# Found a Pigeon Egg!!!!



## nyc18

I live in an apartment building and this morning I noticed a pigeon kept flying onto the terrace railing. At first I shooed it away b/c they usually do that from time to time but when it kept coming back, I spotted an egg underneath the table I have in the corner of the terrace. So I assume that is the mother that keeps coming back. So what should I do? I heard that if I touch it the mother won't want it anymore? The mother just watches the egg from the railing so does that mean she has yet to sit on it? Or is it about to hatch? Should I leave it alone since the mother is watching it? I don't want to interrupt any process the pigeon has to do but I don't want to see it die either. Thanks for any tips.


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## pdpbison

Hi nyc18,

Thank you for taking a kind interest in thie little Egg...!

As far as I know, young females will sometimes lay an Egg in some odd place in their ways of still growing up. One finds these Eggs sometimes on the ground, or, if from indoor Birds, on a table or somewhere, or as you say, on a Balcony.

Usually, if an Egg for some reason is fallen from a Nest, it will break when it hits the ground or other surface.

As they grow up more and are more organized in their understandings, and, as their systems have experimented a few times in Egg-making, their Eggs will be lain in deliberate Nests, and will tend almost allways to be attended by them and their mate.

So...my guess, is that this is probably an infiertile Egg, from a relatively young Bird, whose body is trying out it's systems' operations toward future prospects, and that this is a different phase, an early testing phase, of what will become, in time, a real scenario of Egg laying and Next making with a mate.


Phil
Las Vegas


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## nyc18

I see what you are saying but the pigeon keeps coming back, so does this mean it wants it to hatch? Should I just leave it alone or should I put stuff around it? Its under a table in the corner so I'm sure that will give it some coverage away from the rain but I don't know. Thanks for your sharing what you know though.


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## Reti

You can try to place the egg in a bowl, see if she will sit on it. Many times pigeons do not sit on the egg unless the second one is laid. The second egg comes about 24-48 hours after the first one.
As for nesting material, they are generally able to find outside, like twigs, leaves etc.

Reti


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## pdpbison

Well, why not..? !

Sure, some shallow Bowl or one inch high Cake Pan...or a shallow Wicker bowl of some kind...you could fold a small terrycloth wash-cloth or something for it's bottom, and set the Egg there...even the bottom one inch or so of a small cardboard Box which one could cut down from their usual height...

And see if the Bird accepts the arrangement...

As sheltered as possible would maybe be good too...out of the direct sun and so on...


Phil


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## nyc18

Well I didn't need to do anything cause the mother is sitting on it now....but is having them there healthy? My parents are kind of worried about it being there, they don't want any diseases or anything....


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## Reti

Having pigeons nesting on the balcony does not pose any risk for catching diseases for humans.
Contrary to popular belief pigeons do not carry more diseases than any other birds. Most pigeon diseases are not contagious to humans. The few that are are quite rare and as long as the birds look and act healthy there is nothing to worry about.
Of course proper hygiene measures are always a must with all birds and animals. If you handle the birds or clean the balcony wash your hands thoroughly after that.

Reti


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## bird_brain

*Egg Found!!! Please Help Me!!! EMERGENCY!!!*

HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!!
my dad came home from work with a pigeon egg (it was just laid when a man shot its parents) !!!!!!!!!!!
it is now wrapped very carefully in a straw basket, th egg is in a "nest" i made from soft stuff ie. wool,baby cloths,cotton wool fluf etc. 
it has a lamp over it (not a proper one, just a normal lamp) i made sure it is not too hot....i dont want fried pigeon!!!! it is nice and warm now.
is it going to be OK????? i realy want this baby to survive!!!
can i hav any info/tips/advice please???

oh,and, once this bird is hatched how do i feed it??? i know there is this pigeon milk stuff wich im gonna beg of th vets, but how much and how often do i give it??
THANKS SO MUCH...... regards, beki (bird_brain)


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## Skyeking

Hello and Welcome to pigeons.com

Thank you for taking an interest and such great care of this egg. 

