Pigeons are very good parents. Generally, when the female lays an egg, the parents make sure to take care of the egg. Pigeon parents will never leave their egg untended and will take turns looking for food as the other tends to the egg. But this isn’t always the case, sometimes pigeons don’t sit on eggs. If you’re concerned about why your pigeon is not sitting on its egg then read on.

Pigeons don’t sit on their eggs because the mother realises that these particular eggs won’t hatch. A pigeon will create eggs that don’t hatch if she lays an egg without having reproduced with a male pigeon prior to laying. This creates unfertilized eggs, she will not sit on unfertilized eggs.

Pigeon not sitting on egg, why and what to do?

It is not an uncommon sight to see a pigeon not sitting on her eggs. When an adult female pigeon senses it is time for her to lay eggs, she seeks a male pigeon to mate with. If she finds one, both birds mate and the female pigeon lays her eggs in a nest.

There are occasions where the bird lays her eggs without mating with a male pigeon. The female pigeon sits on these eggs, hoping that they will hatch, but the eggs never hatch because a male bird did not fertilize them.

The mother bird, realizing the eggs aren’t going to hatch, soon stops sitting on them. Adult pigeons will also stop sitting on their eggs if a predator scares them from the nest.

If a pigeon living near you has stopped sitting on her eggs, there’s a reason for that. It knows what it is doing, so don’t try to fix the problem.

Do pigeons have to sit on their eggs all the time?

Pigeons are expected to sit on their eggs all the time for them to hatch.

The eggs need warmth to stay alive, and if the mother bird isn’t there to provide them with adequate warmth, they are likely to die. So yes, pigeons have to sit on their eggs all the time.

The only exception being when the egg is the first to come out in a clutch. Most mother birds prefer to have all their eggs hatch at the same time or day, so they wouldn’t start sitting on an egg until the other eggs are laid.

Why do pigeons abandon their eggs?

Pigeons will abandon their eggs if they are dead, infertile, or damaged. After laying eggs, a pigeon can’t tell if they are fertile or infertile at the early stage, so she keeps sitting on them for 18 days.

If after 17 to 19 days the eggs don’t hatch, the mother bird then abandons them.

Other reasons a pigeon parent might abandon her eggs are if she gets frightened or attacked by a predator in the area where the nest is or if she notices that humans are coming too close to her nest or eggs.

How long can pigeon eggs be left alone?

It will interest you to know that a pigeon egg can stay alive for up to seven days without the warmth of its mother. So it’s possible for pigeons to abandon their eggs for days without sitting on them.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, if you see a pigeon not sitting on its eggs then it can be because of one of two reasons. Either the egg is unfertilized and thus will never hatch or because a predator has scared the mother pigeon away from the eggs.

The mother or father has to sit on the eggs the whole time to ensure that thy stay warm and hatch. Pigeons will abandon their eggs if they are dead, infertile, or damaged

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other pigeon related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why do pigeons kill their babies? Pigeon egg not hatching, why and what to do? How long can pigeon eggs survive without incubation? Do pigeons grieve?