# Sylvester's Eggs Have Hatched!!



## bt3401 (Sep 16, 2005)

Hi all,

Sometime ago i started a new thread 'Catch Bird or Not' asking for advice whether to catch my tame pigeon 'Sylvester' and his (turned out to be her!) new mate.

Well after catching them the pair quickly settled down into their new loft and layed a pair of eggs which appear to have hatched last night . I say 'appeared' to because i cannot see into the nest to check on the babies but Sylvester is constantly 'shuffling' around on the nest and i have managed to see a piece of eggshell. It is also 18 days since the eggs were layed.

Would it be a good idea to let nature take its course and leave them in peace? or disturb Sylvester for a minute to make sure all is ok? For a quiet, gentle bird she's developed a bit of a temper recently!!


----------



## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Congratulations on the new or soon to be newly hatched eggs 18 days is right on schedule actually. Yes, you really should try to sneak a peak once or twice a day just to see what is going on in there, at least for the first few days.

Go slowly, quietly and talk calmly to the birds. When you put your hand under the parent bird, make sure your palm is facing down to shield the eggs/nestlings from any pecks or wing slaps from the adult bird. Don't let the adults intimidate you or scare you, just be brief to see how things are progressing and then leave them be.

Some people don't recommend bothering the parents when their eggs first hatch but I think it's important to know what is going on and if there are any problems that might be developing. Again, keep it brief and use a flashlight if needed to see what is going on in the nest.

A normally calm, and trusting bird will often become very skittish, aggressive and untrusting during chick rearing, it's just instinct for them


Good luck and keep us posted,


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Congratulations on the birth of your chick/chicks!*


I usually give them a few hours alone with the baby and then lift mom gently just to make sure the baby has hatched completely out of the shell, is sitting upright under mommy, and is eating. You can usually tell when a parent is feeding them as their heads will be bent down, as they are busy feeding the hatchling undeneath them. It will become a more obvious process once the youngster grows and the need to feed becomes quite a job, and requires more time.

Perhaps you should wait until Sylvester is on the nest, as she knows you and would be more comfortable, then the feral pigeon dad.

I also check again in a day or two, and the 5th day for banding the youngster.


----------



## bt3401 (Sep 16, 2005)

Thanks for the advice!

I lifted Sylvester to take a peek and there were 2 perfect pink little babies sat quietly under her   

She wasn't best pleased so i'll give her some space now. Would it be wise to try this again if it obviously causes some distress? Or is it neccessary to keep an eye on the little ones?


----------



## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

bt3401 said:


> Thanks for the advice!
> 
> I lifted Sylvester to take a peek and *there were 2 perfect pink little babies sat quietly under her*
> 
> ...


*Congratulations!!* This will be an exciting adventure for *you* as well as Mom & Dad.  

Mom's, in any form, are very protective of their offspring, especially newborns.  
If things look like they are going well, I would observe from a distance. If I remember correctly, with Bonnie & Clyde as well as Sadie & Sam, it was only a couple days until I could see them moving about under Mom & Dad. 

You will probably find yourself watching them more & more. 
They do seem to grow up too quickly.  

Get pictures if you are able. 
Let us know how things are going.

Cindy


----------



## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

How wonderful! Congratulations on your new babies!


----------



## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

*Welcome to the world of pigeon parenting...*

from a distance, so to speak! Scary and exciting at the same time, eh?  

I'm sure all will go well and we will look forward to future updates!


----------



## bt3401 (Sep 16, 2005)

Hi everyone, 

Both babies are doing well I can't believe how fast they grow!!

I've attached a couple of pics of 'Bubble and Squeak' aged 5/6 days.


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Okay, where are you hiding the pictures of the little bundles of joy....?


----------



## bt3401 (Sep 16, 2005)

Sorry!!!!!


----------



## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

bt3401 - I am so envious. What darling little babies with their little eyes just opening and those little quills beginning to show. I know you are so proud of them. 

Thank you for the terrific pictures.

Maggie


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

OOOOH! they look so content, happy and peaceful. I'm sure the parents are spending lots of time feeding and fussing over them!

Thanks for sharing!


----------



## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Simply precious and adorable...best of luck with then.