Oh, how horrible, taking Gods' creatures like they were nothing???I'm not even going there, do you know who shot the birds?......

If this egg was just layed it may or may not be fertile, but there is definitely no embryo in it until the egg has been incubated. Cell division begins at incubation. For now you can just keep it in a warm soft cloth that breaths, and keep it very still, don't shake or anything. It would need to be in an incubater in a day.

You could try to incubate it, and see if it is fertile, it will take approx. 18 days to hatch, but you will need a set of pigeon parents to feed it the first few days of its life, or it may suffer too. Pigeon parents have a special milk newborns need. That would be the first choice for feeding and keeping the baby warm, as God gave them all the equipment. If you really want to pursue this we will help, let us know.

You could also just bury it in respect for the bird who layed it and say a prayer for the parent and its mate that were shot. God has a special place for pigeons.

Treesa


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## bird_brain

*pigeon egg!!!!!!!!!!!*

hello again!!
i do realy want to let this one to survive!!!!
if it was me in that egg, i'd want someone to save me!!!!
im going to go to my local vet and try and get some pretend pigeon milk,
or i might get hold of some racing pigeon person and give them th egg to incubait.
thanks very much!!! 
love form beki (bird_brain)


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## bird_brain

*pigoens egg*

hello again,
i know there is quite a possibility that this little egg wont hatch. 
but i still want to try.... its what his/her parents would want. but i want to do it properly, so that this baby wont suffer and be hungry.
do i definatly need a proper incubaitor or shall i buy an infa-red lamp and hang it over the 'nest'???
i hope im not being a pest!!!!
thanks and kind regards,
beki (bird_brain)
xxxxxxx


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## Pigeonpal2002

Hi Bird Brain, 

Your determination and caring is very admirable. However, no a lamp of any sort won't do the trick. The developing embryo needs to be at a very constant and specific temperature of about 98.5 F. Also, the eggs needs humidity to grow and hatch properly and the egg needs to be turned numerous times per day. If the heat is dry and the eggs aren't turned, the developing embryo will stick to the egg shell inside and suffocate. This is even if the temperature was exactly right. 

I (feel) others may not agree, but since the egg is new, you should probably just discard it unless you can get or make a proper incubator. If you look online, you will find instructions to build your own home made incubators but they aren't as reliable or consistant. You could again IMO, be causing more harm in the end by improper heating/humidity/and then there are chances of the chick developing abnormal. This happens sometimes with incorrect temperatures.

I'm sorry, this is only my opinion but I feel it is something to think about.


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## bird_brain

*regardin pigeon egg*

hi,
yes, what you say is true. i am hoping to give this egg to a racerpigeon breeder today.
but if not i guess it would be best to dicard it. 
thanks once again,
beki (bird_brain)


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## Pigeonpal2002

Hi Bird Brain(Beki), 

I'm glad you have understood/agreed what I was saying. You can definitely try to get a fancier to incubate the egg for you. Pigeon eggs can remain in a state of suspended animation for a long time provided that they are kept in a cool environment. You don't want them in a fridge but you want them cool, at about 7-10 C/47.5 F and kept stationary. They can be kept like this for up to a week or so and then re-incubated and hatched if possible. 

Best of luck with this option,


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## nyc18

The pigeon made a second egg! And they are bringing twigs and stuff. So far my parents are tolerating them but I am uncertian if they will for long. But I have another question. I have a dog and obviously I would keep my dog off the balcony but does having them there pose any risk of disease for my dog? Or is it just as long as my dog doesn't touch them? I have a feeling my dog will try and go after the chicks if she sees them walking around on the terrace....


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## pdpbison

Hi nyc18,


Oooooh, have no worries, there are no risks of disease in this context for you for your Dog.

However, for the Pigeon's sake, you must ensure the Dog is not allowed to be on the balcony in any way or it will put an end to whatever possible innocent happy Nesting or Baby activities as appear to be developing there.

No 'dogs' on the balcony...

