# fertile pigeon eggs to hatch



## veggiegrl (Aug 23, 2006)

hi, this may sound weird, but im looking for fertile pigeon eggs for hatching. ive heard people somtimes do this, so im looking for breeders or websites that could help me. thanks


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

veggiegrl said:


> hi, this may sound weird, but im looking for fertile pigeon eggs for hatching.



********************Why?*******************************


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## BirdDogg10 (Aug 23, 2005)

I have no idea on how to answer this one, it's kinda confusing.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

BirdDogg10 said:


> *I have no idea on how to answer this one*, it's kinda confusing.



Are you SURE, Birddogg? You used to be very persistant about hatching eggs before in the past and I recall a baby that died because you interfered trying to hatch it.


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## BirdDogg10 (Aug 23, 2005)

100% sure, I mean I know about how I was in the past but that's the old me also I was under a bit of stress but now I've learned my lesson so that part's over.


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## Anarrowescape (Jan 6, 2004)

It is not a good idea to get eggs to just hand raise them. I would let the oarents keep the eggs un til they have hatched and fully grown. It takes up alot of ur time and without experience ends up a bad ending for you and the baby.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Anarrowescape said:


> It is not a good idea to get eggs to just hand raise them. I would let the oarents keep the eggs un til they have hatched and fully grown. It takes up alot of ur time and without experience ends up a bad ending for you and the baby.



That is very true Robert, a novice, has no business hatching eggs and trying to raise babies. It would be cruel to subject one's inexperience on them, not to mention the psychological aspects of it all. Babies are much better, and healthy and happier, being raised by their mom and dad. So, that is why I ask, why?

The only time our help is required, is if the parents are gone, and eggs are fertile and developed, and you can't find any surogate pigeon parents.


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Well, I must admit it is simply a stupid thing to get any bird's eggs when totally unexperienced and hand raise them when totally unexperienced, but I myself have hatched many little babies right from the egg with little complication...Lately. When I first started, the only reason I attempted to raise them was because they were rescues with no place to go. I had losses. But now I have successes. The only way you justify the desire to hatch eggs is if you are very experienced with doing so and hand raising.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Vasp said:


> The only way you justify the desire to hatch eggs is if you are very experienced with doing so and hand raising.


*....and there are no surogate pigeon parents available, to hatch and rear them. That is also a possibilty, as I have a few that qualify for such emergencies.  *


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Ah, yes. I figured that was simply the reason one would want to hatch.
Because there is no other place for the eggs to go. Sometimes that IS the case.
But if one truly wants to hatch babies, one can become a breeder after much thought towards this and research, even for smaller birds, or contact someone who sells duck or chicken eggs, as they are precocial and taken away daily anyway. The babies hatch out fully capable of eating their own food and with their eyes open, very unlike baby pigeons, parrots or songbirds. Even if you want to hatch precocial bird's eggs, make sure they're from a place where the eggs are daily extracted from the nests, so that the birds are used to it, and that you have an incubator. You don't want to be attempting to hatch these eggs without a working incubator because sometimes, due to improper temperature and humidity, the baby will hatch but will be terribly deformed all its life and may die from that, very painfully, later on. Hatching eggs is an experience that is great and terrible, for it is terrible when an embryo dies, and imagine what would happen if you dropped a very developed egg. Not good for the baby. Not good for you, either. Everything that has to do with giving or supporting a life is hard, tedious, and can be very painful at times. And with incubation, temperature and humidity have to be right on to support life. Temperature for most bird eggs: In still-air incubator (without a fan) = 100-102.5. No higher will support life and it's probably not a good idea for the temperature to be set at a lower temperature as it may kill or severely handicap the babies. In circulated-air incubator (with a fan) = 99.5-102. No lower or higher will support life. Humidity is less general. Humidity for duck and goose eggs: 65% and then increased to about 75% for the last 3, 2, or 1 day. Chicken eggs: 50% and then 60-65% for the last 3, 2, or 1 day. Humidity for songbird, pigeon, and other altricial birds will be about the same as the chicken. Duck and goose eggs require higher humidity due to less porous shells. Ducks and geese also happen to live very near water. It's not a good idea to attempt to hatch eggs for the absolute fun of it if you're not experienced. If you are perhaps "meant" to gather experience and hatch eggs, it will come to you. Instead of looking for perfectly good eggs that are with their parents, look for rescues in the spring. And when I mean rescues, I mean rescues. Don't grab out of a nest, but if you find an abandoned and/or broken nest, you may be entitled to. Look around. But always be careful.

You can also expand your knowledge of incubation, hatching and supporting baby birds by reading and studying. Spend time watching the parent's feed their babies. Weigh the babies, take notes on how they're doing, and note the day that they fledge. Note the amount they seem to be fed by examining their crops, note how the parents feed them and what. There are also numerous people who go around with high power, portable candlers (candling is the process in which one holds an egg up to a light to examine the contents-whether that be a viable embryo, bacteria, or a "dud", which is infertile) and candle various bird's eggs. Remember not to move the nest around because birds have keen eyesight. Clean your hands or wear gloves. The thing is, birds don't smell that you've touched their eggs, or at least they don't care, so you are able to handle them, but be careful, and only do so if you have a good candler set up and are very confident in your ability to properly handle eggs. For instance, practice with store-bought eggs.


Why am I telling you this? It could save a baby pigeon, duck, chicken, songbird, or whatever else's life. It also may save you from frustration and incredible guilt and sadness. I hope you listen to what I said and find something that will interest you as well as keep birds safe.


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