# Do pigeons move eggs?



## ohiogsp

OK, I had some eggs that did not hatch and there were 2. Today I went in and one was missing. It was not in the box or on the ground but there was a egg broken in the aviary. This would have had to been flown out there by the pigeon. Is this possiable?


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## Pigeonpal2002

Hi Ohiogsp, 

I have never seen a pigeon carry an egg or move it by flying. They aren't designed to carry eggs in their beaks or with their feet so...

I would think that perhaps there was a scuffle in the nest with some other pigeons and it got pushed/knocked out and onto the floor of the aviary or, there was a predator of some kind in your loft and managed to get one of the eggs but maybe dropped it by mistake.


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## stach_n_flash

i think it cracked and got stuck to the pigeon it then flew to the aviary and it losened and droped or... ???


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## ohiogsp

Well maybe the bird broke it and put a foot in the egg then flew to the aviary. The pen is predator proof. There is also no way to get to the aviary other than flying. The whole egg was there just broken. One more question if a pair lay 2 duds that never hatch will this continue? They have 2 more eggs they are setting on now.


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## Pigeonpal2002

ohiogsp said:


> One more question if a pair lay 2 duds that never hatch will this continue? They have 2 more eggs they are setting on now.


I wouldn't give up on this pair yet...they may have just had a set of duds this time but will produce viable eggs in the future. Vitamin E is good for fertility in the cock birds and will help as will increased sunlight exposure. 

Good luck and keep trying


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## Jiggs

even my best pair lay a dud set every now and again - I wouldn't worry too much


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## Skyeking

Pigeons can gently nudge their eggs to move them under them, and perhaps they can accidentally roll them out of the nest box, or on purpose-if there is no front to the nest box.

I did have one egg moved a great distance once after I opened the coop, seems it was a squirrel that did that as he was eating breakfast with my birds when the egg was broken on the floor. The nest had a front and the egg was undesturbed prior to that. 

Needless to say, I made sure to repair any small openings in our outside aviary so we wouldn't have any more uninvited guests at breakfast.


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## John_D

I reckon Stach_n_Flash has it - I've seen a hen back and forth to my balcony with an egg stuck to her, which eventually she managed to deposit in the pidgie 'bathtub'.

John


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## Symbro

you didnt say if this is their first set of eggs. i usually throw away the first set of eggs from any pair... errr mainly i mean the first time they ever lay eggs.


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## ohiogsp

Yes, first set of eggs for this pair. They might have been paired up before with other birds before I got them though.


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## LuisO

Ohiogsp,

The same thing happened to me a few days ago. The egg must have been cracked or broken somehow. There was no baby to be seen anywhere in the loft and the egg had disapeared. Parent pigeons take the egg shells away from the nest and throw them somewhere away from the nest to reduce the smell I believe(?) would think that this would be a lkely situation in your loft.

Luis


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