# Pigeons mating but fighting like crazy



## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

hi everyone 
hope everybody is doin fine with their pigeons..one of my pairs is fighting these days like crazy...but they r also mating..what might be the reason behind these ?? i cant figure out ?? does anybody why they r fighting ????


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

Sounds to me like the cock is trying to drive the hen, and the hen doesn't want any part of it, sometimes this happens.


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## Pip Logan (Oct 6, 2009)

Maybe they are trying to spice things up?


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## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

drive the hen ??? what do u mean ?? they r fighting like crazy...the hen is pretty strong and actually the hen dominates the fight...the cock is old and gentle...but why would they fight ?? i am soo confused..


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

When do they fight? Sometimes one bird finds it a problem to get the other off the nest when he/she figures it's his/her turn, and they get pretty pushy about it I've noticed.

John


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Nazmul said:


> hi everyone
> hope everybody is doin fine with their pigeons..one of my pairs is fighting these days like crazy...but they r also mating..what might be the reason behind these ?? i cant figure out ?? does anybody why they r fighting ????


How old is the hen, has she ever layed an egg?

If not, she might be a male.


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## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

John D : Theres no fixed time for their fighting and they r not nesting now..
Trees Gray : She is not a male..she is mating with the other male..
This is a weird situation here..


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Nazmul said:


> John D : Theres no fixed time for their fighting and they r not nesting now..
> Trees Gray : She is not a male..she is mating with the other male..
> This is a weird situation here..


That is weird....but has she EVER layed an egg? How old is she?


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## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

she is middle aged and i think she has layed eggs before... :S


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

sounds like she is fickle, women! sheeesh!....lol...


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## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

lol....God knows what she is .....haven't any of u faced such problems b4 ???


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Nazmul said:


> lol....God knows what she is .....haven't any of u faced such problems b4 ???


no, it seems to be the other way around with the male being a pain in the neck.... you may try to pair her with someone she likes perhaps..lol..


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## norwich (Jul 29, 2009)

I have had this problem with my pairs before. Try seperating them for a day then putting them back together. It has helped me in the past. Sometimes it takes a few trys but it works for me.


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## Matt Bell (May 5, 2010)

Come to think of it...I did have a hen once that would literally beat the crap out of all the cock birds I tried to pair her up with...I eventually just put her in the pen with all the cocks and let her pick, once she did I paired up the rest with who I wanted, she and that one particular cock went on to be my best pair of breeders, breeding several 500 and 600 mile day birds for me. Might try just letting her pick. On a side note, the cock she picked I hated, he was HUGE, looked like a turkey, lol, but that pairing worked out for me and founded my loft.


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## Guest (Jun 10, 2010)

its sounds like your pairs arent very happy there , maybe you should maybe find a new mate for that pairing ?


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

Constant every day fights between mated pairs are not common (they do have occassional arguments, may be on washing the dishes and not using the carpet on the floor while entering home  ) 

1) Do you have other pairs along with these two ? Does the hen mate with other cocks ?
2) Did you buy them as mated pair or they decided to mate up once at your loft ?
3) Have they yet chosen a nesting site or nest box ?

Either, as already mentioned, they are not pretty happy but since they are mating it might work out or "she" is actually a "he" who might be self realizing the same 

If they dont have a nesting site chosen yet, then may be the hen is at the time period of laying eggs, the cock will drive the hen and in the absence of a selected nesting place, this can lead to constant plucking and wing slappings in the extreme when the hen starts to resist.


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## velo99 (Apr 8, 2007)

Put them in individual breeder pens right next to each other. Make sure they can see each other. After three or four days the hen should be a bit more responsive to the cockbird.


