HELP! Fostering question???

[farmdude]

I have about 40 doves in an avairy. All colors but only 1 pied pair (my favorite). They just hatched out 2 babies a few days ago and I found the father dead yesterday. The mom is rearing the them alone so they now only get 1/2 the food, attention and warmth. I have another pair that just hatched out 1 chick yesterday. My question is; Will the single mother be able to successfully raise up the 2 chicks? OR Would the pair that just hatched out a single chick make suitable foster parents; IF I would put the 2 baby pied in their nest, or would the foster parents reject them? I'm worried about them and want to do whats best for them. I've never had this problem before and really do not know what to do!

 

[deerman]

yes the foster could raise them, some single will raise babies ,but in most cases it not babies that young.

 

[farmdude]

Thanks. I'm going to play it by ear for the next day or so. If the chicks seemed stressed, i'll put them in the foster nest and see what happens.

 

[farmdude]

Babies are doing fine. Another male has started to care for them today inplace of the dead father, which really surprised me!

So I've left them alone.

 

[Towman72gmc]

Some birds will do that. We have a homer cock that will feed anything on the floor that begs for it.

 

[ridinglizzard]

Twice I have had a male die soon after the pair hatched out chicks, and both times the chicks survived just fine. It seems like the rest of the flock takes over and pitches in to help the young family.

Interestingly, late this summer my 'lesbian couple' hatched out a single chick (from their four eggs). Even though they started setting on a new nest soon after this chick was born (as most females do), the babe has flourished... Families are all so different and unique, even in the pigeon world

 

[greenscape]

I have an aviary with 14 in it. oh 16 two hatched out Wednesday. I have 2 pair with 4 eggs in one nest. Last time they hatched like this both pair tended all the babies. I was an eye witness. I can get in the aviary and handle them . It's almost spiritual.
I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe some young Male will make a move on the widow and help out.