# Breeding Help



## fantailgirl (Jul 19, 2005)

I bought a pair of Figuritas over eggbid and I just got them on Friday. I noticed them billing yesterday, and in the evening my male was cooing very loudly and got all my other birds cooing. This morning he was 'dancing' in circles about my hen and it looked like he was pushing her about. She was bowing her head at him and cooing back. Does this mean my pigeons want to make babies? I up-ended a rabbit nest box and put a bowl and some straw in the cage, but I've never had birds even bill each other before, let alone make a nest and lay eggs.

Will the modified box and bowl be enough for them? I know zip about breeding pigeons, and some of the nests on my web search look something similar to what I have. I payed alot of money for these beautiful birds and I want to get offspring form them. If anybody could constructivly critize my nest I would really appreciate it!

I'll have a picture of my nest here in a little bit.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Fantailgirl,

Congratulations on the purchase of these birds!

If they were billing they soon will be mating. That is how it is in my coop. How old are these beauties?

It would be good for them to have a seperate nest box, if they are in with your other birds, big enough for a nest bowl, a small water bowl and their own seed. Also, it should have a front on it, where they can go in and out, and mostly have privacy. This takes off a lot of stress on a breeding couple.

They should have access to pigeon breeding mix (18% protein) and water, grit and the female will need access to a calium block, or pick cake, or other form of calcium, magnesium, phospohurs, etc. A good avian multi wouldn't hurt, either.

Treesa


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## fantailgirl (Jul 19, 2005)

They were in the box when I came out there. I would have gotten closer, but I didn't want to upset them...


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

They are just beautiful, do you know how old they are?

Treesa


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## fantailgirl (Jul 19, 2005)

They are a year old. They were on a 20% chick feed, but someone told me that's a bit high for them, so I just got a pigeon mix that's 15% today. I guess I could mix the two feeds together; say 3/4 cup 15%, 1/4 cup 20%.
As for calcium, I don't know. We give our chickens oyster shells, but I can't imagine my tiny pigeons swallowing one of those big chunks. The chick feed has a conisderable amount of calcium in it, but I don't think it's enough. Is there a liquid calcium supplement that's readily available that I coud put in their water?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

The 15% mix is just fine. Can you order from one of the pigeon supply houses? It would be better for the hen to have access to pick cake, when she feels the need. Also, if you haven't gotten any, you can get the red grit there.

You could crush the oyster shell in smaller pieces as long as it as been properly cleaned for all bird types.

Treesa


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## sportsman (Apr 1, 2005)

It sounds like your going to have eggs soon. there is suppose to be a liquid calcium supplement, someone told me to check the pigeon supply house link in the resource section of this site when I asked about oyster shells. Also, you should put another box is the cage because pigeons will have two nests, one with babies, the other with eggs.


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## fantailgirl (Jul 19, 2005)

I could order from a pigeon supply, what one would you recomend?


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## sportsman (Apr 1, 2005)

Don't know, never ordered anything from any of those sites, but I did look at one of the sites on the resource page, and they had several liquid calcium supplements.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

fantailgirl said:


> I could order from a pigeon supply, what one would you recomend?


I would get a pigeon red grit for them, and a calcium pickcake, like Duval Pick stones. It is a better way for the hens to obtain calcium, and there many different kinds you can buy. I recommend the liquid calcium gluconate only for hens with thin shelled eggs, that can't absorb the calcium from other sources like the pick cakes.

My hens love the pick cake, and the red grit is also important, if you don't have that one already.

Treesa


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## fantailgirl (Jul 19, 2005)

Ok, thanks! But... were would I get a pick cake? I found places for just about everything else, but nothing like what I'm thinking a pick cake is. As for 'red grit', the grit I use is a cockateil mix. From what I understand, they really don't need grit because they are on a pelleted feed, but I like to keep some for them to peck at if they want just in case. It has red, grey, white, blue, and even some dark green stones in it. But mostly red. My utility kings get oyster shells and chicken grit, but that pair doesn't get along too well most of the time, and I would doubt that they would raise babies.


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## Joey&Beeeeee (Aug 3, 2005)

In my opinion, what you have got is fine. The pigeons themselves will decide whether to use it or not! The dancing is the male showing off to the lady (if you didn't know), and it does mean that they have paired, and will probably soon want to make babies! On the note of dancing, it seems to work on human girls aswell. Good luck.


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## Joey&Beeeeee (Aug 3, 2005)

Oh, I almost forgot, try offering them limescale from inside the kettle for extra calcium for the eggs, mine love it.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

fantailgirl said:


> Ok, thanks! But... were would I get a pick cake? I found places for just about everything else, but nothing like what I'm thinking a pick cake is. As for 'red grit', the grit I use is a cockateil mix. From what I understand, they really don't need grit because they are on a pelleted feed, but I like to keep some for them to peck at if they want just in case. It has red, grey, white, blue, and even some dark green stones in it. But mostly red. My utility kings get oyster shells and chicken grit, but that pair doesn't get along too well most of the time, and I would doubt that they would raise babies.


