# Another egg so soon?



## Annarose (Jul 8, 2009)

My lovlies have a baby that hatched a little over two weeks ago that they are still attentive to, but they are dancing together again and the mommie is sitting in the food bowl again that she used as a nest for her eggs. I shooed her out twice today and once yesterday, there are not any eggs in there as of noon today but she is back in the bowl. Should I just use another bowl for food again and see what happens or keep bugging her, or maybe she's not laying again? I'm feeling ignorant right now, what is normal and what should I do?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Yep...they make a new nest when the babies are about 7-10 days old. Shocking...but true!


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## Annarose (Jul 8, 2009)

WOW! But the food bowl is so small! I moved the last eggs just before they hatched for more room to grow, and we used a cereal bowl for their food. I guess that if she keeps choosing the little bowl than let her? At least untill almost hatching time. Will she actually lay another one so soon? I do love to watch them take care of the baby! He is cooing now and fluttering his wings! You can actually see what he will look like and he is just so adorable!!! I so wish that I could find my camera again!!!


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Yes...she will lay soon. You know...you don't just have to let the eggs hatch. You could be overwhelmed very soon with Pigeons if you do. Many of us buy wooden eggs and replace them with the real ones. I know the babies are adorable but ...
there are soooo many Pigeon that desperately need homes, you may think about it.


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2009)

yes wooden eggs are a godsend  you could overfill many a lofts with the overflow of unwanted pigeons out there just looking for homes


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## TrevorsCoop (Jul 14, 2009)

My grandpa's pigeons, each pair would always take 2 nest boxes right next to eachother. and when they first nestingbox had hatched babies, and after about 2 weeks, they would start in the other box and lay the next batch. it was cool to watch them go back and forth. such devoted parents!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If the bowl is too small, then why not put in a nest bowl for her. They have many different sized dog food bowls that make great nest bowls. Get the kind that they can't tip over. But I wouldn't let them keep breeding, unless you want an awful lot of birds. If you just take the eggs away, she'll lay again right away. She'll keep doing this, and it isn't good for her. So we replace the real eggs with fake wooden eggs. The birds will think they are real, and sit on them for a few weeks. Eventually, they'll tire of it, and start a new nest, but at least she won't lay for the few weeks that she is on the wooden eggs. Let them go through the whole cycle until they stop sitting on the eggs and start mating again. Then you can take the fake eggs back, and use them again. How many birds do you have?


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## Annarose (Jul 8, 2009)

WOW! Almost mind boggleing! But yes I did let them borrow my dog's water bowl, 2 QT sized, that's where I moved the eggs to right before Indie hatched, but I have not gotten another one as I thought they would lay only once a year. I do thank you for all your advice, I am thinking I may turn my porch into a flight area but that leads me to a new question... I live in Eastern Washington and is it safe to have them outside in the winters? I would bring them in in the early evening, we would miss them if not, we "visit" them in the morning and evening. They are in the family room, but we make sure to talk and pet and coo at them specifically so they don't feel left out. The little one watches us and even bobs his head and shakes his wings at us now that we've started to talk to him and the parents let me hold him two days ago too so now he asks for it! I notice that is also how he asks for food, but when we go to talk to him he "rubs" his head on our hands but not looking up and pecking at like he does to his mom and dad. Sorry to ramble on but this fasinates us and we've never seen anything so beautiful!!!!


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

You can't move the nest if they are laying and it's really important for the couple to complete the incubation cycle of the eggs, even if they are incubating pretend eggs. Laying over and over depletes the hen's body of calcium and so the incubation process gives them a bit of a rest.
It can get pretty cold in E. WA and moving them back and forth between temperatures could be hard on them. Having time in the porch for fresh air and sunshine, for little bits would be alright when it is above freezing.


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## Annarose (Jul 8, 2009)

Thank you Charis! and yes they laid another egg, in the new food bowl! over fresh food! I have an antique type bowl and picture set, one like they used for washing, and I put the bowl in with nesting stuff, they made it into a nest and put the baby in there, so I am just going to leave the egg where it is and have put in a new food bowl. I got a new cage for the baby when it gets older until he is adopted by a good friend of mine. I will post pictures here tomorrow if you would like, I did find my camera. He looks like his mother and heavenly! I would love it if you would be like a mentor to me? Not trying to ask too much, you really are cool and your posts have made me feel so much better and I am learning a lot! I am now looking for that bird first aid kit that has been mentioned here, but my vet thinks they are doing grerat and looking beautiful too! He really loves all animals and except for my dog trying to eat him he loves when he is called to come over!


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## Annarose (Jul 8, 2009)

The first one was just soo cute, but in the second one a few days latterwas when I read a post about a dove that loved toilet paper, so I tried it, he burried himself and went to sleep but that was about the end of his liking of it. He does like the pine needles I brought in though and so do the parents, new pictures tomorrow, i just wanted to get these here and to clear the camera memory for new ones!


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