# Stages of Ringnck Dove egg development?



## Silverwing9 (Jun 21, 2014)

Hi there!
I'm a new breeder, and my dove pair (wild-type pied (m) and white (f)) laid two eggs, one on the 14th, and one on the 16th, and I woke up to a surprise third egg this morning (I'm really confused about this one), but I've been looking around the web for guides on or even pictures of the stages of ringneck dove egg development, and I've come across very little. Does anyone have a resource/web page detailing embryonic development, or pictures showing what the eggs should look like when candled on so and so a date? 

Also, today, when cleaning out my pair's cage, I washed my hands and carefully candled all three eggs, (I wasn't sure which was the first, and I had read somewhere not to mark them) and only one (I'm assuming the first one) had anything in it. I saw a kind of bubble. Does that mean that it's fertile, or do I have a bum egg?


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## Woodnative (Jul 4, 2010)

Generally you will see a spiderweb like web of veins after a few days...not sure exactly when. There is a "bubble" or airspace at the large end of the egg. If you get another egg shortly you can be pretty sure your pair is actually a pair of hens.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Silverwing9 said:


> Hi there!
> I'm a new breeder, and my dove pair (wild-type pied (m) and white (f)) laid two eggs, one on the 14th, and one on the 16th, and I woke up to a surprise third egg this morning (I'm really confused about this one), but I've been looking around the web for guides on or even pictures of the stages of ringneck dove egg development, and I've come across very little. Does anyone have a resource/web page detailing embryonic development, or pictures showing what the eggs should look like when candled on so and so a date?
> 
> Also, today, when cleaning out my pair's cage, I washed my hands and carefully candled all three eggs, (I wasn't sure which was the first, and I had read somewhere not to mark them) and only one (I'm assuming the first one) had anything in it. I saw a kind of bubble. Does that mean that it's fertile, or do I have a bum egg?


remember, either they will hatch ,or they won't. there is not anything you can do by looking. inspect the contents after the hatch time.. like day 16 or 17 if you are absolute sure about the day of egg/s being incubated. .. heat starts the growth...not before. 

so you will or could see some hatching this saturday the 28th if they are fertile and healthy. not much else you can do, and looking at them only disrupts incubation. and it does take some time for the babies to hatch so don't be tempted to help or look..just check the pair you may find them feeding them after saturday and then you know. picking up an egg at the later stages can disrupt it's orientation in the egg.


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## Silverwing9 (Jun 21, 2014)

Woodnative said:


> Generally you will see a spiderweb like web of veins after a few days...not sure exactly when. There is a "bubble" or airspace at the large end of the egg. If you get another egg shortly you can be pretty sure your pair is actually a pair of hens.


I haven't seen a fourth egg yet, and the breeder I got them from says the pied is a male, but from what I understand it's not always easy to figure out the gender. Thanks for the reply!


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## Silverwing9 (Jun 21, 2014)

spirit wings said:


> remember, either they will hatch ,or they won't. there is not anything you can do by looking. inspect the contents after the hatch time.. like day 16 or 17 if you are absolute sure about the day of egg/s being incubated. .. heat starts the growth...not before.
> 
> so you will or could see some hatching this saturday the 28th if they are fertile and healthy. not much else you can do, and looking at them only disrupts incubation. and it does take some time for the babies to hatch so don't be tempted to help or look..just check the pair you may find them feeding them after saturday and then you know. picking up an egg at the later stages can disrupt it's orientation in the egg.


Okay. I haven't touched them since, and I'll keep an eye out for any hatching around the predicted hatching days since I'm keeping a chart. I think by July 2nd (the projected hatch date for the third egg) I should have my answer. I won't give up on them yet, because I read in another thread that sometimes eggs thought to be infertile were actually fertile, so I guess I'll see. Thanks for the reply!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Silverwing9 said:


> Okay. I haven't touched them since, and I'll keep an eye out for any hatching around the predicted hatching days since I'm keeping a chart. I think by July 2nd (the projected hatch date for the third egg) I should have my answer. I won't give up on them yet, because I read in another thread that sometimes eggs thought to be infertile were actually fertile, so I guess I'll see. Thanks for the reply!


oh,! Im missed the third eggs part!..lol.. I see why you are curiouse of fertility now. yes three is unusual but not un heard of, on the other hand you could have two hens and one only layed one egg..esp if they are young birds or one of them is a young bird, sometimes they only lay one when they first mature. I would definintly check for fertility at day 17 after the pair started sitting the eggs. that is important to know your timing because I have seen people throw away fertile almost about to hatch eggs before and lost them due to them opening up the egg too soon to check on fertility thinking it was a dud.


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## Silverwing9 (Jun 21, 2014)

spirit wings said:


> oh,! Im missed the third eggs part!..lol.. I see why you are curiouse of fertility now. yes three is unusual but not un heard of, on the other hand you could have two hens and one only layed one egg..esp if they are young birds or one of them is a young bird, sometimes they only lay one when they first mature. I would definatly check for fertility at day 17 after the pair started sitting the eggs. that is important to know your timing because I have seen people throw away fertile almost about to hatch eggs before and lost them due to them opening up the egg too soon to check on fertility thinking it was a dud.


I guess I'll just have to be patient  (even though it's hard. I'm so excited!)
According to the band on the pied's leg, he is at least 2 years old but I think the female is younger. He seems to know what to do more than her, so I think she's pretty inexperienced.


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