# If a female pigeon dies, does another female take over?



## Nodaksnakelover (May 29, 2013)

Yesterday we had our county fair, and my daughter and two other kids had homing pigeons there. So anyhow, at the end of showing poultry, the one young lady won reserve champion in the poultry division. Which is fantastic! The judge then announced he didn't know much at all about pigeons. That he didn't know they came in so many different colors...( seven pigeons, one white, one grizzle, and three splashes...) and that he was so impressed with the one girl's statement that if the mother pigeon dies, that a new female will take over and be the new mother. 

I thought this odd... but I certainly didn't make a jerk of myself by calling that out or anything. That child deserved her win as much as any child there. But I've never heard of an unmated hen taking over a nest if the current mother dies. 

But I am NOT a pigeon expert, but to my way of thinking is, no, hens don't do this. I do know a cock bird will feed a baby that is weaning on the floor that isn't his. I've seen this in my own loft. But a hen? I thought hens were highly territorial? So I'm just seeing what you experts on here have to say. I feel bad that a group of 4H kids have now been told something different...all based on this eight year old girl's statement to a judge and then him repeating it as fact to the crowd.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Yes you're true!
If a mother hen dies and squabs are big, cock will feed them till they wean. He won't allow any other hen to enter the pen in which he's raising his family. So a new hen will not become a foster mother of the current squabs.


BUT in rare cases, those old hens especially who have faded/lost their fertility may feed the youngsters just out of motherly instincts without pairing up with squabs' father.

If few weeks have past after mother hen has died and the cock has been eyeing a hen then they can get along and just before laying the hen who is pregnant may feed the squabs. It has happened many times in my loft.


But leaving exceptions behind,the plain unadulterated answer is NO,another female wouldn't immediatey take place of a mother hen that died.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Nodaksnakelover said:


> Yesterday we had our county fair, and my daughter and two other kids had homing pigeons there. So anyhow, at the end of showing poultry, the one young lady won reserve champion in the poultry division. Which is fantastic! The judge then announced he didn't know much at all about pigeons. That he didn't know they came in so many different colors...( seven pigeons, one white, one grizzle, and three splashes...) and that he was so impressed with the one girl's statement that if the mother pigeon dies, that a new female will take over and be the new mother.
> 
> I thought this odd... but I certainly didn't make a jerk of myself by calling that out or anything. That child deserved her win as much as any child there. But I've never heard of an unmated hen taking over a nest if the current mother dies.
> 
> But I am NOT a pigeon expert, but to my way of thinking is, no, hens don't do this. I do know a cock bird will feed a baby that is weaning on the floor that isn't his. I've seen this in my own loft. But a hen? I thought hens were highly territorial? So I'm just seeing what you experts on here have to say. I feel bad that a group of 4H kids have now been told something different...all based on this eight year old girl's statement to a judge and then him repeating it as fact to the crowd.


I don't know, I would not say It happens allot, but with pigeons they can be predictable and then not so predictable. I had two hens paired go around and feed the other pairs babies so if there was a lone hen in a loft and she was desperate and found an in to take a nest, she would do it...I have had a figurita pigeon that tried to steel mates from my breeding pairs..I had to put her in the homer loft and she found a mate with in an hour!.. she would of been one to take a nest as this girl at the show has probably seen at some point..but the situation has to be right for that to happen.


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## Nodaksnakelover (May 29, 2013)

thanks for the replies. I would have to say then it was more of a half truth, might have happened sort of thing. It is true, nature doesn't always follow the rules! And perhaps something of that nature got observed by this young lady. Where as for what I've seen, pairs are territorial and the bond isn't so quickly broken if a mate is removed. I tried to break a bond once this winter and the two still didn't take new mates after trying for a week of total seperation. He never took interest in the hen I was offering, and apparently she never invited the cock I had with her to sit with her on her nest shelf. In fact the cock bird hated my hen offering so badly! 

Anyhow, good to hear these thoughts on it. Thanks.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Nodaksnakelover said:


> thanks for the replies. I would have to say then it was more of a half truth, might have happened sort of thing. It is true, nature doesn't always follow the rules! And perhaps something of that nature got observed by this young lady. Where as for what I've seen, pairs are territorial and the bond isn't so quickly broken if a mate is removed. I tried to break a bond once this winter and the two still didn't take new mates after trying for a week of total seperation. He never took interest in the hen I was offering, and apparently she never invited the cock I had with her to sit with her on her nest shelf. In fact the cock bird hated my hen offering so badly!
> 
> Anyhow, good to hear these thoughts on it. Thanks.


yeah, some pair up fast some do not... some hens are picky. I think the ones that would take a nest is a single hen just after coming to age and the instinct to nest/feed squabs is so strong they try to do it and try to find a partner desprarately, I don't see an already paired hens doing it.. but some pigeons have such a strong drive they will feed any young bird on the floor that is squeeking for food.. getting into a nest is harder to do...lol.. 

my figuritas would wait till the pairs were eating or sunbathing and go into the nest and feed the babies.. those were some fat squabs that year...lol..


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