[FlyingPigeon]

Greetings fellow bird lovers!

My red pigeon has just laid an egg last night. This is her first egg. However, I am a little doubtful about who the father is. I have a male pigeon that is spread in color. I also have a white male dove. My spread and red pigeon like one another. They spend most of their time together. However, I just recently bought my red pigeon for my spread one month ago. I found my spread when he was a baby. I brought him up by hand feeding. He has grown really attached to me. Even though they love one another my spread doesn't know how to mount. I have also given him the "Bad hand habit" in that when he courted my hand I offered it to him for his NEEDS. So, I have yet to see him mount. He courts my red pigeon and gets near her and tries to do the happy boogie, but he doesn't know how to get on top. Also, he cannot grip anything with his feet. So he cannot hop on and grab hold. His feet are deformed in a way that he cannot grip anything. My white male dove on the other hand also likes my red. My red however does not like my white dove. I have seen my white dove mounted on top of the red pigeon. She does not like it and always moves away. However, my white male dove mounts her just about every time he gets. I DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG OR HOW WILLING THE FEMALE PIGEON NEEDS TO BE FOR IMPREGNATION. She does not stay still for my dove, only for my spread. So, I do not know who the father is. Unless my spread has gotten lucky and has successfully mounted my red I am thinking he is not the father. When my dove does mount my red pigeon he stays on only for a couple of seconds. Maybe a max of 4 if lucky. Needless to say it is difficult for my dove to mount her because of her unwillingness. Yet, he tries to mount as often as he can. But, when I step out I always leave my dove in a bird cage. I do this because the red can sometimes peck at my male dove angrily. Not all the time, but when she does she usually rips out a feather. It does not happen all the time, because sometimes my male dove gets to chase her on the floor and she does not attack. My spread rarely pecks my male dove. Only if he tries to get inside my spread's bird cage; which I always leave open for my spread and red. My male dove is always supervised by me when he is out of his cage. I personally do not like cages for keeping birds locked up in them.

So, right now my Red is mainly gathering pine needles for her nest. First it was my spread, but now my red seems to be the one busily doing it.

Another question I have is if there is the possibility of this egg not being fertilized. My cockatail and quail used to do this. They would lay eggs sometimes but had no mates. If this is the case then what should I do? How long should I wait before taking action? I am afraid of the egg, after some months, popping from decomposition? Or do they just dry out?

If it is fertilized by my dove then will it successfully hatch into a hybrid? Or will it not work? Right now I am also a little concern over my spread not sitting on the eggs when my red is not sitting on them, but this all just barely started so maybe it will work out. It is just that for example. Right now it is daylight and my red is by the window getting some sun while my spread is standing on the edge of his cage. So no one is sitting on the egg.

I uploaded a picture of the egg. I also noticed one of the pigeons brought in one of those white plastic wraps for bread bags. So I took it out since it has metal inside.

 

[Charis]

They eggs don't start to develop until the hen starts to incubate then. She will wait until the second egg is laid. At this point, it would be impossible to tell if they are fertile or not.

 

[FlyingPigeon]

Hi Charis. Thank you for your reply. I guess she will lay it tonight or tomorrow. I was wondering though. Can pigeons lay eggs that do not have any embryos and is this normal?

 

[spirit wings]

Hi Charis. Thank you for your reply. I guess she will lay it tonight or tomorrow. I was wondering though. Can pigeons lay eggs that do not have any embryos and is this normal?

if the egg was not fertilized by a cock bird then it would not develope an embryo when incubated with heat.

 

[FlyingPigeon]

Hi Spirit!

So then it is normal for hens to lay eggs that have no embryos? How often does this happen? What is normally done with this egg? How long must you wait until you are certain the egg has no embryo inside?

 

[Charis]

It happens if the hen has not mated with a cock bird. We leave the unfertilized egg for the hen to lay on because laying an egg, takes a lot of calcium and she needs the days to recover and build the calcium back up again.
Hens will some times mate with each other. Then, of course, the eggs would not be fertile.
Probably you will be able to tell if an egg is fertile after a week although if it's sooner I'm sure someone will let us know.

