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

[Kalyka]

The hen laid an egg this morning before I left for church. Please answer this and my 3 previous posts soon! I have read in several places that they lay the first egg about 2:30 in the afternoon, but they laid it about 9:30 this morning! Is this okay?

It suddenly began raining about 4:30 pm today, and the pigeons were standing on top of their cage when I came out to feed them, and while they were eating I touched the place where they were sitting, and it was soaked! It's not wet where the egg is, and it's not wet in their cage except around the edges. I've heard that moisture in lofts is the leading cause for death and diseases. Will they be alright?
Will I disturb them enough to not sit on the eggs when they lay the second one if I change their bedding to make sure it is dry?
I've also read contradicting articles about whether they usually sit in the first on before they lay the second one. Which is true? Right now my pigeons are just standing around, not sitting on it.

 

[Khephuza]

They will probably lay in the box with hay in it. mine have never layed and left the eggs. so i don't suppose yours will.

 

[Kalyka]

Thanks, also, do they sit like chickens when broody, I don't know if you have them, but they settle down, spread out their wings, and fluff out their feathers. Do pigeons do this, or do they just sit tightly on their nest? I think the hen is laying the second egg right now. How long is the incubation time?

 

[silkiecuddles]

My pigeon pair lay an egg and take turns sitting on it. When the second egg is laid the next day they continue taking turns setting. The female during the night and early morning, the male afternoon and evening. I believe incubation time is 18 days. Not exactly sure.
They do fluff up around the eggs when setting. When they look more fluffed than usual is how I tell if the eggs have hatched.
Mine are Old DutchXOriantal Roller. The female is red and white, the male black and white. Most of their offspring has been black and white (but they all look different), however one of the first babies was red and grey/blue.

 

[Kalyka]

Thank you, silkiecuddles.
It appears mine aren't much for nest building, or maybe they just didn't seem to want to because there was already hay in the hamster cage they laid the eggs inside.

 

[Kalyka]

I still really want these answered. Also, why did backyard chickens change the background to white? It looks horrible and makes me not be able to concentrate as well as before. Is there a poll or thread or something I can complain on to somebody in charge? Sorry if I'm ranting, but it's really annoying!

The hen laid an egg this morning before I left for church. Please answer this and my 3 previous posts soon! I have read in several places that they lay the first egg about 2:30 in the afternoon, but they laid it about 9:30 this morning! Is this okay?

It suddenly began raining about 4:30 pm today, and the pigeons were standing on top of their cage when I came out to feed them, and while they were eating I touched the place where they were sitting, and it was soaked! It's not wet where the egg is, and it's not wet in their cage except around the edges. I've heard that moisture in lofts is the leading cause for death and diseases. Will they be alright?
Will I disturb them enough to not sit on the eggs when they lay the second one if I change their bedding to make sure it is dry?
I've also read contradicting articles about whether they usually sit in the first on before they lay the second one. Which is true? Right now my pigeons are just standing around, not sitting on it.

What if I did it like this? (and added cover on the top, nestboxes, and roosts)

Would this be enough room for, say, 20, 25 pigeons? What do you think the max number of birds is? The labeled pigeon part is about 5x7 (I was wrong, I measured it, it is about 9x8). I forgot to put doors on the first picture. Since this has two doors, I could let the chickens free-range, and keep the pigeons locked up, or I could put a little pigeon sized door in the wire separating them from the chickens, and then they could have access to both sides and outdoors. I've seen videos of those pigeon racers, they have doors with metal rod thingys that let them in, and keep them in, do you think I could use something like that in the door on the right hand side? I'm worried that when i do let them out, after they've gotten attached to the coop, that the chickens will bully the pigeons into not going back inside, and I won't be able to get them back, or some will come back, and some won't, so I won't be able to feed them or lock them up. Would they learn to use the doors with those rods, or would they just stand outside of the door and not come in? If I had this part sectioned off from the chickens, could I also breed them in here?

I saw them mating three days ago and I think two days ago as well, I can't really remember whether I saw them mate once or twice. And yesterday they were hopping around in the flower pot I gave them for a nest box. The mating lasted about five seconds, and then the male fell off.

Do you think it actually worked? In the link Hokum Coco posted, it lasted like, twenty seconds. If they decide they don't like the flower pot will they just lay it on the ground and abandon it?

They have a small hamster cage that they like to sleep in, and they're always either sitting in it, on top of it, or sitting on their roost. The hamster cage has hay in it, do you think they will nest in there? I'm worried that if they decide they don't like their surroundings enough to make a nest anywhere, that they will just lay the egg an forget about it. Does this happen often, it at all?

They have now laid their two eggs and are on their second full day of sitting.

 

[silkiecuddles]

I've only seen my pigeons mate once. I have one pair, the others are their offspring. While they're sitting on eggs, I do clean out the bedding occasionally it hasn't seemed to disturb them. Their 5 set of eggs just hatched. If they abandon an egg just discard it. They should start again. How many pigeons do you have?

Your coop plan looks great. Two of my pigeons have gotten out out different times. I was able to get them in by opening the door ( I enter) and walking them in. They're smart. They'll figure it out. You can find lots of videos of pigeon's returning after races. Their doors are teensy.

I have my pigeons in my small coop with my silkies. The coop and pen is probably about 4x7 feet. Only my main pair actually go in the coop with the chickens because that's where they lay and hatch their eggs (pigeons). The youngsters hang out in the pen section and they all come to the floor to eat with the chickens. No one has gotten bullied in the 8 months

 

[Kalyka]

I've only seen my pigeons mate once. I have one pair, the others are their offspring. While they're sitting on eggs, I do clean out the bedding occasionally it hasn't seemed to disturb them. Their 5 set of eggs just hatched. If they abandon an egg just discard it. They should start again. How many pigeons do you have?

Your coop plan looks great. Two of my pigeons have gotten out out different times. I was able to get them in by opening the door ( I enter) and walking them in. They're smart. They'll figure it out. You can find lots of videos of pigeon's returning after races. Their doors are teensy.

I have my pigeons in my small coop with my silkies. The coop and pen is probably about 4x7 feet. Only my main pair actually go in the coop with the chickens because that's where they lay and hatch their eggs (pigeons). The youngsters hang out in the pen section and they all come to the floor to eat with the chickens. No one has gotten bullied in the 8 months. Not even in the nest?

I only have two, and they are the first pigeons I've ever owned. We have and have had several different types of birds, though the only current ones are chickens, ducks and pigeons. We've had chickens for eight years, guineas for three (they formed a gang and terrorized the chickens, so bye-bye guineas), ducks for six, quail eggs for about three weeks (they never hatched), and we've rescued some wild birds before, including saving and successfully raising ( we had them for almost five months, they were very reluctant to leave and kept demanding to be fed, even after being an adult for months) some wild baby birds.

 

[silkiecuddles]

Well no one has gotten bullied, but my main male pigeon is very bossy concerning his "wife" if other pigeons or chickens get near her.

 

[Kalyka]

This is the 9th day of incubation!

I would like to know how many pigeons I can keep in the part of the pen labeled 'Pigeons'. It's 8x9
Also, how many generations (if any) can inbreeding in pigeons go before new pigeons are a necessity? I'm asking this because I got my pigeons from the only breeder I know of. I live in a small town in the heart of Virginia, which doesn't help, and I can't drive more than about an hour and a half or two hours, well, maybe three.