What's wrong with these eggs?

[nxd10]

Hi -

I have 3 white racing pigeons - two females and a male, with one female and male bonded (although he is not a faithful or helpful mate). All were born in January.

The bonded female has now laid 3 clutches of two eggs each, but none have hatched, although she sat there religiously for more than 3 weeks in each case. I've been away a few days but I know she got off the nest over the weekend and I flew them all this morning on a short, 5 miles flight.

I opened the last four eggs this morning to see if I could figure out why they weren't hatching. They look just like little chicken eggs - white and yolk inside. Every so slight tinge of reddish - but remember, these eggs well past date. No sign of implantation or development. No bad smell. One of the eggs seemed addled - the yolk and white were mixed together, but the others weren't.

My laying female just laid another egg. Although I'd like another bird or three (no more than 6), I don't want her exhausted or malnourished with non-productive laying.

Is it possible the male isn't fertile (yet)? I'm interpreting this as she's fertile but the eggs aren't fertilized - either because the male isn't fertile, they didn't mate successfully, or (for all I know), all three are female and they're just faking me out.

Any suggestions?

Nancy

 

[pigeonpal]

Hello there,

It is possible that your one male isn't fertile yet or at all. Pigeons generally reach maturity at 6 months of age so he may not be quite ready yet to fertilize his hen. I would suspect that your one mated hen or even the other two hens are laying infertile eggs, on their own at this time. Hen pigeons will often lay infertile eggs and this can be because of stimulation from an improper mating act or the ritual itself.

Keep trying and give it some more time.

 

[nxd10]

Thank you!

 

[nxd10]

Well, she has three new eggs now. One may have gotten cold yesterday (she was off the nest and I didn't see she had laid one before I took her off for a fly). Two new ones today. The male has been in with her and more protective. We'll see what happens. Last time she laid four.

 

[larrylofts]

you have two hens mated togather the third bird might be a hen also sometimes hens can and act like males

 

[shelleyd2008]

Pigeons only lay 2 eggs per clutch so if you have 3 or 4 eggs in the nest both birds are female.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

It's very likely that you have two hens mated together and that's why you keep getting multiple eggs that are infertile. Another case would be that both your hens are mated to the one cockbird and are laying in the same nest. But unless he is infertile, then you'd see some babies. So I'm banking on the first one.