EEEEK -- building owner vs. pigeons!

[feralpigeon]

When I got home last night, I plugged in the warmer on low and placed several more layers of cotton imbetween the eggs and heating pad. This to make sure that there was not too much heat from the warmer. When I got up this a.m., I checked by touch the temperature in the basket and had a not so good feeling that it was just too warm to be a duplicate of what the parents would have provided. So, more material underneath to help with temperature. This afternoon when I got home and looked @ eggs, w/flashlight, the egg that appeared to have a few veins growing had turned mostly solid dark w/a distinctive line @ the upper 5th of the egg, and then went clear. The second egg appears very similar to how it did last evening, w/the exception that something appears to be floating for want of a better word inside. Floating separately from what was there last p.m. I think there is too much heat coming from the warmer even tho it is set at it's lowest
temperature. These eggs may not fare well with me and a heating pad as their incubator. Perhaps they were not far enough along? Mrs. Minimonkey told me about a post from a member who put an egg on a heating pad on low, and low and behold a baby popped out the next day!

I will continue w/this process, although I'm skeptic, there is an odor coming
fairly strongly from the egg that has gone dark. I'm very sorry folks .

It doesn't seem promising here.

fp

[minimonkey]

Hi, FP. Mrs. and Mr. Minimonkey here... How sad! We're not expert at all, obviously, on incubating eggs, but it sounds as though the dark egg may be a lost cause, but who knows? Also, the fact that it's emitting a fairly strong odor probably doesn't bode well? As for the other one, I'd keep trying, I suppose. In any event, given the rain in our area today and the meager nest the eggs were in, it's perhaps somewhat doubtful that they would've made it through today. But keep us posted! Either via e-mail, PM or postings here...

[feralpigeon]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Hi, FP. Mrs. and Mr. Minimonkey here... How sad! We're not expert at all, obviously, on incubating eggs, but it sounds as though the dark egg may be a lost cause, but who knows? Also, the fact that it's emitting a fairly strong odor probably doesn't bode well? As for the other one, I'd keep trying, I suppose. In any event, given the rain in our area today and the meager nest the eggs were in, it's perhaps somewhat doubtful that they would've made it through today. But keep us posted! Either via e-mail, PM or postings here...

Hi Minimonkeys,

I discarded the egg that had become dark inside this morning as it had signs
of beaded weeping through the shell although the shell itself didn't appear
cracked at all. The other egg remains, and I will check again this evening.
Must have been the luck of the draw for the other member or perhaps the
development was so far along that nature prevailed. We did check the temp
@ your apartment, but it was w/a meat thermometer, and I'm not sure that
the reading had stopped when we read it. I'll try reading temp tonight w/a
mercury thermometer. I wondered how things went yesterday @ your building w/the "pigeon proofing"? Is Papapigeon still by your window? I'm
hoping that management doesn't get obsessed w/all this and decide that the
vehicles underneath need to be protected to "protect their investment", and
that the "nest proofing" will be the last of their efforts. Keep you posted on
the second egg.

fp

[minimonkey]

FP --First thing -- I'm guessing that there was a tiny, invisiblee crack in the shell of the lost egg -- likely my doing in retrieving it. I was as gentle as possible, but I was having a very hard time reaching the nest, so the whole operation was far from graceful. Even if we had a proper incubator, I think that egg would not have made it. Secondly -- the rain flooded the gutters where the nest was- so both eggs would have been lost i any event, all human interference aside. There is a good 4 inches of water in the gutter right now -- so we would have had drowned eggs -- or worse -- drowned babies.

The scheduled pigeon proofing didn't happen yesterday I'm grateful for the rain, as it takes away the awful feeling that I would have disturbed a viable nest needlessly otherwise. It also deterred a nest-in-progress outside our window, again. Mama and Papa are still around -- they actually landed on our other window yesterday -- we wondered if they heard their babies, who had just been peeping up a storm during an enthusiastic feed. We considered letting them in -- but thought better of it. It would only confuse an already confusing situation. I hate feeling as if they know we have the babies "captive"

On the home front, the babies are thriving. What was once a passive process of feeding has turned into a frenzied affair -- they both plunge for the feeding syringe flapping up a storm!!! Persephone's crop empties much faster than Prospero's -- so we've taken to giving her a couple of additional feedings a day by herself. I'm pretty sure the difference in size is due to her being so much less aggressive than he, and therefore having been chronically underfed. She is definitely getting less shy, and is growing nicely. He's beginning to take small flying-hops. They both have a good pecking instinct, and I think we will be introducing solid food this weekend. They are totally imprinted to us now -- they peep and flap excitedly whenever we get near them. I think they are both going to be shoulder-perchers.

[feralpigeon]

Hi MM's,

Judging from what happened to the second egg, I think your risky retrieval would have had no negative impact on the eggs @ all. I think they probably
survived both the retrieval and the drive home. Tonight when I put the thermometer in the basket, the mercury shot to its highest possible reading. This would put the eggs in an incubator of over 106 degrees. The reading is more than that, as had the thermometer measured higher temperatures, it would have been higher. The mercury is all the way to the end where one
would hold it. In fact, I've been unsuccessful @ shaking it down.
(BTW, I had to throw the second egg the next day, it shared the same fate
as the first)

I'm relieved somewhat to know that had we not raided the nest, it would likely
not have survived. One of our members always mentions putting the heating
pad under the box as opposed to in it and I can't help but wonder if that would have been enough to bring the temp down low enuf for incubation. One thing is sure, it's important to check the temp before placing. Secondly, there may be enuf of a variation in temp. from manufacturer to manufacturer that you'd always have to check and play w/extra layers until the desired temp attained.

Anyway, you were successful in rescuing two, and what a beautiful and bubbly two they are. They are so much fun, and it was wonderful to see how
much joy and enthusiasm all four of you had for one another. If they become
shoulder buddies, who knows, maybe you two will soon be sporting
new hair styles .

[minimonkey]

Lesson learned the hard way, I guess.... I know I won't ever try with eggs again unless I have a proper incubator. I'm so sorry all this happened -- and again, grateful that the rain would have made them meet the same fate (othewise I'd feel like a *real* clod!)

Thanks so much for trying with me. Our managers *still* haven't netted the rafters Mom and Dad to our twosome are nesting again -- I'm just trying to stay out of it. If there are babies born, I will watch over them, of course -- and rescue onlly if necessary. At this rate, I probably could have left our two darlings to their parents, and all might have been just fine. I'm happy as can be to have our pijjies -- make no mistake -- but sad that I may have interfered with a natural process for no real reason.

[feralpigeon]

"At this rate, I probably could have left our two darlings to their parents, and all might have been just fine. I'm happy as can be to have our pijjies -- make no mistake -- but sad that I may have interfered with a natural process for no real reason." MM's

**Problem is, once construction workers get involved, there is no way of pre-
dicting a positive outcome. They might see their involvement beyond just
pigeon proofing and more like pigeon irradication. Your babies could have ended
up in a dumpster, injured, or worse. You had no way of knowing and did the best you could in the moment and with member advice to move in supportively
to protect the babies from a worse fate. There will be more babies for mom&dad pijies, not to worry! And your rescues are quite content where they
are. I think it was a wise choice under the circumstances.

Best,

fp