 

[FlyingPigeon]

Hi Charis. Thanks for replying again. Okay so then it is normal for them to lay eggs that have no embryos. Why would two hens mate with each other ? She has not laid the second egg yet, but has a very aggressive appetite. My red sits on it occasionally, but most of the day she spent it out of her nest. My spread did not sit on the egg either. What if both pigeons never sit on the egg consistently? Should I be worried? Would I need an incubator? My male dove mounted my red a couple of times today. Though she would move away every time. It makes me wonder if my dove did not impregnate her by any chance.

 

[Charis]

Don't worry... just wait and watch what happens. The pigeons know what to do.

 

[spirit wings]

Hi Charis. Thanks for replying again. Okay so then it is normal for them to lay eggs that have no embryos. Why would two hens mate with each other ? She has not laid the second egg yet, but has a very aggressive appetite. My red sits on it occasionally, but most of the day she spent it out of her nest. My spread did not sit on the egg either. What if both pigeons never sit on the egg consistently? Should I be worried? Would I need an incubator? My male dove mounted my red a couple of times today. Though she would move away every time. It makes me wonder if my dove did not impregnate her by any chance.

pigeons usually pick a mate and then she will lay eggs..sometimes they are fertile if the cock bird does his job..sometimes they do not. if there is a male pigeon with her I would guess he is her mate. as far as the dove goes he needs to be removed and kept seperate.

 

[FlyingPigeon]

The thing is that we live in a small studio and do not have much room. Basically it is just one big square for a studio. My dove is only out when we are at home. The rest of the time the pigeons are always out and about. Keeping my white dove in a cage all day is like the least thing I'd want to do for the poor little guy . When I came home today my red is sitting on her egg. I don't disturb her so I don't know if there is another egg or not. I want to give her as much privacy as possible. Their cage is covered except for the entrance and a few other parts, so they get lots of privacy for their nest. It was originally my spread's cage, but he is now sharing it with his mate.

 

[spirit wings]

The thing is that we live in a small studio and do not have much room. Basically it is just one big square for a studio. My dove is only out when we are at home. The rest of the time the pigeons are always out and about. Keeping my white dove in a cage all day is like the least thing I'd want to do for the poor little guy . When I came home today my red is sitting on her egg. I don't disturb her so I don't know if there is another egg or not. I want to give her as much privacy as possible. Their cage is covered except for the entrance and a few other parts, so they get lots of privacy for their nest. It was originally my spread's cage, but he is now sharing it with his mate.

If you only have so much room then letting the bird hatch eggs does not make sense..so when you have pigeons..to have hatch control would be to use fake eggs to put under the hen and take out the real ones..she must be stimulated by one of the birds.. Im guessing the other pigeon is her mate. now if you are wanting to house more birds by letting an egg or eggs hatch...then the dove needs to be kept away from the breeding pair.

 

[FlyingPigeon]

I like to think of the studio more like a big loft. I just don't have enough room because there is well no other room lol its just one studio room. There's a bathroom, but I am sure it would be dangerous to put the dove there. My spread has kept me company when I was most depressed. Right when the economy hit bottom and we lost our home to foreclosure. Including 4 other birds I had. He made it through and I owe him. I want him to know what it is like to have a son or a daughter. It is the least I can do for him. When I was all alone and depressed he was the only one to keep me company. Originally I bought the white dove as his partner and was told it was female. Then it turned out it was male, and I felt like I could not return him. Mainly because the pet shop owner came off to me as someone who did not care for his pets. The other reason was because my dove learn to fly by watching my spread, and my dove would always follow my spread which made me think my dove was in need of affection. So I just could not turn him back to an unknown fate. Also my dove did not like being caged after learning about free flight.