You can get any kind of picking cake, different brand names, and pigeon grit from one of the pigeon supply houses.

Treesa


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## fantailgirl (Jul 19, 2005)

Ok, sounds great!

My fantails are doing something similar, but my male is being evil to me now. He's my showmanship bird and I have to work with him, but now he attacks me when I open the cage. Being so small he doesn't hurt me, but it certainly is surprising. This bird has always been very shy and quiet. Now he growls at me when I walk by the cage and pecks me when I reach in there. He's fine when I put him in a holding pen by himself for a while, but put him back with his hen and he starts it right back up again. I've never heard of pigeons doing this, they are usually shy birds, right? Is this normal and I just don't know it?


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## sportsman (Apr 1, 2005)

He is just protecting his mate. With two of my feral pairs, both males were pets before they got a mate, one I even hand raised from a week old. Now if i go near there mates they will atack me, if I go outside the loft and walk aroung with there mate they will follow me around on the inside. and one of them, if i just put my finger near him he will atack it. Your pigeon is just trying to protect his mate, just wait till they have eggs, then chicks, they are much more aggressive.


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## fantailgirl (Jul 19, 2005)

He looks kinda silly doing it. He just isn't very intimidating. I'm so used to dealing with "problem" horses and their intimidation techniques, a little pigeon that can't even fly well isn't scary. 

It's not hard to think about what's scarier: a pigeon that weighs less than a pound cooing and flapping his wings and pecking at the air  ; vs. a 1200 lb angry/scared horse that's hell-bent on making you go away and never return  .

Well, seeing as I've had this pair for quite some time together and they are just NOW deciding to pair up, I'd better let him just be protective. After all, it's his women. What a shock it'll be for him when we go to state fair and he'll be harrassed for all he's worth. Again.


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## fantailgirl (Jul 19, 2005)

*Great News!!!*

Heilo, my male Figurita, was driving Amber, my female, into her nest this morning. She stayed put, even though we were stacking hay, which is put right behind thim. This spell was broken unfortunetly by my dad, who misaimed a bale that he was throwing up at me and it hit the top of the cage next to them. Nothing was hurt, but I had one rather upset pregnant Annabelle, a Checkered Giant doe, and one terrified Amber. She came to forgive this after about a half-hour though, and after she gave herself a good soak and something to eat, she allowed Heilo to push her back into the box. 

The temperatures here are astounding today: it's about 85F in the barn which is cooler than outside of it. I've noticed my pigeons soaking themselves in their water dish everyday around 2:00pm. This doesn't bother me, I just clean their dishes out when they're done, but is it too hot out here for them? Once again, I'm going to compare them to rabbits: I know rabbits can't take the heat much over 80F degrees, but healthy rabbits can withstand temperatures around -20F without much problem. Are pigeons the same? Should I be putting an ice bottle in their cage to act as a personal a/c unit? That's what we do to the rabbits, but I'm not sure if it's nessessary for my birds.


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## pigeonmama (Jan 9, 2005)

Fantail Girl,
Just allow your pigeons to bathe as they are doing now. My birds have a bath dish in the loft all day long when it's really hot, and I change the water at least 3 times in the day, then pull the dish in the evening. As to pick cake, you might find it called pick (or pik) stone. My birds love this even more than oyster shell. Right now, I'm hand raising what will have to be the world's smallest figurita, named Bling. He's from a clutch of two. The other bird from the clutch is named Bluster, but we call him "The Blob", cause he's always been so much bigger. Bluster is already close to adult size, all feathered out, not yet up to flying, but is partially self feeding, with a little help from whatever adult he can bully in to feeding him. Poor little Bling is about the size of a med-large chicken egg. He's feathering out pretty good now, eats like a pig, fat and happy, just very tiny. He loves nothing more than eating, unless it's to climb up on top of my head and play with hair , or just to cuddle under my chin. And, what a sight, when I let him out to run on the floor, wings outstretched, wobbling away, chasing Mama. Just have to watch where I put my big feet.  
Daryl
I'll send pics to Brad and see if he can do something with them so everyone can laugh at my crazy (or is it the owner who's crazy) birds.


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## fantailgirl (Jul 19, 2005)

That'd be great! I'm not sure why, but I love seeing pictures of other people's birds.


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## sportsman (Apr 1, 2005)

You don't have to worry too much about the heat as long as they have water available to them all the time and have some shade or some place a little cooler, the building works. Where i am at, there have been weeks where the high is above 90 almost everyday, and my pigeons don't mind it, they just lay down, sometimes in the sun.


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## fantailgirl (Jul 19, 2005)

Thanks, I wasn't sure. I didn't want my pigeons to be very uncomfortable because of my lack of knowledge.


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