Pigeon Talk

[WVduckchick]

I have at least one new squab this morning. Trip has one out, I couldn’t see the other egg/squab and it’s very cold, so I didn’t want to bother her much. Bugsy’s single fertile one hasn’t hatched yet, but should be any day now.

I put the final 2019 bands on Jingle and Jolly, and also added a colored band to their other leg (yellow/orange) for easier identification later. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. I can sometimes see the numbers, but the leg feathers cover them most of the time. The red 2020 bands will be nice too, and I can repeat the colored ones I’ve already used for the few that never had NPA bands.

 

[ChickenTenderKesha]

I hope everyone and their birds are staying warm and all squabs are doing well!

So, the mate to the deceased pigeon is back, my mother saw it flying around. I assume that’s the female of the pair. I haven’t seen her but I plan to ask my mom if she got a good look or not.
If it’s a checkered wing bird then it’s the female parent to my hen pair, if it’s not checkered then it would be a different bird than from the summer..

Do I leave her and just ignore her? I’m unsure what my father would have planned for her if she stays out there.. I could catch her and introduce her to my hen pair to let the three of them live together in the loft (just have to get the doors up and cut some ventilation for up there and it’s done)?
I still feel terrible about her mate and don’t want the same to happen to her so she would not go anywhere near the garage and live in her own cage in the front porch if I were to catch her before the loft is complete. I don’t want to interfere with Mother Nature too much but eventually she won’t be able to stay where she is and it’ll be blocked off from her as well

 

[cavemanrich]

if I were to catch her before the loft is complete.

There is the key. Do not try to catch before loft housing is complete. You would only be confining a free flying bird to unnecessary confinement. Once you have the loft, and outdoor aviary complete,,,,,,,, I think housing the pigeons and feeding them and providing generous is good. In the meantime, you can provide some nutrition for that pigeon, like seeds, somewhere close to where you often see her.
I think you may eventually decide to loft fly your pets , and trap train them.
As you already seen,,,,, predators can come from many different areas. If we worry about hawks, too much, then maybe find someone else with more pigeons that would be willing to take your pets.

 

[WVduckchick]

So another episode of As the Loft Turns

Trip/Rocky’s 2 babies hatched uneventfully, Friday and Saturday. They seem to be doing fine so far.
Keeko and Kaloo (80 & 81) under momma Trip.

The threesome appears to be continuing with Bugsy, Brick and Skye, as Brick has been sleeping with Bugsy on the eggs. The loner hatched yesterday! The infertile egg is still there.
They laid these eggs in what used to be a chicken nest box, it has a hinged lid, so when I open the lid, it usually runs them away, so I have tried not to bother them much. But I discovered Brick in the box with Bugsy several nights. So is it a safe assumption now that Brick is female? It’s possible that she laid one or both of the eggs? I know Bugsy and Skye mated up last year, but everyone else was already paired off, so all they had was each other at the time. I did see Skye in the box once, so I still assume he is the father. I guess I should feel Brick’s tailbones and see if they feel close or wide? I’ve never had a cockbird sleep on the eggs/squabs with the mother. How common or unusual is that? Plus, it seems that although I saw Bugsy on the eggs more often, Brick has been covering the new squab and the infertile egg now.
Someone sort this out for me??

maybe the eventual color of the baby will reveal the answers.

Brick foreground, Bugsy background

Baby Lupo 82

 

[Serin]

I hope everyone and their birds are staying warm and all squabs are doing well!

So, the mate to the deceased pigeon is back, my mother saw it flying around. I assume that’s the female of the pair. I haven’t seen her but I plan to ask my mom if she got a good look or not.
If it’s a checkered wing bird then it’s the female parent to my hen pair, if it’s not checkered then it would be a different bird than from the summer..

Do I leave her and just ignore her? I’m unsure what my father would have planned for her if she stays out there.. I could catch her and introduce her to my hen pair to let the three of them live together in the loft (just have to get the doors up and cut some ventilation for up there and it’s done)?
I still feel terrible about her mate and don’t want the same to happen to her so she would not go anywhere near the garage and live in her own cage in the front porch if I were to catch her before the loft is complete. I don’t want to interfere with Mother Nature too much but eventually she won’t be able to stay where she is and it’ll be blocked off from her as well

Catch her, keep her safe once the loft us in. They're not really wild animals. She'll live a lot longer.

