# We have a cuckoo pigeon



## Fever (May 28, 2007)

Has anyone ever heard of pigeons taking on another pigeon's baby? I'm trying to figure out if that's happening with the pair of blue bars I've been watching.

I noticed about a week ago that they had one large, older-looking squab with a coat of black feathers, and a tiny yellow-feathered chick. I thought maybe the eggs had hatched at different times, or the yellow one was a weaker bird that might not live.

I guess I'm totally wrong about something, because I looked out today and neither parent was on the nest. There are two small yellow chicks, and one very big baby who looks about ready to start walking. How could this be? This nest of pigeons is on the ground, and there could be nests in the rafters overhead. Is it possible that a baby fell from above and got adopted by the floor pigeons? 

All the babies look healthy so far, except that the yellow ones seem to be taking longer to mature (I thought they usually lost the yellow coat faster than this). I guess I'll know for sure if he ends up being a colour other than blue bar.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Pigeons often will start another round of eggs whilst the offspring from the previous round have yet to be fully fledged, sometimes in an alternative nest but often in the same one. My first pair of balcony pigeons did this, but the hen would usually chase the older kids away from the nest once new ones were in progress. Guess these may be more tolerant and getting a helping 'hand' from the older one, maybe?

John


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

When we had several babies in our aviary, they tended to wander around as they get older. Babies seem to like to get together and we were forever moving babies back to their individual nests. Often, no sooner would we put one back than they would tumble out of the nest and waddle back to the other babies. These nests were on the ground. 

I guess it is possible one may have fallen from the rafters.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Lady Tarheel said:


> When we had several babies in our aviary, they tended to wander around as they get older. Babies seem to like to get together and we were forever moving babies back to their individual nests. Often, no sooner would we put one back than *they would tumble out of the nest and waddle back to the other babies. * These nests were on the ground.
> 
> I guess it is possible one may have fallen from the rafters.



That is soooo funny, Maggie!! Do you think they were playing the pigeon equivalent of "Musical Nests?!" 

Of course, then again, the "food" source might have looked "greener" in another nest! 

OR, I LIKE YOUR PARENTS better than mine!!

OR, HEY! I wanna play with THEM!

   

Shi (still ROFL!)


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Shi, it was really cute. Course, these were the "chb's" so that may explain it! Seriously though, babies do this. My rehabber friend used to let her pigeons raise all the babies they wanted to and we could go over there to take care of them and all the babies were piled up in a corner. Sometimes, there were 8-10. 

With ours, when they started doing this, that's when any of the adults would feed them - didn't matter if it was a baby they had fostered or not.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Lady Tarheel said:


> Shi, it was really cute. Course, these were the "chb's" so that may explain it! Seriously though, babies do this. My rehabber friend used to let her pigeons raise all the babies they wanted to and we could go over there to take care of them and all the babies were piled up in a corner. Sometimes, there were 8-10.
> 
> With ours, when they started doing this, that's when any of the adults would feed them - didn't matter if it was a baby they had fostered or not.


Yep, those CHB's would be likely to do that, being around the same age. I can see them charging to be the FIRST one in line at the food source! 

AND, I can just picture them all piled together: the ones on the bottom getting the warmth, but then saying, "OOF, get OFF me, you big OAF!"  

Oh dear, I MUST need a laugh...your descriptions are really funny!

Many thanks...love, hugs, scritches to you, Lewis and feathered ones!

Shi

mmmm, maybe our pigeons aren't the only ones who are "cuckoo." AND, if any member decides to make a funny comment to me personally, Scorpio Power _will_ have revenge...


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## Fever (May 28, 2007)

Lady Tarheel said:


> My rehabber friend used to let her pigeons raise all the babies they wanted to and we could go over there to take care of them and all the babies were piled up in a corner. Sometimes, there were 8-10.
> 
> With ours, when they started doing this, that's when any of the adults would feed them - didn't matter if it was a baby they had fostered or not.



That's so awesomely cute! I can just imagine what the baby pigeon-pile must have looked like, especially with all those adults trying to feed them. 

I don't even know if my nest-hopper is old enough to walk yet, but maybe that's just because he's so cozy in his new home, he doesn't feel like moving anymore.


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