When should my pigeons lay eggs?

[Wyandottes7]

Twelve days ago, I purchased my first pair of pigeons. They are Baldhead Show Rollers and are about 1.5 years old (hatched August 2016). I have a cock and a hen, and though I don't believe they were already paired when I got them, they are getting along great together. I have already observed them mating, billing, and preening each other. I have also seen them settling down in their cage's corners and occasionally picking up/briefly arranging a few wood shavings.

I assume it will take them a while to get acclimated to their new home, but about when should I expect the female to lay eggs?

Thank you in advance for any responses.

 

[sourland]

In my experience with established pairs they generally lay the first egg within 10 days to 2 weeks of mating. Are you providing nest making materials ?

 

[Wyandottes7]

In my experience with established pairs they generally lay the first egg within 10 days to 2 weeks of mating. Are you providing nest making materials ?

They are bedded on wood shavings and I have given them some hay, but I will be adding more hay tomorrow.

 

[sourland]

If you cut the hay into roughly 8" pieces, it will be easier for them to work with.

 

[Wyandottes7]

I just want to update this thread in case others come along with the same question.

My pigeon laid one egg fourteen days after I got her and then another two days later. At the time, I was moving them to a new, larger area instead of the cage they had been living in. When I moved them to their new home, she refused to sit on the eggs, so I removed the eggs after a few days.

It's now nine days later, and the female pigeon has laid another egg and is sitting on it. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day she'll lay a second one. This time I'll be careful not to disturb them.

 

[LamarshFish]

I just want to update this thread in case others come along with the same question.

My pigeon laid one egg fourteen days after I got her and then another two days later. At the time, I was moving them to a new, larger area instead of the cage they had been living in. When I moved them to their new home, she refused to sit on the eggs, so I removed the eggs after a few days.

It's now nine days later, and the female pigeon has laid another egg and is sitting on it. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day she'll lay a second one. This time I'll be careful not to disturb them.

It's been my experience that, on one hand, while pigeons are very resilient to and don't seem to mind too much disturbances to their nest (you touching them, picking up their eggs and putting them back and even handing young squab), on the other hand, they are NOT so resilient to their nest being moved. Their "territory" means a lot to them, it was selected by the cock bird and defended (maybe not in your case, but their instincts tell them so). Moving nests usually seems to result in them abandoning the eggs. But rest assured, as you have seen, they will lay more.

I have extra nest boxes in my loft due to my loft not being totally full, and one pair that has appeared to occupy two nest boxes one on top of the other, I have observed the cock bird going from one to the other, and both hen and cock nesting in both boxes. They laid their first clutch in the top box, set the eggs for a week or so and for some reason just abandoned them and built a new nest in the other box below it and are now setting that clutch. They can be picky!