Hi. New to doves with one about to hatch

[appps]

I do see him eat. Not drink but thinking he must be or he wouldn't be doing real well by now?

Mum and dad are pretty much avoiding him. They sit out of his reach so he can't nag them for food if he wanted to. They still let him sleep in the nest though at night.

Do you think by now he should be able to fly a bit? He can jump down from the nest but still can't get back up.

He is off for a checkup with the breeder and to get his shots on Thursday. So he will be able to tell me if he looks like he's well fed or not.

Was thinking maybe I should take him out for some ground time tomorrow. At this point that won't affect the parents feeding him or not I guess?

 

[caesargirl]

He should be getting lots of out of cage time at this point. Pigeons are one of the smartest birds on earth and need a lot of stimulation. Do you have a way of letting them all out together? Mine are house piggys, so I don't know how others do it. I let mine out for hours a day in the house and they have a kiddie tub filled with organic soil, leaves and sticks. I sprinkle seed and treats in it and let them forage. They also play in it.

 

[caesargirl]

And is it possible to give them a larger home?

 

[appps]

Trying to sort that out now. We also have a bunny in a not ideal cage so are thinking of building an aviary they can share.

Might move them all out for a play in the bunnys out door run tomorrow then. Gave them an area next to their cage but it's higher rather than wide and they aren't really using it. Think it's time for a big rethink. Mum and dad might go home Thursday after the checkup and We are deciding what to do with him. I'm so attached I really don't want to send him off too, plus she really doesn't have room for two pairs. If mum and dad aren't feeding him anyway I think I'll keep him and eventually get him a friend from the breeders culls when he knows who he isn't keeping.

 

[caesargirl]

One thing I've learned, the expensive and hard way, don't overthink it. Because I'm tired of cleaning the whole room they have, every day, I'm building them a simple cage out of two by fours and 1" chicken wire and some old wooden shelves. Also check Goodwill for old rabbit cages you can take apart and combine with others to make a larger cage.

 

[nchls school]

I do see him eat. Not drink but thinking he must be or he wouldn't be doing real well by now? After you feed them and see him eat, feel his crop when he stops eating. You should be able to feel the food in his crop. If the crop contains a good amount of food, you need not worry. If he is eating, he is drinking as well.

Mum and dad are pretty much avoiding him. They sit out of his reach so he can't nag them for food if he wanted to. They still let him sleep in the nest though at night. Normal behavior for pigeon parents. Have the parents laid a second clutch of eggs yet?

Do you think by now he should be able to fly a bit? Yes. He can jump down from the nest but still can't get back up. Fantails are a bit clumsy with flying, but you need to let him figure out how to get back to the nest area on his own. A night out of the nest area will not hurt him.

He is off for a checkup with the breeder and to get his shots on Thursday. So he will be able to tell me if he looks like he's well fed or not.

Was thinking maybe I should take him out for some ground time tomorrow. At this point that won't affect the parents feeding him or not I guess? If the wings are normal try putting him on your hand and hold him up high. Lower your hand fast enough so he flaps his wings. Once he is used to it after a few times, do the same thing only faster and faster. By watching you should be able to determine if there is something wrong with his wings. Know that if you do this he may fly so you want to be sure that you are in a safe area away from places he might fly to and be out of your reach.

 

[appps]

When he gets excited and his tail goes up he almost seems crooked. His tail sits more to one side than the other. I don't notice it when he is just walking but once the wings go out his tail goes to the side and his right wing tip sort of sits within some of the tail feathers a lot of the time. He is also still quite clumsy when he walks.

I've forgotten to put him to bed till quite late lots of times but by 10pm he is always still just huddled by himself on the ground. He can get up a little way because he's managed to get out the side door into the extension piece I've added a couple times and that's about 6 inches or so high. Can't seem to get back though.

You can see what I mean here

Oh and yes, mum has been sitting on one egg for a couple of weeks now. I don't think it's fertile though as its not gone that cream colour as far as I can tell so I've just left it there for now.

 

[nchls school]

Are you able to make a video of him walking and flapping? How does his movements compare to the parents? From your description I think you may have a handicapped pigeon. Has he lost tail feathers or is this the way they grew in? In the picture his tail appears to be missing feathers. By 6 weeks his plumage should be quite similar to the parents.

 

[appps]

The missing looking ones still have like a sheath on them but think they will eventually unroll. His parents tails sit straight behind them his is very crooked compared to them.

I'm going to bring him inside for a bit today and observe him when he has a bigger area to get around in. So will grab a video then.

He jumped straight down when I put the food in and came cheeping to my hand but didn't eat anything from the bowl. He is spending most of his time up in the corner by himself just sitting. The opposite end of the cage to dad.

 

[nchls school]

The missing looking ones still have like a sheath on them but think they will eventually unroll. His parents tails sit straight behind them his is very crooked compared to them.

I'm going to bring him inside for a bit today and observe him when he has a bigger area to get around in. So will grab a video then.

He jumped straight down when I put the food in and came cheeping to my hand but didn't eat anything from the bowl. He is spending most of his time up in the corner by himself just sitting. The opposite end of the cage to dad.

When you go to the breeder on Thursday he/she may be able to shed some light as to what is wrong. From your description he sounds like a stubborn hand fed bird. I do a lot of hand feeding and weaning can be very frustrating. But, I think I remember you posting that you didn't hand feed much-odd-obviously he remembers you doing so or he would not be begging you to "feed" him.