# Still having problems...



## Renalight (Jun 5, 2013)

Hey! As some of you guys know I've got a pair of young pigeons and I've been having problems on having them get along with one another at times...I have also noticed after giving them a bath when she has either laid or is about to lay causes them to be at odds with one another. They will be all buddy-buddy and snuggle in the nest box together and preen each other until the time she's about to lay, and as soon as I let them have a bath and put them back in the cage after drying off they act hostile towards one another. This last time my hen laid her eggs and she ran off and became aggressive towards her mate when he got close to the nest box, and she basically sat on the eggs the whole time by herself for the last few weeks. I swapped them with fake eggs when I saw they weren't getting along together, and after having her sit on them for so long I decided to remove them to try again. They have already copulated once, and he has chosen the bottom nest box over the top, which is where she laid last time. However, when he sits on the bottom nest to call for her and she wants to go down to him, when she jumps down he comes out of the nest box and she flees from him to the top nest box where she will puff up and coo like a male normally would. And when he tries to go in the nest box with her she runs from him again. It's like her little safe box from him. I have also noticed if I leave their cage door open she will come out of the cage, but when he coos for her to come to the nest she will actually go into it and stand there over him and ruffle his feathers a bit and all is dandy. Problem is, I have other animals and work so I can't keep the cage door open all the time just so they will get along. Any ideas on what to do to make her feel like he's not going to hurt her in the cage? I've thought about taking her safe box away and let him chase her into his nest, but I don't want her to feel like she's trapped without a safe place to go to.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I think it is a hard task to raise and breed pigeons in a cage. IMO they will probably do better in an outdoor loft. it does not have to be big, a chicken type coop can work if you set it up for pigeons.


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## Renalight (Jun 5, 2013)

It's happened again after she laid her first egg again. I even took precautions to keep the cage covered up so they wouldn't be spooked by the other animals if that was the issue. But from watching their behavior it seems to me the hen WILL NOT let the male into the nest! Which in turn makes him frustrated and makes him chase her around or try to peck her out of the nest. How would I deal with a possessive hen? Should I take her out for a bit and see if the male will sit in it after she lays her second egg or have her sit on dummy eggs for a few weeks and remove her nest box so they can use the bottom one that she didn't "claim" and see if that fixes the problem? They used to switch just fine the first 3 or so times they've laid eggs so I know they had the proper instincts. They are almost a year old so could they be inexperienced still or is she going through a phase? I've read about the teenager hormone change they can go through lol.


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## Renalight (Jun 5, 2013)

And now he's just chasing her around the cage....last time i let them try and sort things out she was in the same situation with the egg laying process and she let one just fall and it broke when it hit the cage floor....I put him in another cage for a bit by himself and he was cooing for her but when I put them together it's back to the chasing...


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

sounds like they need time on fake eggs to figure it out as they are young . and...

I think it is a hard task to raise and breed pigeons in a cage. IMO they will probably do better in an outdoor loft. it does not have to be big, a chicken type coop can work if you set it up for pigeons.


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## Renalight (Jun 5, 2013)

It's a long story on how I received a pigeon as a pet, but we are living in an apartment and have no way to have a loft just yet...it will definitely be in the plans when we get our own place though. 

I've been watching their behavior and it seems like they both take it as their nest and they both sit on the eggs, but it's like they don't recognize each other as the other parent. I've got them in separate cages so they can see each other sitting on the nest, and I'm swapping them out as they should be in the morning and evening to try and get them back in sync with what they're supposed to do. I can't keep them in the same cage or he chases her around relentlessly and I feel bad for her. I am swapping out for fake until they get things figured out. It's like all goes well until the eggs get laid then all hell breaks loose lol. I'm hoping it's just a phase and they will grow out of it. I'm not really wanting young anyways but I would like to see my pigeons get along all the time instead of just a week out of the month


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## loftkeeper (Sep 21, 2010)

first birds confined like that will behave different than a open loft and natural behavior will be mistaken has aggressive the male is driving the hen will do this until she lays second egg if they are a bonded pair it should stop how big of cage and do you know that cocks set during the day and hens about 16 hours


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## Renalight (Jun 5, 2013)

From what I've read the cocks sit during the day, switching with the hen around 10am and 6pm. The cage is one of those big flight cages that cost around 500$.
Last time this happened I just let her sit on them the whole time thinking she might get worn out and give up and realize she needed her mate to help her, but she sat on them for almost a month and I eventually had to remove the eggs because I felt so bad for her... 

I think the problem is the hen is overly protective of her nest and is driving the cock out. In turn this might be making him more aggressive because it confuses him. It was his mate and that should be his nest, but she's telling him it's not in her body language. That's my theory, but I don't know if I can fix her aggressiveness or if she's just going through that teenager stage I've been reading about in hand raised hens. She used to be really sweet but recently when she lays she just gets really mean...


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Don't know where those times come from. 10am to 6pm. All birds are different. The hen usually sits the nest at night, but I have had cocks that stayed on the eggs till very late and wouldn't get off. Some cocks will sit on the eggs for an hour or so, then get off for a couple of hours, and then go back on. Some of the younger ones don't sit at all at first. When I walk in early afternoon, some of the males are being good mates and tending to their duties. But there are always some that are taking that opportunity to chase the hens who are out and about. So it is very individual. They don't fit into neat little envelopes. Why are you trying to fix her aggressiveness? She is what she is, and they will work it out. Sometimes when we interfere too much, I think we make things worse. We always want to fix everything. As they grow, they work it out, and as was mentioned, when living in a cage, which is kind of confining, birds do act differently than when they are in a loft, or free. They can't act normally in an unnatural environment.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*If these are young birds, they need time to mature, they will sort it out. A little aviary time and extra space will help too.*


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## Renalight (Jun 5, 2013)

I'll try not to do anything to separate them next time then. It's just crazy how they act so differently after the eggs are laid and it makes me a bit overly worried about them. I'm sure you all feel the same way about your birds, you want them as comfortable and as happy as you can make it for them. They are actually both in the same home cage at the moment, and she stays on the nest and drives him away when he tries to walk up to it, and he pretty much tries to coo to her from the bottom nest box. Just makes me a bit sad, but hopefully it's something they can work through.


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## lg5555 (Aug 2, 2013)

*nest*

Perhaps, changing the setup might help. Make the nest box different.Like half covered or side by side instead of top and bottom.


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## gingerpoo (Jul 31, 2008)

Generally also when you separate and reintroduce birds hierarchy and bonds need to be re-established. There may be some pushing and shoving esp with a fresh/young pair. Try to not disturb the process as long as no one is getting too hurt. Shouldn't take long. But yes sounds like they are still new at it and not very bonded yet


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

It is not easy keeping pigeons in an apartment. I consider them more like poultry than say petstore birds that live in cages and aviariers.


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## loftkeeper (Sep 21, 2010)

do you have pics of cage where bird purchased at different times how many eggs does she lay


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