Help wirh Whire Doves..

[rgvchicks]

Hi, i bought 2 pairs of white doves a couple of months ago and had them in cages inside my chicken coop so they could get their orientation where they belonged. I released them about a week ago and they never left, they go outside and fly around for a while and come backto the coop. I built them two nests inside the coop, one of the pairs liked it and moved in but the other pair liked one of the chicken boxes, the problem is that they started laying eggs. the pair that liked their nest stayed there and the female layed her first egg yesterday in her nest but the other female layed her egg today in the chicken box where the hens also lay their eggs. i removed her egg and placed it in the nest i built for them but she is still in the chicken box. i grabbed her and took her to her nest where her egg is she was there for a couple of minutes and again she goes to the chicken box. What can i do, if i leave her egg in the chicken box the chickens are going to break it. Im new at this with doves, how many eggs do they lay?.....Thanks.

 

[aseelforsale]

Only lay two eggs, but if you scare them off by moving them they tend not to sit on the eggs. What you should do is have the nest that you want for them closed off so that they cant fly off any where else and let them lay there or leave the eggs in the nest and to see by luck if they sit on them. Use chicken wire to close it off if you can

 

[Hokum Coco]

Duplicat

 

[sourland]

What Hokum says is the truth. I have never gotten a pair of pigeons or doves to set on their eggs after being moved. I have even had them stop feeding squabs that were moved. Can you restrict (with wire) the opening to the chicken nest so the doves can enter, but the chickens can not?

 

[rgvchicks]

The doves have staked their territory for the nest it is either let them have it or wait for round 2. They will not sit on their eggs if you move them.

It will take 3 weeks for the eggs to hatch and another 6 weeks before the squabs can eat on their own. You can move the squabs a bit sooner when they are nearly fledged but I would advise against it.

You will have to set up something different so the doves can keep that space in privacy for this clutch to hatch.

They will most likely lay another clutch of eggs in approximately 10 days if you take these eggs away.

Good luck in what ever you decide.

What Hokum says is the truth. I have never gotten a pair of pigeons or doves to set on their eggs after being moved. I have even had them stop feeding squabs that were moved. Can you restrict (with wire) the opening to the chicken nest so the doves can enter, but the chickens can not?

thanks hokum and sourland......thats exactly what i did.....i used chicken wire and just left a small opening for the bird to go in and out.....chickens kind of mad at what i did, they just stand around the chicken box lookng around to see if theres a way to go in....

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Try giving them more than just two nest boxes to choose from. Often times a pair will claim two for themselves. What kind of pigeons are these?

 

[rgvchicks]

Try giving them more than just two nest boxes to choose from. Often times a pair will claim two for themselves. What kind of pigeons are these?

thanks mary for the input......they are release doves usually used in ceremonies, weddings, birthdays, etc...

 

[laughingdog]

You can just put two extra eggs in the one pairs nest if day or so close. as parents can hatch and rear four chicks if given big dog bowl and enough layer pellets to pump them all full together. then in week or two to three depending on how prolific they are, the pair then locked up were you want them and safe. Will then lay and stay in that nest about a week after lay when both parents are incubating. chickens can injure or kill nestlings or nesting adults pre occupied or not willing to run, trapped, or as they to come and go, so if housing together pigeons should be up out way of chickens enough so chickens can't reach them when coming and going from nests, as well as seperate feed and water containers for valuable squeakers that cannot get around great yet once out of nests. a pigeon with pecked out eye/s, crop, and/or broken neck, is not something you want to have happen, as happens to most on here at least once through years of people who keep/breed chickens and pigeons together

 

[rgvchicks]

thanks for your infor laughingdog..........here is a clip shwoing my two female doves in their nest........had to close the chicken box and left a small opening for her to go in and out and not the chckens....

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Great video Your pigeons aren't white "doves" (actually white homing pigeons should only be used for releases), but rather what appear to be fancy breed mixes. Which is good, because you shouldn't have to worry about them getting spooked and flying off as bad. I would leave her be now that you have the nestbox modified to pigeon-sized. If a chicken gets in and chases her out, hopefully she'll learn her lesson. But I wouldn't advise putting 4 eggs in one nest, especially this time of year with the heat. At least one is usually overpowered and stunted. Unless you want to let one pair hatch them and you help by hand feeding the runts