How to feed a pigeon chick: how to go out and what to eat at home

The dove has a highly developed parental instinct, the parent birds do not need human help when nursing their chicks. But it happens that domestic pigeons remain orphans, and wild ones fall out of the nest. In these situations, a person has to become the breadwinner of the chicks. Pigeons are weak and dependent, it is extremely difficult to get them out, you need to know not only how to feed an orphaned pigeon chick, but how to do it right, what tools to use.

What parents feed pigeons

In the early stages of life, chicks receive a liquid substance called “pigeon milk” from their parents.This substance in the pigeon is excreted from the goiter, and in both parents, but especially strongly in the female. At the stage of incubation of eggs in birds, the goiter noticeably expands, the glands that synthesize milk swell in it. When the chicks hatch from eggs, they feed on milk mixed with semi-digested food regurgitated by the parents from the digestive tract.

The density of the milk changes due to the work of the annular muscles. On the first day after birth, pigeons feed on a liquid, mushy substance. After about a week, the annular muscles relax a little, the ducts dilate, allowing larger food particles to enter the milk.

Somewhere on the 10-12th day, parents stop feeding the chicks with milk. To feed their offspring, they soften ordinary food by soaking it well in water. Gradually, parents reduce the amount of water used to soften food, thereby accustoming pigeons to a normal diet.

What to do if the pigeon chick fell out of the nest

It is problematic to leave a pigeon chick, orphaned or fallen out of the nest. In most cases, the pigeon dies, and there are two explanations for this:

1. In the first day from birth, the nutrition of goiter milk is extremely important for the formation of the chick's immunity. No type of milk, no milk substitute is suitable for feeding pigeons.
2. Little pigeons are completely helpless, they do not see, they do not rise to their feet due to the disproportionate physique, too large a head. At the same time, they need plentiful and frequent feeding. Due to non-compliance with the rules of feeding and careless manipulations of a person, pigeon chicks often die.

But successful rearing and rearing is possible. The following rules must be observed:

• extremely carefully pick up a chick that has fallen out of the nest;
• carry out a close examination for skeletal damage and skin wounds;
• if injuries are found, take the foundling to a veterinary clinic;
• if there is no damage, take the chick home, feed immediately;
• make a nest for a dove;
• regularly monitor his well-being, but do not touch once again with your hands;
• keep feeding until the chick grows up and becomes independent.

How to feed a pigeon chick at home

When feeding a small pigeon, you should remember the key rule: food should be well chopped. It must be ground in a blender to a puree-like consistency. The food basket suitable for pigeon nutrition is wide, but most products can only be used when the pet is 2 weeks old. The main task of the guardian is to teach the little pigeon to absorb food on its own, otherwise, returning to its natural environment, the pet will not be able to get food, it will die from exhaustion.Since the little chick does not know how to grab food, you will have to help him using the following tools:

• 5 ml syringe;
• rubber pacifier;
• dropper;
• a mixing bowl.

A chick that has not received parental milk has low immunity, so it is necessary to create the most comfortable and safe conditions for it. The temperature near the nest should be 40-42 °C. You can cover the nest with bottles of hot water. Sharp temperature fluctuations and drafts are unacceptable.

First week

It is in the first week that the chick will survive on the correct care and feeding. It is necessary to feed a newborn pigeon with strict observance of the rules. But even this does not guarantee the survival of the orphan.

The pigeon is fed with raw chicken yolk. It is dried and ground into powder. Before feeding, dissolve in water, heat, but do not bring to a boil.

For feeding, pull the nipple onto the tip of the syringe. It is cut at 45 ° so that the chick can stick its beak inside. So he will learn to absorb food on his own. But at the first stages, the nipple is not cut off, they are inserted into the beak of a dove, the slurry is slowly squeezed out. The main thing is to manipulate carefully, since there is a high risk of injuring the beak of a small pigeon. Also on the first day, instead of a pacifier, you can use a pipette. The volume of one serving is 10 ml, later - 15 ml. The daily number of feedings is at least 6. If the pigeon chick remained alive on the first day, then it is highly likely to survive.

Second week

A pigeon chick, having lived the first week, is already strong, with developed auditory and visual organs.Feeding him is now easier. The diet is supplemented with steamed barley, millet, millet, pea grains, pounded to a powdery consistency. You can not give your pet buckwheat and rice. Gradually, natural honey is included in the grain mass to strengthen immunity.

