# eggs keep breaking



## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

hi my diamond doves on three seperate occasions have laid eggs but after the first attempt broke them. so i got vitamin supplements from the vet. i was already providing oyster shell grit and cuttlefish. the second attempt was better. the female left the first egg after laying it and the male incubated it during the day. after laying the 2nd egg she started incubating them herself but broke both of them.
the third attempt was worse she broke the first egg then laid the second one and broke that too. 
is there anything i can do to stop this from happening?


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## j_birds (Sep 8, 2008)

tape sponges to her feet?


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## mookeeman (Dec 11, 2008)

i had the same problem with my mookees but as soon as i fed them grit with calcium and fed them it then i had no problem with my eggs but i have no idea about doves if there different or not hope i have helped a little bit

Tyler Blancher


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

sorry about the broken eggs, make sure you have the nest level and give them nesting material, also cover the part of the cage where they are nesting, if they can see other animals, that may disturb them, You could try taking the first egg and keeping it safe till she lays the second, keep it in a soft cloth and turn it a few times a day keep in a cool room, then add it to the nest when the second is layed, you should up her calcium as well plus vit D, on a sunny WARM day let them sun themselves out of doors for vitamin aborbsion/metabolize. here is a link to the nest they use if you don't have one already, I do beleive it is important the nest is level and not drooping.

http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/DDColors/ddnests.htm


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

lol thanks j birds . thanks for the advice everyone i have got some vitamin powder i got from the vets to put in the food called arkvits. i think shes breaking them when she incubates them. they're not being disturbed by anyone and are fairly tame with me. the nest is not in the cage as they spend all their time out of it apart from when they go in to eat or drink. theyre in my living room inside and just spend all day out. the nest is on top of the cd rack and since i couldnt find a proper nest from the store i put a plastic tray secured and filled it with hay. they did the rest. maybe its the nest. i have a grow lamp which is used for plants indoors to photosynthesise. would this also have the same effect as sunbathing i.e providing vitamin d?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Do they ever go outisde?

If weather permits its best for them to have some access to sunlight and the outdoors because of a number of nutrients they can absorb from the sun, and also because they need time outside and have fresh air.


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

hi we do get sunlight coming in and the room is usually warm. they sit on the windowsill and sunbathe there when its sunny


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

kalel said:


> hi we do get sunlight coming in and the room is usually warm. they sit on the windowsill and sunbathe there when its sunny


I think they would need unfilterd sunlight. windows have a uv protection so they might not get what they need in the house, I beleive you only need to take them out in the sun for about 30 mins a few times a week.


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*Natural sunshine is best*

It gives them vitamin D. You can also use full spectrum flourescent lights and accomplish the same. It should be on at least 10 to 12 hours a day to give them a few minutes worth of sunshine however.

Any time you have broken eggs, you should look into improving your source of grit and calcium, often in the form of crushed oyster shell. There are also many vitamins in good grit. Pigeons and doves can nest among rocks and sticks and hatch two babies without breaking a good egg.

Bill


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

If the eggs are thin, then they can break. If so, then definitely put more calcium and minerals in their diet. If not, then make sure there is a lot of nesting material to cushion the eggs. If not of the above, make sure there is no fighting between the birds. Fighting can lead to trampling and broken eggs. Investigate further. I discovered one of my egg cracked one time when I didn't put enough nesting material. What happened (I am guessing) was that as the egg comes out, it drops to the plastic bowl. Without a nesting material, it is like dropping an egg on a floor. It can crack.


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

hi thanks for all the advice. theres plenty of hay in the nest and as ive only got the two birds theres no fighting ive ever seen. anyway she laid the egg yesterday sometime and so far so good. until she lays the 2nd one and starts incubating properly i wont know whether the eggs will be ok or not.


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## rainbows (Aug 19, 2008)

Perhaps if you shave some powder from a cuttlebone into a small deep dish and let her eat the powdered cuttlebone just that way, she will build up her calcium and have a harder shell on the eggs.


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## j_birds (Sep 8, 2008)

This is a bit unusual for diamonds. I never gave mine anything but crushed egg shells and Vitamins (and food of course) in their water and they multiplied like crazy. Mine stayed outside in a loft with a light with a red bulb during the winter.


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

If you follow all the advice given and that eggs are still breaking, can it be possible that your hen may have genetic defects? How about them egg pictures?


