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Chicks, just like human children, need guardianship and care from their mother. Often in life there are situations in which the chick is torn off from the mother’s wing, for example, when he fell out of the nest. If necessary, a person can independently feed a feathered friend at home and, upon reaching the required age, release him into the wild. It is in such situations that it is necessary to know what pigeons feed their chicks, as a result of which there is a high probability of going out and raising a bird on their own.
What does a pigeon chick eat
If the feathered one turned out to be without parents and was picked up by a person, then it should be properly fed, and then sent to freedom upon reaching the required age. As practice shows, it is necessary to feed a pigeon chick from birth with crushed and well-brewed food. In the first days of life, a boiled egg yolk is perfect, which is injected into the feathered oral cavity through a syringe. In the future, it is worth feeding grains crushed to the state of flour and steamed in hot water. As the diet grows, it becomes much more diverse: fruits, vegetables, chopped greens, vitamins, live insects are introduced.
What to do if the pigeon chick fell out of the nest
In the event that a pigeon chick has fallen out of the nest, it is recommended to look around, suddenly its parents are nearby and are afraid to fly up to it due to the presence of people. If there are no adults nearby, then it is worth visually inspecting the pigeon chick itself. If there is plumage, it is completely dry, it behaves quite actively and is warm to the touch, then such a bird does not need help. Most likely this is his first flyby.
If the found pigeon chick does not fit this description and it is clear that without the help of a person it will die, then it is worth taking it carefully without damaging the bones. Take home to a warm place, starting the feeding process.
How to feed a baby pigeon
It is recommended to feed the pigeon chick strictly in accordance with the age category. This is primarily due to the fact that if you give a week-old baby food intended for a pigeon chick aged 2-3 weeks, then the body simply will not be able to digest food and the pigeon will die. For feeding, you can use a syringe, nipple or pipette. Food is introduced into the oral cavity, making sure that the food completely fills the goiter. From the first days of life it is necessary to accustom to water.
How to feed a pigeon chick at home
Feeding a pigeon chick at home is not as difficult as it might seem to many at first glance. As practice shows, it often becomes necessary to independently feed those birds that were found, fell out of the nest and were left without maternal care. In order to understand exactly how to feed and care for pigeon chicks, it is necessary first of all to correctly determine their age – this is the only way to avoid causing even more harm.
You can determine the approximate age by the following signs:
- rudimentary plumage appears on the 6th-7th day of life;
- eyes open completely on day 9;
- fully formed plumage can be seen by the end of 4 weeks;
- pigeons begin to show the first flitting rides at 6 weeks;
- the first molt occurs at week 7;
- the bird stops squeaking and starts cooing at 2-3 months of life;
- for the first time sexual instincts appear at 5 months;
- final molt at 6 months.
If you correctly determine the age of a pigeon chick left without maternal care, then you can feed and leave the baby.
In the first week
If a newborn pigeon chick was in the hands, then in this case it is important not only to properly feed, but also to water. Thus, it is initially necessary to teach the feathered to take water and food. As practice shows, it is most difficult to get out birds that are about a week old, no more. This is due primarily to the fact that in the first 7 days of life, newborns need breast milk. In order to save the pigeon chick, you will have to make quite a lot of effort.
A step-by-step algorithm of actions that allows you to feed newborn birds is as follows:
- First of all, you need to purchase a 20 ml medical syringe at the pharmacy and carefully put a nipple on it, preferably a pipette.
- Egg yolk is perfect as a feed, as it contains a large amount of minerals so necessary for the normal life of a pigeon. You can also use special grains that are pre-ground to a state of flour.
- The resulting feed is carefully introduced into the oral cavity through a syringe, allowing time for the processing of the received components.
It is necessary to feed pigeon chicks from 6 times throughout the day.
In the second week
From the second week, it is recommended to introduce grain mass into the diet, since very soon the chick will begin to eat like an adult pigeon. It is worth feeding only grain crushed to the state of gruel and well steamed. This will require:
- Thoroughly grind the cereal through a coffee grinder several times.
- The resulting flour must be poured with hot water.
- Let it brew for 7 minutes.
