Bad parents?

[LamarshFish]

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

Are you wondering if it will cause problems that you cleaned a nest bowl out that had wet poop in it?

 

[biophiliac]

Are you wondering if it will cause problems that you cleaned a nest bowl out that had wet poop in it?

I was worried they might leave the babies ...
Dad is sitting with them in the clean bowl now so I hope it's ok.

 

[LamarshFish]

I was worried they might leave the babies ...
Dad is sitting with them in the clean bowl now so I hope it's ok.

I think if it is in the same location they will not leave the babies. You might want to take some smaller pieces of tobacco stems and simply place them in the bowl so the parents can begin sort of rebuilding the nest if they think it is necessary. Otherwise, just check on them babies daily to make sure their legs don't become splayed with the lack of nest material. I'd keep an eye on them anyways.

The way Adrian prevents the moist poop in the warm weather from causing problem is he puts wood pellets in the nest boxes and bowls, and when the poop gets muddy it absorbs the moisture. There are likely other ways you can do this, such as with pine shavings. There's also this product people scatter in horse and pig stalls that absorbs moisture, I forget what it's called though.

 

[biophiliac]

I think if it is in the same location they will not leave the babies. You might want to take some smaller pieces of tobacco stems and simply place them in the bowl so the parents can begin sort of rebuilding the nest if they think it is necessary. Otherwise, just check on them babies daily to make sure their legs don't become splayed with the lack of nest material. I'd keep an eye on them anyways.

The way Adrian prevents the moist poop in the warm weather from causing problem is he puts wood pellets in the nest boxes and bowls, and when the poop gets muddy it absorbs the moisture. There are likely other ways you can do this, such as with pine shavings. There's also this product people scatter in horse and pig stalls that absorbs moisture, I forget what it's called though.

The new bowl has a good amount of clean tobacco stems. Thanks for those other tips!

 

[LamarshFish]

The new bowl has a good amount of clean tobacco stems. Thanks for those other tips!

Cool. I find sometimes if you just put the idea in their head, they will build when they otherwise may not have planned to.

I think these squabs will do just fine, whether the parents rebuild the nest or not.

 

[LamarshFish]

Well now she laid another egg, without a nest made, but there wasn't much nest material in my loft. Offered her some, and loading up the nest material today. I guess I'm going to have to give them another try. I could toss the eggs though and replace with fakes, but so far I'm sort of inclined to let them try again.....

 

[biophiliac]

Well now she laid another egg, without a nest made, but there wasn't much nest material in my loft. Offered her some, and loading up the nest material today. I guess I'm going to have to give them another try. I could toss the eggs though and replace with fakes, but so far I'm sort of inclined to let them try again.....

I think I would wait and see too. I have one breeding pair following the typical pigeon 'best practices'. The rest of my birds seem to have adopted alternative lifestyles! One baby hatched today in a nest with 3 eggs and 2 hens. Dad uncertain. Then there is Lonan, a cockbird with a complicated love life. Suffice it to say that both his girlfriends produced eggs recently at which time he abandoned Doba to single motherhood and returned to his first love Kitchi to help her incubate. Don't know what Doba's chances are without a partner.....

 

[thinkyesi]

Personally when we have pairs that aren’t doing a very well job we give them four options. Keep them as a pair but never let them hatch any eggs, we will put the eggs under a different bird, we sell them, cull them(we eat the meat) or we split them up and repair them with different mates.
But having them try to hatch eggs after so many failed attempts is useless and also painful to see the young die.
You can always put fake eggs under them for 18 days every month to get them to start sitting on the eggs better.

 

[LamarshFish]

I think I would wait and see too. I have one breeding pair following the typical pigeon 'best practices'. The rest of my birds seem to have adopted alternative lifestyles! One baby hatched today in a nest with 3 eggs and 2 hens. Dad uncertain. Then there is Lonan, a cockbird with a complicated love life. Suffice it to say that both his girlfriends produced eggs recently at which time he abandoned Doba to single motherhood and returned to his first love Kitchi to help her incubate. Don't know what Doba's chances are without a partner.....

Wow. A lot of drama in your loft lol