What Does A Pigeon Chick Eat?

What do baby pigeons eat in the wild?

Young pigeons in the wild feed on crop milk, or sparrow milk, which is produced from the crop in both male and female pigeons. It is a substance secreted from the crop in which the bird can store food before digesting it. It contains a high percentage of fat and protein, and usually It is first produced within two hours of the eggs hatching, and the young continue to eat only crop milk for four days.

Then after that, the young pigeons begin to eat the seeds along with the crop’s milk, and this continues for 5 days, and approximately on the ninth day after hatching, the young pigeons begin to eat the adult diet, which consists of fruits, seeds, and some invertebrates according to what the parents bring to them, Starting from the third week of life, young children do not need to eat crop milk at all.

In general, the amount of food fed to the young chicks increases gradually every day, and at first the parents together undertake the task of feeding the young ones, but after the first week has passed, one of them can successfully feed two chicks alone without the need for help from his partner.

Young children eat in the form of meals 3-4 times per day, and they usually receive the same amount of food daily, and after 7 days the rate of food intake decreases to only two times per day.

Feeding baby pigeons at home

When a newly hatched small pigeon is found, it can be fed with milk intended for baby pigeons, which can be obtained from pet stores, and mixed with water before feeding them. If it is not found, a mixture of food can be prepared to feed it at home, and this mixture is:

Mix seventy grams of baby food prepared with chicken, a boiled egg yolk, 15 grams of low-fat yogurt, half a teaspoon of corn oil, a little vitamin E, vitamin B, vitamin C, and about 250 milligrams of calcium carbonate, with a blender well.

After the second week, the young can be fed seeds, grains, and other foods intended for pigeons.

Among the foods that should be avoided to provide young pigeons with: regular milk, dairy products, and worms, and they can only be provided with nut milk after diluting it with water, and macadamia milk.

How to feed baby pigeons

You must first make sure to warm the babies before breastfeeding by using heating pads or placing a bottle of hot water near them after wrapping them in a towel, then using a syringe without a needle to withdraw the food, and feeding the babies by placing the thin end of the syringe inside their beak, while observing the gizzard above the breastbone to make sure. Providing the bird with enough food, and if you notice that the baby is vomiting, this means that it has been fed too much and you must stop feeding it immediately.