# Urgent Help.. Moving nest with young squabs



## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

I have an urgent problem, so please can anyone help?

My fantail pigeons hatched out 2 squabs.... and I am sure my chickens are going to eat the baby pigeons!!!

I keep my non breeding male pigeons with my bantam chickens. I did not notice and female had slipped in, found a mate, and had a nest in one of the chickens nest boxes. Yesterday I was cleaning them out and saw the nest and the 2 squabs. They are only days old.

I need to move the nest fast!!!

Last year another pair nested in the chicken coop and the squabs got eaten within days.

I don't want to loose these!!!

Can I move the nest into a cage with the squabs and parents? Or will the pigeons abandon the squabs?

I am busy with work at the moment and don't have the time to hand raise them.

Any one ever had experience moving a pigeon nest with young squabs in it?

I thought about trying to 'fence' in the nest box with parents and chicks inside... but I don't know which is her mate.. and I don't have any materials at hand to make a cage to fit around the nest box... (I am terrible with DIY).


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

They only recognise their squabs by the location of the nest at that stage. Couldn't you fence them off some way or move the chickens?


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Jak,
Your pigeons will abandon the squabs if you move the nest to a different location. If you have another pair which is breeding simultaneously then you can move the squabs under fosters to save them from being eaten.

You need to find out who the real parents are, by sitting there and watching.
Parents don't allow any other pigeon to come near their nest. So whoever is sitting on squabs will let only his partner to come near nest. You can hold the pigeons next to the one sitting on eggs and find out the partner as the parent will come and to try lash out on the intruder,be there to stop the fights. When your sure about the partner,you will have to fence the box banning the entry of any other pigeon and chicken.


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## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

*nest*

Well, I am not going to move the nest now after all the good advise. 

This morning I got up really early just after sunrise to let the chickens out and shut them out of the coop. The 2 pigeon squabs are still there.

Today I am going to try to make a cage around the nest box. I will put food and water in there and the squabs parents. I still can not work out which one is the father / mother. All my fantials are pure white and look the same!!!!

I hope they won't abandon the nest because they get disturbed by the cage thing I am going to fix over it.

Also I am very busy with work and my parents today.... I just hope I can have some time to make the cage over the nest box. These things always seem to happen at the most inconvenient times!!!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

She should be on the nest at night, and he should take over mid or later morning to early afternoon at least. So try to see who is on the nest at that time. If you pick the male up off the nest, then the female will most likely be watching, and come to care for the babies. Then you can catch her, and you should have them both.

Or go in and mark whoever is on the nest at night, then go in during the later morning or early afternoon. If it isn't the same bird that you have already marked, then you now will have the male. Now you will know who the 2 parents are.


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## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

*progress*

Thank you all for the good advise. I am so glad I did not make the mistake of moving the nest!

I found an old bird cage, cut off the back, and fixed the thing over the nest box. I found out who mum and dad are, as they were both sitting in the nest calmly as I fixed up the cage around them.

they have space to get out of the nest, and walk up and down a little. I put food and water in there for them. 

The male seems not to like it. I hope he will settle down soon. His problem is the other male pigeons sit outside the cage, or on top of it... and he wants to chase them off, but can't get to them. 

Both squabs are good.... as I was fixing up the cage, a chicken came back into the coop and flew up into it....I think she was trying to lay an egg in there, but she was stepping of the pigeon babies and mum and dad pigeon were pecking at her head to try to get her out. I grabbed the chickens and put her back on the ground. 

I am sure if I was not there she may have killed them.

I am keeping my fingers crossed now the pigeons settle down in there. I have to go away for the weekend so will put in lots of food and water. I hate to leave them!

On a side note...... Can I mix in some chicken chick starter food with the pigeons seed for extra protein? Now they are confined to the cage they won't be able to fly freely around the garden as they usually do all day, and I was worried the seed alone would not make a good diet for raising their squabs. Also do I need to add grit now too?

Thank you, and sorry for the long message and all the questions.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

If all your pigeons are white then you must mark or band them so to avoid problems in future. I'm glad that you've figured out mum and dad and made them a secure breeding box. I hope now the chickens or other pigeons won't be able to get to the breeding pair and leave them undisturbed.

The protein content in the feedmix should be 16-18% when breeding and moulting. So protein carrying legumes or pellets can be added to their diet.

When squabs are infants pigeon feed their young crop milk. As days pass by pigeons start to eat small grit particles,sand,clay etc for consistency of the feed in their crops to feed their young. And after about a 5-7 days my pigeons never feed their young until they eat a lot of grit after they eat grains. So grit is very important for pigeons especially when they're breeding. It greatly affects growth of squabs.


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## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

*update*

Thank you everyone for advising me not to move the nest. 

The 2 squabs are doing very well, and their parents have mostly settled down in the cage with them.

I have started letting the adult birds out for free flying inside the lost, when the chickens and other pigeons are let out in the day. They only get a couple of hours, but its better than nothing.

When do you think it will be safe to take the cage off the nest box?


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## rasheed.rubeena (Dec 29, 2011)

I think you should take off the cage when the parents are able to recognize the children and when the children have started pecking at seeds. If possible remove them from there altogether and keep them in the place where pigeons are rather than the chicken area.
-Rubeena


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

jak2002003 said:


> Thank you everyone for advising me not to move the nest.
> 
> The 2 squabs are doing very well, and their parents have mostly settled down in the cage with them.
> 
> ...


