Banded Pigeon Found - Assistance Please

[biophiliac]

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!

I guess I feel the longer they sit, the fewer eggs get laid. I think the laying is more of a physical stress than sitting. I sometimes put a food dish and water close to the nest if the hen is sitting all by herself. Just keep an eye on her health and body condition. I have had a hen with no mate brood and hatch and feed all by herself. Of course there was a promiscuous male involved in fertilizing the egg. He was busy partnering with his real mate raising a clutch.

 

[3bird]

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?

Thanks. They are not taking turns, which is where our concern arises. One bird (Pal) is the only one sitting the nest.

 

[3bird]

I think the laying is more of a physical stress than sitting.

We agree. Thanks!

 

[CCUK]

Thanks. They are not taking turns, which is where our concern arises. One bird (Pal) is the only one sitting the nest.

I think what @biophiliac said would be best then. It won't do her any harm sitting but so long as she does come off for food and water. She will give up on the eggs at some point and come off on her own. In the absence of a male she may or may not lay another clutch, hopefully not! Chances she will though.

 

[biophiliac]

Although my pair of hens did share sitting duties I'm not surprised one of yours is not interested. Pigeons display such individual behaviors that don't conform to the rules. Part of what makes them interesting. Maybe Pen understands that infertile eggs will come to nothing.

 

[3bird]

The other BIG issue is Pal's poops. When we open the cage and she does come off the nest and flies into the room, she immediately makes a HUGE, smelly poop. She has not gone inside the flight cage in weeks. What happens if we are away, and she doesn't get let out for a day. Will she try to hold it, or will she eventually poop in the flight cage? I assume the latter, but...

 

[biophiliac]

The other BIG issue is Pal's poops. When we open the cage and she does come off the nest and flies into the room, she immediately makes a HUGE, smelly poop. She has not gone inside the flight cage in weeks. What happens if we are away, and she doesn't get let out for a day. Will she try to hold it, or will she eventually poop in the flight cage? I assume the latter, but...

lol I was going to mention you would be seeing 'broody poops'! Some birds keep the area around the nest very clean, others just poop outside the nest bowl. If she has to, she will poop in her cage somewhere away from the nest I believe. It would be good if you could put a perch just outside the cage with some paper below to catch the stinky deposit. Worth a try, @Serin has his house pigeon paper trained.

 

[Serin]

Mine is housetrained only as far as the BIG poops. She goes to a certain door, and poops down. Always in that spot. I have paper there. She leaves little dots here and there otherwise.

 

[biophiliac]

Mine is housetrained only as far as the BIG poops. She goes to a certain door, and poops down. Always in that spot. I have paper there. She leaves little dots here and there otherwise.

It's the BIG broody poops they're concerned about. lol

 

[CCUK]

When mine are on the nest they tend to just hang their back end over the edge of the nest bowl and dump. It can get a bit smelly as I don't like to move them when they're on eggs. But if your not hatching any just clean it out daily.