# Questions about Pigeon Eggs



## Bustergates (May 1, 2007)

First of all, are they edible?

How do they compare with chicken eggs?

If I'm culling eggs to discourage nesting, will hens hopefully get bumbed out and leave? 

Are pigeons more or less discouraged when eggs are snatched while the males are nesting on them ... or doesn't it make a difference? 

I know it's hard to gauge avian paternal temperament but what's the conclusion? Are the birds bothered by taking their eggs? They seem a little more skittish of me now but I'm trying to get rid of them without hurting them.

Should I leave the eggs out in a dish where they can see them or hide them?

Do hens lay eggs regardless of a mate or do hens require a mate to lay eggs?

Does pigeons and chicken egg and mating behavior parallel each other or not? 

What do I know, I don't live on a farm.


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

Oh, I'm sure someone has tried eating them but . . . there is a thread about what to do with excess. You can use the search function to find it. 
You should replace the eggs with dummy eggs, or hardboil what you have and put them back after they are cooled, otherwise Mom will keep laying which will cause other problems (for mom). After awhile the parents will give up on these eggs and hopefully move on. If your goal is just to prevent the eggs from hatching then this is the best solution. If the ultimate goal is to get rid of the birds, then you need to try to bird-proof the area with screening or other bird-friendly barriers. If you put something like spikes or netting in, check them frequently (daily) to make sure no birds are trapped or injured by the barriers. Birds of all species get trapped behind or in these barriers so they wind up dying of thirst, hunger, stress, and / or injuries caused by the barriers.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

If you want them to leave then close off the area to the pigeons, do not remove eggs, as she will be encouraged to lay more. Pigeons are not like chickens and cannot lay all the time, it will exhaust their reproductive organs as well as their calcium reserves, and cause life threatening issues as they get older.

Hens will lay without a mate, they just need to be "in love"or think they are in love, or bonded.


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