# Help! Friendly ferals nested, egg hatched but we are moving.



## akruse123 (Apr 24, 2012)

Hello! My boyfriend and I live in an apartment complex. A male and female built a nest on the seat of a chair on our balcony. Sensing she was going to lay eggs soon, we made it our mission to gain their trust so we could still use our balcony. We feed them and they are very trusting of us. Two eggs were laid, only one hatched. We have to move at the end of June and do not want the property managers to destroy the nest and/or the birds but undoubtedly they will in order to get a new tenant. Is there any way we can safely move the nest? If so, where do we move it to? Should we just move it to another location on the current property or since they are used to us feeding them, do we move it with us to our new home? We really care about these birds and do not want to see them harmed. 

Two secondary questions: 1) What happens to the second egg if it doesn't hatch? it's been a week since the first one did so I'm assuming it's not going to. 2) The nest is only two feet from the ground. It rests on the seat of a chair on a balcony with a three foot fence around the perimeter. With the baby that far into an semi-enclosed space, how will it learn to fly and eventually leave the nest? We tried to prevent them from building their nest there but they kept doing it when we were away at work. 

Thank you!!!!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Can you deley moving for about a month, as in that time the baby will be fledged.


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## akruse123 (Apr 24, 2012)

No, we cannot.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

akruse123 said:


> No, we cannot.


well then seems you have two choices.. take him with you and hand feed him or leave him there and try to tell the apartment manager about it to see if they have a soft spot and hope for the best.

the second egg is no good so it should be tossed before it goes bad. the baby will or can learn to fly on it's own from a balcony.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

How old is the baby now?
If you are moving the end of June, the baby will have fledged by then. Just don't allow them to build another nest because that's usually what they do when the babies are 10 days old.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Charis is right. That gives him 2 months. He'll be fledged. As mentioned, don't allow them to hatch any more eggs. But at the same time, you don't want to scare them off by taking their eggs or breaking new nests. The best thing you could do is to buy a couple of fake eggs, and when they lay again, just replace the real ones with the fake. You can buy these at pigeon supplies, or if you can find something that looks enough like their eggs at a craft store, you could use them. This way, nobody gets upset, and they still stay around to care for their baby. Easiest way out.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

she said it has been a week since it hatched. so yes it will be gone by move day..missed the date she stated...so no delima here.


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## akruse123 (Apr 24, 2012)

Follow up questions: 
1) So the baby can fly if the distance between the nest and ground is two feet or less? It would have to be able to fly to reach the ledge of the balcony, as it is highger than the nest and get out into the real world. 
2) I'm concerned about the idea of touching the unhatched egg. Wouldn't that spook the baby and the adults? How would that be done safely? Does everyone agree on this? 
3) So when they look to lay new eggs, they will look to build a new nest, not continue to use the old one? So all we need to do is remove the old one when the baby has left and try to remove any initial twigs and such if they start to build a new one? 

Thanks so much for the wonderful information! Such a shame we can't take them with us. We've grown quite fond of them.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

akruse123 said:


> Follow up questions:
> 1) So the baby can fly if the distance between the nest and ground is two feet or less? It would have to be able to fly to reach the ledge of the balcony, as it is highger than the nest and get out into the real world.
> 
> It will be able to do that.
> ...


Yes it is a shame you can't take them with you.


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## akruse123 (Apr 24, 2012)

@Charis: When you say take the twigs and eggs, what do we do with them?


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## jondove (Nov 17, 2011)

I wouldn't remove a new nest, just replace the eggs with fake ones. Some people boil the eggs and then return them to the nest. Taking the eggs away and destroying the nest would force them to lay another round of eggs too soon, which is not good for the hen.

The only problem is not to scare them away when doing that. They will fly away when you get close to the nest, but if you switch the eggs quickly and then go inside, they'll come back. Taking both eggs to boil them, at the same time, might also make them abandon the nest.

This way they will happily sit on the fake/boiled eggs for almost a month before deciding to lay new ones. So it's possible you'll have to replace eggs twice before the end of June. 

What's important is that when you move and they'll probably have to move too, they should be sitting on fake eggs, not young babies...

The best scenario under the circumstances would be if they decided to make the new nest in another place nearby, but not on your balcony.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Walter...the point is to get them to leave the balcony so they won't be harmed by the management or new tenants.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

akruse123 said:


> @Charis: When you say take the twigs and eggs, what do we do with them?


Just throw them away.It is better to throw away the nest so they won't lay eggs.Frighten them away if you need to. The long range purpose is to protect them...yes?


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## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

You said you were skeptical about taking the old egg away, don't worry as they won't care. Well they do but it won't spook them.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Charis said:


> Just throw them away.It is better to throw away the nest so they won't lay eggs.Frighten them away if you need to. The long range purpose is to protect them...yes?



I wouldn't want to do anything that would frighten them away until the baby they have is fledged. If they are frightened away, they may not want to come back to feed the baby. I'd wait til the baby is out and flying. Then scare them away if you want to. You will have time for that. Yes, you want them to leave, but not til the baby is ready to go.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Jay3 said:


> *I wouldn't want to do anything that would frighten them away until the baby they have is fledged.* If they are frightened away, they may not want to come back to feed the baby. I'd wait til the baby is out and flying. Then scare them away if you want to. You will have time for that. Yes, you want them to leave, but not til the baby is ready to go.


