Dud male

[james w]

I bought my first pair of texans back in March. They were already "paired".

Since then the pair have tried on approx 10 occasions to hatch eggs. Each time, I have candled at various intervals and found each egg to be blank.

I can only imagine that the male is not doing his job.

What are my options? Can I simply replace the male with another? Are there other factors at work here such as housing? I currently have them in a 1m x 1m house that I built but they are free-ranging.

Thanks

 

[sourland]

Are you only getting two eggs in each clutch? If you are getting four - you have a pair of lesbian hens. If you have a pair for sure, I would try replacing the cock.

 

[jak2002003]

After they lay the eggs, are they brooding them? If they don't sit on them constantly the eggs will not develop.

Check they are incubating them day and night, and nothing is frightening them off the nest and letting the eggs chill.

You could also make sure the birds don't have too many feathers around their vents that are blocking mating. You can trim a few away if there are too many.

Lastly check the diet is correct (do you breed other pigeons, and are they breeding OK?)

 

[james w]

I would say that they are brooding them correctly, taking it in turns.

They lay typically two but I have also seen three.

I understood that the texan male is dark brown and the female a much lighter colour. Going by this assumption, I believe I have a male and female.

I provide a specific pigeon feed. I don't have other pigeon breeds. This pair is my first foray into pigeons but I successfully raise chickens and quails so I am not a complete novice.

I will look into the feathers around the vents.

Failing that I will look for another pair and place the new male with my existing female and pair the old male with a new female.

I really need a camera to spy on them to see if the cock is actually mounting the female. Any ideas when cocks are more likely to do this? Day or night?

Thanks

 

[WaterFowl209]

I bought my first pair of texans back in March.  They were already "paired".

Since then the pair have tried on approx 10 occasions to hatch eggs.  Each time, I have candled at various intervals and found each egg to be blank.

I can only imagine that the male is not doing his job.

What are my options?  Can I simply replace the male with another?  Are there other factors at work here such as housing?  I currently have them in a 1m x 1m house that I built but they are free-ranging.

Thanks

Artificial insemination

 

[james w]

Can't say I fancy doing that. That said, I will give anything a try. Can't imagine it's too different from artificially inseminating chickens.

 

[aarontheman]

it really depends if you only candle them the first day or 2 there isnt going to be anything in it .

 

[sourland]

If you have had more than two eggs in a clutch, you have two hens mated - hen NEVER lays more than 2 eggs per nest.


Or another hen is laying in the nest.

 

[james w]

As I mentioned, I am not a novice. I have candled throughout the incubation period.

I understood the cock texan is a dark brown and the female is a much lighter brown. Given this, I am sure I have a male and female.

I believe I found two eggs in one nest and a third in the second nest.

Are you telling me that the piumage colour is not a fair indication of sex?

Thanks

 

[sourland]

Go to this site littlewolf.com/pigeons.html , lots of information on Texans. Apparently auto sexing is very evident as young squabs significant down and color differences being the determinant. When mature according to this site, hens are faded blue, black, ash red and T pattern ash red. Cocks are white with some flecking of colored feathers on neck, There are also ash reds and variants thereof.