When can my baby pigoen leave his parents?

[sandipuppy]

Sometimes, when I figure one of them is getting big enough to be soon kicked out of the nest, I'll toss a few seeds into the nest area and see if he nibbles on them. You don't need any tricks really, they figure it out on their own pretty good

 

[HennyPennyCrazy]

So cute!

 

[laughingdog]

i wait till im actually seeing mine going to feeders and drinkers or cups/bowls ect. then eating and drinking on own for at least a week or so, and flapping and/or flying around on own or after parents that are trying to avoid bad, then and all along checking and making sure have all feathers at least under arm of wings.. if you rush and there are not other young birds you are putting with that will show it how to do all this, like most here have, you may lose or get a weak sick bird. better safe than sorry.

 

[Alicia G]

Well I checked on Rufus when I got home, hes flopping around yelling for his parents and he has an empty crop. His keel bone feels more prominant then it did last night as well. Is that normal? I offered him food he wouldn't eat it just sat there yelling.

 

[larrylofts]

one way to get young to eat and drink on there own is to put feed and water in the nesting area so the young can learn to eat and drink another way is to feed the birds and put the young there also while there eating you can put the birds beak in water to make sure there getting water

 

[laughingdog]

if it gets too warm some parents stop feeding, also if you move or putz with nest they abandon temp for day to week. try cupping wetted food in one cupped hand inside corner of bag, then putting up to mouth on angle so head would fit in, and it should try to feed from in your hand. the crop hole is on the facing left hand hand bottom side of the throat. there are videos showing how to feed on you tube. best one showing how to make and feed from using peas, pippit bulb, and fish tank tubing hose slightly burnt on one end so peas dont go up into pippit.

i dont advise or advocate tube/crop feeding unless absolutely knowing what doing, as they can asperate and get pnemonia or drown and die, burn or have cold crop thatll rot food and not digest, or over fill and/or puncture crop.

others probly right by saying to move food and water right by nest so it can see parents feeding and drinking, and may get hint, as parents might just not be too interested anymore of hassle or trying to or wanting to make new nest, were male will try to make new nest after squeaker is a couple weeks old, then female will basically abandon squab for new nest then settle in to lay again and male will more over take over caring for squeakers. though both of my roller mix pairs are are all feeding vigeriously still. though the males occasionally setting up in nest again trying to entice females (as i dont have two nests set up for continous cycle).

 

[Alicia G]

Well yesterday I went out and found the baby dead. I knew the parents stopped feeding it so I mixed some wet food and put it in a dish on the ground but it wouldn't eat. I found the babies head had been missing a lot of feathers so I think the parents killed it....

 

[Hokum Coco]

Sad news! Wish I had posted this link:

There are also other videos showing different methods
However it is worse than shutting the door once the horse has got out!

 

[laughingdog]

i hate to say it, but maybe the parents sensed something was wrong with it, and figured why let it suffer in long run.. had one that i saved like that and it kept bashing repeatedly into the out side of the building walls, floor porch ground and cage inside and out and well everything, so not sure what was wrong with it. it cough up or breath blood though, and even it sitting alone away from others as they wouldnt go by it, the BOPs never even went for it. i was going to put it out of misery but friend wanted and was going to put it in padded cage/tank, but they let it out and it drougn i think they said in a horse trough.

so maybe nothing you could have done anyway. take comfort that you cared about it at least.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I have heard of in many cases parents abandoning squabs now that laughing dog has brought it to light. I personally never had it happen to me. In addition to that I have heard of and scalping as well.

I have lost 2 squabs over the course of hand feeding. (I think sometimes you may over feed and get food down the wrong hole and the squab may choke) I have considerably more success than failures over the years. The older they get the easier feeding becomes..