeon on the ground, it's best to keep it there. Often times, it can survive without human assistance. If you think baby pigeons need help, you may be wrong. If the bird appears to be in trouble, contact the nearest wildlife rehabilitation center. They are a credible institution capable of taking better care of animals. However, if you are keeping a baby pigeon, you may need to feed it if the mother can't do it. In this case, you need to feed with a special technique because the baby pigeons eat with the "root" technique (digging the mother's mouth to find food) instead of using the "gape" technique (opening her mouth so the mother can enter food). Even though the technique may seem odd, it is a more efficient technique for getting the baby pigeons to get the nutrients they need.
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Method 1 of 3: Mixing Baby Pigeon Feed
Step 1. Look for baby pigeon milk
Some of the commonly used milk brands are Kaytee Exact Hand Rearing Formula for Parrots and Nutribird A21. You can find these products at pet stores or online, but you can also make your own at home. Packaged bird feed is usually a bit expensive. Look for feeds specifically designed for pigeons, pigeons, parrots, or even small eagles.
- If you can't find the product you're looking for at the pet store, ask the store clerk.
- You can also contact a wild bird rescue center and have them retrieve the bird if it is found in the wild.
Step 2. Mix milk with water to have a consistency like steeping milk powder
Formula milk is initially given in diluted form. Over the next 10 days, the milk given daily should gradually thicken until it has a tomato-like texture. Use warm water to mix with milk. Make sure the temperature is the same as the water used to make baby's milk.
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For Kaytee milk, follow these measurements:
- Days 1 and 2: Mix milk and water in a 1:5 ratio.
- Days 2-5: Mix milk and water in a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3.
- Day 5 until birds are weaned: Mix milk and water at a ratio of 1 1/3:2.
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For Nutribird A21 milk, use the following dosage:
- Day 1-2: Mix milk and water in a ratio of 1:6.
- Day 2-3: Mix milk and water in a 1:5 ratio.
- Day 3-4: Mix milk and water in a ratio of 1:4.
- Days 4-5: Mix milk and water in a 1:3 ratio.
- Day 5 until birds are weaned: Mix milk and water in a ratio of 1:2 or 1:2, 5.
Step 3. Use baby cereal without adding milk if no other feed is available
Use this option only when you are in a pinch. Mix the cereal with warm water and dilute it until the texture is like brewed milk. Remember, you should only give this feed to birds that are at least 3 days old while trying to find better food as quickly as possible.
Another option is to use dog biscuits, but you'll need to soak them in warm water first until they are soft and fluffy. Most baby birds can just eat them, but if they are very young, you will need to mix the biscuits with warm water
Step 4. Make MAC milk as an alternative
Enter 71 grams of filtered chick feed, 1 hard-boiled egg yolk, 15. 3 grams of low-fat yogurt, 1.13 grams of corn oil, 247. 6 milligrams of calcium carbonate, 2 drops of cod liver oil, 1 drop of vitamin E diluted, a small amount of B vitamins, about the size of a sesame seed, and 25 milligrams of vitamin C into a blender. Stir until well blended.
- Dilute vitamin E by mixing one drop of the contents of a 400 IU capsule with 10 drops of corn oil. Mix until smooth. Make a new mixture every few days.
- The amount of B vitamins needed is so small that you can't measure it on a gram scale. Just take a small amount, no more than the size of a sesame seed.
- Enter the digestive enzymes for 3 days after the birds hatch. You will need to include 1/8 teaspoon of the digestive enzymes for this recipe, but they must be added to the food 30 minutes before giving it to the baby bird. So, if you're using 1/5 of the entire recipe, add 1/5 of the digested enzymes as well.
- Starting in the second week, you can gradually begin to mix grain and food for the pigeons.
Method 2 of 3: Feeding Birds in the First Week after Hatching
Step 1. Warm the bird before feeding
Place the baby birds in a box near a table lamp with a 40-watt bulb or a 40-watt dark reptile bulb. You can also use a low-temperature heating pad, a pet warmer, or a hot water bottle, but don't forget to wrap it in a towel.
A baby pigeon can't digest food when it's too cold, In fact, it has to stay warm all the time for 2 weeks; Usually, during this period the baby will continue to be warmed by the mother
Step 2. Prepare the food spet
Use a food syringe (a syringe without a needle) to insert food. Remove the plunger and remove the bandage (a type of sticky bandage) or safety rubber (for the teeth) to the end. Wrap a rubber band around the spet to hold it in place. Make a small hole in the rubber that is large enough for the baby bird's beak to enter.
- Baby birds will drink from the hole because pigeons drink directly from the mother's mouth. This technique is known as "rooting".
- Wipe up any liquid that spills onto the bird with a cotton swab dipped in warm water.
Step 3. Let the bird eat enough to fill its cache
The cache is a sac that is just above the bird's breastbone and serves to store food before it is digested. Watch the area while the bird is eating and wait until it is full.
If you press down on the cache, the texture feels like a water bottle when it's full. If a bird vomits food when its crop is pressed, it is full
Step 4. Feed the bird 4 times a day in the first week of its life
Pigeons have a larger cache than birds that eat food with the gapping technique (cannot root). Therefore, they only need to be fed 4 times a day when their cache is completely empty.
- Check the birds every 2 to 3 hours during the day when they are young. If his cache is empty, give him some more food.
- You don't need to feed the birds at night.
Step 5. Reduce meal times gradually
Check the bird to make sure its cache is empty. Usually, you can reduce your food ration to 3 times a day after one week, then 2 times a day after a few weeks.
Birds will usually fuss when they feel hungry
Method 3 of 3: Using Alternative Techniques
Step 1. Place the food in an egg cup or other small cup
Hold the baby bird over the egg cup and tilt it up. Let the baby bird dip its head into the cup to eat. Poke his head out every now and then to check the cache and give it some air.
This process may not be suitable for newborns, but it works for most pigeons
Step 2. Use a disposable 3-millimeter pipette with a tube
Suck the food into the dropper, then attach the plastic tube to the end. Cut the tube just enough so that the beak and neck of the bird can fit in. Heat the end of the tube with fire so that it is neat. Let it cool down, then put it in the baby bird's mouth. Use your fingers to feel the bird and look for areas of connection between its neck and body. Squeeze the dropper gently to remove the food. When the cache is full, pull out the tube so that there is some food left in the bird's mouth.
- It's a good idea to have someone show you how to practice this technique before trying it yourself.
- Use flexible, medical-standard tubes. You can buy it at a medical supply store or pharmacy. For example, you can use a catheter tube.
Step 3. Give frozen peas or corn to a slightly older baby
After two weeks, slightly warm the corn and peas. Put food into the bird's beak one at a time to slowly fill its cache. When you're done, the cache will feel like a bean bag.
