raising a short faced pigeon from hatch?

[tacothechicken]

@ChickenTenderKesha yeah I figure I will just so I can supply my own feedback on hand rearing for others. Baby slept halfway through the night and I only had to feed at 11,3,and 5 then jumped back to 2hr intervals but luckily baby was pretty full from dinner. Unfortunately our family last minute decided to have Christmas in Shelton was like 3 1/2hrs away do I'm sitting through a training class with the baby and then we're back on the road. Luckily he's taken to spoon feeding and poop has begun to thicken and look like proper poop rather than tiny blob within a spot of dampness. And we've put on enough weight that I can now easily supervise the crop and tell when were in need of food or just whining. I unfortunately got out of the house later than planned so I won't be able to wiegh him again till Wednesday night(I forgot the scale) it appears. But as long as we're eating and pooping, I'm fine with that!

 

[tacothechicken]

End of day 3 and baby made the road trip just fine! We've also grown a neck and actual legs and toes while we were at it. Hoping we can make the trip back just as easy tomorrow evening. Then we just gotta put on size!

 

[tacothechicken]

Any one know how often a young pigeon should be pooping? Baby is eating every 2 hrs and practicing using his legs. But! Our poops are unusually spread out in my opinion as I get about one poop every few hrs not exactly post feeding. Baby also acts hungry before crop has fully emptied which worries me a bit. Is the pooping more spread out because feedings have spread out? I thinned his food again in case of indigestion but then I worry than he's not getting as many nutrients because the mix is more watered down. Could lack of poops just be due to the demand needed for growing? How should I solve this? I can't get till tonight at earliest but I have applesauce, rooster booster electrolytes, and some guy health for pigeons at home if anyone knows if such would be beneficial

 

[biophiliac]

Any one know how often a young pigeon should be pooping? Baby is eating every 2 hrs and practicing using his legs. But! Our poops are unusually spread out in my opinion as I get about one poop every few hrs not exactly post feeding. Baby also acts hungry before crop has fully emptied which worries me a bit. Is the pooping more spread out because feedings have spread out? I thinned his food again in case of indigestion but then I worry than he's not getting as many nutrients because the mix is more watered down. Could lack of poops just be due to the demand needed for growing? How should I solve this? I can't get till tonight at earliest but I have applesauce, rooster booster electrolytes, and some guy health for pigeons at home if anyone knows if such would be beneficial

How many poops a day? Can you take a pic of typical poop? Does he/she seem OK otherwise? The baby is likely to act hungry before crop is FULLY empty. It is likely to act hungry when you come to check on him/her. If you are using a prepared formula like Kaytee or Exact, etc I would not dilute it too much, as long as food appears to be passing thru crop.

 

[tacothechicken]

@ biophiliac I get about 3_4 poops per 6 hrs but depending on when around feeding time they may be small or large in varying degrees. Baby just did his 3rd poop of the morning and I took a pic seeing as this is his avg if not a little small.

 

[biophiliac]

@ biophiliac I get about 3_4 poops per 6 hrs but depending on when around feeding time they may be small or large in varying degrees. Baby just did his 3rd poop of the morning and I took a pic seeing as this is his avg if not a little small.

Looks normal to me.
Good job so far!

 

[tacothechicken]

Alright anyone wanna give me a quick biology lesson? So baby has been getting legs and neck vs size so far but I still worry about food intake as I am spoon feeding. Also what I believe to be the lungs? Are quite visible on either side of the neck, but it does make it hard for me to measure the crop, they are seemingly located where the crop would range in a older squab so I'm confused. Do the lungs shift further back and replaced by room for the crop or??? Here's a bad pic but you can somewhat make out the shape I'm speaking of along the neck it's very thin skin and it does inflate when the baby is seemingly squeeking. I just want to be sure im correct and not missing a possibly huge health issue. So do the lungs shift further back and crop takes place or is it the crop I'm seeing inflated with air directly in front of wings?

 

[biophiliac]

Alright anyone wanna give me a quick biology lesson? So baby has been getting legs and neck vs size so far but I still worry about food intake as I am spoon feeding. Also what I believe to be the lungs? Are quite visible on either side of the neck, but it does make it hard for me to measure the crop, they are seemingly located where the crop would range in a older squab so I'm confused. Do the lungs shift further back and replaced by room for the crop or??? Here's a bad pic but you can somewhat make out the shape I'm speaking of along the neck it's very thin skin and it does inflate when the baby is seemingly squeeking. I just want to be sure im correct and not missing a possibly huge health issue. So do the lungs shift further back and crop takes place or is it the crop I'm seeing inflated with air directly in front of wings?
View attachment 1987840

To me it looks like a full crop. When they are small it always seems to me like the crop represents about half of the body mass. Then as they grow bigger, the rest of the body is more of the total body and the crop is less prominent. The legs do seem pretty large.

I believe it is important to weigh the baby in grams both before and after each feeding. Then I can be confident that the food has passed thru the digestive system and after feeding I can know how much food was consumed.

Example: Baby at 8 days weighed 110 grams. Crop was basically empty as parents were only feeding the other nestmate(who weighed 190grams). I fed the baby and it weighed 150grams. Formula consumed =
40grams.
Then at next feeding baby weighs 120 grams before feeding(possible weight gain of 10 grams and crop has emptied by 30 to 40 grams). After feeding he weighs 170 grams. Formula consumed = 50 grams.
I feel safer knowing for sure that over time the weight is going up not down.

Edit added At this age I am usually giving only 2 feeds per day. AM and PM.

 

[tacothechicken]

Agggh omydfgv"__#_!(-&"" I hate my family sometimes so our car broke down 4 hrs from home leaving us no heat a disabled person and 6 f#$_ing plus a baby pigeon. Well we made it home but the baby didn't seem keen ke eat on the ride and is now looking like he has a empty crop as he gets back up to temp in the incubator. So anyone know how long such a young baby can go w/out food? Or proper temps. We're looking lethargic and not wanting to eat, even though we haven't eaten since a mouth full at 8 pm. Should I wait till he's sat in the Bator to warm before feeding him or is food most important???

 

[biophiliac]

Agggh omydfgv"__#_!(-&"" I hate my family sometimes so our car broke down 4 hrs from home leaving us no heat a disabled person and 6 f#$_ing plus a baby pigeon. Well we made it home but the baby didn't seem keen ke eat on the ride and is now looking like he has a empty crop as he gets back up to temp in the incubator. So anyone know how long such a young baby can go w/out food? Or proper temps. We're looking lethargic and not wanting to eat, even though we haven't eaten since a mouth full at 8 pm. Should I wait till he's sat in the Bator to warm before feeding him or is food most important???

Warm him up first! I think he will be okay on the food part. And makesure when you do feed him that the food is the correct temp, Did you try using your own body heat to help him stay warm?