Handraising pigeon questions

[TundraFang]

Hello! A bit of backstory first: I was at the beach a little over a week ago and found two pigeon eggs that had fallen from the nest. Both were cracked but when I candled them with my phone flashlight, one had a devoloping embryo. I couldn't reach the nest to put them back so I took the eggs home.
I sealed the cracks with candle wax the same way I've done with chicken eggs and put them in my incubator. The empty egg never developed and I threw it away, but the other one is still alive and will be hatching soon.
I have been planning to get pigeons for some time and have all the supplies/housing for mature birds. I am aware of the difficulty handrearing pigeons from hatch and I am prepared to call out of work to care for it.
TLDR: My pigeon egg is hatching soon and I have a few questions

How long do I leave it in the incubator after hatching?

What probiotic do I give with it's first meal? How much?

Does the nest need to be covered or can it be open? My setup is a bowl with a blanket over a heating pad. Do I need a "broody" to sit on top of it?

Is 94°F the correct temperature for the nest? When do I begin to lower it?

What food do I give it after formula? (Seeds vs pellets)

I've done a ton of research, but any more tips/resources are always appreciated!

 

[TundraFang]

Egg has pipped! I posted this on another forum and got answers, but I'll keep updating as I go.

 

[LamarshFish]

I am aware of the difficulty handrearing pigeons from hatch and I am prepared to call out of work to care for it.

I did this last summer when one of my pairs hatched a single egg, and the hen was out flying that same day the baby was born and unfortunately the hen did not come back. The cock bird father refused to care for the day old bird, and I did not want to leave it to chance to see if he'd pony up the time to do it, so I took it under my care. I've been keeping homing pigeons for about 8 years now, but have never had to hand raise a baby until last summer. I figured it was a very uphill battle and the chance of it surviving was low, but figured I'd give it my best.

The bird not only survived, but thrived, and now he's our favorite bird because he loves us so much since we hand raised him. I'll try my best to answer your questions, but in sum all I did was feed it Kaytee Exact through a syringe by gently prying its beak open and depositing in its mouth until it's crop filled. I did this about 4-5 times a day. Also kept it warm by keeping a lizard warming pad under a few layers of paper towel, which I had to change nearly every time I fed it just to keep it clean.

How long do I leave it in the incubator after hatching?

I don't know much about incubators, I've never used one, but my baby did just fine in a mid sized cooler with a lizard warming pad, and the cooler top covering most but not all of the top (so some fresh air could get in, but it could still retain some heat).

What probiotic do I give with it's first meal? How much?

I gave none. I fed it Kaytee Exact the entire time, and it worked just fine.

Does the nest need to be covered or can it be open? My setup is a bowl with a blanket over a heating pad. Do I need a "broody" to sit on top of it?

It just needs to stay warm. I mentioned above what I did. You have to strike a balance between keeping it warm, but also making sure it can get air flow. I would not let a broody bird try to care for it, I think you run the risk of problems.

Is 94°F the correct temperature for the nest? When do I begin to lower it?

I have no clue. I just know what I did with the lizard heating pad covered by paper towel worked. You need something between the heating pad and the bird. Just plug the heating pad in and feel it with your hand and use common sense to see how many layers of paper towel or other towel you think makes sense.

What food do I give it after formula? (Seeds vs pellets)

I was hand feeding him the Kaytee Exact what seemed like a week or so later than naturally raised squabs feed on their parents milk. When it was at an age where I felt it needed to be on its own, I placed it in a next box in my loft with pigeon feed, and covered the nest box so my other pigeons couldn't mess with him, and so he couldn't get out. This was my transition period to the loft. I kept him locked in his nest box for about a week. He figured out how to eat regular pigeon feed on his own. I would go in though for the first few days to make sure he was filling his crop.

Best of luck! Don't over think it. I really did not think it would work for me, I really just didn't have the heart to give up on the day old bird but wanted to give it my best efforts, which turned out to be worth it. He's now quite a joy to have around, he loves hanging out with us in our home, something our other homers really do not like at all. And he has quite the attitude, he bosses most of my other birds around and has a great personality.

Below is a photo of him actually standing on my dog's back because my 3 year old son was chasing him around our bedroom.