 

[biophiliac]

So another episode of As the Loft Turns

Trip/Rocky’s 2 babies hatched uneventfully, Friday and Saturday. They seem to be doing fine so far.
Keeko and Kaloo (80 & 81) under momma Trip.
View attachment 2008289


The threesome appears to be continuing with Bugsy, Brick and Skye, as Brick has been sleeping with Bugsy on the eggs. The loner hatched yesterday! The infertile egg is still there.
They laid these eggs in what used to be a chicken nest box, it has a hinged lid, so when I open the lid, it usually runs them away, so I have tried not to bother them much. But I discovered Brick in the box with Bugsy several nights. So is it a safe assumption now that Brick is female? It’s possible that she laid one or both of the eggs? I know Bugsy and Skye mated up last year, but everyone else was already paired off, so all they had was each other at the time. I did see Skye in the box once, so I still assume he is the father. I guess I should feel Brick’s tailbones and see if they feel close or wide? I’ve never had a cockbird sleep on the eggs/squabs with the mother. How common or unusual is that? Plus, it seems that although I saw Bugsy on the eggs more often, Brick has been covering the new squab and the infertile egg now.
Someone sort this out for me??

maybe the eventual color of the baby will reveal the answers.

Brick foreground, Bugsy background
View attachment 2008287
Baby Lupo 82
View attachment 2008288

Such cute babies and moms! As for Brick, I'm getting hen vibes, in particular because she is interested in sitting at times you would expect a hen to sit.

 

[CascadiaRiver]

I'm not sure if there's anyone here who's super into genetics or breeding but thought maybe I'd ask just in case In the next few weeks as I'm pairing up birds I'm hoping to crossbreed for the first time. Specifically damascene and birmingham rollers.

I've got a damascene hen who, despite being from my best pair, doesn't quite have that damascene look for showing. So I'd love to use her in addition to one of my roller cockbirds to try and breed Ice on my rollers. There isn't too much out there that I've seen on breeding Ice, some places I've seen people say the babies could pop out ice, others say it'll take at least 3 gens, but I haven't met anyone at any shows or meets who have bred ice with any other colour.

I have seen that for the most part that Ice should be dominant so my only issue would be trying to get that nice white ice colour in addition to making a nice shaped, sized and good looking roller haha I just thought I'd ask here too to see if anyones had experience breeding ice, thank you!

(I've also got a longer-term goal of breeding Ice and Almond together, once I get an Ice Roller!)

 

[cavemanrich]

But I discovered Brick in the box with Bugsy several nights. So is it a safe assumption now that Brick is female? It’s possible that she laid one or both of the eggs? I know Bugsy and Skye mated up last year, but everyone else was already paired off, so all they had was each other at the time. I did see Skye in the box once, so I still assume he is the father.

If Brick is a female,,, then about day 20,(give or take) she may decide to stop feeding. Bugsy would also stop feeding about that time also. That is the time that DADDY finishes feeding and weaning Junior(s).
Keep an eye on them about that time. If both decide to stop feeding program, then you will have to intervene.
I recall Bio had a pair of females raising some squabs, and there was an abandonment issue, or something, that Bio did finish feeding the lil ones.
@biophiliac correct me if my memory did get clouded.

 

[WVduckchick]

Such cute babies and moms! As for Brick, I'm getting hen vibes, in particular because she is interested in sitting at times you would expect a hen to sit.

That's what I'm thinking.

If Brick is a female,,, then about day 20,(give or take) she may decide to stop feeding. Bugsy would also stop feeding about that time also. That is the time that DADDY finishes feeding and weaning Junior(s).
Keep an eye on them about that time. If both decide to stop feeding program, then you will have to intervene.
I recall Bio had a pair of females raising some squabs, and there was an abandonment issue, or something, that Bio did finish feeding the lil ones.
@biophiliac correct me if my memory did get clouded.

Brick is one that I had to take over feeding (with Brewer), because I didn't think they were being fed enough. The pair that hatched on New Years Eve seems to spend most the of the day alone, but nights when our temps get really cold, I've seen the hen still with them. I've been checking their crops daily to make sure they are still being fed. But we are at the 3 week point, so now I really need to keep an eye on them. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[biophiliac]

That's what I'm thinking.



Brick is one that I had to take over feeding (with Brewer), because I didn't think they were being fed enough. The pair that hatched on New Years Eve seems to spend most the of the day alone, but nights when our temps get really cold, I've seen the hen still with them. I've been checking their crops daily to make sure they are still being fed. But we are at the 3 week point, so now I really need to keep an eye on them. Thanks for the reminder!

@cavemanrich is remembering Doo, abandoned by the two moms who literally moved away to another nest box and left him behind when he was less than 2 weeks old. [of the four eggs laid, I took two away and only allowed them to incubate two of them. One of the babies died very soon after hatching. Both of these hens later went on to pair up with males and successfully raise young]. If your squeakers are nearly 3 weeks old, I would definitely be offering them seeds and grit and water to play with so they begin to eat on their own. You would be surprsedhow soon they can learn to do this, especially if they have a chance to observe the parents eating and drinking.
Very sad to say Doo was killed in a hawk attack a little over a week ago, along with #738 another of my favorites who is missing since the same incident and is presumed also taken by a hawk.