# how do i breed racing pigeons?



## ughpaolo (Nov 19, 2011)

i bought a pair of breeders. i have them for a month now with a wide pot for them to lay eggs. and nothing happened. my friend bought a pigeon and it paired up with his. only after 2 weeks they have eggs. what should i do?


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## YaSin11 (Jul 23, 2009)

Ughpaolo,
1st of all, did the pair you have 'pair up'?..ie. are they behaving like a couple?....are they male/female? how do they interact with each other? try to observe them...see if they are behaving like a 'pair'. One of the key ingrediants to having your pairs lay is love/security. Do they fight? do they fly chasing each other? basically are they even attracted to each other? observe them...let Me/Us know...maybe then ppl on the forum can give helpful advice. Wish you good luck,Peace,
YaSin


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## Revolution Lofts (Aug 7, 2008)

All you need to do is make sure that you indeed have a pair (one male, one female). Sometimes 2 females may act like a pair in which case you would probably get 4 eggs but none of them would be fertile.

Once it is determined that you indeed have 2 pairs, make sure the birds are old enough. Usually they want to breed at 6 months or so but it is best to wait until they are at least 8 months old.

If they are old enough then they just need time. Provide them with a nest box, nest bowl, and nesting material and leave the rest to them. Sooner or later you'll get eggs, maybe they just need time to settle down and get comfortable


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## Revolution Lofts (Aug 7, 2008)

Also, how big is your loft? Once racing pigeons start breeding, they won't stop! So make sure you have some dummy eggs on hand in case you ever want them to stop or slow down


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## ughpaolo (Nov 19, 2011)

yes. they are paired up. they don't fight. and the day i bought them the female laid 1 egg. and she didn't incubate it.

i've put up a nest bowl and some nest materials (dried plant strings/strands or something). and they don't seem to be intereste in making a nest. they just scatter it everywhere.


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## Revolution Lofts (Aug 7, 2008)

Oh I see! Sooner or later they will lay eggs again 

As far as why they didn't incubate the eggs its because the egg was laid in a new location and they didn't have a nest made/the cock had not even marked out his territory yet on the first day. I'm sure if the pair was still at their old loft, they would have incubated the eggs since I'm certain they probably had a nest box already picked out and some sort of nest in the making


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## atvracinjason (Mar 4, 2010)

take away the nesting material for a week. When you add it back in give them pine needles(if available). I always just toss a pile in the far corner of the loft and they go to work instantly. Could be material they don't like...do you recalll how they were nested in the last loft?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

her laying the egg was probably her second one from another pairing if she layed it on the day you bought her. these birds most likely had other mates..so it may take awhile for them to accept a new one.


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## ughpaolo (Nov 19, 2011)

i bought them from a breeder. and he told me that was one of his breeder pair.


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## ughpaolo (Nov 19, 2011)

atvracinjason said:


> take away the nesting material for a week. When you add it back in give them pine needles(if available). I always just toss a pile in the far corner of the loft and they go to work instantly. Could be material they don't like...do you recalll how they were nested in the last loft?


they weren't nested in the last loft. they were put in bird cages. and a nesting pot filled with ashes.


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## YaSin11 (Jul 23, 2009)

Just a little note to add: I usually don't add 'nesting materials' in the loft, rather I keep some nesting material close by. [ As atvracinjason said 'I always just toss a pile in the far corner of the loft and they go to work instantly.'] When the time is right, they start taking/making their nest, in fact I really like to see them do it by themselves. It also tells me that they are expecting to lay eggs soon. Give it time. Good Luck, Peace,
YaSin.


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