Is this as hard as most owners say it is?

Question

I've been told by various people that hand raising a pigeon from day 1 is hard, from what I've heard it sounds like it but at the same time it sounds easy. I've found this topic to be somewhat confusing.

Is hand raising a pigeon as hard as most people say it is?

Jokes and wisecracks are NOT excepted as answers!

Would like to know from someone who has done this before.

Thanks!

Answer 1

On top of the building I live in in Guangzhou, China is a lot of domestic pigeons. The retired owner is like thousands of Chinese who still enjoy the art af pigeon races.

The man robbed several pigeon nests of the chicks. He and his wife fed them with tweezers that have been left in the nest that was stolen; it takes on the scent of the mother bird. These birds are better at return abilities than the wild birds. The man's wife sings when she is with the birds, retaining the master bird bond that makes good flyers.

It seems like hard work; but the couple is happy.

Answer 2

We have two types of pigeons, and we raised one from day one by hand feeding from a syringe. (Parents abandoned the nest.) Every 2 hours is feeding time, and the bird has to be kept warm. We used a heating pad set on low, then put a fluffy towel on top of the heating pad.
Peep is 11 years old now, and still healthy. We give Peep freshly cooked, hand chopped veggies, plain rice, cheerios type cereals (broken up to the size Peep can eat), and of course seeds from a cockatiel packaged mix, because no one where we live carries pigeon food. (Unless it's a 25 or 50 lb bag!) For 2 pigeons, the food would go bad before they ate it all.
Be prepared to feed the bird the first week, every 2 hours. After 10 days or so, it should be around 4 hours or so. The crop has to be filled correctly, and bubbles pressed out gently. It's complicated, but the hand fed birds are so much more friendly!! Peep's friend Brownie wasn't hand raised, but learned how to behave from Peep!!
It's better for the bird to be taken from the nest at 10 days of age, because the parent birds have the best nutrition for the babies, at that time. Try Bird Talk magazine for some detailed information.

Answer 3

Yes, you can. But you have to make a decision in a year or so...

Since pigeon adults & babies LOOK the same, if you've got a receptive bird (try something like sustegen in an eyedropper) if they accept it; they're young and yes, you can raise them...

But they mature very quickly, and need to be part of a pack of other pigeons. If you have a flock on the roof, all is well - if not, at exactly 18 mos of age - try asking them if they want to fly out a window (open one not dangerous of course) and they'll come back for a bit, but go their own way, until someday you never see them again...

Birds must have mates. They bond with the first person to feed them. I had a male conure for 6 years before he started biting me and exhibiting mating behaviours - so I sold him to a breeder.

Some birds are content to live alone as long as they have YOU. They may come to hate your partner, children, or other pets if they don't get enough attn, they will pluck their feathers.

So, a pigeon is not that type of bird, so g'wan & raise it, just be sure to set it free in the end... :)

Enjoy while it lasts but not a moment longer - it's against the rules of nature my dear... hope this helps a bit...

But read up on "bird psychology" your local library will help you, also back issues of "Bird Talk" magazine are very helpful.

Love,
Buggy

Answer 4

I have parrots which are probably similar. I think it would be an extremely demanding undertaking and wouldn't even attempt it. Here's why:
Baby birds require frequent feeding from a syringe in their throat. The food/liquid has to be right, the amount you give them through the syringe has to be enough but don't give them so much as to actually pop their stomach, keep them at the right temp just for starters. Think of it, every day all day for weeks. Can't leave for any appreciable length of time, either.
The end result wouldn't be worth it unless you enjoy nurturing a totally helpless creature. On the up side, the bird will be devoted to you all it's life and there's no better way to create that kind of a bond.

Answer 5

Answerers 2-5 gave excellent advice. Remember: gentle heat, full crop-but not overfull, extremely important the bird doesn't become dehydrated, after 1-2 feedings the bird will beg to be fed and also let you know when it's time to quit, and all equipment should be washed in the dishwasher. Kay-tee hand feeding formula has excellent advice on the can to steer you in the right direction.

Answer 6

well my grandma has many pigeons in her backyard, she started out with 4 and now has about16. i don't think it's that hard.all we did was build a cage that was big enough for all of them to fly and stretch and fed them. this could be different if you're starting with 1 baby pigeon, if so you should buy him/her a companion and let them bond, they might puluck each others neck feathers but i believe that's only because they like the pigeon. To feed them, we cut a hole in the fence around the cage, and attached half a soda bottle to a pvc pipe and put it in. you just get a cup of food and pour it right in.They are less likely to fly away then...
Good luck with them

Answer 7

Baby birds need to be fed every two hours and kept warm. Incubators are good for this. Or you can try a heating pad set on low UNDERNEATH a 10 galon aquarium, that has a solid top, and make a nest for the baby inside of it.

Answer 8

Not hard at all especially if you feed them KAYTEE hand feeding formula powder from the pet store along with little bits of wheat bread. I raised one this summer. And it is beautiful!

Answer 9

I have done it for a chicken rooster, and yes, it is hard. don't forget that most baby animals die because of not having mommy! my baby chicken used to sleep inside my threasors! So he did not died, but many of them died before I knew this!