Banded Pigeon Found - Assistance Please

[3bird]

Did you leave the other eggs in the nest?

We swapped out the eggs with fake eggs.

 

[3bird]

@Hokum Coco @sourland
5 eggs in 2 weeks from 2 birds?

That's correct. Five eggs in two weeks from two birds (I'm assuming they are from both birds, but I don't have proof they are not just from one....if that's even possible).

 

[3bird]

All the eggs (four) were in the nest yesterday. Today the new egg is in the nest with one fake egg. The other three fake eggs are out of the nest. The whole narrative from my better half: "We started with the two in the nest while we were in FL, then there was a third by the brick (not in the nest) after we got home (which was cracked), then we replaced all three with fake eggs which I put in the nest, then two got pushed out and Pal laid a new one with the two that got pushed out, she sat on those for a day or two and then went back to sitting on the nest (and the one fake egg in the nest) for the past couple of days, and this morning she was on the nest with the fake egg and a new real egg."

 

[sourland]

It is very unusual for pigeons to lay more than 2 eggs. @biophiliac I would suspect a lesbian pairing personally also.

@Hokum Coco @sourland
5 eggs in 2 weeks from 2 birds?

I too believe that this is a hen on hen pairing. I'm not certain as to why they continue laying when they have eggs to brood. I have had pairs brood wooden eggs for as much as a month.

 

[3bird]

I too believe that this is a hen on hen pairing. I'm not certain as to why they continue laying when they have eggs to brood. I have had pairs brood wooden eggs for as much as a month.

We agree. The concern is the effort to keep producing eggs. Maybe this is a one off.

 

[3bird]

Hi, Guys. We need some help. Just to refresh, here's the pidge egg chronology:

1st egg - April 4
2nd egg - April 5
3rd egg - April 12
4th egg - April 17
5th egg - April 19

Early on, Pen and Pal (who we are assuming are both girls now) were closer than they had ever been. On the nest together, grooming, not as interested in us, etc. That wore off after a few days though, and Pen returned to her old self. Throughout the rest of the time, Pal has been pretty much on the nest all the time after the first few days when she would leave the eggs for long periods to fly and take baths. For the last two weeks, she comes out for a poo and to get something for the nest and then she goes right back in. Pen stays out all day doing Pen stuff (flying around, cuddling, taking showers, etc.) and shows little to no interest in the nest or eggs.

So the question: Is this just young bird behaviour (this is their first clutch), and more importantly, when and how do we remove the eggs? We've hot that 21-day mark for the first eggs.

Any advice, opinions, thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[CCUK]

Hi, Guys. We need some help. Just to refresh, here's the pidge egg chronology:

1st egg - April 4
2nd egg - April 5
3rd egg - April 12
4th egg - April 17
5th egg - April 19

Early on, Pen and Pal (who we are assuming are both girls now) were closer than they had ever been. On the nest together, grooming, not as interested in us, etc. That wore off after a few days though, and Pen returned to her old self. Throughout the rest of the time, Pal has been pretty much on the nest all the time after the first few days when she would leave the eggs for long periods to fly and take baths. For the last two weeks, she comes out for a poo and to get something for the nest and then she goes right back in. Pen stays out all day doing Pen stuff (flying around, cuddling, taking showers, etc.) and shows little to no interest in the nest or eggs.

View attachment 1755192

So the question: Is this just young bird behaviour (this is their first clutch), and more importantly, when and how do we remove the eggs? We've hot that 21-day mark for the first eggs.

Any advice, opinions, thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

If they are both female, which I think we are assuming they are, then I would get some plastic/fake eggs for her to sit on. There is no point in trying to get her to stop sitting on them as it's there instinct to do so. Don't remove the eggs and not replace them as they will just keep laying which isn't good for them. They will give up on the plastic eggs about a week after they would hatch if they were real fertile eggs but then most likely lay another pair in which case remove them and repeat with the process again with plastic eggs. This will probably continue for the rest of summer into autumn. So far I have removed over 16 eggs and replaced with fakes!

 

[biophiliac]

If they are both female, which I think we are assuming they are, then I would get some plastic/fake eggs for her to sit on. There is no point in trying to get her to stop sitting on them as it's there instinct to do so. Don't remove the eggs and not replace them as they will just keep laying which isn't good for them. They will give up on the plastic eggs about a week after they would hatch if they were real fertile eggs but then most likely lay another pair in which case remove them and repeat with the process again with plastic eggs. This will probably continue for the rest of summer into autumn. So far I have removed over 16 eggs and replaced with fakes!

x2

 

[3bird]

If they are both female, which I think we are assuming they are, then I would get some plastic/fake eggs for her to sit on. There is no point in trying to get her to stop sitting on them as it's there instinct to do so. Don't remove the eggs and not replace them as they will just keep laying which isn't good for them. They will give up on the plastic eggs about a week after they would hatch if they were real fertile eggs but then most likely lay another pair in which case remove them and repeat with the process again with plastic eggs. This will probably continue for the rest of summer into autumn. So far I have removed over 16 eggs and replaced with fakes!

I should have mentioned again in my last post that we have replaced the eggs with fake eggs. We had been told at one point to remove the fake eggs around the 21+ day point. Seeing as Pal rarely leaves them for more than a minute, we were wondering how best to remove them. I think you are saying that we should let her continue sitting on them and wait for her to give up on them on her own (which could be as much as a month after she laid them?). Correct?

Our concern is her health if she then goes right back into laying and sitting on them. Because she is the only one doing all the nest building and sitting, she doesn't eat as much, fly as much, bath as much, etc. If that is to continue for the whole summer, is that going to negatively affect her health?

Thanks so much!

 

[CCUK]

I should have mentioned again in my last post that we have replaced the eggs with fake eggs. We had been told at one point to remove the fake eggs around the 21+ day point. Seeing as Pal rarely leaves them for more than a minute, we were wondering how best to remove them. I think you are saying that we should let her continue sitting on them and wait for her to give up on them on her own (which could be as much as a month after she laid them?). Correct?

Our concern is her health if she then goes right back into laying and sitting on them. Because she is the only one doing all the nest building and sitting, she doesn't eat as much, fly as much, bath as much, etc. If that is to continue for the whole summer, is that going to negatively affect her health?

Thanks so much!

They will eventually give up on them and stop sitting on them by themselves. They will take time off, maybe a week or two, but they will lay again. It won't harm them to be sat on the eggs for a prolonged time as they should be taking it in turns. We'll normally they will with a female/male pairing. Are they taking it in turns to sit on them?