Hi guys! Today I am going to show you how my little brother wing feather and I take care of orphaned baby doves. There isn't much info about this on the internet, so my brother and I gleaned what we could and had to figure out the rest.
Tonight I am preparing a few different types of formula and I will show you how I do it. Do not get caught up in the belief that you can't raise a orphaned baby dove or Juba without vet help, because you can! Wing feather and I, plus some of our friends, have raised many doves successfully without professional help. Jupiter, our current baby, will most likely not be able to be hacked back into the wild. It all depends on the baby's particular needs. Many baby's can't be put back in their native habitat because you are their new species. They will become very attached to you and could die if put back in their native habitat, due to being so lonely. Other birds may also attack it.
Ok, we use a mixture of methods for feeding. The first one is the cream of wheat method. The second is the rice method. The third is the roux method. All of these are very simple. Also, you will want to rig up a simple crop milk bottle. Take a plastic bottle, preferably clear, and stretch a piece of rubber glove over it. You can also use a piece of balloon and a rubberband. Cut a slit in the top, starting small, then enlarging it slowly just enough to comfortably admit the birds beak. This Imatates the mother bird giving her baby crop milk, and the bird will catch on very quickly.
Next, prepare your formula. I will start by showing you how to prepare cream of wheat method. Start by mixing 2 tablespoons of cream of wheat granules and two tablespoons of water or hempseed milk over the stove until it boils lightly. Continue stirring rapidly for about one minute. Remove from the heat and add water until a thin paste forms. Think Elmer s school glue. Decant into you feeding bottle, pop the "nipple" over the top, and test the temperature by putting a drop of formula on your wrist. If it feels skin temp, no warmer, than you are good. Let it sit in the refrigerator if it is too warm. It will cool down very fast. Next, once you get the temperature right, press the birds beak through the slit at the top. Make sure that the bird is eating by checking if it's mouth is opening and closing rapidly. Check the baby's crop after a while. If it is large, like a balloon, you are done feeding. If not, continue feeding until it is.
The next formula recipe is the rice kind. The about a quarter cup of plain, cooked rice and put it in the blender. You can also use a immersion blender, and put it in a bowl instead. Add about one third cup water to the rice and blend until smooth. Heat on the stove until warm if using cold water and cold rice, just enough to gently warm it. Feed as you would the cream of wheat formula.
Next is the roux formula. This is used on baby's that are grown a bit slow, and aren't putting on much weight. Juba, what I nicknamed Jupiter, needs roux feeding sometimes. She is a bit on the smaller side. This is also fed to regularly growing baby's as a bit of a suplement.
First melt a teaspoon and a half of coconut oil on the stove. Add one teaspoon corn starch, one teaspoon flaxseed meal, and a teaspoon and a half of flour. Cook until slightly thick, and feed mixed into a bit of cream of wheat or rice formula.
I hope all of your bird rearing adventures go well!
Much love, crane song and the mini jbs
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