# dove keeps laying eggs



## juanita

I wonder if it is normal and healthy for my dove to be laying eggs every 4 days? Is there any way that I could slow down the egg producing that is natural and not harmful? The dove lays one egg on one day, but has layed eggs three days in a row. I have increased the calcium in grit, and vitamins in seed. I hope that is enough, never had a bird that layed eggs. She started laying eggs this month. Anybody have ideas, or am I worried for nothing?


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## Jiggs

Not sure about doves but pigeons lay mostly only 2 eggs 2 days apart - I was always under the impression that doves were the same

Somebody else???


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## Steelers Army

*I think that dove is just plain active*

when it comes laying eggs , wow I wish my homing pigeons lay eggs like that its fast to get into the race like a New York minute LOL...Well I never heard of anything like that I think if you say you have a Bantam female , maybe I can understand how that laying eggs are so fast like that...Jiggs, I agree with you, like I said maybe if she has a Bantam female then its possible to lay eggs that crazy...But if you do believe that she lays eggs continously thats a blessing...you will have a lot of birds in 1 year maybe about 50 (wheew!)

have fun


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## Lovebirds

I thought doves laid like pigeons also. Eggs three days in a row? And lays every 4 days? Is it the only dove you have? This seems unusual to me and certainly not healthy. When she lays an egg, what do you do with it? You really should leave them be and let her sit on them until she decides they won't hatch and walks away. That's what people do with pigeons or either replace them with wood or plastic eggs. You can also boil them, wait for them to cool and put them back under her. Hopefully some one else will be along soon that maybe knows more and can shed some light on this.


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## juanita

Hi..It has been 6 eggs in 3 weeks. My dove is a lone bird. I have yet to see her laying an egg but have found her eating with the egg cooling in a store bought nest. This morning was the first time she did not want to leave the new egg. When she leaves to feed I remove the egg. Before I bought the nest she layed the egg in her seed cup. She spends a lot of time in she seed cup. It was so sad to see an egg in the cup even if the was no chick inside. Anyway after searching the net I read doves can have two broods a year, but nothing on lone hens. Thanks for all your in puts


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## Lovebirds

juanita said:


> Hi..It has been 6 eggs in 3 weeks. My dove is a lone bird. I have yet to see her laying an egg but have found her eating with the egg cooling in a store bought nest. This morning was the first time she did not want to leave the new egg. When she leaves to feed I remove the egg. Before I bought the nest she layed the egg in her seed cup. She spends a lot of time in she seed cup. It was so sad to see an egg in the cup even if the was no chick inside. Anyway after searching the net I read doves can have two broods a year, but nothing on lone hens. Thanks for all your in puts



Ok, if you are removing the eggs, that's the problem. Just leave the eggs and let HER decide when she wants to quit sitting on it. It will slow down the egg production dramatically. She's still going to lay but if allowed to sit on the eggs she won't lay as often. I don't know what the incubation time is on dove eggs.......but after the alloted time, she will just get up and walk away like nothing ever happened and then will start the whole process over again. You just have to make sure that she's getting all the calcium she needs.


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## naturegirl

Mourning Doves are the same as Pigeons 2 eggs per clutch, 1 egg 1 day and another eggon the 3rd day. If she is laying that many eggs all the time then I would seek the advice of a vet for a possible hormone shot. Or simply keep an eye on her and see how often this keeps happening. Good Luck

Cindy


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## Camrron

I am with Lovebirds on this one. Just leave the eggs for her to sit on. Or boil the eggs after laying, then put them back in the nest so there will be no hatching worries. Alternatively, you could put in wooden eggs to substitute for the the real ones. Are you sure your Dove is not a chicken. Egg laying is very hard on them I assure you. Be sure to leave out plenty of calcium rich things for birdie to chew on, including but not exclusive of calcium enriched grit. I don't feel calcium grit itself is sufficient in such a case. And egg laying hens (chickens) will happily (and very boldly) cannibalise their own eggs for the shell to get at the calcium they need for their own survival.

Cameron


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## juanita

Well..was out all day, came home to find she layed an other egg.  This time I will leave the egg tonight and boil it tommorow. I like the sound of boiling it. In any case if the third egg doesn't come tomorrow, I hope this will slow the four day cycle she is on. Thanks again for all advice.


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## juanita

I'm not good at links, but found an artical about a cockatiel that layed eggs daily. Google "bird lays eggs daily". interesting... and I thought my bird was on over drive. Still good info and other related links


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## pigeons2006

Hello, I assume that the dove you are referring to is a domesticated ringneck dove. Ringneck doves incubate their eggs for 14-16 days. After that period the eggs hatch or the dove simply looses interest. The reason your dove is laying like crazy is due to the season change. Spring and summer are the two seasons in which doves lay eggs like crazy. If this dove has a nest, I would suggest you take it away. Nests or nesting materials gear doves into this laying habit. Has this dove being cooing and laughing?


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## juanita

Pigeon2006... You are right, she has been doing a lot of cooing and something sort of a grunting. I now keep the light off in her room ,so she gets only but lots of, sun.The last egg she layed sunday,she sat on one day and now will not go near it after it cooled down.I found a site that said the incubation was about 14 days just as you said... Thanks...You were right about everting except maybe the nest...she would just drop the egg in the seed cup or screen floor on the 4 day cycle. The nest seemed to help her stay somewhat interested in the egg. Anyway you guys are the best She is eating well, I shave cuttle bones in to bite size and add it to the gritt,add vitamins, and she now seems interested in fresh kale I always add in her cage.When she comes off the egg she does alot more flighing, so I think shes happy...Im the one that may be over obsessive


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## Birdmom4ever

I have a few ring-necks too and I've noticed they lay even more than my pigeons. Let her keep the eggs and brood them until she loses interest, as others have said. There's no need to replace them or boil them since she's an "only" dove and the eggs aren't fertile. Keep up the good work with calcium, good diet and greens. My doves enjoy chopped up Romaine lettuce. I would not remove the nest bowl. That can work with hookbills, but your dove will keep laying and if she doesn't have a nest will have no place to sit and brood her egg. If she's doing lots of cooing when you're around she probably thinks of you as her mate.


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## naturegirl

Doves are like Pigeons only 2 eggs 2 days apart.


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## Symbro

hormones are controled by temp and sun light. if you can cut the sunlight below... somewhere around 9 hours... trying to remember how many hours tehre are during winter. otherwise you got a lot of good advise. the only other option would be give her a mate... haha then she wouldnt be doing this all in vain


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## Avalona Birdy

*Sounds like an active bird to me.*

Just sounds like an active bird to me. I have about seven or eight doves in an aviary, but one male has about three mates and they all share one nest. It is INCREDIBLY difficult to get them to all hatch because they dove's hot patch is not large enough to cover four eggs. Only one of my dove hens can sit on three and get them all to hatch, which she has done a lot, but the more I cull the more they lay! One in particular seems to be very productive, but it does no good to me unless She can hatch them all, which she is physically unable to do. I just keep the egg number down to three or less and pray that I grabbed the latest or oldest ones. I feel horrible about getting rid of eggs that I know are fertile, but my only real income is from the youngsters that I sell to a feed store, and if I don't get rid of some eggs then I can't make any money. I would suggest that you just give her plenty of extra calcium, since she may over-lay and start taking calcium from her bones. It should not hurt her otherwise, I don't think.


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