They feed with a syringe, the mass is squeezed deep into the mouth opening, holding the pigeon so that it does not twitch. From the second week, he should be taught to grab food from a syringe on his own.

So that the little pigeon does not have problems with the skeleton, calcium sources are introduced into the diet. Pharmaceutical calcium tablets can be ground into powder, poured into the feed mixture. And you can grind eggshells or chalk (stern, not writing). The temperature near the nest is reduced to +25 ° C. The pigeon is fed 5 times a day.

Third week

From the third week, pigeon chicks eat whole grains soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes. The owner, holding the pet tightly, carefully opens his beak with his fingers, pushes several grains into the oral cavity.Having closed its beak, the chick, obeying the reflex, swallows food. Several such feedings, and the pigeon chicks eat on their own.

It is strictly forbidden to feed a pigeon with dry grains. They will clog the upper digestive tract, the bird will die from suffocation. The fact that the chick is full is indicated by a filled goiter. The diet includes sources of calcium and vitamin, finely chopped greens. The daily number of feedings is 4-5.

From the third week, dove drinking begins. First, water, warmed to room temperature, is poured into the oral cavity in small portions with a pipette. Further, the pigeon is taught to drink on its own, plunging its beak into a drinking bowl. The main thing is that the liquid does not flow into the nostrils, otherwise the pet will not be able to breathe.

Fourth week

From the fourth week the diet is supplemented:

• wheat bread softened in water, lumped together;
• boiled crumbled egg;
• boiled, grated carrots;
• uns alted millet porridge boiled in water;
• fodder beans.

Feeding a young pigeon, still stuffing food into its beak. Raw cereals should not be given. During the flight training period, the diet is adjusted, the portion of cereal feed is reduced, and fodder beans (lentils, peas, vetch) are added. To strengthen the immunity of the cub, fish oil is added to the feed mixture (a few drops twice a day).

A grown-up pigeon chick drinks plenty of water, thereby improving its digestion. The water poured into the drinker should not be boiled. When boiling in liquid, beneficial microorganisms that positively affect digestive function die.

Feeding grown chicks

When the feathered teenager managed to go out, he reached the age of one month, then he is gradually, within a week, transferred to adult food. In the diet, they reduce the portion of eggs and bread, increase the cereal feed, include ground pea and corn grains, sunflower seeds.

To maintain immunity, the pigeon needs to be fed daily with vitamin chopped greens (lettuce and cabbage leaves, clover, dandelion, alfalfa), grated carrots, barley sprouts (without the grain itself). It is advisable to drip a few drops of unrefined oil into the greens. Care for a grown pet should be like an adult bird.

Vitamins and minerals

Optimal sources of minerals for a pigeon are crushed shells, shell rock, bone meal. These supplements reduce the chance of rickets in young pigeons.

Vitamin preparations are introduced into the pet's diet from the 2nd week from birth. The bird should receive:

• retinol (A);
• calciferol (D);
• tocopherol (E);
• B-group (B₁, B₂, B₃, B ₅, B₆, B₉, B_12).

Vitamin preparations for birds are sold in pet stores. When using them, the dosage must not be exceeded, otherwise the pigeon will develop hypervitaminosis, which negatively affects the development of the body and immunity.

What to do if the chick does not eat

Pigeon chicks are generally reluctant to accept food offered by humans, and force-feeding can injure the pet.

In this situation, you can cheat: before giving food, lightly touch the head of the chick with your fingers. This action will cause the pigeon to reflexively open its beak. In nature, doves, signaling to deaf and blind chicks that they are ready to feed, softly tap their heads with their beaks.

If, after such a trick, the chick did not open its beak, then you will have to grab the head of the pet, open the beak with extreme caution with your fingers, and put food into your mouth with your other hand. It is advisable to carry out feeding and care every day in the same clothes so that the pet gets used to the breadwinner and does not experience stress when it appears.

What is forbidden to give

The following foods will harm the pigeon chick, they should not be included in the diet:

• nightshade crops (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes);
• citruses, other exotic fruits;
• dairy products;
• black bread, rye grain;
• meat, fish;
• s alty food;
• any insects and larvae.

A pigeon chick that has fallen out of its nest, left without parental care, will not survive on its own, so the person who discovered it cannot pass by. If you do everything strictly according to the rules, then even a weak pet can be turned into a strong and he althy pigeon.

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