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## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

sreeshs :- right now i only have that pair and no other, they were not mated b4 and started mating in my place..i have put a bowl in the loft and the male has gathered straws in there...so it seems the male has found a nesting place ... to the rest :- thank you so much i will try out and let u know


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## atti (Nov 8, 2009)

Sreeshs- I wonder if that's what going on with my pair- the driving to the nest.
They bonded after Rocky (male) lost his mate Reva. Now he's with Leo (female). They live inside and laid two eggs. Sadly the first chick died in two days, the second one died at 3 days.
I see Leo trying to bill with Rocky and he's only half interested. Mostly he attacks her and relaxes only when she's in a cat bed. (nest)
Poor Leo gets frightened when he gets aggressive. I'm not trying to breed them, just have someone who wants their babies. (this woman found Leo on the road, shot with a pellet gun, Thanksgiving day.)
On the other hand I would like them to have one hatch for their sakes. They were both dedicated to brooding the first nest, and I saw Leo, at least, feeding them.
Just don't know why Rocky is so much meaner to her this time around.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

atti said:


> Sreeshs- I wonder if that's what going on with my pair- the driving to the nest.
> They bonded after Rocky (male) lost his mate Reva. Now he's with Leo (female). They live inside and laid two eggs. Sadly the first chick died in two days, the second one died at 3 days.
> I see Leo trying to bill with Rocky and he's only half interested. Mostly he attacks her and relaxes only when she's in a cat bed. (nest)
> Poor Leo gets frightened when he gets aggressive. I'm not trying to breed them, just have someone who wants their babies. (this woman found Leo on the road, shot with a pellet gun, Thanksgiving day.)
> ...


Maybe they're sick, if the both babies died at a few days old. Or they were not feeding them.


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## atti (Nov 8, 2009)

Thanks Jay3. Both parents appear healthy. I realize they may be carrying something that the babies can't fight off. I really can't afford an avian vet visit again.

I did see Leo feed the second baby. Never saw Rocky feed them. It was definitely his first hatch. Leo was an adult feral when I got her, so I don't know her background.
I only got glimpses of the first chick. When he died I started examining the second one more closely. He peeped, took food, but also lay with his head down. Being my first hatch I wasn't sure, but it looked like he was weak.
I believe they molted before egg laying, maybe that was it.

But I'm still wondering why Rocky is being so hard on her this time. It's difficult for me to protect Leo because she's so frightened of humans. (well, one shot her, after all.)


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You know, you can often times get the poop checked without bringing the bird in to the vet. Much cheaper that way, just to let you know. No point in breeding them if the babies are going to be sick. 

Hard to know what you mean without seeing the behavior between the two birds. Is he pushing her to be on the nest? That is normal behavior, and some cocks have more of an attitude than others. Does he take his turn on the eggs and babies when they have them? I mean, if he is actually hurting her, then I would separate them. Sometimes if you remove him for a while, like a couple of days, he might be nicer. I had a male that wouldn't let his mate out of the box at all. I would lock him in the box and take her out for a couple of hours each day. He was young, and has gotten some better since then, but when he reverts, that's what I do with him.


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## atti (Nov 8, 2009)

Jay3- he did take his turn on the nest, initially briefly but by the third day he put in at least 6 hours. He is young, not yet a year old.

All I know is this time he's attacking her (he's aggressive in general to me and the cats) and before he wasn't. She does the fear cry and tries to run from him.
They don't currently have eggs and like I said she's trying to bill with him and he's half-hearted about it.

I know this may sound too anthropomorphic but I can't help but wonder. Leo was carrying a torch for him and I'm happy she finally has some bird company. But Rocky really loved Reva. Is Leo just an available female to him?

Edited to add- he attacked Leo when he was with Reva, viciously. That's how Leo got her name- I thought Rocky would only do that if Leo was another male.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Interesting. You know, you could be right. Poor Leo could just be the available female. How long ago did he lose his mate? I would separate them for a few days, maybe a week, and see if absence makes the heart grow fonder. Sometimes it does. If not, then I wouldn't keep them together.


