# Eggs not hatching!



## xclusive

One of my pairs have laid eggs more than 3 weeks ago and the eggs are still not hatched. I'm a bit concerned. And I've seen the female getting straws yesterday while the male was sitting on eggs. This morning I've seen the male sitting outside the egg before going back onto the eggs. Are those any signs? Should I be concerned? What should I do now?

Please note, the weather has been cold for last week or so.


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## The Pigeon Girl

You could do this technique. Take one egg at a time, find a powerful flashlight. Go into a dark area pitch black, preferrably a closet. Turn the light on, shine it through the bottom or top, now what do you see?

Dead egg or dead embryo:

it will be clear, or have an air bubble. or dark if its old. 
after 5 days you can always see veins. if no veins, then most likely they're dead or infertile.

Alive embryo or ready to hatch:
if you see spider web veins, (big red veins) and a little black thriving body, most likely you can see movement after 5 days usaully at 17 days my eggs really get to kicking . you will know. Just got done with that, my 4 weak old babys.


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## xclusive

The Pigeon Girl said:


> You could do this technique. Take one egg at a time, find a powerful flashlight. Go into a dark area pitch black, preferrably a closet. Turn the light on, shine it through the bottom or top, now what do you see?
> 
> Dead egg or dead embryo:
> 
> it will be clear, or have an air bubble. or dark if its old.
> after 5 days you can always see veins. if no veins, then most likely they're dead or infertile.
> 
> Alive embryo or ready to hatch:
> if you see spider web veins, (big red veins) and a little black thriving body, most likely you can see movement after 5 days usaully at 17 days my eggs really get to kicking . you will know. Just got done with that, my 4 weak old babys.


Thanks for your advice. My only concern is, if I touch the egg then the pigeons abandoning the eggs. Can that happen at this stage - as in idiot touch the egg then the pigeons not taking those back? Thanks again.


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## xclusive

The Pigeon Girl said:


> You could do this technique. Take one egg at a time, find a powerful flashlight. Go into a dark area pitch black, preferrably a closet. Turn the light on, shine it through the bottom or top, now what do you see?
> 
> Dead egg or dead embryo:
> 
> it will be clear, or have an air bubble. or dark if its old.
> after 5 days you can always see veins. if no veins, then most likely they're dead or infertile.
> 
> Alive embryo or ready to hatch:
> if you see spider web veins, (big red veins) and a little black thriving body, most likely you can see movement after 5 days usaully at 17 days my eggs really get to kicking . you will know. Just got done with that, my 4 weak old babys.


Thanks for your advice. My only concern is, if I touch the egg then the pigeons abandoning the eggs. Can that happen at this stage - as in idiot touch the egg then the pigeons not taking those back? Thanks again.


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## mikeyg

You can touch the eggs from day 1 and never have a problem they will not abandoned them "myth", and at this point anything longer then 20 days without even a pip means your probably out of luck. Sorry, 18 days until hatch is normal.


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## Jass SamOplay

Your male was sitting outside today because he has realised that the eggs are infertile. Like you said the weather has been cold then its a probability that the embryo has died because in cold weather if eggs are not incubated even for a short period of time the embryro dies.
Pigeons naturally sit on eggs for 18 to 20 days. After that if eggs don't hatch,they abandon their eggs.
If you are afraid that your pigeons gonna abandon the eggs by touching them then you can candle the eggs in their absence by luring them away for few mins with some snack.


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## xclusive

Thanks Guys! I'll check the eggs on Sunday if nothing happens by then. (it's Saturday here already)


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## Jass SamOplay

If you've waited for 3 weeks, wait for a couple of more days if you don't wanna touch eggs. The birds gonna abandon them on their own probably. When they abandon toss the eggs out and birds will start over again for next brood


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## spirit wings

xclusive said:


> One of my pairs have laid eggs more than 3 weeks ago and the eggs are still not hatched. I'm a bit concerned. And I've seen the female getting straws yesterday while the male was sitting on eggs. This morning I've seen the male sitting outside the egg before going back onto the eggs. Are those any signs? Should I be concerned? What should I do now?
> 
> Please note, the weather has been cold for last week or so.


cold should not have an affect if they sat them well. opposite from the advice to just let them give up,
It is important for you to candle the eggs so they can tell you if they were fertile or not fertilized. If they were fertile and the embryos died then that could be a disease issue. If they were not fertilized then the cock is not doing his part and that could be for many reasons. what breed of pigeon? some fancy breeds need their vent feathers trimmed so the cock can have a better chance to fertilize the hen's egg/s and ect...


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## xclusive

brocky bieber said:


> If you've waited for 3 weeks, wait for a couple of more days if you don't wanna touch eggs. The birds gonna abandon them on their own probably. When they abandon toss the eggs out and birds will start over again for next brood


Thanks Brocky. I just realised, they may have in fact laid the first egg around 15th of September. So that probably makes it roughly about 20 days today for the first egg. And if the second egg was laid couple of days later, I may still have a couple if days in my hand, right?


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## Abdulbaki

moving and handling the eggs after day 4 will likely cause the embryo to die.
there is a big chance that the eggs were from the beginning Infertile ... I don't know what to say but even in cold weathers pigeons do a good work incubating their eggs!


