Hand rearing a reluctant eater - HELP please!

[Spangle]

I have taken in an abandoned pigeon who, from the look of online day-by-day pictures, is about 15 days old. I'm feeding him with a syringe but he isn't making it easy for me. He lunges at me with his beak as soon as I go near him and once I've got him stubbornly refuses to open his mouth. I've had him 24 hours and have had to force feed him - he won't even open his beak when he is squeaking (presumably though this is when he is hungry).

 

Please does anyone have any ideas? Am feeding him canary egg food (Ce De) in warm water which is all I have to hand at present. I've reared all manner of birds and other animals over the years but this one's a real struggle.

[Novice]

Buy some pigeon food and allow it to steep for a few hours in hot water to soften it.

Before feeding it to the bird take it to body temperature. Hold the bird in one hane at the same time opening it's beak with the same hand. Shove the feed over it's throat.

It will swallow it if hungry.

If you have no pigeon feed. Household dried peas will do meantime.

If you cannot hold the bird and open it's beak with one hand then you need someone to assist you.

 

Hope this helps.

[kev43]

if it 15 days old it shud b on hard corn now not mush,,,,best 2 do it is get sum pigeon corn a bag ov cheap stuff from ur local petshop and open its beak and put 1 grain down at a time after about 10 bits get a syringe and squirt some water down slowly so it helps digest the corn as it wont digest without water                    hope this helps

[Tony C]

This will give you some idea how to go about it. You will have to hold the pigeon a little firmer than the one shown here and more than likely will have to push the food down its throat.

 

[Spangle]

Thank you all. The little so and so firmly believes he is a vulture who can survive without food!

 

Another thought - how often should he be feeding at this age please?

 

Again, thank you.

[Tony C]

Pop a dozen peas down its throat every couple of hours for today and the last feed tonight feed as much as you can. A pigeon has a crop which will hold 1oz of food easily at that age. If all is well by the morning you'll notice its droppings much firmer, if this is the case you only need to feed it 2-3 times a day from then on around 1-1 1/2oz split over the day

[Thimbles]

No need to hand feed at that age put some small seeds in with it it will be pecking in no time if not i would dispose of it