My pair of FEMALE king pigeons hatched a chick!!!!.....
A Japanese Bantam Chick!!!
They are my only king pigeons......I was sad to learn they were not a true pair (as they were sold to me as male and female). These 2 females pared up and have had many nests and eggs......but obviously never hatched out any squabs.
I keep Japanese Bantams and found one hen for sale of a rare colour I wanted. On the hour long bus ride home in the box she laid an egg! I had no broody hens, so I decided to put the egg under the king pigeons as I have heard that pigeons can hatch chicken eggs.
They took great care of it.....I never expected it to hatch from the rolling and bouncing about on the way home. I forgot all about it. Until one morning I heard a chick cheeping in their nest box.
I looked under the proud mums and saw the cute little chick......which will be the same rare colour as the hen... so I got 2 chickens for the price of 1.
The chick had a confused but loving upbringing... it took a few days for the pigeons to stop trying to feed it crop milk......buy puking it up over the little chicks head!!!
The first few days were also confusing for pigeons as the chick would run about on the coop floor.....the worried parents following it about, and slapping any other pigeon or chicken that got too close to it. It was like the little chick had two big body guards! It was escorted about everywhere, and no one was allowed near it at the feed bowl.
I was worried how it would keep warm over night out of the nest. I waited to see what happened as evening came. Well one pigeon just brooded it on the coop floor each night!! I was amazed. These pigeons are smarter than I thought they were.
Now the chick is older and can fly. Instead of roosting with the other chickens (which it now hangs out with in the daytime) it will fly up and sleep with its 2 pigeon mothers!
A Japanese Bantam Chick!!!
They are my only king pigeons......I was sad to learn they were not a true pair (as they were sold to me as male and female). These 2 females pared up and have had many nests and eggs......but obviously never hatched out any squabs.
I keep Japanese Bantams and found one hen for sale of a rare colour I wanted. On the hour long bus ride home in the box she laid an egg! I had no broody hens, so I decided to put the egg under the king pigeons as I have heard that pigeons can hatch chicken eggs.
They took great care of it.....I never expected it to hatch from the rolling and bouncing about on the way home. I forgot all about it. Until one morning I heard a chick cheeping in their nest box.
I looked under the proud mums and saw the cute little chick......which will be the same rare colour as the hen... so I got 2 chickens for the price of 1.
The chick had a confused but loving upbringing... it took a few days for the pigeons to stop trying to feed it crop milk......buy puking it up over the little chicks head!!!
The first few days were also confusing for pigeons as the chick would run about on the coop floor.....the worried parents following it about, and slapping any other pigeon or chicken that got too close to it. It was like the little chick had two big body guards! It was escorted about everywhere, and no one was allowed near it at the feed bowl.
I was worried how it would keep warm over night out of the nest. I waited to see what happened as evening came. Well one pigeon just brooded it on the coop floor each night!! I was amazed. These pigeons are smarter than I thought they were.
Now the chick is older and can fly. Instead of roosting with the other chickens (which it now hangs out with in the daytime) it will fly up and sleep with its 2 pigeon mothers!
