baby pigeon runt? overprotective dad?

[fleischer]

i have a problem with my pigeons.
they only recently had their eggs hatch maybe 2-3 days ago. one of the eggs hatched 1 day later than the other one and i checked in on them today and one baby is nearly half or even a quarter the size of the other? i tried finding something online about it but nothing? is it possible the mama isnt feeding it and only the stronger one?or because the second one is weak and the runt of the two? is there anyway i can prevent it or help it?

also the dad is very rough and forcibly kicks the mama out of the nest WHILE she is feeding them both. he doesnt let her near them or sit on them unless she needs to feed them and she hardly ever feed them because of it.

any tips on what to do?

 

[CCUK]

i have a problem with my pigeons.
they only recently had their eggs hatch maybe 2-3 days ago. one of the eggs hatched 1 day later than the other one and i checked in on them today and one baby is nearly half or even a quarter the size of the other? i tried finding something online about it but nothing? is it possible the mama isnt feeding it and only the stronger one?or because the second one is weak and the runt of the two? is there anyway i can prevent it or help it?

also the dad is very rough and forcibly kicks the mama out of the nest WHILE she is feeding them both. he doesnt let her near them or sit on them unless she needs to feed them and she hardly ever feed them because of it.

any tips on what to do?

If one hatches a day behind the other it is normal for them to look smaller. I had one that looked underdeveloped for about two weeks until it caught up. So long as its being fed by its parents it should be OK. Check it's crop and see if it's full. If the bigger one is hogging all the feed you can remove it for a short time to allow the parents feed the smaller one. It's good that dad is being a little pushy with feeding. Sometimes they can be a little feckless!
And

 

[backyard pigeons]

Great advice above!

If it's crop isn't full, you can defrost frozen peas and give it a few. But if the parents are giving it food, I would just let them take care of it.

 

[sourland]

It is possible for an older/larger/dominant squab to demand all the attention of the parents to the detriment of the younger squab. Upon occasion this can lead to the weakening and death of the smaller squab. Check to make sure that its crop is full. If not it may be necessary to hand feed.

 

[fleischer]

If one hatches a day behind the other it is normal for them to look smaller. I had one that looked underdeveloped for about two weeks until it caught up. So long as its being fed by its parents it should be OK. Check it's crop and see if it's full. If the bigger one is hogging all the feed you can remove it for a short time to allow the parents feed the smaller one. It's good that dad is being a little pushy with feeding. Sometimes they can be a little feckless!
And

thanks so much the little one seems to be picking up now which is good. i had to take the dad out for a bit so the mum could feed the babies. he wouldn't even let her sit on the nest ://

 

[Qwerty3159]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but if the cock bird is harassing the hen is a possible solution to separate each parent with one squab? That way each can care for one without the burden of feeding both and dad won't pick fights with the mom.

 

[fleischer]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but if the cock bird is harassing the hen is a possible solution to separate each parent with one squab? That way each can care for one without the burden of feeding both and dad won't pick fights with the mom.

yep thats what i ended up doing but now shes only feeding the larger one which is upsetting ive been taking the larger one out every few hours for around 15-20 mins so the other gets a bit more

 

[jak2002003]

It is possible for an older/larger/dominant squab to demand all the attention of the parents to the detriment of the younger squab. Upon occasion this can lead to the weakening and death of the smaller squab. Check to make sure that its crop is full. If not it may be necessary to hand feed.

This is very rare are only usually happens if there is a shortage of food so they parents don't have enough for both squabs... or is one of the squabs is sick and not begging for food enough.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but if the cock bird is harassing the hen is a possible solution to separate each parent with one squab? That way each can care for one without the burden of feeding both and dad won't pick fights with the mom.

Please do not do this. The disruption will confuse the parents and one or both squabs might get rejected.

Simply keep an eye on them. So long as the smaller one is growing it will be fine. You can also remove the bigger squab after you feed the birds and wait till the parents have fed and filled up the small one before putting the big on back in for its turn.

There should be no need to hand feed at this stage.

 

[fleischer]

This is very rare are only usually happens if there is a shortage of food so they parents don't have enough for both squabs... or is one of the squabs is sick and not begging for food enough.



Please do not do this. The disruption will confuse the parents and one or both squabs might get rejected.

Simply keep an eye on them. So long as the smaller one is growing it will be fine. You can also remove the bigger squab after you feed the birds and wait till the parents have fed and filled up the small one before putting the big on back in for its turn.

There should be no need to hand feed at this stage.

thanks a bunch for this. i ended taking the smaller one out because he kept getting shoved out from under and getting too cold also not fed. ive been hand feeding him the last few days and hes getting much bigger. they arent being very good parents (it is there first time too) they hardly ever sit on the larger one too and hes getting ice cold. its normally around 4-5 degrees celcius where in the mornings where i live but i think if i want them to survive ill have to take them out which i really wanted to avoid because i cant make crop milk

 

[fleischer]

these are the two lovelies. its a shame that the couldn't be raised by the parents. but if they survive this way im willing to do as much as i can.