If you’re breeding pigeons and they aren’t breeding as quickly as you would like then you’ve come to the right place. In order for breeding to happen the pigeon must have access to good optimal conditions. Pigeons are easy to breed but only in the right conditions. Whether you’re breeding them for food, sporting purposes or for exhibiting, this article will help you.
Breeding pigeons is something that humans have been doing for over 5000 years since pigeons were first brought into America in the 1600s. Farmers have been successfully breeding them and controlling the population since then but the pigeon population eventually got out of control and escaped.
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How long does it take a pigeon to lay an egg?
Usually, it takes between 10-14 days for an egg to be laid after two pigeons have mated. You can expect the next egg to be laid in a couple of days after the first. When the female pigeon lays eggs she will usually lay two eggs at a time.
How many times a year does a pigeon lay eggs?
Female pigeons can lay 6 sets of eggs a year. This is great if you are a breeder.
If you don’t want more pigeons then you can replace the eggs that the female lays with wooden eggs. This is a good way to regulate the population growth of your pigeons.
How to make pigeons lay eggs faster?
To get your pigeons to lay eggs faster need to make sure that their environment is adequate and that they are in the best conditions, this includes healthier food, seclusion, a comfortable temperature and a relaxed mindset.
This will give you the best yield of eggs and this will also help the pigeons lay eggs faster. This is what you will need to set up:
Healthy good food:
If you are trying to breed an overweight or underweight pigeon it can have fertility problems and will take a while to lay eggs. You need to make sure that the pigeon has a healthy diet of either pellets or grains for it to stay at a healthy pigeon weight and quickly produce eggs. This feed is full of high-quality grains.
Seclusion:
If you find that a pigeon couple is not breeding you can put the two in an area of their own, this can be in a separate cage or room if you have available. They will breed when they are ready.
The male will usually “nag” and pester the female to breed and they will mate. This cage will easily fit the pair
Wheat germ oil:
You might need to help the pigeons relax, this will help them feel comfortable enough to breed. You should mist some wheat germ oil on their feed for them to relax.
Mist consistently for around 2 weeks if they don’t start breeding immediately after you’ve first misted. This wheat germ oil is a great bang for your buck product.
Good temperature:
If the temperature that the pigeons are in is too cold then they will likely not want to breed. You should add a light in their loft for a couple of days so they feel warm and comfortable. This cage light is well-loved and widely used.
Don’t overcrowd:
You need to make sure that the pigeon’s accommodations are comfortable. Pigeons won’t be able to lay eggs quickly and efficiently if they are in a cramped uncomfortable space.
Ensure their nesting boxes are not full and the space they are in is not too crowded. If the space if full they will stop breeding to avoid overcrowding. If the space is not full they will breed and lay more eggs as they try to fill the space up
How do you know when a pigeon is going to lay an egg?
Intense brooding:
Brooding among pigeons is pretty normal but if you notice your pigeon brooding much more often than normal (consistent brooding) then you can safely assume that the pigeon is about to lay an egg
Eating more food:
When a female pigeon is developing an egg she needs a lot of energy, carrying the eggs needs a lot of energy too. You’ll notice that the pigeon will start to want and eat more food and drink much more water than normal.
Territorial:
If you notice that the pigeon has chosen her nest box and starts to become aggressive or territorial about this area then you know that the pigeon is about to lay eggs.
The male will also become territorial about the nest box, he will attack and fight any other pigeons that try to go near it. These pigeons will constantly be around this nest box
Relaxing in the box:
The female pigeons will sit in the nest box for extended periods of time. She will seldom come out of the nest box and her male companion will be guarding her as well as bringing her food and water so she doesn’t have to exert herself.
Do pigeons lay eggs without mating?
It is unlikely that pigeons will lay eggs without mating but yes this can happen.
The pigeon will lay an unfertilized egg if she has not mated with another pigeon. The eggs that have been laid without being fertilised will not hatch.
For eggs to hatch and babies pigeons to come into existence the egg needs to be fertilised during mating
Do pigeons have a mate for life?
Yes, pigeons mate for life. They create long term bonds been the two of them and these bonds are unbreakable. Once they have found their match they live together as a couple.
That being said they do mate with other pigeons outside of their mating pairs. These types of matings are generally initiated by the males. They can also mate with other pigeons if external elements cause them to separate.
A long-distance relationship will not affect the strength of the relationship and the bond that the two pigeons have. One thing that can separate the two pigeons is death.
What should you not feed pigeons?