It is important to understand that such a semi-liquid porridge is still inferior food and cannot be fed. It is recommended to add chicken yolk to the steamed grain and only after that start feeding.
Since pigeon chicks require calcium for full growth and development, a solution based on calcium gluconate can be added to food. To improve the immune system, before you start feeding the chicks, add 2-3 drops of honey to the porridge.
By the end of the second week, the body of the chick will be completely covered with feathers, it begins to move, scream even louder. During the day, birds are fed from 4 to 6 times. At the same time, it is worth making sure that the goiter is filled with food to the maximum.
In the third week
From the third week, pigeon chicks feed in a completely different way. During this period of time, it is necessary to teach them to eat whole grains. Before feeding the birds, the grains should be placed in warm water for 10 minutes. In their natural habitat, parents give the chicks seeds of plants that have been in their stomach for some time and have undergone all the necessary processing, partially undergone splitting.
It is worth feeding with your hands, young pigeons are put into the oral cavity no more than 3 grains at a time. During this period of time, pigeon chicks begin to drink on their own. That is why, after they have already been fed (not before eating), you should carefully lower the baby’s beak into a container of clean warm water.
Chopped greens and carrots can be gradually introduced into the diet.
In the fourth week
3 weeks after birth, pigeon chicks try to start eating on their own. During this period of time, they can be fed more varied. At this age, pigeons can be given a boiled and well-chopped chicken egg and a small amount of white bread. It is important to take into account the fact that only white can be fed, this is largely due to the fact that dark bread varieties have a coarser grinding and are less digestible by chicks.
It is recommended to sprinkle a small amount of grain on the table and lightly tap on the tabletop, thereby attracting the attention of pigeons. As practice shows, the chicks quite quickly understand what is required of them, and begin to eat food on their own.
After a month
After a month, the diet can and even needs to be diversified. In such cases, it is necessary to feed with fruits, which are pre-cut into small pieces, give chopped greens. Small balls are made from the bread crumb, this is necessary so that the birds can independently take it in their beak and swallow it.
Monthly chicks can be fed in the same way as adult pigeons. During this period of time, the babies are preparing for their first flight. Despite this, you should not quickly allow pigeons to adults, it is best to feed them separately for some time.
What not to feed chicks
Despite the fact that growing birds need insects, it is not recommended to feed them the following:
- corpses of insects of any kind. As practice shows, the death of an insect is a consequence of intoxication, and the poison also has a negative effect on the feathered body;
- Colorado potato beetles – they are not recommended to be given because of their toxicity;
- ladybugs – capable of releasing a toxic liquid. Under natural conditions, if a bird has eaten a ladybug by mistake, then it immediately spits it out;
- fleecy caterpillars – since such insects contain small hairs on their bodies, they can quite easily clog the goiter;
- bugs that have a bright color – saturated colors indicate that it is better not to take risks and not use these insects.
In addition, you should not introduce meat and fish products into the diet, as it is quite difficult to process them.
What to do if the pigeon chick does not eat
If it was noticed that the pigeon chick does not eat, then special attention should be paid to the diet. It often happens that the age of the chick was determined incorrectly, respectively, and further feeding is carried out incorrectly. It is important to take into account the fact that at first adults feed babies with semi-digested food.
It is necessary to feed the bird from a syringe, if it is still very small, larger individuals are fed by hand. It should be borne in mind that at first the chick will not be able to take food on its own, it must be helped in this matter. If necessary, you can add a 3% glucose solution to the water, which will help give strength.
How to hatch a pigeon chick
Caring for a pigeon chick should be of high quality and complete. It is important to understand that at first the plumage is completely absent, as a result, the chick may freeze. For these purposes, it is recommended to use a heating pad that will maintain the optimum temperature. When plumage appears on the dove, the heating pad can be removed, but it is necessary to ensure that the temperature regime does not fall below + 25 ° С.
Conclusion
Pigeons feed their chicks with semi-digested food. To do this, they use plant seeds that, while in the stomach of an adult, undergo primary processing and undergo partial splitting. This knowledge will help the chick come out on its own.