If you are 19, and are interested in disease, please consider that the hi-school you had recently been in, and moreso, whatever grammar school as was previous, represented many thousands of times the risk, and real risks in the cases of 'schools', for communicable disease transmissions.

Lol...

Healthy 'Nest Building' Birds are nothing to worry about, and, for that matter, even conspicuously sick wilted Birds are no more a hazard as individuals, to one's health, than going to the bathroom is, or going to a public bathroom is. One merely washes one's hands nicely after either...one merely observes traditional hygene practices and common sense.

So, have no worries there, on any of it, but do make sure that no 'Dog' or 'Cat' or other animals,are allowed on that balcony, and also, keep people off of it as much as possible too. Birds elect Nesting sites for privacy and for feeling safe there, and if they feel their provacy is compromised, they may, or will abandon it, Eggs or no Eggs, Babys or no Babys...so, keep your presence on the balcony at a polite-to-them of minimum or they will feel freightened and doubtful. Make sure no one is disturbing them by looking out or moveing curtains too much...

Birds which one has raised or socialized into one's home or loft, are accepting of one's presence near their Nests, and are a different matter then Wild ones.

Well, it sounds like a possible love affair with Pigeons may be beginning for you with this present situation...!

New York had been a cultural Pigeon-Interest Capital for certainly 150 years, or maybe more, and many of the most famous 19th Century Racing Pigeons and Fancy Pigeons, were New Yorkers..!

Ohhhh, my...so, you are in a good City for developeing further interests, and finding local people who have a long tradition behind them.

Best wishes..!

Phil
Las Vegas


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## nyc18

I see thanks for the info. I realize the disease question was stupid but people say all these different things about pigeons so I thought I should ask and I know my dog isn't going on the balcony lol. You can't really see the nest b/c we have a whole bunch of plants on the inside so you can't see through the glass window(its a ceiling to floor one). I'll keep you updated.


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## pdpbison

Hi nyc18,

Sounds good...  

Somehow, the 'disease' thing is repeated by so many people, who heard it from others and so on...that, and the phrase of how Pigeons are flying 'rats', which we see people usually saying with a kind of amusement and veiled ploy...and they have simply never been distracted from that passive acceptance or cynicism, to learn for themselves. 

So, not at all a stupid question, but an important one to find our abot, so you do learn for yourself, and then, if you like, you may inform others.

Pigeons, truely, are wonderful Birds in endless ways, and overall are likely to charm us once we have had some chances to know them with an open mind.


Phil
Las Vegas


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## cindyjanosz

*Pigeon nesting in my Ficus tree*

I live in a 3rd floor apartment and have noticed a pigeon sitting on my patio recently. Yesterday I noticed that the bird has laid 2 eggs and is sitting on them. I live in Dallas, Texas and our the temperature is hitting 108 or higher degrees everyday so I need to water my plants twice a week. I do not have anything under the plant to allow to water from the bottom. Will it hurt the eggs, and eventually the baby birds if the soil is wet? Any advise would be appreciated as I am really excited that the mom chose my little space to lay her eggs.

Signed,
Bird Lover


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## PigeonAmateur

Yes, it may as the water and soil in the heat will cause the egg to heat up too much. While the mother is out carefully pick up the eggs with a glove so it can't get your scent on them and place them somewhere in the shade and nearby it's old nesting place. When the mother comes back make sure to not disturb her or she may attack you.

-Pigeon Amateur


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## Quazar

Chances are if you move the eggs to somewhere else other than the pot, the mother will be totally confused & may well abandon them, although handling them will not leave any "scent" so no real worries there (many breeders handle eggs without any problems).
What you could do is when the mother is away, move the eggs and some of the "nest" (not that there is much lol), water your plants, place a plastic bag on top of where the nest was, then replace nest & eggs.
This will protect the birds from the damp soil, & hopefully the mother will continue to sit on them as they are in the same location.