 

[FlyingPigeon]

Okay, so my red is now sitting on her eggs. Yesterday that was all she did. She would get up from time to time just to come out and eat. Though she has a little bowl of food inside. I guess she wanted to stretched her wings and eggs. There is only one issue though. I have yet to see my spread sit on the eggs. When my red would step out my red would just come out also. So my red ended staying just about the whole day, and night, sitting in her cage. My spread does go inside the cage to be with her, but he does not sit on the eggs. Should I be concerned or is it okay for only one pigeon, the female, to sit on the eggs all day and night? He also has started coo'ing for attention now that my red is busy sitting on her eggs. Before my red would pet and groom my pigeon and sped a lot of time with him outside. Now my spread stays inside, but coo's for attention. More specifically my attention which was what he would do a lot before I bought my red.

 

[Charis]

Pigeons having babies is instinctual. They are programed to repeat the process over and over which is why there are so many pigeons around. Even before the chicks are weaned, pigeon parents are on to the next nest and more chicks hatch about the time the first set is weaned.
Only once have I had pigeons and their chicks remain close into adulthood. With the lack of room, adding more pigeons, just to give the male a 4 week experience might not be the best for you or them especially since pigeons can live to be 20 years old and are not that easy to find good homes for if the need should arise.

 

[FlyingPigeon]

I have a feeling we are going to be okay. Ever since my family broke up we have lived in apartments. During this time I had birds with me to keep me company. Normally no more than two. It has been 17 years of moving around so far. Then two year of having a house, which was nice, before it got foreclosed. Just maybe the eggs could be empty. That or the dad could be my white dove instead of my pigeon. So if they end up bring hybrids at least they will not be able to make babies. Either way I feel that it will be okay. I still wonder though if it is okay for the red to have to sit all day on the eggs. I thought the parents would share the labor, but my spread does not sit on them. The red only gets out to eat and stretch her legs a little. I think when she sees my spread come out of the cage she feels rushed to get back in and sit.... Should I worry about this? Will it affect her health having to sit so much day and night?

 

[Charis]

I wouldn't worry as long as she is eating and drinking.

 

[spirit wings]

I have a feeling we are going to be okay. Ever since my family broke up we have lived in apartments. During this time I had birds with me to keep me company. Normally no more than two. It has been 17 years of moving around so far. Then two year of having a house, which was nice, before it got foreclosed. Just maybe the eggs could be empty. That or the dad could be my white dove instead of my pigeon. So if they end up bring hybrids at least they will not be able to make babies. Either way I feel that it will be okay. I still wonder though if it is okay for the red to have to sit all day on the eggs. I thought the parents would share the labor, but my spread does not sit on them. The red only gets out to eat and stretch her legs a little. I think when she sees my spread come out of the cage she feels rushed to get back in and sit.... Should I worry about this? Will it affect her health having to sit so much day and night?

as long as you want the offspring then it is fine.. but those two if you get two will grow and mature..and then need mates themselves.. so you will have birds that will compete for mates if these hatch .. so you do need to think about these eggs as mature birds..not just babies and how cute and fun it is to see eggs hatch...they will need mates at some point as well to do what pigeons do..which is find a mate..nest and sit eggs.. the pair on eggs now will not want their own babies with them when they mature as well..they will not see them as their offspring...but as intruders..so you will need a place for them as well..so think ahead.. keeping one or two pigeons indoors is well..messy as you already know..lol.. think of four..then the other two will want a mate..then there six... and on it goes.. so it does take forethought about them as adults and what you are going to do then.. they are not babies for long.

 

[FlyingPigeon]

That is true. I read they grow up really fast. Do you always get female+female or male+female? Is it up to chance or is it predetermined? In a way I kind of hope the offsprings are of my white dove. That way the hybrids will not be able to reproduce. I might end up buying the wood pigeon eggs and replace them with any other that are laid. It would not be wise to suddenly end up with ... 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2 birds! I do want there to be offsprings, but only one time. Another thing I want to ask is if these eggs don't hatch within X amount of days.... Should I just leave them there forever? Or what should be done?

um.. someone i know just keeps telling me that if the eggs have no embyo then in a few days the eggs will pop and they will smell. Is this true?

