I have eggs

[littlestar]

My banded pigeon laid eggs, but are not fertile because she didn't have a mate. I know if she had babies they would be beautiful. Well tonight I was talking to all my pigeons, I had my Angel ( she's my banded pigeon) on my hand, well she pooped on me so I went and wiped it off. I wasn't gone but 3 minutes, and looked at my other pigeons and there was egg, what was funny is before I left there were no eggs at all with my other two pigeons. Now, they have a nest, but my Wiggles decided to lay the egg in the food dish and sit on it. I think she figures if she lays the egg there she doesn't have to go far to eat, and she can keep her egg warm too LOL. I know she will lay another one, so I don't want to bother her, but at some point I'm going to have move her and the eggs. In the meantime I put another dish of food for them. Something like this would only happen to me LOL.
Mary Ann

[TAWhatley]

Hi Mary Ann,

What a big surprise for you, huh? I know you will do fine by your birds and also know that you are moving .. look up Lady Tarheel when you get to NC.

Terry

[littlestar]

Hi Terry, They just love to surprise me (LOL). We are moving in 22 days and I can't wait, I know my birdies are going to love our new home and the weather. I will look Lady Tarheel up.
Mary Ann

[mr squeaks]

Best of luck with your move, Mary Ann. Be sure and check in with us once you are "settled."

Welcome to the wonderful world of "eggy" pijies!

[littlestar]

Hi Mr Squeaks,
Thank you so much. Hopefully I'll be on that night, I have my DSL all set up in the new house. I have my fingers crossed the eggs are fertile.
Mary Ann

[Lovebirds]

Mary Ann, I just read your post. A couple of concerns, one, the eggs.......if the hen has laid in the food bowl, your best bet is to leave her in the food bowl and feed them out of something else. If you move the eggs, she probably will not sit on them. Second, I see you are moving in 22 days. That means, if the eggs hatch, the babies will be 2 days old. If you move this hen with the babies at that age, she is probably going to abandon them, which means you'll have to become "mommy". I don't know anything about you so therefore didn't know if you were aware of all of this. Just thought I'd mention it, so it you didn't know, you wouldn't be surprised.

[littlestar]

Hi Lovebirds,
I thought about leaving her in the food dish being she decided to nest in it, but wasn't sure if it was a good idea. I'm not going to mover her, and did put another bowl in there with food right after she laid the first egg.

I'm glad you mentioned about moving and babies. I have been thinking about that and worrying. Actually my Wiggles the mommy was hand fed by me when she was just a baby, so I'm used to hand feeding. I also have everything I need in case I do have to hand feed. I got my fingers crossed that the move won't upset her, she is used to traveling with me. Okay, I'm nuts because I travel with most of my birds . I want to thank you for posting and letting me know about traveling with the mother and babies.
Mary Ann

[Larry_Cologne]

Mary Ann,

I just discovered a few minutes ago that my rescued and hand-raised Wieteke and his feral female mate have TWO eggs. I had been aware of one. Also they had a first egg, which wasn't fertile.

They are nesting in a pet carrier (which would hold a medium size terrier, I suppose) on top of a wardrobe in or small one-room apartment. They are using a plastic nest bowl from Belgium as the nest.

What if you were to put a pet carrier or transport box or whatever in the same location as the eggs, so than the hen sees the box as home. Then when you move, keep her and the eggs in the box, so that although the larger home changes, the smaller one doesn't. Perhaps add some special colored decorations or whatever which definitely point to the transport box as the one and only nst site.

I have no experience in moving pigeons (except on my shoulder), so input from others more experienced is needed.

[littlestar]

Hi Larry,
I do have a cage I made that might be perfect. It's made with wood and nylon netting that rehabbers use, and I could put the dish she is nesting in right in that cage, it just might work. I've transported baby birds that were being hand fed, but not a mother with babies. She may even fool me and not abandon babies or eggs. I have birds, starlings and pigeons both on my shoulders and head to that walk around with me.
Mary Ann

[pigeonpoo]

Do the move slowly - a few inches a day or she may come off the eggs. If you can put the box near to her, then next to her, then gradually move her nestbowl into it. I've just successfully moved nestbowls from one side of a nestbox to the other in this way.

[Larry_Cologne]

When I wanted my male pigeon Wieteke to give up on the nest site he had selected (on some suitcases in the back storage area) and go with his feral mate Mamieke to the site I had chosen (in a folding storage box with front-opening door, on a wardrobe) I repeatedly dropped sticks at the new site. He got the message, and eventually accepted it after lodging some necessary protests with me about he being the one to decide these things, not I.

Drop some twigs and sticks in the new site so your hen sees what you have in mind. Maybe it will help. (Hope it doesn't make her think: this place is already taken by someone else). (I haven't tried this with a hen).

[littlestar]

Pigeonpoo, Maybe Wiggles will be like my other pijjie, she lets you move her and her nest. I can try moving slowly, and see how that works out.

Larry, I never thought about it until now, but my pair are used to me moving things around on them, and maybe they won't have a problem. If all else fails I'll try with feathers, they love it when I give them feathers. My other pigeon who laid eggs but are not fertile finally decided she doesn't want to sit on them anymore, I think she knows the eggs aren't going to hatch, pigeons are very smart birdies.

Mary Ann