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## first flight (Apr 15, 2008)

*ive had eggs break*

i have had eggs break, when i first got pigeons they first like 2 eggs i think both broke i just figured they where being ruff because after that they had sevral more eggs with two that ended as squab
good luck! mabey try giving them some calcium in their food


~F.f~


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

thanks for the replies. i dont want to jinx it or anything but so far so good. both eggs laid and being incubated day and night. neither have broke . i guess they just needed practice as its their first time as parents. i'll try putting some pics up when and if the eggs hatch


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## Hamza (Dec 28, 2006)

hey! they'll get the hang of it! but here in my country, its "believed" or toked tht pigeons will usually breeak the infertile eggs, or if there nesting area is hampered with! just a thought. good luck!


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## Pegasus (Feb 6, 2007)

I tell you how I give my birds some calcium especially to my breeders...Crushed chicken eggs, crush them into small pieces and mix it wil their regular feed...I also make it like a powder so I can mix it with their water...That's my way of giving my birds some calcium...


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

hi pegasus. i did try the eggs but only the male will eat them. its ok though the eggs are doing fine. i think its just cos they're a new pair.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

kalel said:


> hi pegasus. i did try the eggs but only the male will eat them. its ok though the eggs are doing fine. i think its just cos they're a new pair.


glad to hear they figured things out...how cute that must be to watch those tiny birds....in the future if you think you might need it a good product is liquid calcium and vitamin D3 supplement syrup you can put in the water, it ensures that birds reluctant to eat calcium sources such as oysstershell get what they need, it is good for more than just eggs shell quaility, it is good for health crop milk to feed babies and helps with small babies and defromity in the young. hens need this becasue they draw calcium form their own bodies if they don't have outside resourses and can get lame in the legs and egg binding as well. The autralian pigeon company sells it.


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

thanks for the info spiritwings. that company is really good from what i can see. some good news today in the morning i could hear squeaking from the nest and after watching arein i saw a tiny little something under her! one of the eggs has hatched maybe both.


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## Hamza (Dec 28, 2006)

yay!! post pics asap! =D


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## eyespyer (Jul 14, 2008)

Pegasus said:


> I tell you how I give my birds some calcium especially to my breeders...Crushed chicken eggs, crush them into small pieces and mix it wil their regular feed...I also make it like a powder so I can mix it with their water...That's my way of giving my birds some calcium...


Are you saying that you use crushed chicken egg shell?

Just making sure...


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

eyespyer said:


> Are you saying that you use crushed chicken egg shell?
> 
> Just making sure...


Not Pegasus here, but yes, chicken egg shells. You should bake them or nuke them in the microwave for a bit to kill any bacteria and then crush them up and give the crushed shell to the birds.

Terry


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

hi cant post pics for some reason. both eggs have hatched but one question. when do the babies eyes open? todays the 4th day since they hatched


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

kalel said:


> hi cant post pics for some reason. both eggs have hatched but one question. when do the babies eyes open? todays the 4th day since they hatched


around 4 or 5 days old. The easiest way to post pics is to create an album. Go to your "User CP" up top, left of page and you'll see where to create an album. Don't have to resize pictures or anything. It's pretty simple to do.


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

i did try making an album but it wont let me. keep getting an error message.


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

I do the same thing as Pegasus does. After I ate boiled chicken eggs, I collect those egg shells and boil them again. Then I dry and crush them into small pieces and mix it with my grit. I don't seem to have problem with it.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

kalel said:


> i did try making an album but it wont let me. keep getting an error message.


What does the error message say? I'm happy to help if you can give me a bit of information to go on.

Terry


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

hi the error message says this is not a valid image file


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

kalel said:


> hi the error message says this is not a valid image file


These are the filetypes supported in the Gallery .. if the file(s) you were trying to upload are not one of these types, try converting them to a supported filetype:

jpg 
gif 
png 
jpeg 
bmp 
mp3 
wma 
mpeg 
wav 
avi 
midi 
mpg 
ram 
wmv 

AND these are the supported filetypes for attachments to posts:

bmp 
doc 
gif 
jpe 
jpeg 
jpg 
pdf 
png 
psd 
txt 
zip 

Terry


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

theyre bmp but wont work. its ok i need to send the baby pics from my phone which is gonna take a while. thanks


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

got some pics. not brilliant from my phones camera


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

kalel said:


> got some pics. not brilliant from my phones camera


Thanks for the pics! Those babies are darling! My local Petsmart has had some Diamond Doves for sale for the past couple of months, and I am tempted every time I see them.

Terry


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

adorably adorable....I would like some as well.


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

thanks. my female has laid more eggs even though the babies are not fully independant yet. really funny watching the babies chasing dad begging for food.


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

I am partially attracted to Diamond Doves as well. I like the way they coo and they are small which is perfect for bird cage inside the house.


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

my birds are hardly in the cage at all. they spend most of the time running around on the carpet and messing around in the plant pots. They just go in the cage for food and water.


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