Please help! Not sure if these squabs can stay warm!

[LamarshFish]

I got a baby roller mix surviving out in the wind rain snow n freezing temps with it's father being full roller n only parent, as mother disappeared. It is developing nicely, but not as large fat and stuffed full fast moving crop normal.for mine. Course father refusing to feed it layer only feeding whole corn, so I every so many days when daddy is off, I bring it in n feed some layer pellets and warm water, keeping in till I see daddy circling.

So, Laughingdog's post is relevant to the next question I was going to ask. The parents are now sitting on the squab only here and there. When the sit on it, it looks terribly awkward the squab is so big now. I presume the squab is still being fed, but how can I be sure? Every morning, I handle the squab for about 10 minutes, and recently I have been trying to offer it food but it won't eat from me. Just wondering how I could go about making sure this squab is still fed properly. I presume the parents will do it just fine, but how can I know that?

 

[sourland]

Check to see that the squab's crop is full. Most cocks will continue to feed the squab even after they have started the next round of eggs. My roller cocks would feed any young bird that came begging. Homers in my experience were more likely to feed only their own kids.

 

[laughingdog]

Crop should look full round or oblong, no gas pocket, hard to squishy n maybe even temporarily somewhat water sloshy due to water, on the birds front right side, to hopefully whole front, between below jaw down to almost start of breast n keep.

 

[LamarshFish]

Crop should look full round or oblong, no gas pocket, hard to squishy n maybe even temporarily somewhat water sloshy due to water, on the birds front right side, to hopefully whole front, between below jaw down to almost start of breast n keep.

Thanks. When you can feel that breast bone or keel or whatever that is, does that mean the crop is pretty much empty, or am I feeling too low for the crop?

 

[sourland]

Crop will be puffed out in front with squab's bill resting on it. Picture in your post # 36 shows a healthily filled crop. I always fed my breeders twice a day. In the morning more than they could clear up. In the evening what they could eat in 15 to 20 minutes. After eating, most cocks will immediately feed their young.

 

[LamarshFish]

Crop will be puffed out in front with squab's bill resting on it. Picture in your post # 36 shows a healthily filled crop. I always fed my breeders twice a day. In the morning more than they could clear up. In the evening what they could eat in 15 to 20 minutes. After eating, most cocks will immediately feed their young.

Thanks! I have been putting in the morning feed, and then supplementing it with more in the afternoon, or I will put enough out in the morning where they will not finish it such that there is enough food for the parents to feed the squab.

 

[sourland]

When I wean young birds into their own loft, I feed them ad lib until I start flying them. I like to feed the breeders twice a day because then I watch to see that they are feeding the young. When my roller young were fully feathered, I would put all of them on the floor. When the cocks would go to feed, they would find themselves pursued by a dozen or more squabs. I would not recommend this with homers - afraid you would end up with a bunchy of scalped young.

 

[LamarshFish]

When I wean young birds into their own loft, I feed them ad lib until I start feeding them. I like to feed the breeders twice a day because then I watch to see that they are feeding the young. When my roller young were fully feathered, I would put all of them on the floor. When the cocks would go to feed, they would find themselves pursued by a dozen or more squabs. I would not recommend this with homers - afraid you would end up with a bunchy of scalped young.

Thank you! I do wonder now, when it is ok for my single squab to be on the floor of my loft, whether he did it on his own or if I am to put him down there.... ?

 

[sourland]

With homers, I wouldn't put him on the floor. I would wait until he flew there himself. Some homer cocks decide certain areas in addition to their nest are their 'territory' and will peck at/potentially scalp young birds that enter these areas.

 

[laughingdog]

Flooring your young I assume works best when all birds bred about same time so parental instinct hopefully keeps young from being wing beat clawed pecked plucked n scalped etc by other adults not parents. I'd put lil cups of feed water and grit up for it while it gets it's strength etc, as once does that and can fly to single bird perch, mine usually become monsters terrorizing older ones oddly (course when breeding I feed free choice n water same, when I open loft bred racing homers, if I did still..). Especially if open loft breeding, make sure every hen has two nest spots, and each bird has two perches.