Can pigeon eggs survive chilling?

[jak2002003]

How are things going has your luck improved any?

Today I went to check on the birds and saw one of the eggs has hatched!!!

I am so happy. The other one is in the process of hatching.. keeping my fingers crossed it hatches OK. I dampened the egg shell near the hole with a little water so make the membrane softer.. as once before a late hatcher got stuck and died because of this.

I will check this evening.

How long does it usually take for the chick to get out once its made a hole in the shell?

 

[Hokum Coco]

How long does it usually take for the chick to get out once its made a hole in the shell?

In a perfect world 24 hours.
I sometimes take my finger nail and chip off about ¼ of the circumference of the egg around where it has pipped.
Caution do "NOT" try and free the squab completely from the shell as complications can arise and the squab could bleed and expire.
I also found that it is important to give your birds access to baths especially the females where they do the lion share of the incubating. That intern keeps the eggs shells porous and easier for the squabs to escape.

Most times I just let nature take it's course.

 

[Hokum Coco]

How long does it usually take for the chick to get out once its made a hole in the shell?

In a perfect world 24 hours.
I sometimes take my finger nail and chip off about ¼ of the circumference of the egg around where it has pipped.

Caution do "NOT" try and free the squab completely from the shell as complications can arise and the squab could bleed and expire.

I also found that it is important to give your birds access to baths especially the females where they do the lion share of the incubating. That intern keeps the eggs shells porous and easier for the squabs to escape.

Most times I just let nature take it's course.

 

[jak2002003]

Thanks. Off to check on it now. I will also let the parents have a nice bath.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Thanks

You are welcome. I am now up to 48 birds with a surprise feral dark checker pattern. It made it through the bobs to bring my count up to 49. I will catch and man handle it that always to date scares them off.

I have one bachelor male that likes to pick up loose hens at the feral pigeon bar every time he is out for a fly. I have been half thinking of keeping a feral to maybe deepen my gene pool. That being said it sometimes can lead to more problems than it is worth.

 

[jak2002003]

I have one bachelor male that likes to pick up loose hens at the feral pigeon bar every time he is out for a fly. I have been half thinking of keeping a feral to maybe deepen my gene pool. That being said it sometimes can lead to more problems than it is worth.[/QUOTE]

I had a feral white male years back with my white king pigeons as I was short of male birds When the young started to appear they were all blue bar or red bar. If you want just white birds I would not advise adding a feral (even like my male who was all white with pink bill and feet)..

Anyway, Happy to say the other squab has hatched. That was really quick as only took it about 8 hours to get out!

Both are snuggled under their proud dad at the moment.

I hope to get my numbers up to yours soon!

Have this one good pair with the 2 new squabs.
Plus a grown up squab from their previous nest (remember the other one flew away never to return)

And one 'bad' pair where the female is not able to breed. She rarely produces an egg.. and when she does its always a single egg with a fragile shell which they always break.

I hope to take the male form this bad pair and pair him with the old squab (if it turns out to be female).

How old will the squab have to be to want to get breeding?

I am designing a proper pigeon coop now.
Space is very limited.
Do you personally think its better to make one large 'kit style' box to keep and breed them in, or do you think I should make a row of large wooden breeding cages and have a pair in each?

I still can not let both pairs out together as the males fight really bad none stop and get in each others cages. They try to kill each other.. wrestling and rolling over and over on the garden lawn if I don't stop them.

Thanks.

 

[Hokum Coco]

How old will the squab have to be to want to get breeding? I have seen ♂ breed as early as 3+- months ♀ about 6+- months.
I am designing a proper pigeon coop now.
Space is very limited.
Do you personally think its better to make one large 'kit style' box to keep and breed them in, or do you think I should make a row of large wooden breeding cages and have a pair in each? I would do a search on Google for pigeon loft then click on images and that may give you a conclusion I prefer not to comment.
Thanks.[/QUOTE]