P.S. I'd say this youngster will need about 3 weeks before he's ready for release. He looks to be 3 weeks old and babies aren't self-sufficient until they are 6-8 weeks old. On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 6:58 PM, Elizabeth Young wrote:

Wow. That is a baby. Probably too young to completely self feed. I'd recommend he be segregated in the coop so that the adults can't hurt him. Put him in a crate (in the coop) with a nice towel and some food (near the front) and a mirror and watch for poops. He may well need some handfeeding to supplement his self-feeding. He needs to be gaining weight. Being with the other pigeons and seeing them eat will help him learn to self-feed.

He's very lucky you rescued him. I doubt this little one would have made it without your help.

e

On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 6:48 PM, Barna Mink wrote:

...

Elizabeth and others,

I just found a baby pigeon wandering around the the Daly City BART station. He can't yet fly (though he tries) but he can run pretty fast! It took me a while to capture him but I did and put him in my jacket pocket and biked home. I put him in my loft for now, and he went into hiding behind the nest boxes. Will he be fine in the loft, or should I place him in a box with heating mat? Can they eat on their own at this age/size already? Can I expect the other birds to be aggressive towards him? How long until he is able to fend for himself and can he be released then?

Thanks, Barna

-- Elizabeth

Until they all have homes, don't buy, don't breed- adopt. www.RescueReport.org http://www.rescuereport.org/ www.MickaCoo.org http://www.mickacoo.org/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGjyooh3Yo0

-- Elizabeth Until they all have homes, don't buy, don't breed- adopt. www.RescueReport.org www.MickaCoo.org http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGjyooh3Yo0

I handfeed the big peas and corn and safflower from pij feed. Or thawed frozen peas and corn. Or syringe feed juvenile formula. Give me a call if you want to talk it through. And yes- best not to snuggle the adorable little one. If he can go free, he needs to have a healthy fear of people. On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 7:43 PM, Barna Mink wrote:

Thanks for all the quick info and help. That's good to know. I have set him up with everything you said. (I'm using one of my wire tunnels which I use to direct-seed in the garden). He is chilling and groomig himself at the end of the tunnel here (and Maggie is investigating).

I suppose I shouldn't handle him too much if I want to release him, yes? It's difficult, as he is very adorable.

Are there any good resources on hand-feeding or should I just google for videos? What would I hand feed? Seeds or something else?

Thanks, Barna

On Aug 5, 2010, at 7:21 PM, Elizabeth Young wrote:

P.S. I'd say this youngster will need about 3 weeks before he's ready for release. He looks to be 3 weeks old and babies aren't self-sufficient until they are 6-8 weeks old.

On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 6:58 PM, Elizabeth Young wrote:

...

Wow. That is a baby. Probably too young to completely self feed. I'd recommend he be segregated in the coop so that the adults can't hurt him. Put him in a crate (in the coop) with a nice towel and some food (near the front) and a mirror and watch for poops. He may well need some handfeeding to supplement his self-feeding. He needs to be gaining weight. Being with the other pigeons and seeing them eat will help him learn to self-feed.

He's very lucky you rescued him. I doubt this little one would have made it without your help.

e

On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 6:48 PM, Barna Mink wrote:

...

Elizabeth and others,

I just found a baby pigeon wandering around the the Daly City BART station. He can't yet fly (though he tries) but he can run pretty fast! It took me a while to capture him but I did and put him in my jacket pocket and biked home. I put him in my loft for now, and he went into hiding behind the nest boxes. Will he be fine in the loft, or should I place him in a box with heating mat? Can they eat on their own at this age/size already? Can I expect the other birds to be aggressive towards him? How long until he is able to fend for himself and can he be released then?

Thanks, Barna

-- Elizabeth

Until they all have homes, don't buy, don't breed- adopt. www.RescueReport.org http://www.rescuereport.org/ www.MickaCoo.org http://www.mickacoo.org/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGjyooh3Yo0

-- Elizabeth

Until they all have homes, don't buy, don't breed- adopt. www.RescueReport.org http://www.rescuereport.org/ www.MickaCoo.org http://www.mickacoo.org/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGjyooh3Yo0

-- Elizabeth Until they all have homes, don't buy, don't breed- adopt. www.RescueReport.org www.MickaCoo.org http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGjyooh3Yo0