How to Care for Pigeon Babies

Bird fanciers find great enjoyment in watching hatchlings grow into healthy squabs and then hearty adults. Raising young squabs is a simple process if you still have the birds' parents. The cock and hen will sufficiently raise their clutch, leaving you the joy of watching them grow. Even if the parents are not available, you can hand-rear the squabs with patience and commitment.

Things You'll Need

  • Cage or nesting box
  • Nesting material
  • Waterer
  • Feeder
  • Grain mix
  • Pellets
  • Canary formula
  • Oral syringe
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Instructions

    • 1

      Provide warmth and shelter for your pigeon hatchlings. Some pigeon breeders keep the parent birds and new hatchlings in a large cage if they do not have a pigeon loft. Clean the cage out frequently. If you have a loft, provide a nesting box with plenty of nesting material, such as straw, hay or tobacco stems. Keep a waterer with fresh water and a feeder with a grain mix and pellets available for the parent pigeons.

    • 2

      Allow the hen and cock to care for their hatchlings. For the first six to seven days squabs require pigeon milk, which is regurgitated food formed in the hen or cock's mouth. Veterinarian Bob DiGregorio recommends using a high-fat hand-feeding canary formula if the hatchlings are orphaned. Place the canary formula in an oral syringe and feed until the pigeon's crop is full every 30 minutes.

    • 3

      Introduce a commercially prepared grain mix at 1 week old. The parents will naturally wean the squabs, but if you are feeding them begin adding a few small seeds to the canary formula. Gradually add more seeds. Squabs should be able to peck seeds and grains by 4 weeks. Discontinue the formula at this point. At 28 to 30 days old you can release the squabs or introduce them to your general pigeon population.