Sophie Egg Question...Again(!)

[nbdyuknow]

Hi Everybody,

I am very confused. Here is a past summary, as concise as possible:

March 2007--Sophie found in cardboard box on park bench
January 2008--Sophie lays first egg (one), sits 21 days
April 19 2008--Sophie lays second set of eggs (two), sits 21 days
May 23 2008--one week after coming off eggs, Sophie lays a tiny egg (one only), sits 21 days
June 22 2008--Nine days after coming off egg, Sophie lays a normal-sized egg (see photo).

As you might recall, last time when Sophie laid the tiny egg so soon after her last batch, I was concerned. The people at the pigeon store told me that the tiny egg would be her last, when they lay the tiny one it is the last one. Boy, were they wrong!

Now, I am concerned because, once again, approximately a week after finishing sitting on eggs, she has laid another. This has to be hard on her little body. I did buy a vitamin I will add to her water, and she always has plenty of grit.

Aside from my concern, she seems very happy and healthy, and VERY proud of this latest egg. But, what on earth is going on? Is is possible it has something to do with her being an "only pigeon?"

Bill B.

[Lovebirds]

Poor Sophie.........she needs a baby to take care of.
I've got hens that lay pretty often, but I've got one that lays just like Sophie....lay, sit, lay, sit..........almost that fast. She's been doing this for over a year now. There's just nothing that you can do about it. The ONLY thing that would even slow her down is raising a baby and even then, she would STILL lay when the baby was 2 to 3 weeks old.
As long as she's getting the nutrients she needs, try not to worry too much.
Would you be interested in letting her raise a baby? You could probably get a fertile egg from someone.........just a thought. It's been done before.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=13269

[spirit wings]

or..a foster in the area...if you can time it right...just a thought...she could feed it and love it like her own with help from granma

[LokotaLoft]

small eggs dont always mean the end of laying as you have learned but theres no way of stopping them in the mean time and just so you know even if she did stop laying eggs it doesnt mean she will ever stop trying to set on eggs even when theres none there to set on Pigeons and their reproduction go hand in hand til the end of their existance ,fighting that would be futile

[Maggie-NC]

Bill, I know it worries you but like Renee said, there is not much you can do about it. We have a similar problem that worries me too. We brought in our male Cosmo several months ago because of convulsions and excessive watery stools. The convulsions stopped within a few days but the watery stools continue with no explanation. About 3 months ago we got in a lovely hen and thought it would help if we placed her near Cosmo. It was love at first sight even though he has his mate of about 5 years still in the aviary.

Honey, the hen, started laying eggs about a month after we got her and I think she is on her third round right now. Their cages are side by side but we don't let him touch her because we still don't know what's wrong with him.

The only thing we do is try to make sure she has good food, grit and about once a week, I crush a Tums and put that on her food for the extra calcium. We also let her set the eggs full term.

They stay in our laundry room except when I have to do laundry and she sits the eggs non-stop. We let her out several times a day to poop and she flies straight back to her eggs. The odd thing is that when I have to do laundry, I set them on the kitchen table and she immediately gets off the eggs like that is a trigger that by being in there it is the male's time to set the eggs. As soon as I move her back in the laundry room, she starts setting again.

Sophy is still about the prettiest little girl I've ever seen.

[philodice]

Get her a stuffed toy baby bird...not a rubber ducky but maybe a beanie baby.
Get a hollow egg, fill with jumping beans and put it under her on day 20. Then switch out with the beanie baby (also filled with beans) at night. Then watch the hilarious results.