Need advise on pairing birds

[sasha008]

My domestic flying flight hen, Flip, lays and then sits on fake eggs for 3 weeks. She's a devoted mom but I think she's very much hoping for a hubby to share the duties with. She's in a room with several male pigeons who display all the time. I thought I'd try to pair her with Tomato, another flight, so I put him in her cage for the first time today. They have cages side by side so they know each other, but have never been together. He went right over to her and bowed and started cooing but she jumped on him and chased him around pecking at his head. I had to rescue the poor guy

So, um, what did I do wrong?

[Trees Gray]

She may not be attracted to him, or considers him a threat since you brought both of them into HER cage, and she is trying to protect her domain. Perhaps you should isolate them for a week and then try again, and this time isolate them in a neutral area, and away from the other birds. If the male has a nesting box, you might put them both in there, but make sure there is plenty of room, and the other males do not have access to the area.

[sasha008]

I didn't have the option to put them in a different room, so since Flip's cage is the biggest I have, and long, I put a divider in the middle. Flip was on one side and I put Tomato in the other side. Tomato did a beautiful song and dance for Flip, complete with spread tail and lots of bowing and cooing. I draped a towel on one side to give them some privacy.

Well.

Flip stood motionless for a good 5 minutes glaring at him with the most intense look on her little pigeon face. Then she tried to peck him through the divider. The next day, she very carefully ignored him and just went about her business. The day after that I walked in the bird room to find Tomato preening her through the cage bars. I took the divider out that day. They started kissing and preening and making a nest. Now Flip has an egg and they are taking turns sitting in the nest box with it.

[saiwa]

well, here's how i do it, i put the ones i want into a cage that both birds dont know and if the cock is dominate then he'll coo and chase her. its like forcing. the cock will peck and coo until the hen gives in to the cock. remember to put the hen in with the cock or put them both in a different cage cause if you put the cock in the hen's cage then the hen's gonna be more dominate. this is how i do it.

[Dezirrae]

Originally Posted by sasha008

I didn't have the option to put them in a different room, so since Flip's cage is the biggest I have, and long, I put a divider in the middle. Flip was on one side and I put Tomato in the other side. Tomato did a beautiful song and dance for Flip, complete with spread tail and lots of bowing and cooing. I draped a towel on one side to give them some privacy.

Well.

Flip stood motionless for a good 5 minutes glaring at him with the most intense look on her little pigeon face. Then she tried to peck him through the divider. The next day, she very carefully ignored him and just went about her business. The day after that I walked in the bird room to find Tomato preening her through the cage bars. I took the divider out that day. They started kissing and preening and making a nest. Now Flip has an egg and they are taking turns sitting in the nest box with it.

ROFL Sasha Sounds like Flip was just playing "hard to get" and wanted to prove who was wearing the feathers in that partnership... LOL If you can we'd love to see pictures of the nesting couple with their egg and OF COURSE keep us posted on how the relationship is progressing