# What to do with Unfertilized Eggs



## WilliamH4 (Apr 9, 2012)

Good day, all. Well, our pigeon named Mo is now named Molene. For whatever reason, we thought Molene was a male. She laid a couple of eggs over the weekend. Goes to show how much more I need to learn about pigeons. I didn't realize a female could lay eggs without a male. Obviously they can, they're just not fertilized. I quickly looked up what to do with the eggs, but wanted to be sure you all agree. I read the eggs can be removed if done so immediately, otherwise we should let her sit on them for 18 days (unless one cracks, then replace it with a fake egg). We decided to let her sit on them. She's being so good taking care of them, we don't want to deny her the opportunity to care for them. Assuming this is advisable, when the 18 days are up, is there a tactful way to go about removing the eggs? I mean, do we just distract her and take them? Also, she makes very few appearances outside the enclosed portion of the loft. She stays on the eggs most of the day coming out only occasionally, and briefly. Wanted to be sure that's normal.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Leave the eggs so that she can sit on them. If removed, she will just lay again, which wouldn't be good for her. Wait till she tires of sitting on them and is out and about, then you can take them. She will eventually have more. With a mated pair, they would take turns on the eggs, but because she is alone, she has no choice but to stay with them. Keep food and water near her to make it easier for her to eat and drink. Maybe you can encourage her to get out a little by setting up a lukewarm bath for her. She may like that. Make sure she has enough calcium, as egg laying can be taxing on their calcium stores if they don't get enough. Oyster shell is good, if they eat it. I like CalciBoost a couple of times a week.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

WilliamH4 said:


> Good day, all. Well, our pigeon named Mo is now named Molene. For whatever reason, we thought Molene was a male. She laid a couple of eggs over the weekend. Goes to show how much more I need to learn about pigeons. I didn't realize a female could lay eggs without a male. Obviously they can, they're just not fertilized. I quickly looked up what to do with the eggs, but wanted to be sure you all agree. I read the eggs can be removed if done so immediately, otherwise we should let her sit on them for 18 days (unless one cracks, then replace it with a fake egg). We decided to let her sit on them. She's being so good taking care of them, we don't want to deny her the opportunity to care for them. Assuming this is advisable, when the 18 days are up, is there a tactful way to go about removing the eggs? I mean, do we just distract her and take them? Also, she makes very few appearances outside the enclosed portion of the loft. She stays on the eggs most of the day coming out only occasionally, and briefly. Wanted to be sure that's normal.


Hey!
Mo to Molene..eh? Amazing transformation...jus kiddin'
As of precaution you may replace the egg with fake ones so they don't break or something and the cage doesn't get messy. Other than that she will eventually abandon them. It may take longer than 18 days for her to abandon them cuz she's inexperienced and young. The longer she takes the better. And when she leave them, take them out of the nest.
Don't give your hen extra calcium cuz that will make her lay again and again. Just take care to give her balanced diet so she gets what she needs not more than it and avoid keeping her there where (if)mirriors are around.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

She will lay anyway, and will need the calcium. Calcium doesn't make them lay more. That is an old wives tale. Lack of it can cause her big problems as she will eventually deplete herself of calcium. She could even become egg bound and die. She doesn't need mirrors to make her lay, as she is probably viewing one of the family as her mate, and is laying for them. Once she has started laying, she will probably keep laying.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

I talked about balanced diet already,extra calcium means extra that is not needed. And this is for sure,given extra calcium lone hens lay more...
And that was just a precautionary tip to keep her away from mirrors. Cuz I have two big mirrors on the parallel sides of my room.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

It isn't extra calcium that makes hens lay. Just doesn't work that way.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Hi, you're up early today!

