Oh my gosh, my pigeon laid 2 eggs!

Okay, so Jan 25th or 26th. 25 is 18 days from the 8th! Yeah!!

What if I just didn't see them for several days. I had these pigeons for a while and they weren't doing anything so I figured they would wait until spring. They might have been there since the 7th or 6th or maybe even the 5th. I have no idea!!!

Claire you will know when you see a egg shell they remove them when the babys hatch.

As long as they are out of the cold wind they will be okay just make sure their nest is good and thick to hold their body heat.

OK, I have some spare sheeps wool. I thought I might put some of that in the nesting area. Do you think she would add it in?

I have no idea you could give it a try.

At least it would be nice and warm. And soft.

Great idea! I know I would. I just watched the news. Brrrrr! But they amaze me with how warm their little bodies get. I cant wait to see pics!

Claire I'm looking at temps from 20s to 10 degrees by Saturday morning which means my waters will freeze.
I'm afraid my pigeon babys may freeze or starve to death as the parents must have water to feed their babys. They feed them several times a day and i know at those temps it will refreeze if the daytime temps don't rise.
I consider this a leason learned and i now regret letting them set and i won't let this happen again.
I should have listened to my head and not my heart and unset them when i found them sitting.

I'm going to put a light over their waterer in an attempt to keep the water thawed i hope it works.
My heart is aching and i hope it turns out to the good but i knew this could happen and i didn't listen to my own wisdom.

Harmony,

I was wondering, once the eggs hatch, if I could move the pigeon in her nest, plus the babies, into a temporary crate, and keep them inside the house. I thought if I waited till they hatched, maybe it would be better than trying to move them while she is just setting on the eggs? I figured maybe they would be less likely to abandon babies than eggs? Could I do it at night? Maybe they would be more likely to accept it?

Thoughts?

Claire i really don't know it could go either way but for the sake of the babys i would do it.
I think it would be better at night but i've only done that with chickens so....They would be less flighty and i think they would take care of the babys, pigeons are real attached to their babys i think it's worth a try

I think we both have learned something this time around.

You can tell me if this is a crazy idea or not.

I think next winter, I will separate the pairs. I will put the boys in one hutch and the girls in the other. They will stay that way until spring. Do you think they will fight? I figure this way, no babies in winter. I didn't think they would get going at this time of year. Maybe they did it to keep warm! LOL!

I think I will try moving them for the sake of the babies, presuming that the babies hatch. I will keep my eye on them for when they do. That way I know:
1) the babies won't die of cold
2) the parents will have thawed water and food at all times
3) even if the babies don't make it, I did my best for them.

I hope it works, and I hope you don't lose yours either. Maybe because your babies are a bit older they will be OK?

Good Idea there Claire but the males will fight and the females won't it would be easier just to remove the eggs.

Yes getting a light tonight that makes 4 lights i will be useing 1 on my young birds 2 on the new rabbits and now one on my pigeons. I'm going to hate to see my light bill LOL

congrats claire!!

when birds r broody they have a fever to give off extra heat to warm eggs and babies. u'd be surprised how much heat they give off. pigeons r very hardy but there is critical times for the baby when they need that heat. i've always heard it is best to move when eggs incase they abandon them or wait till they r about a week old to move if u have to and move mom, nest and baby together adding dad after moved.

i think moveing them after they r about 5-7 days old is better if u have to move them. one the baby is big enough if u have to handrear it has a better chance to survive, it's easier to feed them. 2 about 10-12 days old is when they start to not sit tight to the nest untill 12 days roughly the baby can't produce it's own body heat that's the critical time it maybe to late because they have pin feathers and could freeze. if they r moved before parents start to not sit tight they still have the bond with the baby they r more likely to except the change. about 12 days is when mine stopped sitting altogether on the baby and now they r makeing another nest but they still feed him 2-3 times a day and trying to ween him.

it is not good to split up a bonded pair if u don't want them to set in winter after these i'd pull the eggs everytime they lay them till closer to spring. my males and females have to be kept in pairs or they will fight. the males will go after the males and females after females.

Claire just got confirmation on moveing your pigeons i was informed to tell you to wait till they are 2 weeks old then move them. I think 1 week old would be okay as they will be bonded to the babys by then and i know you really want to move them.
But yes my in the know pigeon friend said you can indeed safely move them ^_^


I put a chick brooder light with a 100 watt bulb over my waterer and at 22 last night it didn't freeze didn't even have a skim on it.
If you can you might try this for when they hatch until you move them.