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## Abdulbaki

xclusive said:


> Thanks Brocky. I just realised, they may have in fact laid the first egg around 15th of September. So that probably makes it roughly about 20 days today for the first egg. And if the second egg was laid couple of days later, I may still have a couple if days in my hand, right?


20 days you should see some cracks in the eggs by now, do you see any? Also did anything happened in the apst three weeks maybe another pigeon entered to their nest or anything similar that can cause the eggs to slide or to roll? ?


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## xclusive

spirit wings said:


> cold should not have an affect if they sat them well. opposite from the advice to just them them give up,
> It is important for you to candle the eggs so they can tell you if they were fertile or not fertilized. If they were fertile and the embryos died then that could be a disease issue. If they were not fertilized then the cock is not doing his part and that could be for many reasons. what breed of pigeon? some fancy breeds need their vent feathers trimmed so the cock can have a better chance to fertilize the hen's egg/s and ect...


Hi Spirit,
They're a mix pair. The hen is a King and the male is Archangel. As for 'candle the eggs' - do u mean check the eggs in a dark place with a light as suggested earlier? I'll do that in a day or two.


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## xclusive

Abdulbaki said:


> 20 days you should see some cracks in the eggs by now, do you see any?


I haven't checked yet. 



Abdulbaki said:


> Also did anything happened in the apst three weeks maybe another pigeon entered to their nest or anything similar that can cause the eggs to slide or to roll? ?


No. The male is pretty aggressive from day one. There are 4 rooms in that pigeon 'home' where I used to keep another pair, but the moment this pair laid eggs, the male wouldn't even let them go anywhere near the boxes let alone going inside. He'd always on guard. So I'm confident on that front.


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## Crazybird

Why would moving or handling the eggs cause them to die?


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## sangha

my pigeon egg just hatched today.. toook about 17 days for the first one.. and the second one got crack on it alreday .. and if you take one egg out time and take it close to your ear.. you might hear pigeon baby trying to crack the egg if you saying its been more than 20 days.. 

no they wont abond their eggs .. just take one out a time mate


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## Jass SamOplay

Naturally, birds are programmed to breed in warmer months of the year. They start breeding in spring and it goes on until late summer. Now if there is cold in Australia, then cold could be one of the factors. First 5 to 7 days of incubation are very crucial because embryo is in its forming state and even if for few mins the eggs get cold,they get killed because of the cold weather when parents come out to feed or drink. After first five days eggs can be handled to see the progress, but shaking could kill the embryo.
Yes xclusive,this is what I mean. Its called candling. Take your eggs to dark(I do it at night,it easy to see)room and put a torch towards the bigger end of the egg. (I use my phone's flashlight, it does the work for me).
Its necessary to candle the eggs in your case to find out the cause. If you see a clear egg from within then eggs are infertile. If you see a little development then embryo has died because of cold. If u see a grown squab inside and inner color turning to yellowish brown from inside instead of red then squab have died and it could be because of many causes.


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## xclusive

Thanks again everyone. Tomorrow night will be 'candling night'. I'll let you know my findings. Hopefully, it'll be good news.


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## xclusive

Alright, here it is. I found there's 3 eggs not two. One of them had a hole, which I took out. Looks like the egg was infertile as it seems to have gone off. It still had a bit of liquid in it. See the photo of the egg below. I can still see the yolk or that's what I think. Should I wait for a few days and see what happens to the other two? Another one seems to have a tiny crack. (?)

Please advise.


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## Jass SamOplay

Did you find three eggs in one nest??? Are you sure your pair are of opposite sex???
Tiny crack in the other egg could be sign that there squab in it trying to come out. Did you bring that egg close to your ear? Did you hear anything from inside?


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## xclusive

brocky bieber said:


> Did you find three eggs in one nest??? Are you sure your pair are of opposite sex???
> Tiny crack in the other egg could be sign that there squab in it trying to come out. Did you bring that egg close to your ear? Did you hear anything from inside?


Hi Brocky, I'm 100% certain about the opposite sex of the pair. The male is and has been quite aggressive. Why do u ask? Don't they lay more than 2 eggs? I've heard they do. 

And I didn't check the egg close to my ear. It did look like the crack coming from inside tho. I don't want to touch the eggs again and instead wait out for a couple of days. What do u think? And what do you think of the egg that went off? Can it happen that one egg go spoilt but others can still be ok?


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## Jass SamOplay

I was just confirming about the sex. Agressive behaviour is not solid proof of sexing a pigeon. Another hen may also lay in their nest but Yes they do lay three eggs but very less often. All three could be fertile or infertile or one/two infertile... In most cases one turns out to be infertile and two fertile but that's no guarantee.
If you don't wanna touch the egg then wait because if the crack has appeared then the baby's gonna hatch somtime between next 24 to 48 hrs or may be earlier than it.
About the egg in the pic I'm not sure because I do PT via my cellphone and screen is not helping me. As far as I can see there is some development happened in it. I think the fetus died early.