I've personally experienced this for numerous times. I had a young lone hen which wouldn't sit her eggs. She had repeatedly laid thrice in 3 weeks time. When I've stopped giving calcium to her she got fine. Not only this, I've experienced this with several hens.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I'm always up early. LOL. Just don't usually have the time to be online.
I'm sorry, but that isn't conclusive that it was the calcium causing her to lay. And not going to argue with you.
Just telling the poster that their hen has started laying, so will probably now continue to lay, and therefore needs enough calcium, which they need to supply her with. Giving a healthy diet would include giving calcium and D3, without which she could run into problems.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

I clicked this one when she was about to lay her 6th egg.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If your hen is laying that much then stopping her calcium could do more harm than good. 
If she stopped laying, then don't believe it was because you stopped the calcium. Hens low on calcium do still lay, and that's when they run into trouble.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Hate to go off the tread makers subject, but that many eggs in a short amount of time means multiple hens, that may even be paired together. Calcium does not make more eggs, it only allows them to be laid and the hen to stay healthy doing it. I'm not convinced all the eggs are from one hen.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I know, I thought of that too, but I don't know how long the first 2 were left in with her before she laid more.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Thanks for your valuable advice.
She's doing great now after I stopped giving her supplementary calcium pills. She hasn't laid in 2 months now. She happily...sadly I don't know but coos in her small pen. But I have to keep her alone. She flies more than 8 hours without any "special diet" that we prepare for pigeons. Maybe that was the way to handle some of my hens. This hen in particular was giving me a hard time because she wouldn't sit and take the least 18 days rest. But now she's quite healthy and has put on nice weight/condition.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

spirit wings said:


> Hate to go off the tread makers subject, but that many eggs in a short amount of time means multiple hens, that may even be paired together. Calcium does not make more eggs, it only allows them to be laid and the hen to stay healthy doing it. I'm not convinced all the eggs are from one hen.


This bloodline occurred accidently in my loft few years back while trying to test pair some of my old prisoner breeders. They're highly prolific. If you doubt, you may go back in history and check the thread I started by the name of Prolific pair or something like that, in all the threads started by me.

I want to release this hen in an upcoming competition so she's cared for individually in a pen where other birds aren't allowed to enter


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

I want to share with all the members that I used to find 15-20 eggs on average weekly on the floor of my loft from around 25 eggs when I used to give surplus calcium and stuff. Maybe our mod re lee remembers the conversation we had in a thread on this topic.

But when I BALANCED THEIR DIET hens have laid very less. Excess of everything is bad, same goes out for calcium. More of it even cause egg laying problems so I've experienced.
Holla


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Calcium reserve should not make a hen lay, or lay more. But would help the hen lay smooth eggs and not get extra health problems. Most hens lay because they want to nest. And most with out a mate lay less. If your hen laid 6 eggs over a short time. Then this may e why she is now not laying. But the more a hen lays the more she needs calcium. Any way this thread was about a person bird laying. the bird may sit the eggs or may not. Not providing any nest after this can help prevent the bird from wanting to nest. Any way pull the eggs after she stopps sitting them.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Jay3 said:


> If your hen is laying that much then stopping her calcium could do more harm than good.
> If she stopped laying, then don't believe it was because you stopped the calcium. Hens low on calcium do still lay, and that's when they run into trouble.


I never removed any of her eggs because trust me sometimes I can be unbelievably lazy. And sometimes I just don't do things I shall be doing. I hate that about myself+ I was very busy past couple of weeks as those members know who have PMed me regularly,sorry guys. And I have no idea why I didn't remove her eggs maybe on this day for things to occur like this.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

re lee said:


> Calcium reserve should not make a hen lay, or lay more. But would help the hen lay smooth eggs and not get extra health problems. Most hens lay because they want to nest. And most with out a mate lay less. If your hen laid 6 eggs over a short time. Then this may e why she is now not laying. But the more a hen lays the more she needs calcium. Any way this thread was about a person bird laying. the bird may sit the eggs or may not. Not providing any nest after this can help prevent the bird from wanting to nest. Any way pull the eggs after she stopps sitting them.


As I've proclaimed before, some pills of calcium is all it takes for her to lay again. And trust me, not only with this hen in particular I've experimented this with many of my hens.


