I'm new to pigeons and I have a few questions.

[silkiecuddles]

I'm not sure about that. I got my pair from the same lady, so all their babies are siblings. Thankfully my neighbor has pigeons as well, so we trade squabs.

 

[Kalyka]

Please answer!

Thank you.
Um, good and bad news, squabs hatched yesterday, but it poured all night, and this morning, I have no idea how the rain could have possibly gotten past the layers of tarp, wood and plastic lids, but apparently it did, because the nest was damp.
Not sure if this was an okay thing to do with day old squabs, but I took the hen and the babies out of the nest, put them down on some clean straw and as quickly as I could changed the bedding. Was it okay to take them out of the nest? And was it important enough to change the straw for? I guess it's too late if I did something wrong, but I'm asking for the future.

Another question, one of the squabs looks bigger and has more fluff, is this because it is being fed more or is it because one of them is a male/female, and the other is the other gender?

P.S.
How much disturbance can the parents/squabs take in the first few weeks?

 

[silkiecuddles]

One squab will always look bigger till they are adults, in my experience.
I change the bedding out when they're still young, nobody cares.
What I've noticed with ALL my squabs is that they are ALWAYS feeling wet/damp on their bellies. I don't think it's anything you need to worry about!

 

[Kalyka]

One squab will always look bigger till they are adults, in my experience.
I change the bedding out when they're still young, nobody cares.
What I've noticed with ALL my squabs is that they are ALWAYS feeling wet/damp on their bellies. I don't think it's anything you need to worry about!

Thank you! That's relieving!

 

[silkiecuddles]

 

[Kalyka]

What color do you think my birmingham rollers are? The closest I can figure is something like blue bar checker badge? Is that combination possible? They look like a blue bar, with checker on their wings, and a partially white head (badge). They are about 1 1/2 years old (so they are in their adult plumage).

 

[silkiecuddles]

I don't really know how to name colors. I just go back black, brown, white, red, blue, gray. Sorry

 

[laughingdog]

Squeakers (squabs are raising baby meat pigeon squeakers), should never be wet!!! If they are then not enough material in nest, too high of sides and large all around for young etc to poop out of, OR you didn't put drainage holes in bottom of nest and are feeding too much corn etc n they maybe cold or sick as droppings should be pretty firm (i live in humid sub tropic south, and only have wet bottoms once week or two from those probs but i don't. Use dried pine needles n or hay (straw breeds/holds mold mites lice ticks chiggers no-seeums bacreria etc way to fast, soaks and holds n doesn't evaporate moisture good.. flatter sticks stones wood chips wood shavings/flakes all better, aspen best wood n cedar worst. dry moss ok too but heard of young tangling in long mosses.
Inbreeding siblings in pigeons/doves no prob for supposedly many generations but better to breed parent to child making two lines breeding first parent of each to young of theirs down line, later then the lines can cross when genetics deteriorated too far maybe, then refreshes each made family "line".
your prolly thinking of blue tail barr check, but maybe just blue check i think, though could throw other neat colors with badged or baldheaded if considered birm roller (show conformation, or compatition wise rolls at least ten feet-to thirty max feet.

 

[Kalyka]

OK. I don't know if the photos show it but one has a mostly white head with some black, and the other has a mostly black head with some white. So you're saying to breed each parent to one of it's babies, and keep doing that, so then if they get too inbred you can breed the two lines together? I think I understand. Do you know anyone who has fairy swallow pigeons? I'm asking for future reference, because I probably won't get any now because of the mite problem I've been having recently.
P.S.
I was just reminded that the guy who gave them to me said that they are pure Birmingham rollers, although they don't roll because they haven't ever flown before I flew them. By the way, big disaster when I did that, the parents didn't go back to feed their babies until the evening, and I let them out about lunch time.

 

[laughingdog]

There shouldn't have been in this heat any disaster from being gone that long, mine have and no prob. Some of my. first groups would fly miles n miles to city to get junk food to bring back after dark at last and second only trip back since let out in morn.

if they're good as say, they should roll by reflex week to month flown out of cage, and actually sooner.. if my one line doesn't dive twist twizzle tumble etc even at month, n roll by three, haven't come into twenty feet, then thirty by six months, they're not bred from. Possibly stir fry. i won't sell a roller that i haven't had rool or homer that hasn't homed. i guess I'm ol skool that way. some birms supposedly don't show good genes but produce awsome babies that do. i had as started out, a show roller cock, that was awsome but never rolled, just puttered round only propelled by gas and flapping rapidly like hummingbird.. he was awsome father and babies were spinning demons that rolled exceptionally fast and hard as a stones, and flew great, mate was a performance x maybe feral mix with them all made.