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## amyable

Quazar said:


> Chances are if you move the eggs to somewhere else other than the pot, the mother will be totally confused & may well abandon them, although handling them will not leave any "scent" so no real worries there (many breeders handle eggs without any problems).
> What you could do is when the mother is away, move the eggs and some of the "nest" (not that there is much lol), water your plants, place a plastic bag on top of where the nest was, then replace nest & eggs.
> This will protect the birds from the damp soil, & hopefully the mother will continue to sit on them as they are in the same location.


good idea.


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## John_D

And in answer to a previous post, there's no problem with getting human scent on pigeon eggs - or babies. They ignore it, unlike some other birds or animals.


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## Harris Wilson

today my dad and i found multiple pigeon eggs in an air-conditioner we tore out on his buildings rooftop. when we frist cut into it 2 pigeons flew out so i have reason to believe that 2 of the 5 eggs may be good to hatch. right now i have them under my desk lamp on a damp cloth at about 97.7 degrees F. i do not have access to an incubater and was just wandering that if kept at the current conditions they will hatch. any help would be cool, thanks!


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## Jay3

I would just toss them, as even if you could get them to hatch, raising baby pigeons is not an easy task. Then being hand raised, they aren't good candidates for release. Just not worth it. The pigeon parents will go elsewhere and start another nest.


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## ippychick

Aw, that mom looks so cute! What a great place to lay eggs in!  I wonder where's da egg daddy?!!


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## Swethaa.Suresh

Hi, 
There is this one pigeon. It laid an egg on my balcony behind the washing mashine on a plastic bag. My mom made the mistake of shifting the eggs with the plastic bag to a cardboard box. The pigeon came back and started looking for it but did not see it. I have shifted the eggs to a cardboard box made from leaves and sticks. The eggs are safetly in the box, but one is slightly damanged but it is not showing and sign of the egg white.What should I do?- I live in India so there is no chance of getting an incubater but the temperature is 30-35 degrees. HELP NEEDED BADLY!!! NEED ADVICE!!!


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## Jay3

Well if it was damaged then it probably won't hatch. Did the parent bird come back to them? If not, then they won't hatch, and the birds will lay more eggs somewhere else. These things happen. Nothing you can do.


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## pigeon-lover0

I agree with Jay3, nature has it's own way of recovering. If you don't have any pigeons to put them under toss them, as they are not devolped so no pain will be induced.

Lucas


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## spirit wings

Swethaa.Suresh said:


> Hi,
> There is this one pigeon. It laid an egg on my balcony behind the washing mashine on a plastic bag. My mom made the mistake of shifting the eggs with the plastic bag to a cardboard box. The pigeon came back and started looking for it but did not see it. I have shifted the eggs to a cardboard box made from leaves and sticks. The eggs are safetly in the box, but one is slightly damanged but it is not showing and sign of the egg white.What should I do?- I live in India so there is no chance of getting an incubater but the temperature is 30-35 degrees. HELP NEEDED BADLY!!! NEED ADVICE!!!



this thread is from 2005 originally. the dates are at the tope of the first post. if you want to share you may get more response if you open your own updated thread.


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## pigeoncarer

*My female pigeon wont sit on her eggs*

I hav to pigeons paired and had already mated and layed 2 eggs and then they started to brood it when they got it I had put a cardboard box for them and then later I made a long box out of wood and divided it into 2 and put the eggs there with the same material they had but now she wont sit on them the male also wont sit , so what should I do ????? Please reply soon (the eggs came 3 days ago)


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## Jay3

pigeoncarer said:


> I hav to pigeons paired and had already mated and layed 2 eggs and then they started to brood it when they got it I had put a cardboard box for them and then later I made a long box out of wood and divided it into 2 and put the eggs there with the same material they had but now she wont sit on them the male also wont sit , so what should I do ????? Please reply soon (the eggs came 3 days ago)


This is an old thread, started in 2005. Every now and then someone comes in and makes a comment, but you really need to start your own thread. I will PM you on how to do that.

But for now, to answer your question, you can't move the eggs or babies or they will not recognize them as theirs. They will abandon them. Either toss the eggs and let them start over, or put everything back the way it was. If it isn't too late, they will go back to them. Maybe not though. You may just have to let them start over. And then don't change anything till they are weaned.


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