If you want to keep your pigeons as healthy as possible and allow them to produce as many healthy eggs as possible there are a few things you should not be feeding them:
Dehydrating foods: Do not feed them any foods that will dehydrate them, they need more water than other types of birds so giving them dehydrating foods will be bad for their health.
Human food: You should also avoid feeding them any human food and this is especially true for meats. Meats are bad for pigeons because they can bring bacteria into the pigeon’s body that the pigeons cannot fight off.
What happens if you touch a pigeon egg?
Nothing will happen if you touch a pigeon egg. It is a myth that if you touch a pigeon egg then parents will reject it. This simply is not true. The scent of a human on the pigeon egg will make no difference to the parent pigeons at all.
In addition, if you touch a pigeon egg, the pigeon won’t be able to smell you anyway. Many birds, including pigeons, don’t have a very developed sense of smell.
In fact if anything their sense of smell is probably underdeveloped. In addition pigeons are very good parents so even if they could smell your scent on the egg it will take more than that to give up their baby.
How many times do pigeons mate in a day?
Healthy pigeons are very active birds. If their environment offers the optimum conditions the pairs can mate up to 8 times a day.
The optimum conditions will include having a good amount of food available, seclusion, being in a good comfortable temperature and having space to mate in the first place. If you give them all this they will mate like rabbits.
Will two male pigeons mate?
No two male pigeons don’t mate, if you think two male pigeons are mating then one of two things are happening. 1. Either one pigeon is male and the other is female and you don’t know it or 2. The two male pigeons are fighting.
The bodies of the male and the female pigeons are only slightly different so adequately assessing whether the pigeon is a male or a female can be a challenge. They have different body builds, leg strength, bill lengths, a difference in neck length and difference in head size.
The two male pigeons may be fighting with each other. Two male pigeons may fight to show off which is superior to a female pigeon. They may fight because they are territorial and need to find their own space in small areas
Can you eat a pigeon egg?
Yes, you can definitely eat a pigeon egg. Pigeons have been domesticated and used as food for a long time. There are a few bird eggs that are poisons but a pigeon egg is not one of them.
As long as the bird that produced the egg is healthy then you’ll be ok. In some parts of the world, they are seen as a prized delicacy and more loved than chicken eggs.
Compared to chicken eggs they are small, because they are small you would need 2-4 of these eggs to equate to a large chicken egg.
The taste of the yolk is said to be quite delicious but white of the egg doesn’t taste the best, also they are quite rubbery when cooked. When cooked you’ll notice that the egg white is pretty clear.
Note: Just like chicken eggs these eggs can also carry salmonella so it is very important that you cook the egg thoroughly.
You can eat pigeons as well, read more here.
Do pigeons eat their babies?
No pigeons do not eat their babies but they may eat the eggs. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.
If the bird has no food around, is starving or is not getting the adequate calcium or protein that they need then the pigeons may eat the eggs.
To prevent this from happening, make sure that the pigeons are getting all the food groups they need on a regular basis.
If adult pigeons are pecking at the baby pigeons then the adult pigeon is probably scalping. This happens if the baby falls out of the nest and into another pigeons nest. This also happens if parents invade another nest and attack the baby pigeons.
If you find that the pigeon eggs are suddenly disappearing from the nest then you may have a snake in the area and it’s eating the eggs or the babies. If the eggs are disappearing then it’s a snake, if there is a mess of shells left after eating the eggs then it’s the pigeons that are eating the eggs.
Why do we never see baby pigeons (in the wild)?
If you are wondering why you never see baby pigeons you simply need to look closer at the nest. They are known to only leave the nest when they have to, this is when they are pretty much the size of an adult-sized pigeon but not an adult yet.
You probably see baby pigeons all day and all over the place. You simply don’t know what you’re looking at
Before they get to adult age they stay in the nest.
When they are born their little thin coat of grey feathers is not enough to cover them and their skin looks almost transparent. They are very fragile before they grow into adults and their agents want to protect them so they keep then in the nest.
You might stumble on a baby pigeon someday. The parents might leave the nest for a couple of reasons.
If the baby has any of the following characterises then it needs to see a vet if possible or you need to give it some medical attention:
- It is lying on its side and it cannot get up
- Its whole body is cold when you try to pick it up
- Its body is covered with insects and or bugs
- It has blood and wounds on the body
- It has been in contact with a cat
If you have a problem with pigeons on your property and need to get rid of them then this guide will show you products that will help you get rid of them (including humane ways).
I hope you enjoyed my article on how to make pigeons lay eggs faster. If you found this article helpful or useful please share it.
