Pigeon divorce?/re-marrying?

[biophiliac]

Sad update: a so I was gone all day yesterday so I dnt know exactly when the baby hatched but I assume it made it a few hours only to die. I'm basing its death on the fact that when I took the body from mom just now it was long stiff and the chick isn't absorbed it's yolk sac properly! It has a small hole were it seemingly didn't properly close up when it absorbed its yolk hears to hopong the around baby comes out fine this coming sun-tués.

Sorry for the lost chick. Some just don't make it, I had 3 dead babies over last summer's breeding. Hopefully you'll get a healthy chick from the second egg.

 

[LamarshFish]

My best breeding pair have a single cock bird (who lost his mate a year ago, and never paired back up) that occupies the nest box above theirs. The paired cock bird is defensive against all the other cock birds except this lone cock bird, it's like they have an understanding, gay or not. At one point I noticed the lone cock bird courting the paired cock bird's hen, and even bred and she laid eggs in the lone cock bird's nest! But she refused to set them, leaving lone cock bird to attempt incubation by himself, which he failed at. Then they went back to business as usual, no more mating out of wedlock.

Unrelated to this thread, I lost that lone cock bird a few weeks ago. But my point is, they do weird things. There was something about this lone cock bird that didn't bother the paired cock bird. Like some kind of love triangle. He allowed his hen to mess around with the lone cock bird, and even breed, and she was fine with it too, yet she apparently drew the line with actually raising squabs with the lone cock bird.

Since the lone cock bird was lost a few weeks ago, another YB lone cock bird coming of age is now taking the perch closest to the old lone cock bird's nest box above my best breeding pair, presumably in an attempt to claim the lost lone cock bird's nest box... but the interesting thing is my paired cock bird has been guarding that nest box (even though his hen sits in his actual nest box below). It's like he allowed the lone cock bird (now lost) to be there, but doesn't want new guys there.

These birds never cease to amaze me with their idiosyncrasies.

 

[tacothechicken]

Speaking of wierd behavior I've heard a pair may dump thier eggs if they've sat full term and no eggs have hatched. The first egg hatched but didn't make it the second isnt due till sun-tues and today was day 19 of incubation for the first egg. Will they remember time wise as to laying of second egg or is there a chance they may dump it due to not pipping etc in close relation to the first egg or will they incubate the 2nd eggs full term through Tuesday? Just wondering since the 2nd egg was a few days later than the normal layed expectancy and after the first chicks death stressed me I snuck the second out to candle and found it's still alive and growing, I just dont want them to dump the other egg before it hatches.

 

[biophiliac]

Speaking of wierd behavior I've heard a pair may dump thier eggs if they've sat full term and no eggs have hatched. The first egg hatched but didn't make it the second isnt due till sun-tues and today was day 19 of incubation for the first egg. Will they remember time wise as to laying of second egg or is there a chance they may dump it due to not pipping etc in close relation to the first egg or will they incubate the 2nd eggs full term through Tuesday? Just wondering since the 2nd egg was a few days later than the normal layed expectancy and after the first chicks death stressed me I snuck the second out to candle and found it's still alive and growing, I just dont want them to dump the other egg before it hatches.

I don't think they know the exact number of days and I would expect them to continue to sit on the second egg for quite some time before giving up, way past it's due date. You are probably more stressed than the parents at the chicks not making it. Its great to know the other egg is doing well!

 

[tacothechicken]

@biophiliac lol I'm definitly more stressed! But good to know they're like broody hens that way its highly reassuring! Heard the chick tapping about inside its egg when I checked this evening mom looked insulted I didn't trust her to know if it was alright or not(as I said so much more stressed than them lol) but now that I know that, I'll just leave em be except feedings eachday( normally I chill in the loft w/the other birds for an hour or two on weekends during lockdown) so they can focus on the secound egg hatching and hopefully I'll have better news than the first come tuesday.

 

[tacothechicken]

He second baby has pipped! .....A day early. Idk if the fact that the parents were on and off affected development or what. But hopefully I'll have a fully healthy baby pigeon in the next couple of hours

 

[biophiliac]

Yay! I'm not at all surprised, when you said it was moving I thought it would be soon.

 

[tacothechicken]

Update: so the secound baby piped and got about 1/3 through hatching before dying in the egg I can only assume based on seeing them get off the best multiple times during what was supposed to be 'lockdown that the temp drops affected the babies and they didn't make it. This chick also failed to absorb the last 1/3 of its yolk when it broke open the egg. I hadn't really expected them to nest in winter anyways. Plus they layed days after arriving in the loft so I dont know were they were health wise when the eggs developed and layed but hopefully I can give them dummys through winter and once the winds and snow stops I'll let them try in easier coconditions were they aren't getting on and off the nest in freezing cold and wind