Duck - Day 2 (just checking in)

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DarlingMionette's avatar
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Has anyone ever raised a dove?   On the way home the local elementary school today, I ran across a baby (doesn't have his flight feathers yet) dove sitting on the ground. Unfortunately for this little bird, our neighborhood is full of cats - so hoping to save him from certain death, I gently caught him (boy that was a trial!) and brought him home.  I've got him sitting in an abandoned dove nest in my backyard right now to keep him up and out of harms way - and I'm planning to keep him fed until he can fly off on his own.  I was told by my friend that her mother who used to keep birds often fed baby birds ground hamburger.  Anyone else have any suggestions?  I know I'm in over my head, but I couldn't leave him sitting on the pavement without a chance.

I'm also accepting baby dove names if anyone has a suggestion XD

UPDATE!
Just letting you guys know, the baby dove is still doing fine :3 thank you for all your messages and concern over the little guy - I sincerely appreciate all the website links you guys sent me :D  With your help I was able to figure out what he ate, and ran down to the local pet store and picked him up some baby-dove-seeds that he's supposed to like. He's still up in his temporary tree-home with some food and a small bowl of water (cause apparently doves like to take sips of water out of inch-deep puddles - which i did not know until someone sent me the information XD) It's a warm night (I still have my AC on at 11:30 pm) here with a very light breeze, and he should be just fine till morning.  I've taken the liberty to TEMPORARILY nickname him "Duck". Yes, I realize he isn't a duck. LOL I just like watching people's faces when I call him duck.  I've actually identified him as a fledgling (or juvenile) White-Winged Dove. (link if you want to see what he'll be: www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-whi…)  He's got his initial flight feathers in his wings, but his tail is still really short - and he's a sloppy flyer (he tried to flutter along when I caught him, but he couldn't get up off the ground). I'm hoping I can keep him healthy long enough that he'll finish growing and head off on his own :3  But for now, he's safe in my fenced back yard, fed, watered, and warm.  I'll check in on him again tomorrow morning and let you guys know how he's doing periodically.

DAY 2 Afternoon UPDATE
Duck's still doing fine :3  He ate some seeds and drank a bunch of water, and I replaced both. This afternoon I went back to check on him again and his water had fallen out of the tree and Duck was no where to be found. It took a few minutes, but I tracked him down (he had gotten out of the tree and was running around my backyard... welll.. like a duck. I put him back in the tree to keep away from the cats.  He's able to fly a little now - at least 2 or 3 feet, but he doesn't get far.  I bet by next week he'll be on his way back to the park with the other birds where he belongs :3 Until then, he's cozy living in my tree and well pampered.

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DancingWolfDragon's avatar
Ducky!! that is so cute! Fly Ducky, fly! XD