Young pigeons and doves are unable to eat by themselves; they rely on their parents to feed them. If you find an orphaned baby pigeon, you will need to feed the bird by hand. You may also have to hand feed adult pigeons if they are sick or injured and cannot eat by themselves.
Note: Never feed cold or unresponsive birds. Severely dehydrated birds will not be able to digest food and need to be rehydrated first. Signs of dehydration include blinking eyes and a hard crop. To rehydrate, use Pedialyte or Ricelyte (available in the baby food section at the grocery store). These solutions contain electrolytes and are preferable to water.
Baby pigeons and very sick adult pigeons must be tube fed in order to get the food into the crop. It is best to have an experienced wildlife rehabilitator perform this task, but in an emergency, you might find yourself having to tube feed. Occasionally, a baby bird will take formula directly from your fingers. However, if the pigeon is not eating enough or does not respond to this type of feeding, you will need to use the tube feeding method. These instructions are intended to aid anyone who has rescued an orphaned, injured, or sick pigeon and needs to hand feed the bird.
