# 20 day old egg hasn't hatched



## Funsized (Jan 1, 2017)

Hey! So I have a four year old breeding pair of Indian fantails and about ( roughly ) 20 days ago they laid an egg. Both sit on it around the clock however it still hasn't hatched when it was supposed to on Monday?

I cleaned them today so took the egg out, and when I moved it you could feel a baby chick shaking inside ( I didn't shake it on purpose or anything).

Do eggs sometimes take longer than 18 days to hatch?

Or is there a way to tell if it is fertilized?

( the pair have been mates for over a year)

Thanks!

* I'm also concerned the egg is too small, it's about the size of an oval ping pong ball, and squabs seem to be so large


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Put it back and leave it alone. You don't just take the egg. Wait till they tire of sitting on it and start staying out of the box. If the egg doesn't hatch they will tire of it and start over. Let them decide when to abandon it.
How big an egg do you think a pigeon can lay? I hope you let them bathe so that they can moisten the egg. The egg needs a certain amount of moisture to be able to hatch out.
They can take a while if not sat on right away. They usually wait till the second egg is laid before they start sitting on them.


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## Funsized (Jan 1, 2017)

They don't have a chance to bathe so I'm giving them a bowl right now. It's their second egg, they lay on it constantly except about 1 minute every morning when they both have breakfast.

I'm giving up hope, I'm going to candle it ( when I picked it up to check for cracks I could feel something chick sized and heavy inside) tonight and hope I can see them. Otherwise I'm going to just wait until they lay more.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Why not just leave them with it until they stop sitting on it? Why do you not give them a bath more often? Pigeons love to bathe, and it is good for their feathers, and also keeps the dust down. You really need to offer them a bath often. If cold outside, offer them a bit of a warm bath. Not ice cold.


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## White Homers (Sep 22, 2016)

I agree with Jay3 leave the egg until the parents abandon it. Letting the birds bathe is very important not just for helping the eggs to hatch but also for the birds to take care of their feathers. Mine bathe a couple of times a weeks even in the winter. Pigeons love love love to take baths.


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## beachwood45789 (Jul 15, 2014)

when a pigeon lays the 1st egg it will take 21 days to hatch, when it lays the 2nd egg the 1st egg will hatch 18 days after the 2nd egg is laid remember if the 1st egg is laid on thursday the 2nd egg is laid on saturday so it is 21 days


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## hamlet (Oct 26, 2004)

Hello. What was that bacteria that was killing the young( black egg)? Salmonella? Perhaps treat the stock birds for that, unless they are old and sterile. I read that sometimes the fantail breeders trim some feathers around the cloaca. Sorry if i am not on the point exactly. And instead of bathing the birds, u can try wetting your fingers and lightly touching the eggs: once a few days before hatching.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Some will lightly spray the eggs with a little water, but the birds love to bathe, so let them bathe. It's good for them.

And unless you had problems with many eggs not hatching, I wouldn't treat for Salmonella. That would be 3 weeks on Baytril to cure the carrier stage of Salmonella. Hard on the birds just because of an egg not hatching. You don't even know they are sick. You don't treat them with drugs unless you have strong reason to believe they need it.


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## White Homers (Sep 22, 2016)

I agree don't give them any drugs just because eggs did not hatch. If the birds seem healthy and there are no other symptoms do not just give them medication that is why all these diseases are becoming immune to medicine. The birds may not have sat on the eggs one night or might not have taken as good care of them. Let them lay more eggs and see how it goes. If mice or rats get into a loft this can also cause problems with the birds sitting at night.


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