Sorry for making your thread messy, WilliamH4


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## remo (Jan 19, 2015)

WilliamH4 said:


> Good day, all. Well, our pigeon named Mo is now named Molene. For whatever reason, we thought Molene was a male. She laid a couple of eggs over the weekend. Goes to show how much more I need to learn about pigeons. I didn't realize a female could lay eggs without a male. Obviously they can, they're just not fertilized. I quickly looked up what to do with the eggs, but wanted to be sure you all agree. I read the eggs can be removed if done so immediately, otherwise we should let her sit on them for 18 days (unless one cracks, then replace it with a fake egg). We decided to let her sit on them. She's being so good taking care of them, we don't want to deny her the opportunity to care for them. Assuming this is advisable, when the 18 days are up, is there a tactful way to go about removing the eggs? I mean, do we just distract her and take them? Also, she makes very few appearances outside the enclosed portion of the loft. She stays on the eggs most of the day coming out only occasionally, and briefly. Wanted to be sure that's normal.


If I were you I would swap them out as soon as possible after laying for dummy eggs because it could get a bit nasty trying to do it when she finally abandons them they are good to eat fresh there is no point in wasting them if they're infertile they could get bad if she's keeping them warm and sometimes the shells can go fragile if they are starting to go rotten and ain't nobody got time for dat &#55357;&#56834;


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

For those who think they know exactly how much calcium should be supplied to pigeons should give a thought to wild pigeons. They don't get any supplementary calcium but they still keep laying and raising over and over again. If we think we know what is and how much is needed for pigeons we are just blocking our imagination.
Whoooops!


Oh, ring a bell! I remember that thread I think our member LisaNewTumbler brought up on an article which revolves around the same sublect posted in sticky threads on PT. Sorry, this subject is interesting to me cuz I've experimented on this a lot.


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## WilliamH4 (Apr 9, 2012)

I really appreciate everyone's responses, and didn't mean to spark a debate. . Either way, I have learned a lot. I'm curious about one of the comments, perhaps a combination of comments. Mo laid eggs because she considers someone her mate (whether it's a family member, or her reflection)? That's amazing! So, would she not lay eggs if she had not developed such a bond?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

It's a pigeons nature to look for a mate. Usually when they find what they perceive to be a suitable mate, they will start laying. If no other pigeons around, they often choose their human.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Jass SamOplay said:


> For those who think they know exactly how much calcium should be supplied to pigeons should give a thought to wild pigeons. They don't get any supplementary calcium but they still keep laying and raising over and over again.


That's right they do, and they usually only live a few years in the wild. Some because of predators or starvation. Some because of illness and disease. And probably many from depleting themselves of calcium! Or do you really think that you know more than vets and other avian experts?


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## WilliamH4 (Apr 9, 2012)

Jay3 said:


> It's a pigeons nature to look for a mate. Usually when they find what they perceive to be a suitable mate, they will start laying. If no other pigeons around, they often choose their human.


Thank you, Jay. Once we get a male pigeon for her, assuming she finds him suitable, will she break the bond with the human choice? That has to be one of the oddest questions I've ever posted anywhere. Will the female bird break up with the male, human mate to take a male, bird mate?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Jass SamOplay said:


> I want to share with all the members that I used to find 15-20 eggs on average weekly on the floor of my loft from around 25 eggs when I used to give surplus calcium and stuff. Maybe our mod re lee remembers the conversation we had in a thread on this topic.
> 
> But when I BALANCED THEIR DIET hens have laid very less. Excess of everything is bad, same goes out for calcium. More of it even cause egg laying problems so I've experienced.
> Holla


No one told them to give in excess. But they do need enough, and more when laying a lot.


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## WilliamH4 (Apr 9, 2012)

remo said:


> If I were you I would swap them out as soon as possible after laying for dummy eggs because it could get a bit nasty trying to do it when she finally abandons them they are good to eat fresh there is no point in wasting them if they're infertile they could get bad if she's keeping them warm and sometimes the shells can go fragile if they are starting to go rotten and ain't nobody got time for dat &#55357;&#56834;


Didn't think of that. It's getting warm here too. Think I'll get some dummy eggs. Someone asked me if they were okay to eat, now I know.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

WilliamH4 said:


> Thank you, Jay. Once we get a male pigeon for her, assuming she finds him suitable, will she break the bond with the human choice? That has to be one of the oddest questions I've ever posted anywhere. Will the female bird break up with the male, human mate to take a male, bird mate?


