Candling and iphones

[nxd10]

My only hint for you more experienced flyers:

If you have an iphone and a flashlight app, it works great for candling pigeon eggs. My case has a little opening for the flash. It is perfect for sitting an egg on.

Turn on the flashlight app, flip the phone, sit egg on it. Viola! The ease of holding the phone makes it very stable. You could even sit it on a flat surface before putting the egg on it, but I have never had a problem. I just do it in the coop.

(Two more hatchlings expected tomorrow (I think one egg is pipping today). The last one from these parents is still half grown and only learned to fly 3 days ago - certainly not out of the coop.)
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BTW - question. This mom is a consistent layer, but I have never gotten more than one baby from her. First clutch was infertile (not surprising - the male was only 5 months). Second only one egg was fertile. Third the mom was hit by a hawk and seemed able to feed one, but not the other. Third time the first hatched and the second seemed to have hatched prematurely - it died the next day with an umbilicus still attached. I'm guessing mom was overzealous in helping it out of the egg. Bad luck or just this bird?

Both her current eggs are fertile and I'm hoping for two viable babies. I have a very small flock of white homing pigeons, but have been disappointed because every time I get over 3 doves, a hawk comes through and takes another one out. I am hoping to get up to 8 eventually, but it has been slow going.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I know the feeling I have been stalled at 14 birds for the longest while most of my losses have been my own stupidity. Outside of 2 know losses to predators.

I too have white homing pigeons. I think the answer might be evening flying only for the younger birds until they are ready to do the first toss.

In a perfect world my adult homers can out fly most birds of prey.

Thanks for the tip (if I ever get an I phone).