So I bought my first ever fantails. Two weeks later, a local gas station awning blows down in high winds killing one baby pigeon and its mother, leaving the other day old hatchling to survive. Of course, I end up with baby pigeon.
So, knowing nothing at all about pigeons, I was its only hope. Here is what I did:
I got a smallish birdcage lined with newspaper and put my most feminine looking fantail in there. I still don't know if Lady Jane is a boy or girl. Anyway, I put the chick dubbed Valero in with her and he crawled underneath her like a baby bird would do. Lady Jane looked surprised but tolerant. So Valero was in a cage on the floor of my parakeet aviary with warmth and another pigeon.
I know this is probably not all balanced and great, but it worked: I smushed a hard boiled egg yolk and mixed it with dry baby cereal and plenty of water. This went into a syringe with end cut off. Now here is the big trick- I put plastic wrap over cut end of syringe and secured with a rubber band. Then I poked a hole with scissors in plastic wrap. Now, when I stuck Valero's beak in this hole it totally caused him to chow down!! I mean, as fast as I could pour it in, his crop filled up! I used warm but not hot water. I did this only twice a day due to time constraints. But that was plenty! Sometimes I used a little spoonful of jar baby food-chicken-instead of egg yolk. Pretty soon it was two syringes full. Then his eyes opened! Then I switched to a salt shaker with top removed instead of syringe. Each time, new piece of plastic wrap, rubber band, became routine. Bird began feathering. I literally poured this concoction into the bird like I was pouring from one bottle into another. I actually heard the "goigle "goigle" sound. Took a whole of twenty seconds to feed Valero. Lady Jane would wait to be let out each morning to go poop outside her birdcage and eat seeds. Then, she started feeding Valero! I guess it was feeding the baby these seeds from crop but she totally adopted him. I continued to feed him morning and night until he didn't want it anymore. I made seeds available and took out small cage. Now birds just roam aviary. Then the big day! Valero eats seeds and grit by himself! I was so proud of him. He now learning to fly in there with parakeets. It's a room about size of closet with French doors. He is now fully feathered! I will keep them together in there until outdoor coop is finished. My other twofantails live outside in courtyard but I want Valero to be able to fly. But not too soon,maybe this summer. Until then, he looks happy!
So, knowing nothing at all about pigeons, I was its only hope. Here is what I did:
I got a smallish birdcage lined with newspaper and put my most feminine looking fantail in there. I still don't know if Lady Jane is a boy or girl. Anyway, I put the chick dubbed Valero in with her and he crawled underneath her like a baby bird would do. Lady Jane looked surprised but tolerant. So Valero was in a cage on the floor of my parakeet aviary with warmth and another pigeon.
I know this is probably not all balanced and great, but it worked: I smushed a hard boiled egg yolk and mixed it with dry baby cereal and plenty of water. This went into a syringe with end cut off. Now here is the big trick- I put plastic wrap over cut end of syringe and secured with a rubber band. Then I poked a hole with scissors in plastic wrap. Now, when I stuck Valero's beak in this hole it totally caused him to chow down!! I mean, as fast as I could pour it in, his crop filled up! I used warm but not hot water. I did this only twice a day due to time constraints. But that was plenty! Sometimes I used a little spoonful of jar baby food-chicken-instead of egg yolk. Pretty soon it was two syringes full. Then his eyes opened! Then I switched to a salt shaker with top removed instead of syringe. Each time, new piece of plastic wrap, rubber band, became routine. Bird began feathering. I literally poured this concoction into the bird like I was pouring from one bottle into another. I actually heard the "goigle "goigle" sound. Took a whole of twenty seconds to feed Valero. Lady Jane would wait to be let out each morning to go poop outside her birdcage and eat seeds. Then, she started feeding Valero! I guess it was feeding the baby these seeds from crop but she totally adopted him. I continued to feed him morning and night until he didn't want it anymore. I made seeds available and took out small cage. Now birds just roam aviary. Then the big day! Valero eats seeds and grit by himself! I was so proud of him. He now learning to fly in there with parakeets. It's a room about size of closet with French doors. He is now fully feathered! I will keep them together in there until outdoor coop is finished. My other twofantails live outside in courtyard but I want Valero to be able to fly. But not too soon,maybe this summer. Until then, he looks happy!
