# Pigeon Crisis



## MrDrummond (Jul 10, 2013)

Hi,

A family of pigeons has begun a nest in the sill of the one window in my apartment that accommodates an air conditioner. They began to raise a chick about six weeks ago, and being an animal lover, I decided to forego air conditioning (and sleep) in order to let the baby mature. It looks ready to take flight any day now, and I was thrilled until I saw that mommy pigeon has LAID ANOTHER EGG.

I'm dying. It's the middle of summer and we're having a horrible heat wave. I am losing enough sleep that it's affecting my work.

Questions:

1. Is there any hope that relocating the egg to the next window sill WON'T result in its being abandoned?

2. I hate to ask, how can I tell if the egg is immature enough to "abort" it?

Option 2 might be a moot point, because I still don't want to evict the fledgling until it's ready, and by that time the egg might have hatched!

Help!!!


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

OK, so 6 weeks have passed since the first hatching. Has that youngster fledged yet (this means he has taken off and follows his parents around). Or is she/he still near the nest area all or most of the time ? If not, within the next week or so he likely will.

It is perfectly OK to abort....remove the egg. They lay 2 at a time, 2-3 days apart, so another one is coming. You can either wait until both are there, then remove both simultaneously...or take one now, then the other later. They hatch at 18 days from laying, so my rule of thumb is, perfectly fine to remove 'em up to around 14-15 days or so...I would imagine that the fledgling would certainly be flying by then.

The Mom and Dad will not be happy, but this happens quite often, loss of an egg or two due to either people, predators, or a bad nest area where the egg rolls out.

Yes, if you like, then, move the nest (get a piece of cardboard and some work gloves and scoop the nest onto it) someplace else relatively secure and not incredibly visible, within say 6 feet of the original location, and block off the old location with some wire mesh or chicken wire. Then cool off.

IF the baby is not fledged yet, you can still take the egg, but do not remove the nest yet. As you said...you do not wanna force the young one to take off before he/she is ready to do so.

Thanks for your patience, and for caring. I hope you have found the whole affair interesting to be a part of !


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## MrDrummond (Jul 10, 2013)

Hi, Jaye. Thanks for your response!

The youngster is in the nest every time I look, which is every day once in the morning and once before sundown. So I can't say for sure whether it has ever flown, but it's not fully fledged. It's big and looks almost ready.

I think the egg is no more than six days old. Is there a formed chick inside at this point? I'll look out for a second egg.

I do care about the little ones and really don't want to do any harm. I wish I could accommodate them more!


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## MrDrummond (Jul 10, 2013)

Also, Jaye, will "candling" reveal anything in a six day-old egg?


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Hi. If the youngster hangs in the nest then you are correct, he has not fledged yet.

You will likely notice that he/she will begin to walk around more as the days go by and may even begin taking small flight-hops here and there, with the nest still within reach and view. If you are right on your timeframe as to when the youngster hatched...6-7 weeks is usually about when a youngster will fledge...it depends upon the individual.

 I don't wanna get into a sociomoralpolitical discussion on the eggs. The fact is, they hatch at 18 days.....and only 50% of young Ferals ever make it to adulthood out there. So, IMHO, an egg not hatched is not a Pigeon.

I would probably not grab an egg if it were 17 days old...but really, before 14....it's fine.

So that is your choice. Nobody here will particularly frown upon someone removing nest eggs prior to hatching. Oftentimes it is a better decision than allowing them to hatch when the nest is in a location which is undesirable. Matter of fact, most people who allow Pigeons to nest where they live usually will remove eggs in order to keep things from getting out of hand, as far as population, neighbors, and mess/clean-up goes.

You are doing a lot for the Pigeon Family by watching over their fledgling and allowing him/her a nice safe spot to grow and fledge. Sadly...in this world very few people would feel such kinship to, or even simple patience for, Pigeons. 

So, thank you for your kindness.....


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Actually, at 14 or 15 days, it is developed and almost ready to hatch. There are many here who would not agree to do that.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

And if someone wouldn't particularly frown on removing eggs at that age, then they don't mind killing an almost hatched baby.


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## Miss-Sassypants (Sep 25, 2010)

Mr Drummond, thank you so much for caring about this little pigeon family.. Bless you!

Please remove the 6 day old eggs... or you'll never have your aircon back lol.

Truly, you are so kind to sacrifice your comfort for the sake of the pigeon's well-being. Pigeons are beautiful creatures and I'm so happy they are respected by a respectable person!

Do update us on the egg removal and the development of your little flegdeling!


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## MrDrummond (Jul 10, 2013)

Miss-Sassypants said:


> Do update us on the egg removal and the development of your little flegdeling!


Thank you everyone for your help and kind words.

The fledgling made it! He or she (I can't tell by sight -- is that possible?) became a very healthy-looking young adult and, after lingering in the nest for what seemed like a little while too long (hey, why leave behind a good thing?), he or she fully fledged!

Mom and dad are hanging around. Instead of moping, they have taken to incubating TWO new eggs. The eggs have been around for a while; I wonder if they'll make it or are duds.