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## atti (Nov 8, 2009)

He lost Reva in April. Separating them is something I'll keep in mind, but would be difficult. They both spent most of their time in the house. I put them in the coop for 3 days last week and when I let them free to fly/walk, they made a beeline for the back door. They wanted back in the house. 
I'm resigned to cleaning poop off the carpets and floors daily, made harder by the fact that Rocky is angered by my cleaning poops. I told him to either stop pooping or let me pick them up. He's not budging.
I'll just see how it goes with those two. At least when they are in the nest /bed together they seem to get along.

I also have Jada, who may be a boy. On the other hand Rocky sometimes attacks her, other times just hangs out with her. Poor Leo.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They wanted back in the house, because that is what they know. To them, it's home. If they were outside more, they would get used to it. Good luck with them. Hope he gets gentler with time.


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## atti (Nov 8, 2009)

Yes, and then there's last fall when Rocky went missing because he flew into someone else's house, injured his wing and was found sitting in the guy's chair. This neighbor brought him to the vet where I eventually found him.

And all the times he goes after my cats.

And last month when I let all three birds out, with me watching. All good for an hour or so and then chaos. I thought hawk and luckily I was wrong because it happened so quickly there would be no way I could have saved him. But after I grabbed Jada (sitting in the yard with no clue) and saw Leo in the kitchen (she must have run faster than a roadrunner), I found Rocky hiding behind a chair on the patio. After piecing everything together I realized what I witnessed was Rocky attacking a Jay bird and then an entire flock of them going after him in retribution.

Rocky had better calm down with age. Otherwise he'll either die, or be the death of me.


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## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

i tried seperating them but i dont know why the hen has turned out to be soo aggresive towards the cock...the hen plucks and wing slaps the hell out of the cock...poor cock still calls the hen and wants to mate..


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## atti (Nov 8, 2009)

I just saw Leo, the gal, mount and simulate mating with big, bad Rocky. There is no doubt about the genders here.
I can't figure out these amazing, confounding birds!

Well hopefully Leo "set him straight" so to speak. I guess we women sometimes have to make our point somehow.
Unless she's just trying to give him the right idea. In which case this may be a lost cause. Because he does know how to do it...


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Nazmul said:


> i tried seperating them but i dont know why the hen has turned out to be soo aggresive towards the cock...the hen plucks and wing slaps the hell out of the cock...poor cock still calls the hen and wants to mate..


I had a male trying to pair up with a hen, and she did mate with him, but then she started getting aggressive with him. Wing slapping and pecking him. I had another little hen who was interested in him and chased after him. She eventually won him over. I think the other hen played too hard to get.

Are there other hens there that he could pick from?


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## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

no i dont have other hens....this pair has been mating for the last one month but still theres no sign of eggs rather the hen suddenly got aggressive and starting fighting with the cock...


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Nazmul said:


> no i dont have other hens....this pair has been mating for the last one month but still theres no sign of eggs rather the hen suddenly got aggressive and starting fighting with the cock...


Maybe she just doesn't like him.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Jay3 said:


> Maybe she just doesn't like him.


sometimes it comes down to as simple as that..... just common sense..lol..


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

Nazmul said:


> no i dont have other hens....this pair has been mating for the last one month but still theres no sign of eggs rather the hen suddenly got aggressive and starting fighting with the cock...


Bring another hen and a cock, may be from one of your friends, for a couple of hours, better if they are not a mated pair

Lock up all brids and release your existing hen and the new hen, if your hen starts billing and cooing, she is _most probably _ a "he"

Release your hen and the new cock together, if the cock starts billing and cooing and shows interest in the hen, then _most probably _she is still a "she" 

To confirm you can release all four together and observe the subsequent behavior


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## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

lol jay3 i also think the same..she doesnt like him..
sreeshs :- ya im planin to do that..because that might be a possible case and bringing up another hen and cock would confirm the gender of the now hen..


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Maybe another hen would just love him, but he just doesn't sound like her cup of tea. LOL.


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