# What to do with an infertile egg and protective mum?!



## apache_dj (Jul 22, 2008)

I apologise in advance if this has been answered elsewhere, but I can't find the answer / I have found many different contradicting answers!

I have 2 Doves male and female, who live in seperate houses and arent let out together anymore. The female has just laid her first egg, she will be a year old in july.

The problem is i know its infertile (and even if it was fertile,I wouldnt want it to hatch as I dont want her coping with the stress of being a single mum!), and shes VERY protective over it, can i simply remove it or do i need to wait untill she looses interest? My biggest worry is that she hasnt moved off the egg or eaten for 12hours- but i dont want to remove it and then for her to immediately lay another!!!

What do I do!?!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

You should keep it or replace with a dummy plastic egg, in case you are worried it will start to smell or in case she breaks it. Let her keep it until she grows tired of it (she neeeds to build her calcium reserves, and removing the egg/s will only cause her to lay more), let her build a nest. It is serious business for her as she thinks it's fertile. So pamper her and give her a nice nest bowl and nesting material. 

She would normally be sharing the egg duties with her mate, but since she has none she will continue to try to take on the whole project by herself. You can hhelp her by taking on the nest duty for a few hours so she can get a break. Make sure she has food water and grit close by.

If I may ask, why aren't the two allowed to be together anymore?


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## apache_dj (Jul 22, 2008)

Thank you treesa, where can i get these dummy eggs from? This will sound very niave, but is there anything I can do do help prevent her laying regularly?

Sadly when my female got injured I had to take her away from the male and put her in an iso cage so she could recover, and reintroduction has been far from successful. My male was hand reared and doesnt realise hes a dove, and sees me as his other half meaning hes far from happy to have a "thing" in his cage with him now. Hes recently got worst and I cant even have them out the cage together otherwise he terrorises her,so they are now on rotation which isnt ideal!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

apache_dj said:


> Thank you treesa, where can i get these dummy eggs from? This will sound very niave, but is there anything I can do do help prevent her laying regularly?
> 
> Sadly when my female got injured I had to take her away from the male and put her in an iso cage so she could recover, and reintroduction has been far from successful. My male was hand reared and doesnt realise hes a dove, and sees me as his other half meaning hes far from happy to have a "thing" in his cage with him now. Hes recently got worst and I cant even have them out the cage together otherwise he terrorises her,so they are now on rotation which isnt ideal!


You can get dummy eggs from a craft supply shop or order them from a pigeon supply house, Foys has the dove size ones, I think. 
http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/index.html
It's hard to get hens to stop laying, unless you remove the object of her affection, which is either you or the male. 

Are you sure they cannot bond anymore? Have you tried slowly introducing them by putting their cages next to each other for a few days so they can get used to each other before actually allowing them together??


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi

You can order them from Boddy & Ridewood, the biggest UK pigeon & pet supplier.

http://www.everythingforpets.com/category/use.dept.201/

John


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## apache_dj (Jul 22, 2008)

Thanks ill have a look at my local craft store tomorrow afternoon.

Ive had their cages next to each other for months now, and she is MADLY in love with him, flirting like anything - twitching her wings, bum in the air cooing at him, but he only has eyes for me or my father (strangely)- So im in a bit of a pickle at the moment with what to do!


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## apache_dj (Jul 22, 2008)

Thank you John D, Just ordered!


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