Hi jak,
Good to hear that the parents have settled in the cage and babies are doing great.
Yes,its great idea to let the parents out in the loft when chickens are out of the loft. Parents can easily defend their squabs from other pigeons but chicken are born fighters. There was also a sport of chicken fighting in which chicken would fight to death. So you can let the fantail pair out in loft when chickens are out but when they're inside the loft,pls keep your parents locked up inside cage with their squabs till squabs are atleast 25 days old cuz chicken can hurt them.
Be on the safe side and don't take chances as chicken have killed your squabs before


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

It isn't a good idea to keep chickens and pigeons together. Chickens can be mean, but can also spread disease to the pigeons.


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## rasheed.rubeena (Dec 29, 2011)

Jay3 said:


> It isn't a good idea to keep chickens and pigeons together. Chickens can be mean, but can also spread disease to the pigeons.


Yes, I agree. You should separate them.
-Rubeena


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

jak2002003 said:


> Thank you everyone for advising me not to move the nest.
> 
> The 2 squabs are doing very well, and their parents have mostly settled down in the cage with them.
> 
> ...


never let pigeons out that are on hatching eggs and or feeding babies in the nest, just in case one or both don't make it back to them. it happens all the time on this site and then its a problem of hand feeding and what to do. sometimes if the cock is the one left they can finish up the babies care, but it is not easy and sometimes they just abandon them if their mate is not there.


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## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

*update*

Here is the latest update..

The chicks are doing great....getting bigger by the day and doing well. The adults are going crazy to get out of the cage all the time, but they will just have to be content to get their hour out a day.

I am going to be moving house in the next 3 months, and I am taking all my birds with me. I am going to make a separate chicken house and pigeon house. Then things will be a lot easier. 

I just do not have the space where I am now. 

I have kept the pigeons with the chickens for over 5 years and never had them get diseases from each other. 

But I have had them eat the pigeon squabs!!!

When I breed my pigeons I put each pair into its own large cage. I don't do this often as I don't want too many pigeons. The males live with the chickens and the females have their own aviary. 

It was just a mistake that one female got in with the males in the chicken house. 

When I do make the new pigeon coop I will have to keep the males with the females. Will that be OK? How can I stop them breeding? I don't want more pigeons, and I don't want the females to get sick from laying too many eggs (which I will have to throw away). 

Any good tips or ideas for the new pigeon house? 

Thank you .


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Pigeons are unstoppable when it comes down to mating and laying.
But like many do,you can make two different sections,one for cocks and the other hens to keep them separated. But in hen's section,you may still find eggs at times as hens may lay by mating with eachother or even lone hens may also lay.
Or if you wanna keep your pigeons as couple,s you can use fake eggs to hatch control,giving birds good feedmix,calcium and supplements to avoid health problems


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Keeping them together as a mated pair, you can't just toss out the eggs, as the hen will just lay right away again, and this will eventually deplete her of calcium. If, when they lay, you switch out the real eggs for fake eggs, the birds will normally sit on these eggs for the required time. Eventually, they will give up on them hatching and ignore them. Then you can take them away, until needed again. This stops her from laying right away again. Pigeon supplies usually sell them.


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## rasheed.rubeena (Dec 29, 2011)

I wanted to say the same thing as brocky bieber and jay3 .
-Rubeena


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## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

*quote*



brocky bieber said:


> Pigeons are unstoppable when it comes down to mating and laying.
> But like many do,you can make two different sections,one for cocks and the other hens to keep them separated. But in hen's section,you may still find eggs at times as hens may lay by mating with eachother or even lone hens may also lay.
> Or if you wanna keep your pigeons as couple,s you can use fake eggs to hatch control,giving birds good feedmix,calcium and supplements to avoid health problems



Do you think I can keep the males and females together, and let them nest and lay eggs.....then remove the eggs for fake ones? Will they be OK with their health if they brood the eggs all the time and they don't hatch?

It would be much easier if I could keep them all in one large coop.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They like being together. Nesting is what they live for. They like raising babies, but they also like the nest building and having a box of their own. It's a more natural way of keeping them, than it is to keep them separated. On occasion, you can let a pair raise a couple of babies if you want to. They will be fine.


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## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

Jay3 said:


> They like being together. Nesting is what they live for. They like raising babies, but they also like the nest building and having a box of their own. It's a more natural way of keeping them, than it is to keep them separated. On occasion, you can let a pair raise a couple of babies if you want to. They will be fine.


This is what I will do in the future. I am about to move house... but I have to be in rented house for about 6 months before we are in the new home. I am taking my fancy pigeons and bantams with me and will make them a temp coop in my next place. I will have to keep the pigeons separate from the chickens there......as I can't let the pigeons out as they will fly to the old house!!! 

The fantail squabs are doing really well. I am hoping they will be fledged by the time we have to move. I want them to be able to feed and drink for themselves. 

Yesterday both the parents managed to get out of the cage and could not get back in. They must have been out all day and the night. I found them the next morning - as I got back from work at night the night before so did not notice. The poor babies had empty crops.. but thankfully the mum and dad soon filled them up again!!!! 

They are doing very well and are a good weight. 

I can't wait to see them take their first flights.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

jak2002003 said:


> Do you think I can keep the males and females together, and let them nest and lay eggs.....then remove the eggs for fake ones? Will they be OK with their health if they brood the eggs all the time and they don't hatch?
> 
> It would be much easier if I could keep them all in one large coop.


As has been explained pigeons love living as couples. When sitting on fake eggs,they would have enough time to replenish their reserves from the supplies you give them and they will be ready for next laying without any problems.

You can let them raise one young at a time once in a while. With that you will population of young cut by half. But don't let them breed when they're moulting.



May your current young fantails fledge soon!


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