Shipping pigeon/dove eggs?

[Ashleyy_x3]

Are pigeon or dove eggs shippable? or are they too fragile? has anyone ever shipped them before? if so how did it work out? i reallyyy want to get some pigeon or dove eggs to try hatching out

 

[abluechipstock]

too fragile plus feeding day old pigeons is very hard, i'd just get a pair and let them do the work, with the price of gas shipping them in isn't a bad idea either

 

[95yj]

i know i'm a little late but pigeon eggs aren't shipped because pigeons and doves should almost never be hatched artificially. Baby doves and pigeons are born blind and naked and are completely reliant on there parents to survive for the first month, unlike chickens which are born feathered and able to eat/drink/walk around by themselves.

 

[Hoss1975]

You could set the eggs under a pair of pigeons you already have,that way you wouldn't have to hand raise them.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I had someone ask me if I would ship some eggs from my rollers. My reasoning for not wanting to do so was because they only lay 2 eggs at a time and if something happened to them during shipping they'd just be lost. If you had a broody pair you could certainly get eggs to set under them but I would strongly recommend getting 'local' eggs instead of having them shipped.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

I had someone ask me if I would ship some eggs from my rollers. My reasoning for not wanting to do so was because they only lay 2 eggs at a time and if something happened to them during shipping they'd just be lost. If you had a broody pair you could certainly get eggs to set under them but I would strongly recommend getting 'local' eggs instead of having them shipped.

That would be me, haha.

To the OP: I have been having some luck in finding people willing to ship, but it has taken a lot of looking, and I can definitely understand the hesitation. On your end, if you do find someone and want to try it, consider a few things first. As Shelley mentioned, most people are going to only be able to offer two or so eggs at a time. You need to provide whoever is shipping them with packaging instructions if they have not shipped their eggs before, to help avoid a sad and messy delivery day! Any other info you can provide them if they ask (ie. what day after laying to ship on) would be important too. I would also stress that you understand that you may not get anything to hatch, and you would really, really have to be willing to accept that possibility with pigeon eggs. You would be dealing with a smaller number of eggs than with most chicken/game bird shipments, eggs that are more prone to damage from dampness and breaking, and eggs that are not as standardized as chicken eggs in knowing how to ship them. So, realize you might be tossing money out with no hatches, and that people shipping most likely aren't going to be able to tell you their fertility rates, etc. as they could with chickens. Basically, just know that anyone who ships is probably really going out of their way to do so, so help them out where you can with the process and don't be surprised if the eggs don't hatch.

Also, I'm not sure what your experience level is with hand-feeding baby birds, or what your knowledge is of pigeons. Please forgive me if I cover things you already know! What method would you use to feed? (I personally recommend a method that allows the babies to use their natural sucking and beak-in-beak eating techniques, such as: http://wwingsaviary.lbbhost.com/Aviarypages02/Handfeeding.html .) Columbiformes have the rather unique ability to suck up liquids, so they feed a bit differently.

Pigeons also, along with flamingos and some penguins, feed their young something known as 'crop milk'. Most birds do not do this. Crop milk is a very nutritious secretion from the crop lining. It is high in protein and fat. It gives pigeons a jump start over other birds, helps them grow fast. Most just use the Kaytee Exact bird formula. You can buy it at most pet stores, and it will work. We even used it at the aviary I used to work at. But, I do feel there are better mixes out there. A commonly homemade one is Macmilk. I disagree with some of the ingredients. People add yogurt to it to use as a probiotic, but dairy can hurt digestion in pigeons and encourage souring. I would use non-dairy probiotic alternatives, of which there are many. There are videos on youtube of handfeeding pigeons, and schedules online of how much and how often to feed. Make sure that is something you *really* want to do. Many find it too taxing, and you don't want to realize that halfway through raising a squab! So, those would really be my considerations before diving in. As Shelley said, it is much better if you can find local eggs. I haven't been able to find any unfortunately, only those willing to ship.​