# Male pigeon...just laid an egg. I have a few questions about hens & egg laying



## emw0 (Jul 22, 2020)

When we first got our pigeon, we were pretty sure it was a hen--I posted a picture on this site and someone mentioned that it was definitely a hen. When we took her to pick out her mate, she started fighting with all the boys and attempted to mount the girls, so we got our bird a hen to mate with. Well, it seems that our bird's mounting behavior may have just been miscalculated attacks (she can't see well, so maybe she wasn't trying to mount?), because our first pigeon just laid an egg. 
She laid the egg last night while she was being pet on the neck--all of the sudden, she started breathing heavily and straining to push. She was tired afterward, so we built a nest with a fake egg and put her with it. She had no interest in sitting on the egg.

This morning, she's not as active as usual. She has a healthy appetite, but she's not very interested in being pet. She's not puffed out, but she is a little skittish. I'm keeping an eye on her vent and her cloaca is getting slightly bigger, like it did before she laid the first egg (it's been about 16 hours since the first egg dropped)

Is it normal for pigeons to be tired while they wait to lay the second egg? Is there anything I can do to help her (especially because I'm pretty sure this is her first time laying eggs)? Do pigeons lay eggs without being mated (like chickens sometimes do)? We try to only pet their heads and necks, and we're trying to figure out next steps as we have two hens (and don't worry, both these birds will continue being our pets)

Sorry if this has been answered before--I'm going to search through the site now for similar posts. Mostly posted this to commiserate with anyone who has misgendered a pigeon in the past and to share my first-time egg anxiety.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Normal. Females get “broody.” Would give her calcium plus D3, something like calciboost.j


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## emw0 (Jul 22, 2020)

Thanks so much--I appreciate it (and also appreciate all the people who replied to similar posts in the past)! Just added some calcium to her food and D3 to her water. She's napping with her tail down and lower back hunched, so I'm hoping for another egg tonight! I'll be by her side til then--thanks!


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

We have two bonded females who lay eggs. They take turns sitting on them. I always swap out the eggs for fakes. We only had four pigeons and oops, one bird was a male. Now we have six.


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## emw0 (Jul 22, 2020)

I think I came across some of your old posts when I was searching the site for what I should expect with egg-laying (at least, I think it was you, if you have or had a pigeon named Lucy--if so, my bird is currently acting just like Lucy--slightly more watery poops, a little calmer, and still has that downward tail--been 25 hours since the first egg, so I am trying not to freak out! I remember on the post that Lucy eventually laid eggs and was fine--hoping for the same outcome here).
I am hoping for what you have--now that my first bird is a girl, I'm hoping my other girl bird (at least , I think the second is a girl) will become bonded, but time will tell! Haha--that's one sneaky and clever boy you have in your flock!
Thanks again--your reply to me and your post from 10 or so years ago have been helping me a lot--everything is so scary the first time around (apologies if I misremembered and you did not post about egg-related-worries)!


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Yes they do lay eggs (like chickens) without a male around. The eggs won't be fertile, so no need for fake eggs. You can crush some boiled eggshells to very fine and put this down for her. A good source of calcium. Continue with the liquid calcium until she lays the second egg.


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## emw0 (Jul 22, 2020)

Thanks so much, Marina--I hadn't thought to use eggs! I only have powdered calcium on hand, so I've been putting it in her food (I actually placed a pigeon order including liquid calcium minutes before it became apparent she was going to lay--kicking myself that I hadn't done this a few days earlier). I crushed the boiled shells into a powder and rolled her food in it (she seemed to like it--she tried to eat the powder alone, but this may also be because her sight isn't perfect--either way, she was a fan of the eggs).
She's acting more normal today (so far) but still doesn't want pets. I swear I feel something in her vent (although I only touch very lightly, so I could be wrong), so hopefully another egg will come. My first hint with the first egg was that her vent felt different. I was giving her a bath when I noticed--her vent still doesn't feel totally normal, so we've been doing steam sessions in the bathrooms and warm baths. Thanks again for the help!


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## emw0 (Jul 22, 2020)

Just in case someone else is experiencing egg laying for the first time and searches this forum, I wanted to conclude with happy news: my baby just laid her second egg! Here is a run-down of what happened and tips I got/read online:

Tips:
-Give calcium and vitamin D (you can use boiled eggshells as well, if you crush them finely) until she lays her second egg (Thanks Marina B & CWebster!)
-Make sure the bird is not cold--warmth will help with contractions
-Warm baths and putting them in humid, warm rooms can help (we had the shower running to achieve this, then we used the water as a bath for her once it was around 90-100 degrees F)
-Try your best not to stress the bird

My bird's experience
Day 1:
My bird acts completely normally all day, poops are normal, activity level normal. She gets a bath in the afternoon in warm water and I feel a lump under her belly (I second guessed myself a lot--I didn't feel a distinct bump, but it felt different down there, I was worried she had a tumor). Around 8:45 PM, my bird begins straining, she hunches her shoulders up and points her vent down while her tail feathers stick upwards. Her breathing gets heavier and an egg slowly emerges. She is tired so we tuck her in for the night with a fake egg. She completely ignores the egg.
Day 2:
I spend the day by her. She is low energy all day, her tail is down, almost like a cooked crawfish. She has moments where she breathes deeply, as if she's trying to manage her pain. Her eating and drinking are normal. She looks like she's a little too uncomfortable to sleep deeply. Her poops still have solid pieces, but also a lot of extra water and mucus--they are VERY slippery poops. We spend the day in and out of the bathroom doing steaming sessions (high humidity and high temperature) and warm baths.
Day 3:
Our bird is almost totally normal. No more pain. We catch her with her tail down just for a few moments during the day. She is very slightly less active, but almost imperceptibly so. She still has a good appetite and drinks enough. Her poops still have extra liquid on the side, and a few are odd colored (slightly grayish brown). I still feel that her vent feels odd, but again, I doubt myself (she was a first-time layer, so maybe just 1 egg the first time?). We still take warm baths and I try to keep her warm. In the afternoon, she is acting almost totally normal, so I wonder if I'm making a big deal of nothing. I stop putting her in warm, humid rooms and let her be. I tuck her in for bed at sundown. I check back around 7 PM (almost 46 hours since the first egg) and she had just laid her second egg. She is currently very territorial and has seemed to instantly switch into mommy mode.

This whole time, I have been freaking out. You can find a lot of horror stories about egg-binding if you look. I can't advise on whether or not it's helpful, but if you are experiencing that now, I empathize. Tonight, I will sleep deeply. WHEW!


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

I'm glad things went well!


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Glad she is doing better!


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## emw0 (Jul 22, 2020)

Thank you both, again!


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