dove egg abandoned-need help asap

[charliebird]

A tree outside my house has a nest in it and a turtle neck dove has been spending the past week sitting on one egg. Never seen the dove leave the egg, but now the dove is gone and i havent seen him/her or their partner in 2 days. I've brung the egg inside to keep warm, but fear it may be too late. Egg is around 2 weeks old and ready to hatch, only i hope baby is still alive inside

[pdpbison]

Hi CarlieBird,


Thank you for your concern for the little Egg...

Doves and Pigeons are prolific Egg layers and Baby Makers, or, so long as they feel good about the prospects for the future, they will tend to be so.

It may be that this was a young Dove, who layed one Egg elsewhere, but managed to get the second one done in the nest ( they tend to lay two Eggs) or...

In some way, perhaps loosing her mate, or feeling anxious about something of meaning to her, she elected to abandon the venture this time, pending better logistics and a new Mate.

They are quite capable of laying six or eight sets of eggs a year, and, raising as many Babys, if circumstances are acceptable for them.

It is very hard for a person to really deal with and raise the Baby who would pip out from an abandonded Egg, if in fact the Egg is indeed viable...there are many delicate things to the care and keeping of the Egg for the embryo to develop and eventually pip.

And, even if one could get through that phase, the Babys are very tiny, Doves especially so...and for their survival, they need things in various ways, which are hard for people to provide.

If it was me, I would just let the Egg be...and instead, provide nice Seeds for the Doves of that area, for them to graze and forrage.

If you are really intent on keeping the Egg, turn it gently several times a day, and keep it around your own body temperature, and set some moist cloths around it to keep it humid but not 'wet' by any means, and keep it covered gently with a cloth, and out of any Air cirulation...

And start reading up on what will be needed when it does hatch, if it does...and do not interfere with it hatching, but let the Baby do it's work, wich may occupy it for a whole day even...

But really, considering how much hard-to-explain experience is needed even to care for a week old Baby Dove, a neonate is far more delicate and particular, and without a lot of prior experience, it will be almost impossible to do.


Phil
Las Vegas

[charliebird]

Hi Phil. Thank you for you're very sweet reply. I have cared for doves before and I've candled the egg and its still alive. The mother was a turtle-neck dove, so at least the baby wont be as small as it could be. I live round the corner from a career, so i'm going to care for it under her supervision if it does hatch. Sorry my post was so frantic last night.

[pdpbison]

Hi charliebird,


Hmmmm, well...soon the adventure will really be under way then!


I wonder, have you any acquaintances who may have Doves who could foster the little Baby?

The 'Dove Milk' is not something we can very well duplicate ourselves, and being as it containes discrete antibodies and chemical instructionals of various kinds, it would sure be a good thing if the little one could get to have as much of that as possible for their first week or so.

Wishing you the very best of luck..!

Keep in touch with how it is going?

Phil
Las Vegas

[charliebird]

I did a more detailed candling this morning as i wasnt 100% sure about the first one I did. Sadly the egg must of pasted away when it was abandoned as it wasnt as advanced as it should be for almost two weeks. Maybe I was just hoping it was ok as I hate it when birds are in trouble and I feel useless.