Mated Pigeon Question

[biophiliac]

Lil update! Dad is now letting mom sit on the nest! Both squabs are very very fat. And wiggley Here's an extra pic of dad with his Muppets.

Excellent! He was probably just overexcited at first. Have we seen a pic of mom yet?

 

[Klutch]

Honestly I think pigeons make the best parents.

 

[FluffyFeathers97]

Excellent! He was probably just overexcited at first. Have we seen a pic of mom yet?

Not yet, I'll try to get a pic of her tonight. She's beautiful! Red and white.

 

[FluffyFeathers97]

My camera sucks But here she is!

 

[FluffyFeathers97]

Kind of a silly question, but how do I go about cleaning the nest? Is it okay to move the babies and swap in fresh hay and put them back?

 

[biophiliac]

Kind of a silly question, but how do I go about cleaning the nest? Is it okay to move the babies and swap in fresh hay and put them back?

I usually change the poopy nest material around the time I band them at about 5 days old. Before that time I would just add a clean layer of wood shavings or straw over the mess if necessary. Soon after that they will begin to point their butts over the edge of the nest to poop and the nest will stay pretty clean.

 

[biophiliac]

My camera sucks But here she is!

Do you have a pic of the whole body of your hen? Is she an ash red?

 

[FluffyFeathers97]

I usually change the poopy nest material around the time I band them at about 5 days old. Before that time I would just add a clean layer of wood shavings or straw over the mess if necessary. Soon after that they will begin to point their butts over the edge of the nest to poop and the nest will stay pretty clean.

Ah okay! I was afraid to move them and mess up mom and dad I was wondering why they weren't pooping over the edge. Also yeah, she's Ash red! I tried to get a better picture but she was eating and throwing seed all over and I had like 10 pics of a red blur. Thanks again for answering!!

 

[sourland]

Kind of a silly question, but how do I go about cleaning the nest? Is it okay to move the babies and swap in fresh hay and put them back?

I wouldn't do anything until they are at least a week old, and if you are in a cold area I would wait even longer. Some parents don't mind you messing with the nest - others may abandon, especially first time parents.

 

[Klutch]

Don't rush it, if I do anything I wait till their pin feathers start to bloom. I was always interactive with my birds so they didn't mind going in there and examining the peepers. My hand has wing slap a few times, but that's just their thing.