 

[spirit wings]

That is true. I read they grow up really fast. Do you always get female+female or male+female? Is it up to chance or is it predetermined? In a way I kind of hope the offsprings are of my white dove. That way the hybrids will not be able to reproduce. I might end up buying the wood pigeon eggs and replace them with any other that are laid. It would not be wise to suddenly end up with ... 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2 birds! I do want there to be offsprings, but only one time. Another thing I want to ask is if these eggs don't hatch within X amount of days.... Should I just leave them there forever? Or what should be done?

um.. someone i know just keeps telling me that if the eggs have no embyo then in a few days the eggs will pop and they will smell. Is this true?

ok, so it is planned..lol.. let them incubate the eggs and then when and if they hatch if they are fertile then you will know if the dove did get in there and fertilize one or both.. my thought is it is the other pigeon..but we will see.. the chances of either sex is 50/50...so you could have any combo..hen/cock..cock/cock...hen/hen.. if the dove did his thing..then you are right the offspring would be infertile from what I have read, but I think they would still want to have a mate and go through the motions..but if you get two hybrids then they could just be a pair together...and really if they are pigeons if they are two hens they can be together and so can bro and sis..but if they are two cocks then they may not get along and be wanting to find mates..or they can pair too..just depends on the birds. now about the eggs.. if they do not hatch they will just give up on them at about 18 to 20 days of sitting them in which you would toss them and they start over and lay again. and no they will not spoil in a few days if they are not fertile.. they can sit them till they give up which is usually the time given..(18 to 20 days).

 

[FlyingPigeon]

Hi Spirit wings. Thank you for your info. About a week ago I found a baby crow. He was in bad shape. One of his eyes was missing or just shut in. And the lower portion of his jaw was swollen. I tried to save him. Where I found him it was hot and there was no shade anywhere. Only 3 long palm trees. I figured leaving him under a stick of shade will only cover him for a small amount of time before the sun moved. I took him with me, but passed away about a minute after I got home. However, I managed to give him some water from my cantine that I carry with me. I gave him water about 2 times or 3 in the hour trip it took me to get back home. He had one good eye and it was light blue. It was really pretty. I knew he was in bad shape and he or she could not fly or walk. When I first saw him he was struggling to get back on his feet and probably find a shade from the burning sun. I believe his next was high up one palm tree where I herd other crows. I thought if he could make it then the next day I could take him to a bird refuge or some place to get it help. On the way I tried to ask some people for help, but no one could help me, or rather WOULD NOT help me. One fit young man kindly burped at me as he passed by and I tried to communicate with him. No joke. It was saddening. Loud motor cycles rushing by and cars running late to where ever they need to go. I am happy I at least did not get run over. I at least managed to get him off the burning hot sun and gave him water, and a place to pass away peacefully. He did not seem that scare of me. I was very gentle. I managed to find a large enough box for him, and added my soft under shirt as padding. It really helped him. I have no car so I had to walk for about 15 or 20 minutes before I could get to my bus. I gave him a little more water while in the bus. I thought he would make it, but no luck. Shed some tears. I was wearing my heart rate monitor at the time (I now do daily walks for my heart) and my heart started racing from 130 -160 . I have heart disease so my heart has been acting up, and it can get worse in some situations. I felt the risk was worth it either way. The next day I went back to the spot where I found him and buried him next to the palm tree where I found him. I at least feel his spirit can visit his family up in the palm tree... and perhaps say his last good byes. If I had left him back then he would have died under the hot sun for sure. Even if there had been a shade... I have seen what happens to little birds. years back (Before I started taking them home) I have passed injured or young birds and come back only find pieces of them left. Then That was when I started to bring injured birds home. Today I found a baby pigeon. He can't stand on one leg and cannot seem to fly either. I will add a picture tomorrow. I gave him a glass lid with water, and right away he drank for a little while. He or she must have been pretty thirsty. I also sprinkled seeds all around him, since he cannot stand, and hopefully he has eaten. He also does not seem that scared of me. I was very gentle. I also made sure to put white cloth underneath him so he doesn't have to sit against solid wood. I used a small cabinet for his home after taking out the drawers. I am hoping he makes it through the night. He looks healthy... but I don't know. At least he is in better shape than the baby crow I found about a week ago. I am praying for the best.