Baby mourning dove

[LauraMunro]

Yes try it on high if hes still shaking but check on him regularly to make sure hes not too warm, he should be warm to the touch but not roasting! I would recommend getting a digital thermometer if you can, makes it a lot easier! I dont give mine water as i feed kaytee exact which is mixed with water! I read also not to give them water as he should get the hydration from his food, the soy milk should be providing him with enough. I imagine the water would fill his crop and he wont be getting any nutrition from that so personally i wouldnt give him any more water, just feed him his food every 3 hours and that should be enough and yes pooping is good! Mines poops alot lol

 

[townchicks]

He should get enough liquid from the food. The parent birds do not feed at night, so give him a good feed at dusk, and again at dawn. Keep him in a dark room during the night and he should sleep.

 

[crazychickenlady5]

Sorry, I didn't have access to the internet for a few hours. Here's a little update.

I fed him at 3:00 and he ate about 1/2 a ml before he wouldn't take anymore and decided to sleep. He was walking around some and pooed again. Sometimes he will spread his wings out a little bit, and I know for chickens this means that they are to hot, is it the same for him? He seems to be getting a little stronger and was sitting up better and has been opening his eyes a lot more. I'm going to feed him again at 6:00. The formula I have been making seems to be fine, but after eating a little he stops and wont eat more. 1/2 ml is the most he has eaten so far. I'm going to try to see if he'll eat 1ml this feeding. He's also been preening his little wings every now and then
I've been playing dove songs from Youtube for him and he seems to like it. He also sleeps a lot He stopped shaking except when he gets away from the heating pad/light, so I adjust the heat and he seems fine.

 

[crazychickenlady5]

Third feeding went okay... he still only ate 1/2 ml. I give him one drop at a time, but when I was about to give him one drop he lifted his head up and the drop got all over his beak -nostrils and all- so I grabbed a piece of a napkin and starting wiping his beak off in hopes that he wouldn't inhale any formula. He seems okay and is sleeping yet again right now. He would start dozing off while I was feeding him then wake up and slurp a drop then doze off then wake up etc...
Anything I should be doing or watching out for?

 

[LauraMunro]

Im not sure about the wing flapping, only thing i have read is that they repeatedly open and close their mouth when they are too warm! The feral pigeons that live around me do the same when its really warm outside! Are you feeding him with a syringe? If he is only eating that little he might need to be fed more often, also how is the consistency of the food? Haha i might try the songs!! He sounds very cute!! Also before i feed mine i stroke him as it seems to wake him up and he starts going mental looking for something to put his beak in lol! So far sounds good , i am just learning as i go along and have been getting great advice on this site, as there isnt a lot of information on the internet about hand rearing pigeons! Im glad you saved him

 

[LauraMunro]

Also dont worry about formula in his nostrils, mine sticks his full beak into the syringe to suck the formula lol! I freaked out at first too but he will blow it out and i just wipe it off with a cotton bud before it hardens!

 

[crazychickenlady5]

Im not sure about the wing flapping, only thing i have read is that they repeatedly open and close their mouth when they are too warm! The feral pigeons that live around me do the same when its really warm outside! Are you feeding him with a syringe? If he is only eating that little he might need to be fed more often, also how is the consistency of the food? Haha i might try the songs!! He sounds very cute!! Also before i feed mine i stroke him as it seems to wake him up and he starts going mental looking for something to put his beak in lol! So far sounds good , i am just learning as i go along and have been getting great advice on this site, as there isnt a lot of information on the internet about hand rearing pigeons! Im glad you saved him

Yes I feed him with a syringe, and the formula will easily drip from it just a tiny bit thicker than water. Thats a good tip I'll try that Right now he is preening again

 

[crazychickenlady5]

Also dont worry about formula in his nostrils, mine sticks his full beak into the syringe to suck the formula lol! I freaked out at first too but he will blow it out and i just wipe it off with a cotton bud before it hardens!

Okay good! I was so worried! lol

 

[biophiliac]

Third feeding went okay... he still only ate 1/2 ml. I give him one drop at a time, but when I was about to give him one drop he lifted his head up and the drop got all over his beak -nostrils and all- so I grabbed a piece of a napkin and starting wiping his beak off in hopes that he wouldn't inhale any formula. He seems okay and is sleeping yet again right now. He would start dozing off while I was feeding him then wake up and slurp a drop then doze off then wake up etc...
Anything I should be doing or watching out for?

Is the temp of his formula betw 99F and 101F?
Can you make the type of feeder he sticks his beak inside and swallows?
It seems he should be taking a bit more than 1ml.
Best wishes to you and the little one!

 

[LauraMunro]

@biophiliac was going to say the same about the syringe! as you know i tried dripping it in but putting a glove over it with hole for his beak has worked alot better for me as he just slurps away!