Pigeon divorce?/re-marrying?

[tacothechicken]

@backyard pigeons good to know it's not their first clutch ever but first clutch in my loft, and I won't lie and say they've warmed up to me like my original flock as of yet so I'll leave it be for a few days and then candle

 

[tacothechicken]

But I did catch them kissing and breeding at least twice so well see

 

[backyard pigeons]

Alright! Keep us updated.

 

[Bamabexchicks]

Anything that people do in relationships I have witnessed with pigeons. Divorces, polyamory, same sex couplings, squab abuse, cheating - I have seen hens catching their mates breeding another hen beat the hen up and then conduct a beat down on their mate. By the way hens cheat on cocks just as much as cocks do on hens. When breeding pigeons the only way to guarantee parentage is single pen matings. What happens in the open loft stays in the open loft.

That cracks me up! So..open loft = Las Vegas

 

[biophiliac]

Ps Another question because as of this morning WE HAVE OUR FIRST EGG! not of the pair in question but wth! Except it's not in a nest box whith a bowl....can you move eggs pre incubation? Could I stick a bowl in and put the egg in the bowl? She layed one box over where i intended for them to. -_-

If they have the freedom usually the cockbird chooses the nest box. It looks like she has a nest, if not a nest bowl and would probably be ok as long as they have their own nest box. @Hokum Coco posted a great idea about protecting eggs laid outside the bowl by placing a ring around them like a donut with the eggs in the middle. I think it was made of rubber like a fat hose...but you get the idea, leave the eggs and put a low barrier around them.

I'll mention also that I tend to change out the nesting material after 6 days when I band them bc my nest bowls have high edges and the youngsters aren't able to poop over the side. I becomes a disgusting mess in humid weather and I can't stand to have them standing in muck. I usually change it once more, after another 2 days and then when they are about 10 days old they are able to get their butts over the edge to keep it clean themselves. I've not had the parents abandon the babies bc of this, but I'd almost rather handraise if they did.

 

[biophiliac]

@backyard pigeons good to know it's not their first clutch ever but first clutch in my loft, and I won't lie and say they've warmed up to me like my original flock as of yet so I'll leave it be for a few days and then candle

My first 8 birds took awhile to get used to me but youngsters born in your loft are much different - they will have known you since birth and you are part of their world. When I say they got used to me I mean they learn to smack me or peck me instead of running from me! Unless I have peanuts...

 

[tacothechicken]

UPDATE: So it's been a few days and FJ and his new mate are still nest building(it's 5inches high currently ) and My pair on 1 egg did in fact lay a second egg a whole 5 days later -_- the first egg is fertile! You can see the heart pump and the beginings of the veins and I'm allowing them to sit on the second egg as well I candled it this morning and didn't see much but it's been almost no time at all so! Ps I if the secound egg is fertile and hatches so many days later will the first chick out compete the second? They immediately incubated post the first being layed so I assume the second would arrive around five days later and given pigeon growth I feel like it may pose difficulties for a smaller chick to compete along whith the fact winter will be sitting in here full force soon although were currently only suffering rainstorms.So would incubating second egg be worth it or is it best to just leave the pair whith a single chick over winter?

 

[biophiliac]

UPDATE: So it's been a few days and FJ and his new mate are still nest building(it's 5inches high currently ) and My pair on 1 egg did in fact lay a second egg a whole 5 days later -_- the first egg is fertile! You can see the heart pump and the beginings of the veins and I'm allowing them to sit on the second egg as well I candled it this morning and didn't see much but it's been almost no time at all so! Ps I if the secound egg is fertile and hatches so many days later will the first chick out compete the second? They immediately incubated post the first being layed so I assume the second would arrive around five days later and given pigeon growth I feel like it may pose difficulties for a smaller chick to compete along whith the fact winter will be sitting in here full force soon although were currently only suffering rainstorms.So would incubating second egg be worth it or is it best to just leave the pair whith a single chick over winter?

That is a long gap betw the eggs. I think @CCUK had a clutch of three with close to that betw. the first and last, with one in the middle. All three made it! Even so, if it were my bird I think I'd put a fake egg in for the second one just because I'd worry too much.... hmm

... that really doesn't sound like a good reason, does it??? lol

The last 2 that hatched in my loft were 2 days apart and the smaller one had a hard time competing for food and was therefor slower to develop. i didn't do anything extra for him except maybe 4 times I gave him some thawed peas when he seemed real hungry.

You can always let them hatch and see how it goes. You would probably have to take the larger one out at least 2x per day to ensure the smaller gets fed. Especially the first week its important they get crop milk. After that you can help him out by feeding him some thawed peas and corn to supplement what he gets from his parents.

In the end, you will learn something no matter what you decide.
Good luck!

 

[biophiliac]

You may be interested to know we had some fairly cold temps here already for these last two nestlings, ie down in the teens at night and sometimes below freezing all day. They were fine even when the parents left them in the nest for periods of time during the day.

 

[tacothechicken]

@biophiliac Good to know! In that case I'll leave it to incubate and if it hatches depending on success of them raising the babies will help me decide weather or not to allow them 2 per clutch winter or just single our wild pigeons have food supply all through the winter due to a old man who feeds them baaags of corn! But they still don't lay through winter that I've seen so I may take the wild pigeons advice and birth control them depending how it turns out.