New mommy of pigeons HELP!!!

[fowlsessed]

Now that's a tough one. Try feeling the bones underneath them that form a V shape, if you feel a large gap at their "peak", then it MAY be a female, to accommodate egg laying. Males will have them closer together and sometimes touching, but then sometimes just as wide as females. This is not "sure-fire", I don't know of any way that is, other than watching which one lays an egg!!!
Males will coo more, dance around more, showing off to the hens, puff up their 'chests' etc. just making a show. Sometimes males are larger, but rarely, and that won't help much now.

 

[fowlsessed]

Just watch them, you should be able to tell. The birds in the pair will also groom & feed each other. In this case, only, where the birds are already paired up, it will be the pairs mating together. They typically won't just go off with another hen/cock in a situation like this. So that's another way.

 

[larrylofts]

not a sure way but at night when they are roosting pairs will set togather

 

[Chicken Momma T]

Thank you all for the information

 

[pappy1264]

I have had Stewie, my pigeon, inside for three years. Never had a problem. She was handraised (not by me) and totally imprinted on humans, cannot get her to accept other pigeons (she thinks I am her 'mate'). Sorry to threadjack, just reading about keeping pigeons indoors. (And Stewie lays eggs, but she surely acted like a male when she came here, from the cooing, to blowing up her chest and fanning her tail and running to the front of her cage.)

 

[Chicken Momma T]

Ha that's cute, I think they are a beautiful bird. Not real friendly so far. But still working on that!

 

[fowlsessed]

Yea, single hens will often show off. I know it's not "sure" that something bad will happen from having them inside, but it sure "can". If you wanted to have her accept another pigeon you would have to separate her from you, no hearing or seeing you, for a bit, until she starts to seem to get used to it and maybe even starts showing again. Then she may accept a male. But I think it would be cool having an imprinted pigeon.

 

[pappy1264]

My computer crashed, have to get my pics of my external hard drive to show her but Stewie is really cool. What is the issue with keeping a pigeon inside? I know many that do it (check out Pigeon Talk, they are really smart and helpful with all things pigeon, too).

 

[fowlsessed]

Yea, I'm on pigeon talk, too.
I'm not saying you WILL get sick, but you CAN. One bird in a well ventilated house (out of the sleeping quarters) that has its living quarters kept clean (and the house kept clean!) will probably not prove harmful. They produce a lot of "dust". "Pigeon lung" is not what I want to get. But like I said, I'm sure I could avoid it, even keeping one in the house. Just not something I want to do or would recommend. But I'm not trying to stop you from doing it!

 

[pappy1264]

I actually had to look this up. I also have (and have for over 30 years) other birds (cockatiel, cockatoo, parakeets, a neurological starling and a neurological sparrow (both of whom cannot be released) so yeah, have lots of bird exposure, and have never had an issue. The too produces the most dust of all of them! (And my brooder with my chicks is also in my living room, as well.) I know many who keep birds, never known anyone to have this (not saying it couldn't happen).