You're right. I thought that was a given but I guess I wasn't clear enough.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

That's why it would be better if they start another nest when the baby is a couple of weeks old, to switch out the eggs. They will stay and be close to their first baby. Even if they just go to another balcony, he would be left alone there a good deal of the time. If I were you, I'd go find some fake eggs.


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## jondove (Nov 17, 2011)

Jay3 is right, at 2 weeks old usually the male takes over feeding the baby, but he would also have to sit on the new nest during the day, so it would be better for the baby if the new nest was on your balcony too. 

But if they themselves decide to build a new nest somewhere else, I think they won't neglect this baby, under normal circumstances. Many baby pigeons are left alone in the nest after 2 weeks but the parents still come to feed them from time to time.

On the other hand, if they begin to feel unsafe, like when someone destroyed their new nest and took away the eggs, they might in fact go somewhere else and neglect or even abandon this baby altogether.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

jondove said:


> Jay3 is right, at 2 weeks old usually the male takes over feeding the baby, but he would also have to sit on the new nest during the day, so it would be better for the baby if the new nest was on your balcony too.
> 
> But if they themselves decide to build a new nest somewhere else, I think they won't neglect this baby, under normal circumstances. Many baby pigeons are left alone in the nest after 2 weeks but the parents still come to feed them from time to time.
> *
> On the other hand, if they begin to feel unsafe, like when someone destroyed their new nest and took away the eggs, they might in fact go somewhere else and neglect or even abandon this baby altogether.*


*
*


That's what I would be concerned about. If they are frightened enough, they may just leave Then the poor baby would be an orphan. I wouldn't want to rock the boat too much until he fledges.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

If the hen lays eggs again there, pick them up and toss them.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I wouldn't toss them without replacing them.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Jay3 said:


> I wouldn't toss them without replacing them.


either way is fine, not having eggs would keep their attention on the squeaker if he is still with them at that time. And if they are moving why enourage sitting. they/cock bird won't leave their baby because the eggs disappeared.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

She would just lay again right away. She doesn't need that. And they could leave and start another nest somewhere else if the eggs are being taken. The baby is better off if they are nesting close by. And anyway, it's just as easy to replace the eggs. Not a big deal.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Jay3 said:


> She would just lay again right away. She doesn't need that. And they could leave and start another nest somewhere else if the eggs are being taken. The baby is better off if they are nesting close by. And anyway, it's just as easy to replace the eggs. Not a big deal.


no they don't,(usually) I have taken eggs plenty of times before the "19" days were up and they don't lay right away..a few weeks perhaps. They also pay MORE attention to the baby esp the hen as she goes back to that duty rather than thinking of a new nest. I have taken eggs away for this purpose, some hens stop paying attention to their young when the eggs come..so taking them lets her go back to the young one/s there..they seem to lay about two weeks after the eggs are taken.. but all these scenerios are what if... more likely they both not just the cock will be attentive when the eggs are taken and tossed without replacements.. the point is for them not to be there when they move.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Yes they do. They will often lay within 10 days. That is the purpose of using the fake eggs. If they weren't going to lay again and keep doing that, which can deplete the hen of calcium, then they wouldn't make them, or sell them. People who don't want their hens becoming calcium depleted use the fake eggs. 

Also, the hens are supposed to pay less attention to their young when the new eggs come. That is the natural order of things. Nothing wrong with that. The cock finishes raising the babies at that point. That's what they're supposed to do. 

By the time this baby is grown and out of the nest, they will have planty of time to chase away the parents. Leaving them alone as much as possible is less stressful for them.


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## jondove (Nov 17, 2011)

spirit wings said:


> the point is for them not to be there when they move.


The point is also to cause as little harm as possible, to the baby as well as to the parents. And interfering as little as possible with nature's course. If they choose to lay another round of eggs and sit on them, why not let them do that.

This way the hen doesn't deplete her calcium reserve, at least one of the parents is all the time near the baby, everybody's happy.

Although I never replaced or taken away eggs, I've had pigeons on my balcony in both situations, young babies and a new nest, or young babies without a new nest. In both cases they raised the babies well.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Jay3 said:


> Yes they do. They will often lay within 10 days. That is the purpose of using the fake eggs. If they weren't going to lay again and keep doing that, which can deplete the hen of calcium, then they wouldn't make them, or sell them. People who don't want their hens becoming calcium depleted use the fake eggs.
> 
> Also, the hens are supposed to pay less attention to their young when the new eggs come. That is the natural order of things. Nothing wrong with that. The cock finishes raising the babies at that point. That's what they're supposed to do.
> 
> By the time this baby is grown and out of the nest, they will have planty of time to chase away the parents. Leaving them alone as much as possible is less stressful for them.


If the eggs are there for a few days say 5, they will not lay within 10 days..they really do not work that quick..unless you have a hyper fertile hen or something. taking them once early on is not going to deplete the calcium much if at all..over and over taking of eggs, then yes it can. I suppose what can be done since these folks are pretty caring about the birds is to do as you say and give the fake eggs or boil the real ones....a few days before they leave which may even be on her third clutch there they can boil those too and then remove them a few days before they leave and remove the nest.


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