[Bella]

I guess you guys did warn me that pigeons were addicting, but I wasn't quite prepared for how addicting they truly are.
I got some breeders a few weeks ago (gorgeous birds, I love how well put together they are.)
We doubled the size of the loft to accommodate them in their own section and prepare for some babies. My first thoughts were that it was too late in the season, and them having been uprooted and moved to a new place, I had little hope of getting in babies from them before our harsh winter starts.
But they have adapted well, and to my surprise I came home from work on Sunday to find a pretty white egg in a nest bowl. I am really hoping for another egg today, mom has just kicked dad out of the nest bowl after only a few hours of letting him have it, so I am hopeful that she has good reason.

Besides being ecstatic and hopeful, I am a little worried.

Currently all my birds get pigeon builder in their water 4 days a week. ACV two days a week (spaced), ProBios once a week. Chopped greens twice a week, a bath once a week with bath salts. I feed a mixture of 15% performance seed mix, and purina pigeon checkers at a 75% to 25% ratio respectively twice a day. They have access to red grit and oyster shell always.
Everyone was wormed 3 weeks ago. The loft is scraped and rebedded with pine shavings once every 3 days.

I'm probably being a worry wart...but is there anything I am missing that would be beneficial to them and their young?

Also, they began incubating the egg yesterday, while the second has yet to arrive. I was under the impression that they would wait for the second egg. Could this cause any complications as far as the chicks hatching?

I'm really excited...but I'm trying not to count my pigeons before they hatch
Oh yes, and pictures...I know how you guys love pictures (luckily I have more photos of my birds than I have of any human members of my family)

Mom on the nest and the doting Dad with her.

 

[Bella]

Egg number 2 has arrived...*sigh of relief*

 

[plamenh]

I agree it is exiting. I almost delivered egg myself I was so inpatient. L.O.L

 

[Lovebirds]

Egg number 2 has arrived...*sigh of relief*

And right on time too!
Sounds like to me you've got the bases covered. Now it's just sit back and count the days and I'll warn you..it's sort of like waiting for water to boil...it WILL be the longest 18 days of your life..........LOL

 

[Big T]

Everything you are doing in fine, now go boil some water and get the hot towels ready.
Not sure why but I was made to do that when my son was born.


Congrads, its a beautiful thing,
tony

 

[spirit wings]

everyting seems right as rain, and those are some heathy pretty parent birds you have there! keep us posted.

 

[Bella]

18 days....huff....this has been the longest TWO days of my life. I'm sure the birds think I've lost it...probably wondering why I keep peeking through the windows at them every hour or so.

Thanks for the congrats guys! I'm pretty much walking on air.

Tony, how do you purpose I keep these towels warm for 18 days?

Perhaps I should make one of those ring chains we all made in kindergarten to count down the days until Christmas!...No...best not. I'll be in a rubber room and straight jacket if I get to the end of the chain and the eggs take even a day longer to hatch

I have another egg today!?!...but I'm very perplexed as to what to do about this one...

My rollers laid one in their kit box, on the floor. It's not so much that I don't want the rollers to breed. In fact my boyfriend is thrilled with this development (he's got the roller bug, fever...chills, the whole nine...)...I just didn't think it would happen in the kitbox.
The kitbox though is, quite large, and a good lot more space than my six rollers need. Unsure of what to do with it, I made the egg a nest in a nest bowl and put a corn crate in the kitbox with the new nest in it. I really have no idea who laid the egg, all the birds checked out the box and nest and seemed pleased, but not possessive.

Anyone have any ideas as to what will happen? Will the pair that is responsible for the egg accept my haphazard attempt at nest building and carry on? Or should I ditch it and toss in some wood eggs...?

 

[Big T]

Careful, I put one egg each in the nests of two mated pairs because the female of the two eggs lost her mate. Now I got two sets of parents flying their wings off trying to feed three babies each.

As for the towels, keep wet and microwave for thirty seconds as needed.

Good Luck and enjoy, life is a beautiful experience,
Tony

 

[spirit wings]

they may not like the new nestie you gave them, pigeons don't like change, plus if you did let them sit and hatch you would have to kick all the others out as the babies could get scalped in an open situation with all the other "trouble makers" in the parent birds way. so I would say wooden eggs untill you get them in their own breeding box situation.

 

[Bella]

Wood eggs it is then. Thank you for the heads up. I was caught off guard to find this egg in there this evening, and am completely unprepared to be breeding the rollers as of yet.