Bad parents?

[LamarshFish]

Most of my birds are about a year old. I have 3 mated pairs. One pair laid its first clutch back in December, and successfully raised the squabs, and is now on their 4th set of youngsters. They are good parents. But another one of my pairs doesn't appear to be having the same luck and experience. They laid eggs a month or two ago, but abandoned them for some reason. Then they laid another clutch, hatched them, raised them to about 5 days old until I found both squabs dead yesterday. Not sure why. One racer told me it is best I don't breed from them anymore. I just figured I'd ask you guys what you thought about still giving these two the opportunity to keep breeding.

 

[purslanegarden]

The eggs that were abandoned, might have been because they were not fertilized and the parents knew it.

The 5-day olds...do you have enough food for everyone? Depending on their living conditions if you have separated them out or not. Otherwise, maybe the other adults attacked the squabs.

How are your temperatures right now also? Maybe the babies experienced coldness and the parents didn't do a good job of keeping them warm.

 

[LamarshFish]

The 5-day olds...do you have enough food for everyone?

I think so, mainly because there is always just a little bit left at the end of each day, mostly millet/milo, but it's there for them to eat, so I presume they have enough food.

Otherwise, maybe the other adults attacked the squabs.

\

I suppose that is possible, but no way to know.

How are your temperatures right now also? Maybe the babies experienced coldness and the parents didn't do a good job of keeping them warm.

Right now it's quite warm, but they died right at the end of a system when it was unseasonably cold, daytime temps about 45-50F, night around 35F. The parents would really have had to mess up pretty bad for the babies to die of cold in these temps, but who knows.

Thanks for your help!

 

[biophiliac]

Sorry this pair is not producing for you, very hard to lose 5 day olds.

I suppose that is possible, but no way to know.

I'm pretty sure you would note wounds in this case. Based on what I know of your care of them - I suspect the parents are at fault not you. I hope it is not your Bekaert hen. If it was, I would try pairing her with your other cock before deciding not to breed anymore.

 

[purslanegarden]

What is the explanation about why it would be hard to lose 5-day olds? Is it because the first 24 or 48 hours are more danger for survivability, etc?

Thanks!

 

[biophiliac]

What is the explanation about why it would be hard to lose 5-day olds? Is it because the first 24 or 48 hours are more danger for survivability, etc?

Thanks!

I'm mean from an emotional perspective. As you say the first few days are the most dangerous. By the time they are 5 days you are more bonded to them and have high hopes they will do well. That's why I said it would be harder.

 

[purslanegarden]

Oh I see, I somehow read that as, it is hard [for the pigeon parents] to lose the 5-day olds because they would have survived the first couple of days which are the danger times of having babies, so therefore, it should be easier for them to survive now.

 

[jak2002003]

If you just have the 2 pairs its best to house each pair separately.

The pair loosing the chicks and abandoning eggs might be getting bulled or stressed by the dominant pair.

I have had a dominant pair keep attacking the other pigeons when they went to the feeder.. so even thought there was lots of food left.. the other birds just could not get to it out of fear of being beaten up.

 

[LamarshFish]

Sorry this pair is not producing for you, very hard to lose 5 day olds.


I'm pretty sure you would note wounds in this case. Based on what I know of your care of them - I suspect the parents are at fault not you. I hope it is not your Bekaert hen. If it was, I would try pairing her with your other cock before deciding not to breed anymore.

It is not my Bekaert hen, but for some reason she has had a hard time hatching more than one egg. Strange.

I had thought it may be a good idea to pair that one hen (having trouble raising) with my single cock bird, but I am pondering two issues: (1) it could be the hen that is the bad parent, and (2) not sure how I could separate them and pair her up with my single cock bird. My loft isn't very conducive to sectioning off birds.

For me, losing the 5 day old squabs wasn't sad because I was attached to them, more so because I just felt bad for the little guys. I just hope they didn't suffer.

 

[biophiliac]

@LamarshFish - please check this if you can?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pigeon-bulletin-board.1174207/page-28#post-19917322