My pigeon babys are doing good i will try and move my light to where they are when the parents stop covering them all day.

I will give it a try Harmony. This week we are expecting wind chills down to minus 30 something. 22 would be a walk in the park...

I worry for all my birds when it gets this cold.

OMG Claire, I'm sending warm thoughts right away. That is just toooo cold.

I feel for you Claire i hope all your birds come thru all the cold.

Claire hows it going with your pigeons mine are still alive and made it through the 12 degrees.

I finally got the water to stay unfrozen i used a 150 bulb and it work.

Remember to look at my show pics those call ducks are adorable.

Oh my gosh I have been gone from here to long!

COngrats Claire on the eggies. I know what you are talking about in the extreme cold. we had the coldest night 2 nights ago in fifteen years. We lost a marans hen. Don't know whether it was the cold or whether she was just old. When we bought her she was 2 and that would make her 3 or 3 1/2 years old now.

Hope to keep talking to you all soon.

Sheila

Sheila Where have you been i thought you were just lurking is everything okay?

My pigeons seem to be doing fine and we are back into the high 20s or low 30s now, so I think it will be OK. They are not hatched yet. I am so glad they didn't hatch in that cold spell.

Good to see you Sheila - hope all is well with you and family. Sorry to hear about your hen - I lost so many birds over the holiday, but so far, things have been much better. We got one of those ceramic panel heaters for the coop and it's making a world of difference.

Glad to know your pigeons are doing well got my fingers crossed that you will have uggies soon.

i know you guys are probably busy today with it being the 20th and all but i just wanted to know how those eggs were doing because you said they could be hatching about now

Well I found them on the 8th, and it's 18 days, which would be around the 24th. I keep hoping that they will hatch soon. It is warmer than it was (only around zero celsius, instead of minus 20...) so I hope they will make it. I checked them this evening and they were not hatched. I guess it is possible that during the cold snap they might have died in the egg. I will be sure to let you know when they hatch, if they hatch!

Good to see you around again Josh - you were missing for a long time!

Hey Josh. What kept ya from us.

I dont know i have been busy and i went up the coast for a couple of weeks for vacation but i am back now and have got the disease again so yeah lol i have an incubator with 28 eggs going right now and i am going to sell them when they hatch at the poultry auction so it will be good

{{{back among the addicts -eh?}}}

i got 4 eggies here so we shall see how everyones does. this is how big my squeaker is., they grow fast!! can't wait for ur squeakers to hatch too!!

LOOK! at that it's not uggie anymore it's so pretty now. Mine are just getting their pin feathers but i worry the parents have now begun to sit less with them. We are exspecting warmer weather here i hope it stays warm long enough for them to feather out.
Hope your eggs are good silkie ^_^

I GOT A HATCH!!! I GOT A HATCH!! UGGIE UGGIE UGGIE!!!

I just caught a glimpse this morning. Only 1 egg hatched so far.

WootWooot!!!! Get out the PomPoms and the charteuse and fuschia!!!

Way kewl wittle babies.

By the # of views you probably know you have a few lurkers, heehee, coming out of the shadows to say congratulations!! Isn't it amazing what creatures can survive? brrrrrrr!

Hi angele
Don't be shy, join in! Just like chickens, the more the merrier. :-)

Well Congratulations Claire on your new uggie the other may not hatch till tomarrow it's according to when they laid the egg.
Now it's important to try and have seed and water at all times if possible they will be feeding the little uggie real soon.

I'm very happy and excited for you!!!

woot woot! Happy dance!!!

Mox: Congrat: Your patience and all paid off BIG TIME "CONGRATS". Haystack

Thanks everybody!!! And thanks for unlurking, Angele!!

Sewincircle - I love the dance picture. I'd recognize you anywhere!!

Harmony - it's a little warmer today so hopefully the water will not freeze as fast. I will be doing my best. They always have lots of seed available. I thought I would put some snow in the corner of the hutch too, because if they can't get water (like if it freezes while I am at work) they can eat snow for liquid, like the hens do....

Congrats C! What a feat!

Maybe you could warm a slab of stone in the oven to put the water on? It might keep it thawed a little longer...

Can't wait to see pictures!
Jay

You know what i just had a flash doe's anybody think those hand warmer things under a small bowl would keep it thawed??
I use those if i'm out in the cold for a while and they work for hours and if your afraid it would get wet just stick it in a zippy bag.