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## xclusive

brocky bieber said:


> I was just confirming about the sex. Agressive behaviour is not solid proof of sexing a pigeon. Another hen may also lay in their nest but Yes they do lay three eggs but very less often. All three could be fertile or infertile or one/two infertile... In most cases one turns out to be infertile and two fertile but that's no guarantee.
> If you don't wanna touch the egg then wait because if the crack has appeared then the baby's gonna hatch somtime between next 24 to 48 hrs or may be earlier than it.
> About the egg in the pic I'm not sure because I do PT via my cellphone and screen is not helping me. As far as I can see there is some development happened in it. I think the fetus died early.


Thanks again. By aggressive I mean he's aggressive in his male dominant ways and behaviours. He can coo and coo very well, I can tell you that.  As for another hen laying egg, I only had another pair at the time this pair sat on eggs and they were on another loft and locked. So the eggs are definitely of this pairs. 

I'll wait for another day or two and see what happens. Fingers crossed!


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## Abdulbaki

keep us posted, did they hatch or not?


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## xclusive

Abdulbaki said:


> keep us posted, did they hatch or not?


Not yet!  I'm going to check the remaining two eggs tonight. If I put an egg close to my ear, should I hear any noise or movement if they're alive inside?


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## Abdulbaki

xclusive said:


> Not yet!  I'm going to check the remaining two eggs tonight. If I put an egg close to my ear, should I hear any noise or movement if they're alive inside?


YES, YOU SHOULD HEAR A SLIGHT CLICKING


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## xclusive

Good news! I have two pigeon babies.  These are my first. I'm very excited. Thanks for all your help guys!


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## Abdulbaki

CONGRATZ I'm so happy for you, all the best for the little guys


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## xclusive

I think they were hatched today!

A quick question - I have been planning to move the box where the newborns are at the moment. Not too far, from one corner to the other within the same loft - say about 8 foot away from where it is at the moment. Should I do that now or wait for a couple of weeks? Not sure if the parent pigeons will get confused or not.


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## Abdulbaki

as long as they can see their nest (and babies) there is no problem in moving it, But I highly recommend to delay it couple of weeks, Also why do you want to move their box?


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## xclusive

Abdulbaki said:


> as long as they can see their nest (and babies) there is no problem in moving it, But I highly recommend to delay it couple of weeks, Also why do you want to move their box?


In that case I won't take any chances. I'll wait for couple of more weeks. Are they able to feed themselves in two weeks?

I built new sets of boxes and moved all my pigeons to those. These pair were left because of their eggs. I'll get rid of this old box after I move this pair.


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## Jass SamOplay

Aww,congrats. New additions to your pigeon family. 
I won't advise you to move the nest. Wait till the squabs wean. Don't take chances. Its already cold there where you live.
They will wean somewhere between 25 to 40 days depending on their development and growth.


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## xclusive

brocky bieber said:


> Aww,congrats. New additions to your pigeon family.
> I won't advise you to move the nest. Wait till the squabs wean. Don't take chances. Its already cold there where you live.
> They will wean somewhere between 25 to 40 days depending on their development and growth.


Yes, thank you! 

So I guess, I am going to have to wait for at least 3 more weeks. Hmmm...the only concern is, by then I may have another pair or two squabs in one of the cages which I planned to move to where the old cage is. Anyway, I'll see how I go. Do you think if I move it in two weeks time and make sure the pigeons go back into house (manually put them there) to feed the babies, they'll get used to the new location?


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## Jass SamOplay

Usually after three weeks(in case of prolific pairs especially) the hens almost stop feeding the young to encourage them to self feed,also hens start to mate again. Its the cock birds that feed the young mainly. (Some of my cocks which are fathers of young will feed not only theirs but any squab(of similar color) that comes their way. Some young get fed twice some don't even get feed) but in your case it won't happen because currently you have a single pair breeding. So fair chances are that your cock bird will feed the young if the nest is moved after 3 weeks.
Some people claim to move the nests successfully but its a 50-50 chance. They can abandon or accept. Well pigeons squabs double in 48 hours and then double again in next 5-7 days(if they are disease free). So they grow fast so I would suggest you to wait for three weeks.


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## Abdulbaki

I bought a pair of pigeons with their 2 weeks old Squabs and they fed them very well, Thankfully pigeons in General are good parents


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## xclusive

Abdulbaki said:


> I bought a pair of pigeons with their 2 weeks old Squabs and they fed them very well, Thankfully pigeons in General are good parents


I recently did the same. Bought a pair of Danzig with 2 x 10 days old squabs. Put them in a confined area. They didn't feed the babies for about 24 hours so I did hand feeding for half a day. But then after about 24 hours they started feeding babies. The small cage worked because the babies would just run behind the parents and won't give up until they were fed.


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## Tata

Jass SamOplay said:


> Did you find three eggs in one nest??? Are you sure your pair are of opposite sex???
> Tiny crack in the other egg could be sign that there squab in it trying to come out. Did you bring that egg close to your ear? Did you hear anything from inside?


Hello, I also have similar problem. This is the 3rd time my Pouter Pigeon is laying and not hatcing. They sat on the eggs for good 3 weeks but failed to hatch. I saw 3 eggs during the 3rd event. Need advice pls.


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