Sometimes yes and sometimes no. If she is very imprinted on you, she might not even see herself as a pigeon. Sounds weird, I know, but if she hasn't been around them, and only around humans, then how would she know? The longer you wait to try to introduce her to a male pigeon, the more the chances are that she will not want him. You just never know, but the sooner is better. Try to make sure he is better looking than you. LOL.


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## WilliamH4 (Apr 9, 2012)

Jay3 said:


> Sometimes yes and sometimes no. If she is very imprinted on you, she might not even see herself as a pigeon. Sounds weird, I know, but if she hasn't been around them, and only around humans, then how would she know? The longer you wait to try to introduce her to a male pigeon, the more the chances are that she will not want him. You just never know, but the sooner is better. Try to make sure he is better looking than you. LOL.


Now I'm feeling kind of crummy. We only put off getting a mate because Winter was setting in. Thought it would be better when the weather warmed up. I really hope she will accept a mate.


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Jass SamOplay said:


> I want to share with all the members that I used to find 15-20 eggs on average weekly on the floor of my loft from around 25 eggs when I used to give surplus calcium and stuff. Maybe our mod re lee remembers the conversation we had in a thread on this topic.
> 
> But when I BALANCED THEIR DIET hens have laid very less. Excess of everything is bad, same goes out for calcium. More of it even cause egg laying problems so I've experienced.
> Holla


How many hens are in the hen section. I have had over 50 in a section many times. Never had more then say 6 eggs a whole off season. Hens have to be wanting to nest to lay. And extra calcium just gives a reserve. It does not promote nesting or egg laying. IF it did it would be widely used. But if your hens pair with each other they will lay. And 2 hens 4 eggs. But it is your loft and only you know your birds. Now as far as the hen in this thread. It does not have to have a mate. And if it gets one plan on babies/ young birds. The less anybody handles it the less it may lay And reducing its day light will effect its laying. As it will go off season .


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You can get a male and try. Chances are she would like a pigeon mate. 
Not getting her a mate, and not handling her as suggested, doesn't give her much of a life. Not like you've had her for a couple of years yet. You don't have to raise babies. There are always fake eggs.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

WilliamH4 said:


> I really appreciate everyone's responses, and didn't mean to spark a debate. . Either way, I have learned a lot. I'm curious about one of the comments, perhaps a combination of comments. Mo laid eggs because she considers someone her mate (whether it's a family member, or her reflection)? That's amazing! So, would she not lay eggs if she had not developed such a bond?


Hens lay when they're stimulated to lay. Whether it be caused by reflection, human counter part, change of seasons, sound of pigeons from outside, stimulated by nesting materials etc


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Jass SamOplay said:


> For those who think they know exactly how much calcium should be supplied to pigeons should give a thought to wild pigeons. They don't get any supplementary calcium but they still keep laying and raising over and over again. If we think we know what is and how much is needed for pigeons we are just blocking our imagination.
> Whoooops!
> 
> 
> Oh, ring a bell! I remember that thread I think our member LisaNewTumbler brought up on an article which revolves around the same sublect posted in sticky threads on PT. Sorry, this subject is interesting to me cuz I've experimented on this a lot.


Ferals are free to find all they need and their life span is very short.
I don't understand what is going on in your loft and how many hens you actually have but it sounds like at least in the past you had many. To slow a pigeon from laying too frequently you have to inject a hormone, it has nothing to do with calcium, there are allot of reasons pigeons slow down their laying.


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## gingerpoo (Jul 31, 2008)

If you have fake eggs to place with her then great. If they go soft and rot they can pop on her belly and makes a nasty mess. If they are fresh take them out and eat them. An egg is an egg! They have more white than a chicken egg so a little spongier tasting IMO. We just mix them in with our chicken eggs when cooking something


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## WilliamH4 (Apr 9, 2012)

At 18 days, Moe was out and about in the aviary part of her loft as she was prior to laying the eggs. It's nice to see her out again. We have missed her company in the time she was taking care of the eggs. It's been several days now. Curious to see when she might lay more eggs.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Probably won't be long, unfortunately.


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