Linda


----------



## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

Hi bt3401,
I am so pleased to hear that your pigeons have had little babies, and that they are looking so healthy and happy 
I have actually been wondering how you were going, but I couldn't recall what your nick was, so I missed checking this thread for a bit...how confusing my brain can be...lol

Both pigeons are looking great, and both are about to get their pin feathers. They are so cute at this age...enjoy them now, they grow up SO fast.

Here is a link to a great page that shows pictures of Pigeon Development from Day1 to Day 31. It should come in handy so you can keep track of where they are in the development process:
http://www.speedpigeon.com/baby_racing_pigeon.htm

Depending on if your are thinking about having more pigeon babies, here is a bit of info on the prcoess of pigeon behaviour during breeding:
From about day 8 (about the same time their pin feathers are getting bigger), the parents may stop sitting on them all the time, this is ok and nothing to worry about.
from about day8-15 the parents will start to court each other again.
At about 15days the hen will want to lay again, so it is a good idea to have a second nest a few feet from the current one so she can lay there, otherwise she may evict the original babies from their nest.
As the hen starts to incubate her new eggs, the father will continue to feed the original babies, and as they get older (about 20days) will start to teach them how to peck for food and show them how to eat for themselves.

Don't worry about the attitude you get from incubating pigeons, even the nicest natured pigeon will give you a big wing slap if you get too close to her eggs or babies 

Oh, BTW Did Sylvester end up being the hen?

Also, if you would like you are welcome to start an album on my website www.pixalbums.net/pigeon 
I built this website so people can share pics of their birds online, and it is a great way of keeping all of your pics together.
So if you would like touse it feel free 

Please keep us updated on your pigeons progress. 

Regards
Alaska


----------



## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

*Congratulations!*

To ALL parents - feathered and non.... 

Bubble and Squeak look just great and growing FAST! 

Look forward to future updates on their development and personalities!


----------



## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi there, 

Thank you for posting these precious photos of Bubble & Squeak They look very healthy, happy and vibrant! They grow up quickly as mentioned so take LOTS of pictures


Thanks again,


----------



## bt3401 (Sep 16, 2005)

Hi everyone!

Thanks for all the lovely words and as usual excellent advice 

I've started a photo album with a few pics of mum, dad and the kids in at the following link (thanks Alaska!!):

http://www.pixalbums.net/?site=Pigeon&album=bt3401

All birds are doing brilliantly, mum n dad look like they fancy another go and are busy sorting another nest out!! 

Bubble and Squeak are quickly turning into beautiful pigeons. Pure white but with a few dark tail feathers. They will be stunning birds and have very different personalities already!

Thanks again everyone for the kind words and always helpful advice


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

What lovely family pictures! Sylvester looks like the proud mother as well as being concerned, and the babies are adorable! 

Does she allow you to handle Bubbles and Squeeks? does she grunt and complain about it?

Papa Tweetie is quite the doting father, looks like he is adjusting to life in a coop. 

Thanks for sharing, PLEASE come back and share more photos.


----------



## bt3401 (Sep 16, 2005)

Hi Treesa,

Both parents allow us to handle the babies and we try to spend as much time as we can interacting with them. The babies settle nicely in your hand when picked up and will happily chirp and investigate their new world. Both parents feed the babies while i'm there and seem to be accepting me and my other family more each day!

The kids are 13/14 days old now and starting to venture out of the nest. As the nest is quite high up in the coop i'm starting to get concerned as to whether i should move it closer to the ground as i'm sure one of them will take a fall very shortly!! If they fall would you recommend moving them back into the nest or leaving them on the floor? Am i just creating more scope for injury if i keep moving them back into the nest for another fall?

BT


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

They will continue to explore their surroundings, if you think they will fall you could build a nest box that is quite large with a front so they won't fall. It will keep them inside and allow enough room so the parents to start another round.

If you can't build a nest box allow them an area close to the ground, there is no problem with other pigeons attacking them, since you have only the one pair, so that would not be a problem in your coop.

Those babies are going to make wonderful pets, as they may be quite tame with daily contact from you. They are such sweeties!


----------



## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi there, 

Nice update on your babies...looking very healthy and good


Thanks for sharing them with us!


----------