I've got an HVAC Rube Goldberg machine setup now, with a fan redirecting cool air from the kitchen, so the pigeons can stay as long as they need. I didn't smash any eggs, because frankly I don't even have the heart to do that! If I find an opening, however, I'll nicely drive the family from the nest and prevent them from setting up shop there again.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Jay3 said:


> And if someone wouldn't particularly frown on removing eggs at that age, then they don't mind killing an almost hatched baby.


I guess someone missed my allusion to not allowing this thread to take off into a sociopolitical-moral commentary.

Perhaps someone should refrain from posting their own personal morality as if it is an undeniable rule of some sort.....

Almost-hatched, almost-fully developed is NOT the same thing as alive or viable. There is a huge difference between killing a hatchling and taking away a 14-day old egg. There is a vast separation between the two.

Perhaps one should consider the particulars of a situation and consider whether allowing the eggs to hatch would actually create more of a problem than taking the eggs away.

Just a thought.....


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

MrDrummond said:


> Thank you everyone for your help and kind words.
> 
> The fledgling made it! He or she (I can't tell by sight -- is that possible?) became a very healthy-looking young adult and, after lingering in the nest for what seemed like a little while too long (hey, why leave behind a good thing?), he or she fully fledged!
> 
> ...


Nice update, thank you. Here is the thing though (and this is why people were suggesting you remove the eggs ('smash' is not an action anyone very uttered here, BTW).

You say "if I find an opening". You are learning that Pigeons are prolific breeders. They lay, eggs hatch and they have already laid another clutch. This will repeat in a loop.

My point being...YOU have to be the guy to stop that loop. The Parents have found a sweet nesting place, almost too good to be true. They will continue breeding as long as they deem that place to be secure.

You have done well with your patience and it's cool you got to experience, firsthand, the entire process. Welcome to the world of Feral Pigeons !

But at some point, you will either need to disturb the nesting area and seal it off, or in the very least start some population control and remove some eggs.

Best of luck to you.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Jaye said:


> I guess someone missed my allusion to not allowing this thread to take off into a sociopolitical-moral commentary.
> 
> I don't think so, but also didn't understand that you make the rules.
> 
> ...


You have your opinion..............and I have mine.


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## Shweta (Mar 13, 2014)

Hi I need urgent help. I found this pigeon 3 days back on my terrace entangled in manja(kite-strings coated in glass dust) and covered in blood as the kite strings are pretty harsh. On seeing me he did not fly but hid himself in the loft. I picked him up and safely placed him in a box. I applied turmeric as it's a natural antibiotic and also edible lime. We don't have any bird rescue homes here and i don't know what to do next. I did let him go outside the box to see if he could fly but he didn't do it very well so i again put him in the box. I m feeding him millet seeds(20-25g approx) and he's eating well.. I read it online that it's a bad idea to place birds under the sun. Now i've got a cage and put him in that so that their is no fear of him being attacked by a cat or a dog. But he's not very happy with that and desperately trying to get out of it,i did let him fly but he did not attain much height. IT'S saddening,if i leave him most probably he'll be eaten by some cat and if i put him in the cage it will be cruel in my part as of now he's inside the cage and sleeping peacefully. Please help me reagarding this. It would be a GREAT help.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Keeping him inside a cage is the best thing for him right now. Don't worry about his happiness. It would be more cruel to let him out when he isn't ready. If he is a feral bird, then of course he isn't happy being caged, but needs that right now for his own good. Please don't let him out side, as he may fly to a place out of reach where you can't get him, and he isn't yet ready to be on his own. He should be kept inside where it is warm, and kept out of reach of any animals. You don't want to put him directly in the sun, as he can overheat, with no way to get out of the sun. Did you get all the string out? Do you have some sort of antibiotic cream you can apply? Can you post a picture of him? If he isn't flying then he could be sick or more injured then you thought. Unless he is just too young yet, so a picture would help. The cage should be large enough for him to be able to flap his wings without hitting the cage. Do you have other seed for birds that you can add to the millet? Is he drinking alright on his own? He needs to have a small container of water left with him, and make sure he is drinking.

Also, you need to start your own thread so that others will see it and be able to respond. I'll send you a PM on how to do that.


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## Shweta (Mar 13, 2014)

hey thanx..i did not let him outside the cage. but their is this another pigeon which would come and sit on top of the cage and start cooing. and then it becomes even more difficult as the one inside the cage tries even more desperately to be out of it worsening thing for him/herself by hitting the cage again and again and he keeps spilling water every 10 mins in an attempt to be out and doesnt let my hand enters the cage. he is really pissed!!As i have mentioned earlier that the pigeon did fly but not attained much height and came back to the ground, and when i went to pick it up it did not fly again but got nervous and started moving quite fast. Yes he's drinking water and i will post the picture tmrw as it's almost 10 here and he's sleeping. I am really worried for him and sad aswell. also,how to start my own thread? 1 thing more it's 20 degrees almost. should i cover the cage with a blanket. right now i've put warm piece of cloth inside and covered it with towel.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

He could be sick and need meds. How is he acting? Is he sitting puffed up? Staying in one spot all the time? What do his droppings look like? Look way down his throat with a flashlight and see if you see anything, like cheesy looking lumps or anything. He may need to be treated. 

As far as that other pigeon coming to the cage, that is probably his/her mate. That's too bad. So you want to find out if he is sick or injured and try to get him better so that he can be with his mate again.
Pictures please?


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