bizzar situation of feeding squabs.... I'm so confused.... helpppppp

[Majd]

Hi everyone. ....

My pigeon squabs just hatched out.. like an hour ago.... they are my first OWN squabs..... the mother started feeding one of them....and I waited for that moment so I make sure that she's feeding it crop milk not seeds and saliva... and she was feeding small seed with saliva... but no crop milk.... I was checking because about 2 months ago they laid two eggs but they were not normal.... so I put them tow chicken eggs instead to let her rest from laying.. and after 19 days they hatched out fine... and the pigeons always tried to feed the chicks and from trying the regigurated seeds and saliva not crop milk.... but yhe ckicks were fine and now they are big..... I was a bit concerned that when they hatch out their own eggs the next time they may not feed squabs crop milk... and it did happen..... the mom gave the poor guy some saliva and few seeds..... I'm so afraid that they might die if they don't start giving proper crop milk... Although they are my firsr OWN squabs and I'm very happy with them........ the point is... deos anyone knows why are my pigeions doing this.... is their any problems preventing them from producing crop milk... or just because this is the first time of feeding and they will soon change to crop milk.... if anyone knows the answers please help me out...as you are my only forum that I contact with. ... and people here don't know about these things and they just don't understand the situation. ...... if anyone has an account on the website: www.pigeontalk.com.... I bag him to copy my thread and post it there because I couldn't post threads their... and they have more experience.... if they told you the answer please paste it on my thread. .......

Many thanks for all of you for this fascinating website and thank you if anyone will help me out. ....

Majd..
Love in alll aninals

 

[Hokum Coco]

I do not know if this is of any help Majd; However I remember hearing one fancier feeding a new orphaned squab egg yolk for the first 5 days. To be honest I do not know if the squab survived or not.

 

[Majd]

Thanks hokum coco for the info... the eggs are a veri essential ingredients in squabs formula..... I will do some more research if I had to foster them.. I successfuly raised orphaned birds before.. I have the experience but not the experience needed in pigeons... can anyone tell me how the crop milk should look like normally. ... I can see yellowish food in their crops but don't think crop milk... it consists of whitish small balls soaked in saliva or some sort of liquid... I've read thousands of articals before and still do... and all sais it's a yellow cheesy liquid... if anyone have any photo of real crop milk even in squabs crop please post..... many thank ... and help me out because I'm running out of time. ..... they are 10 hours old now and don't have full crops.... one of tge babies ate a little and he's more active than the other... I tried to put his beak In the mother beak (she is soo tamed and feed them even when I hold them) and she started regurgitating si hard and he tried to suck food but nothing came out... she couldn't offer food.... why can't my pair produce crop milk people!!!!!!!!!

 

[Majd]

Good news.... I was jusr checking on them (it's 9:30pm) and the one that ate a bit of saliva and something before had a full crop of pure crop milk now and he grew even in few hours much bigger than the one that didn't eat...... that one that didn't eat was struggling next to the female that didn't noticed him.. thanks god that I saw him and put it properly under her... and I helped him putting his beak in the mothers' and he ate a good bit of crop milk.... so now I'm so feeling relief. ... and I suspect she started giving some half digested seeds because she haven't been used to it before and maybe she haven't been producing crop milk yet.... thanks hokum coco for your reply and I'm glade that my thread might be an answer fir such situation that can happen with someone else. ......

 

[Hokum Coco]

I raise White Homing Pigeons. I know about the pigeon milk. I never bothered interfering with pigeon rearing. I have hand fed orphaned birds but in all cases they were over 5 days old.

From my experience pigeon milk is an involuntary secretion that last 3 to 5 days. I know the new born squabs do have lumps in their crop. As far as the colour or any more descriptive information I am at a loss.

I have a pair of Lesbian pigeons sitting on 4 eggs that should hatch Monday in a perfect world (all four eggs are fertile). I have a second pair of pigeons with a normal clutch due to hatch the same time. I think I will give that pair an extra egg. I will pay more attention on these clutchs. Just for my own amazement.

The younger squab may still be absorbing it's yolk sac. It will probably start to feed in another 4 to 8 hours. One squab is always in the lead in development I noticed in my clutches.

 

[Majd]

Good luck with your clutches.... I only have one pair and a solo male(damascene).... so I was so excited and wanted mu squabs to have all they need especially crop milk for their first week..... your pigeons sound beatiful... can you update me with pics of tge newborns and your loft.... I was triying to upload photos but didn't work because I'm on my phone not computer...... you are aoo nice hokum coco.... thanks for you reply again

 

[Hokum Coco]

Another thing I have learned. If parents abandon their squabs or one squab. If you do interefere and raise the bird you usually regret it from my experience. The birds just do not have the vigor to do well and are bullied the rest of their lives by the flock. They usually do not live that long either.

 

[Majd]

Hahahah... no he wasn't pushed away or anything like neglected.... but he was a bit stuck in behind her leg but she didn't neglect or anything just bad position

 

[Majd]

Yeah.. I read once that the one that gets bigger faster is most of the times a male.... a very cute squab you have.... I was happy when mine first laid the eggs that the female incubated them both in the same time.. so they will hatch out together and that's what happened... I wanted that to happen so there's no one growing bigger than the other and taking most of the food... but because the one that was fead few hours before the other he grew remarkably bigger than his brother

 

[Hokum Coco]