The eggs are here... (Long read)

[Fbirdie82]

The eggs are here and so far we aren’t having much luck!

First two eggs were laid by a Capuchine hen that’d been sick all winter, I thought I had her nursed back to full health but apparently she was missing something (calcium?) as she laid soft shells. I have her on some Foy’s products and hope the next round will do better. Her mate is in love with another hen, too, which I think is absolutely hilarious. I have them separated so hopefully they will get down to business one of these days.

Second two eggs were laid by an old cock/young hen Capuchine pair, very early in the season. I was warned that they probably wouldn’t survive because of the cold. I moved them from the loft into my barn, which is warmer, but had to keep them in a rabbit cage (roughly 4’ x 4’) with a hard bottom. I had straw and shredded paper as substrate. The eggs hatched and the squabs survived to day seven. Found them dead with full crops. I had been working on changing their feed from grain to pellet, not sure if that had anything to do with it, or if bacteria got into the substrate? I tried to keep it clean but boy is it hard with a solid bottom and such tight quarters! I learned my lesson.

Third two were laid by my pair of ’05 Frillbacks. These birds crack me up and you’ll understand if you keep reading. They’re hilarious. First, they laid the eggs not in a nest box but on hardware cloth. That wouldn’t do, so I stuck a piece of cardboard underneath. Then the birds wouldn’t sit them so a friend offered to put the eggs under one of his pairs. Eventually candled them and found they were infertile, which is not untypical for the first eggs of the season out of this breed.

Fourth two were laid by the same pair about two weeks later. I found them both broken. They did have good hard shells. I think either the cockbirds got into a fight and broke the eggs (as I now have three Frillback cocks and one hen…) OR the hen tried to lay them on one of the perches and they rolled off. Either way I was pretty bummed. I know most of the Frillback fanciers I have spoken to say that these guys don't lay until it gets a lot warmer, so my pair is a bit of an oddity.

Fifth two were, again, laid by those silly black Frillbacks about two weeks later. They actually laid them IN the nestbox this time. Sat on them for two or three days and then forgot they were there! One day after the Frillbacks laid, my Capuchines laid again (see below paragraph) so I stuck one egg under the Capuchines. The first egg was seven days old, the second egg five days old, and I’m not sure which egg was which and it probably won’t hatch but it was worth a try. I left the other egg with the Frillbacks to hopefully slow down their egg production until I have a chance to get them seperated from the other pigeons.

The sixth two were laid by the old cock/young hen Capuchine pair that I just mentioned. They are GREAT parents. One bird is always sitting on the eggs and they are protective but not to the point where they are beating you with their wings when you go to candle the eggs. The eggs are starting to develop. I hope these squabs survive as I really, really want at least one out of this pair! I will let them sit on the Frillback egg for a while and see if it starts to develop, if not I will just throw it out; if it does start to develop I will throw one Capuchine egg out, not sure how I am going to decide which one though!!!

So that is how MY first breeding season has gone. Any suggestions for me? I’d love to hear how your eggs are doing, too! One of my 4-H’ers has a pair of saddle homers that have laid four eggs so far. The eggs broke and the birds ate both eggs but they were hard shells… trying to get that all worked out, she’s not really interested in raising a whole bunch of squabs anyway.

With pigeons the excitement never ends...

[BirdDogg10]

Whoa, sounds like you've been through a lot. Friend of mine had a pair of pigeons that had torn up the first egg they had together.

[TheSnipes]

I wish my birds would take a page from your book the babies come out of them faster than I can turn around.

I swear they could hatch plastic eggs.

[BirdDogg10]

Whoa....my friend, Lonna's birds used to breed like crazy when they were together once one set was done they'd start on another one. Sometimes I would think... "I can't believe they're at it again"