# Found mourning dove egg....HELP!!!



## Doris (May 25, 2002)

i found a mourning doves'egg. it just started to show veins, so i guess its growing . i am rotating the egg ( that is what ur supposed to do, right?) do i have to get a special light bulb? and what is grit? do you think it can be released back into the wild? does it have a good chance of surviving? how can i imitate the pigeon milk that is given to the squabs by their mothers.. i haven't found any good resources yet....on the net. Also, how can i tell if it is a boy or girl? HELP!!!!!!








thank you, 
doris, a new member


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## Psion (Mar 1, 2002)

Don't worry about grit and fancy cages or anything yet, you have lots of time for that later. Right now just keep the eggs warm. I found a pair once and kept them in a drawer (sp?) with a heating lamp. I never hatched them, I found another mourning dove nest which I put them in that wasn't far from the house and they did hatch, I saw them out on their first flights. So the main thing is warmth and turning. Don't get them too hot though. Try wrapping them in a blanket too.

Goodluck








Nick


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## bigbird (Aug 19, 2000)

Doris,
So you want to hatch the egg or eggs and raise the small baby birds do you? This is a very big responsibility, are you sure you are up for it?
If you are, then we can help you. But first things first. You have a few days before the egg will hatch so you have plenty of time to learn what will be needed. 
So don't worry about anything except thoes eggs. Do not overheat them, about 100 deg. will be fine, turn them just once a day, do not handle them with your hands without gloves. 
Keep us in the know.
Regards,
Carl


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## Doris (May 25, 2002)

Should i still get a red light bulb??? now i have a normal one. thanks for all your help peoples,
Doris


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## Doris (May 25, 2002)

UPDATE!!!!
this is what i am doing right now...
i have the egg in a bowl with warm blankets and the fuzzy stuff that you stuff pillows with. It is warmed by a normal desk lamp, and the box that the bowl is in is covered by a blanket with a hole in it, which makes sure the light comes and warms the egg, and the heat sorta stays in the box where the bowl is. Sounds good? need improvements?? if so tell me







,
Doris
PS. as soon as the egg hatches i will take some digital pix of it and post them


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## Nooti (Mar 14, 2002)

Hi Doris
Do you have a thermometer next to the egg to check the temperature? Too high and you will kill the embryo. Too low and you will have disharmonious growth of the major organs and a weak chick which is unable to hatch. Don't forget the humididty. Too little and the chick will be too small, too much and the chick will grow too big for the egg before it is developed enough to hatch.
Incubating an egg is a serious thing and too much can go wrong. That's why incubators were invented to try to replicate the optimum conditions produced by a mother bird.
The temperature should be no lower than 99 deg f and not above 100 deg. The bedding needs to be damp, but not too damp. I cannot give you an accuracy on this because my incubator does it all for me. The egg must not lose more than 12% of it's newly laid weight before hatching. If it does there is not enough humidity and the chick will be small and dry out inside leaving it unable to hatch. If not enough weight is lost there is too much humidity and the chick will grow too quickly and not be developed enough to hatch when it runs out of room in the egg. The usual result of this is a chick dead in shell of oedema - build up of fluid in the neck causing pressure and asphyxiation.
I cannot help you with the humidity. You must try to guess that as best possible, but the temp must be around 99 - 100 deg f.
I wish you the greatest success. It has been done with your method despite the odds!


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## Doris (May 25, 2002)

Hi Nooti,
I measured the temp for my egg and it was 34 degrees celcius, that is about 100 degrees f. well, for the humidity, i filled and cleaned a spray bottle with water, and sray the bedding and the area around the bowl (inside the box) every hour or so. i think that might help with the humidity factor.. i also got a RED light bulb, and it really works better... I will update you all soon.
Doris


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## Doris (May 25, 2002)

does anyone live in GA???? if so, do you have an incubator i can borrow????? it would be great if so. email me and i shall give you my phone number.

doris


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## Scuiry (Jul 11, 2001)

> Originally posted by Doris:
> *i found a mourning doves'egg. it just started to show veins, so i guess its growing . i am rotating the egg ( that is what ur supposed to do, right?) do i have to get a special light bulb? and what is grit? do you think it can be released back into the wild? does it have a good chance of surviving? how can i imitate the pigeon milk that is given to the squabs by their mothers.. i haven't found any good resources yet....on the net. Also, how can i tell if it is a boy or girl? HELP!!!!!!
> 
> 
> ...


If you are successful at hand-raising this dove I do not think it can be released.

You can't really sex a dove or pigeon that age without a DNA test. When it becomes a juvenile, it can show certain characteristic behaviors but only with other birds around of its own kind.

If I were you I'd turn it over to a wildlife refuge after it hatches. Unless you are experienced at syringe or tube feeding, supporting a baby dove all alone is a round the clock job. After it grows up it will probably need to live in a sanctuary the rest of its life. If not, the wildlife rehabber would know how to release it.

Some vets take wildlife in and treat them for no charge, then turn them over to a sanctuary. You might call a local vet and find one that will do this for you.

I've heard of some Mourning Doves living in lofts with other birds. I don't know how common this is or if you can keep it with other species. You would probably need a companion for it.

Keep in mind that mourning doves are a protected species and in some cases it is illegal to keep them.

d.


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