# How often do they lay eggs?



## SouthOz

Someone please tell me how often do doves lay eggs. Is it a regular thing all year round, or only during certain seasons...e.g. Spring.


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## ddpowell

With kept pigeons, it is an all year long thing. I posted on another post, the importance of using wooden eggs if you are not going to let them hatch. Otherwise, as soon as you toss the eggs, they will mate again and in 10 days, you've got another set of eggs. Instead of one month later, if they sit on wooden eggs for three weeks.

Concern: You can "pump" too many eggs out of a bird and she can become eggbound and that is not always easy to find in a bird when you have many and it's a medical emergency and they can die. It is recommended that you separate your females from males at least once a year for about 2-3 months, to give the hen a break on her body.


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## SouthOz

Thank you for replying. Now I understand things better.
I had better get some dummy eggs so my hen doesnt keep laying and laying.
Problem is I havent been able to find any yet.
I have heard you can get them online, but how long would this take for them to get here. I'm in South Australia.
Are wooden eggs the best type, have heard of porcelain eggs. Are the wooden eggs painted? Only my husband is a cabinetmaker.....can they be hand made somehow? 

I only have two white fantail doves, so I probably won't keep them apart for 3months as you suggested.


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## ddpowell

I have heard of people making them, yes. And that way, you can make them the right size. And yes, you can use porcelein too. The main thing is to get close to the same size. If you make them from wood, just make sure it's really smooth. The ones I buy, (from Foy's Pigeon Supply), are painted with smooth coating. You don't want anything that will splinter them. 

For a pair of doves, then I agree, they should not be separated. Just use the fake eggs. Good luck!


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## Whitefeather

Hello SouthOz,
You might also check your local craft shop for wooden eggs such as Michaels, Craftsmart, etc.
Cindy


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## SouthOz

Making perfectly smooth eggs with the right enamel paint may be a little difficult.
I have looked up Foys.....but they don't seem to cater for overseas customers........only USA. Thats cuts them out. 
Still looking......


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## ddpowell

Chk with global Pigeon supplies or JEDD's in California. I would think they'd ship anywhere. http://www.jedds.com/CatalogQuickShop.asp http://www.globalpigeon.com/main.html 

Hey found a cool site everyone would enjoy from Australia! Cool music...you can email them and ask them where they buy their pigeon supplies. http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nicky1/ 



[This message has been edited by ddpowell (edited May 23, 2003).]


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## SouthOz

That is a cool Aussie site. Ive already been there. Heres an even better one: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~scisl/ It takes a while to load, but worth the wait.

I checked out Jedds. Looks OK. You have to register first though.
Ive also been to the SA Homing Pigeon site and emailed the secretary about getting dummy eggs. With any luck she may know of somewhere close to buy some........maybe.

Thanks for replying.


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## Guest

Here's a site where you can order dove sized eggs...and they deliver to Australia.
http://www.dovepage.com/supplies.html 

[This message has been edited by dpowell (edited May 23, 2003).]


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## SouthOz

Thanks for the link.........these are dummy eggs for ring neck doves.........would they be the right size for white fantail doves. They are not painted........what type of paint do I use?
My two doves are now building a nest so I don't think I have much time left to get some.
Have not heard back from SAHoming Pigeon.


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## TAWhatley

If you are trying to limit the number of offspring but also not compromise your pair by constant laying and setting, just wait until the second egg is laid and remove both eggs. Hard boil the eggs, let them cool, and put them back in the nest. This should give you some time to obtain fake eggs should you still want to. The birds will sit on the hard boiled eggs for the normal incubation time and then start over.

Terry Whatley


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## justcockatiels

You can check and see if a local hobby/craft shop has some modeling compound that you can bake in the Oven. In the Us 2 products that come to mind are : Fimo or Sculpty. They are a plastic clay-like coumpound that you can model and shape to the exact size that you need. Then you bake them in the oven at a low temperature (temps, and times are on the instructions). The Fimo or Sculpty is available in all colors. The fake egg weight is not that much different than a real egg.

Susanne


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## maryco

That's a really good idea!




> Originally posted by justcockatiels:
> *You can check and see if a local hobby/craft shop has some modeling compound that you can bake in the Oven. In the Us 2 products that come to mind are : Fimo or Sculpty. They are a plastic clay-like coumpound that you can model and shape to the exact size that you need. Then you bake them in the oven at a low temperature (temps, and times are on the instructions). The Fimo or Sculpty is available in all colors. The fake egg weight is not that much different than a real egg.
> 
> Susanne*


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## SouthOz

I made my own fake eggs using some of my husbands oak timber. Took some time. Theyre not perfect but pretty good. Painted them white. Our hen is happily sitting on them. Hooray!
Gave up looking to buy some locally.


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