 

[TundraFang]

I did this last summer when one of my pairs hatched a single egg, and the hen was out flying that same day the baby was born and unfortunately the hen did not come back. The cock bird father refused to care for the day old bird, and I did not want to leave it to chance to see if he'd pony up the time to do it, so I took it under my care. I've been keeping homing pigeons for about 8 years now, but have never had to hand raise a baby until last summer. I figured it was a very uphill battle and the chance of it surviving was low, but figured I'd give it my best.

The bird not only survived, but thrived, and now he's our favorite bird because he loves us so much since we hand raised him. I'll try my best to answer your questions, but in sum all I did was feed it Kaytee Exact through a syringe by gently prying its beak open and depositing in its mouth until it's crop filled. I did this about 4-5 times a day. Also kept it warm by keeping a lizard warming pad under a few layers of paper towel, which I had to change nearly every time I fed it just to keep it clean.



I don't know much about incubators, I've never used one, but my baby did just fine in a mid sized cooler with a lizard warming pad, and the cooler top covering most but not all of the top (so some fresh air could get in, but it could still retain some heat).



I gave none. I fed it Kaytee Exact the entire time, and it worked just fine.



It just needs to stay warm. I mentioned above what I did. You have to strike a balance between keeping it warm, but also making sure it can get air flow. I would not let a broody bird try to care for it, I think you run the risk of problems.



I have no clue. I just know what I did with the lizard heating pad covered by paper towel worked. You need something between the heating pad and the bird. Just plug the heating pad in and feel it with your hand and use common sense to see how many layers of paper towel or other towel you think makes sense.



I was hand feeding him the Kaytee Exact what seemed like a week or so later than naturally raised squabs feed on their parents milk. When it was at an age where I felt it needed to be on its own, I placed it in a next box in my loft with pigeon feed, and covered the nest box so my other pigeons couldn't mess with him, and so he couldn't get out. This was my transition period to the loft. I kept him locked in his nest box for about a week. He figured out how to eat regular pigeon feed on his own. I would go in though for the first few days to make sure he was filling his crop.

Best of luck! Don't over think it. I really did not think it would work for me, I really just didn't have the heart to give up on the day old bird but wanted to give it my best efforts, which turned out to be worth it. He's now quite a joy to have around, he loves hanging out with us in our home, something our other homers really do not like at all. And he has quite the attitude, he bosses most of my other birds around and has a great personality.

Below is a photo of him actually standing on my dog's back because my 3 year old son was chasing him around our bedroom.

View attachment 3827425

Thanks for answering my questions! This gives me hope that he'll survive. I'm super excited but trying not to get my hopes up

 

[TundraFang]

We have a baby! I had to assist a bit, but he zipped all on his own!
He's currently scooting around the incubator, so I'm wondering if I should create a nest in there for him. Any thoughts?

 

[prin23]

We have a baby! I had to assist a bit, but he zipped all on his own!
He's currently scooting around the incubator, so I'm wondering if I should create a nest in there for him. Any thoughts?
View attachment 3828316

Yes, please give him a nest, you can make a donut shape from a rolled up wash cloth or hand towel and tuck a paper towel in/around it.

Pigeons can easily get splayed legs if on a slippery/smooth surface.

 

[TundraFang]

Yes, please give him a nest, you can make a donut shape from a rolled up wash cloth or hand towel and tuck a paper towel in/around it.

Pigeons can easily get splayed legs if on a slippery/smooth surface.

I made one out of paper towels because he kept unrolling the flannel to escape. He seems pretty content and is eating like a champ!

 

[prin23]

I made one out of paper towels because he kept unrolling the flannel to escape. He seems pretty content and is eating like a champ!

I’m glad he’s doing well! I have been doing pigeon rescue for around 30 years, so please feel free to ask me any questions you may have

 

[Qwerty3159]

I made one out of paper towels because he kept unrolling the flannel to escape. He seems pretty content and is eating like a champ!

Looks good! In my experience they are most prone to splay leg between days 3-8 [+ or - 1] because they start rapidly increasing in size and weight, becoming very front-heavy with food. At this point the legs can splay to the side when the squab tries to lift the front half of its body. If you start seeing this happening you can probably crumple up more paper towels to provide a more textured surface. The squab just needs to be able to push straight down with its legs and not have them slip to the sides. Good luck!

 

[TundraFang]

Unfortunately the little guy is not doing so well today. He's only pooped twice and his crop is not emptying properly. He is still acting hungry, but was a bit lethargic this last feeding. I've been told warm, diluted applesauce helps with digestion, so I am going to give applesauce in about an hour to see of that helps. Any suggestions would be great.