egg to hatch in a few days

[fantails in Bama]

I am fairly new to pigeons, About 5 months ago , I bought a pair of fantails from a man at a flea market. He knew nothing about them so i've been coming here reading and learning. Now I have a problem and don't know what to do , hope someone can help me.
About 2 weeks ago , she laid her first eggs (that i know of) and so far they have been doing great as far as sitting on them but the temp outside is what is concerning me.
I was wanting to bring them inside before the babies hatch but am afraid if i move them they might abandon the eggs ? Can someone tell me if it's ok to move them inside or if i should just let them stay outside?I don't want anything to happen to the babies. Thanks

[TAWhatley]

Hello and Welcome to pigeons.com!

Fantails are certainly lovely birds. I have one named FanFan that I dearly love.

I think it would be best if you leave the birds and nest just as they are for now. I'm afraid that they may not finish sitting if you move them at this point. I would, however, keep a very close eye on them and as soon as the babies have hatched, I would move the whole family to warmer quarters.

Hopefully other members with more and better information for you will be along shortly.

Terry Whatley

[Lovebirds]

I know that if you move the eggs now, the parents will not continue to set on them. I'm not so sure that I would move them even after they hatch. We have racing pigeons and for the last three years we start raising babies at the end of NOV. Our birds are raising during the coldest months of the year. Pigeons are VERY hardy birds and the parents will stay on the babies and keep them warm. As long as where ever they are now is a safe place and there is no chance of any wild animal or predator getting to them and scaring them off the nest, they will be fine. We have never had a baby freeze to death. I'm not saying it won't or can't happen, but I wouldn't worry to much about it. Just be aware that when the youngsters are around 2 weeks old, the hen will lay another set of eggs and you will be faced with the same problem. If you don't want to raise any more, get some plastic eggs and replace the next set she lays and after about 18 or so days, she will realize that they are not going to hatch and just walk away from them. THEN, if you want more babies, move the parents inside and let them lay again. Hope this helps.

Originally posted by TAWhatley:
Hello and Welcome to pigeons.com!

Fantails are certainly lovely birds. I have one named FanFan that I dearly love.

I think it would be best if you leave the birds and nest just as they are for now. I'm afraid that they may not finish sitting if you move them at this point. I would, however, keep a very close eye on them and as soon as the babies have hatched, I would move the whole family to warmer quarters.

Hopefully other members with more and better information for you will be along shortly.

Terry Whatley

[fantails in Bama]

Thank you both so much for responding to my post. I was afraid that moving them might upset them and I definantly don't want that.

[WhiteWingsCa]

In our experience, moving a nest, even if the babies are 7-10 days old, isn't a good idea.

Moving ANY breeding birds into a new loft or room can set them back a bit --- they can take a while to acclimatize to a new area. (mind you, some birds won't care, as long as their mate is with them -- they will re-nest anywhere).

If "Bama" is Alabama, then you've nothing to worry about....our winters (Canada) can dip down to 20 deg. below (F) on a regular basis, without any harm coming to parents or babies. Your birds should do just fine.