I'm just not sure what to do.

Well…Snow and Ice have 2 eggs. I sort of figured this was gonna happen after their “leap frog” game. Dove eggs are really small and I haven’t found anything fake to replace them with yet. Open for suggestions. Also, I’m having emotional issues about faking them out. The guy I got them from said; they were good parents, but he would not answer my question about how many clutches they have raised in the 2 years????that he had them. Instead, he told us he just tossed the eggs and never provided them with fake ones. They have not been able to complete a natural cycle for some time!

Here are some of my concerns: 1. they were in deplorable conditions when we rescued them. Snow was too thin and had the “bad” band on her leg. They are obviously happier now, with a clean cote, water and food, but is it too soon for the stress of raising young? They look healthy. Poops are normal. They bathe when I put out the bath tub, and eat ALL the time. Yogurt balls they are loving!!! 2. Their cote is outside and it’s November! Predictions are saying this winter is going to be severe. I’m not used to having pet birds outside. They were already acclimated to outdoors, so we set them up on the front porch. I just can’t help it…I go out every night and cover the cote with quilts!!! 3. If we do have babies, I could but should I move the cote into the house for the winter? How stressful will the move be on them? I know……I’m a worry wart!
I’m posting some pictures of the cote. What I call the “attic” is where Snow is nesting. Thanks ahead for any imput.

I bought dove sized wooden eggs at a craft store & have been pulling/replacing eggs for over a year now
without any problems with the birds.

I personally have no problem giving any of our birds replacement eggs because I know that there are so many unwanted doves/pigeons that need a home. The answer to this question is one you have to decide but always keep in mind that you will have to make room for the babies, maybe in another cage too.

If your porch is draft free & insulated you could most likely get away with a heat lamp that the doves can warm under.
To help keep the heat in you could also wrap their cage in a heavy plastic on 3 sides.

Hope this helps.

EgypSwiftLady wrote:

I bought dove sized wooden eggs at a craft store & have been pulling/replacing eggs for over a year now
without any problems with the birds.

I personally have no problem giving any of our birds replacement eggs because I know that there are so many unwanted doves/pigeons that need a home. The answer to this question is one you have to decide but always keep in mind that you will have to make room for the babies, maybe in another cage too.

If your porch is draft free & insulated you could most likely get away with a heat lamp that the doves can warm under.
To help keep the heat in you could also wrap their cage in a heavy plastic on 3 sides.

Hope this helps.

I agree 100%.
As far as replacing eggs with pretend ones...we can't spay and neuter Pigeons or Doves, this is the only way we can humanely keep the population down.

Your dove home is lovely and so roomy, Naunnie.

You will have to make the ultimate decision whether to replace Snow and Ice's eggs (if you decide to, it needs be be very soon).
I do agree with Robin in that there are so many pigeons and doves needing homes.

I have been replacing eggs for 7 years and my birds don't seem traumatized over it.

I will say, I completely disagree with the fellow you got the birds from.
To remove the eggs and give nothing as a replacement can be extremely detrimental to the hen's health.
If you choose to remove the eggs, something needs to be put in their place.

Thanks Ladies. I will have to shop in a bigger town to find wooden eggs. I'm going to the big city today. I definitely do not want to become a Dove breeder. Family members are begging, me to let these hatch so they can each have a pet Dove. They are so good at playing me about my maternal instincts. I guess my answer will be :For Shame: NO! I am ashamed to admit ignorance here. I didn't expect them to lay in the colder months. I know now... don't I! Besides the kids nagging me to let them hatch, I read somewhere ??? for the best overall health of a hen, she needed to raise at least one clutch a year. Guess that's not true is it! I best get to studying dove breeding and using fake eggs. Thanks again

Believe me...there will be an occasional oops baby regardless of how diligent you are in replacing the eggs. When it happens, it will be a big surprise...kind of like the last gift you expected on your birthday. By then you will have taken in other rescues and will be panicing about having enough room for them all. Still...you will be over joyed with the nes feathered bundle and make the best of it.

Naunnie if your family memebers want a dove encourage them to adopt one Even adult doves will calm down with kindness & handling.

As for mental stability of a hen raising squabs I for one have to disagree with this idea. :For Shame:
I have dove & pigeon hens who have never raised babies, they are between 2-3 yrs. old, and they sure don't seem any different from a couple that have raised them.
I think that a hen & cock might become frustrated if they couldn't build a nest, lay eggs & then sit the eggs for a time. ( the eggs being dummys) One of my favorite things to do is watch the hens & cocks collecting bits & pieces, not just any either they have to be just the right one!, to build their nest.

Naunnie wrote:

Thanks Ladies. I will have to shop in a bigger town to find wooden eggs. I'm going to the big city today. I definitely do not want to become a Dove breeder. Family members are begging, me to let these hatch so they can each have a pet Dove. They are so good at playing me about my maternal instincts. I guess my answer will be :For Shame: NO! I am ashamed to admit ignorance here. I didn't expect them to lay in the colder months. I know now... don't I! Besides the kids nagging me to let them hatch, I read somewhere ??? for the best overall health of a hen, she needed to raise at least one clutch a year. Guess that's not true is it! I best get to studying dove breeding and using fake eggs. Thanks again

Reminds me of the wives tale...let the cat have one litter of kittens.

Naunnie, if you cannot find eggs of the right size - I am "producing" them myself:
I take a real egg, empty it with a syringe, flush it with water so that it is clean inside and fill it with plaster again - let it thoroughly dry out. This works perfectly!
Our 2 couples love to sit on these eggs for longer than normal even so that Emma and Winnie really get some pauses from producing again.

Petra.

I would never let them hatch eggs during the winter unless it was in a heated loft. Your set up is very cute, but not closed off enough for the winter. As was mentioned, Covering it on 3 sides with plastic stapled on for the winter would be great. Then cover the front with a quilt for the night. And a heat lamp, 250 watt, or reptile heat emmitter, 250 watt would help some. Like I said, your set up is so cute, but I would cover the wire that you have on it now with hardware cloth. Those holes are large enough for a rodent to get into. Their droppings can make the birds very sick, and a rat will kill your birds. And believe me, they ARE everywhere.
You can order wooden eggs online from pigeon supply places. I would think about letting them breed, and if you still want to let them hatch a couple of eggs, why not wait until the warmer weather. Believe me, it would be much better for both you and the birds. If they are like pigeons, they will start staying off the babies at around 8 to 10 days old, and the weather will be MUCH too cold for the babies. That would just give you more problems than you need. Good luck.

EgypSwiftLady wrote:

Naunnie if your family memebers want a dove encourage them to adopt one Even adult doves will calm down with kindness & handling.

As for mental stability of a hen raising squabs I for one have to disagree with this idea. :For Shame:
I have dove & pigeon hens who have never raised babies, they are between 2-3 yrs. old, and they sure don't seem any different from a couple that have raised them.
I think that a hen & cock might become frustrated if they couldn't build a nest, lay eggs & then sit the eggs for a time. ( the eggs being dummys) One of my favorite things to do is watch the hens & cocks collecting bits & pieces, not just any either they have to be just the right one!, to build their nest.

I agree with this post!

Thanks everybody. I did find some wooden dove eggs and replaced the real ones already. I also moved the cage inside. Goes great with my family room decor!!! :That\\\'s so f I just could not get comfortable with them outside any longer. I actually think they like it inside better too. Ice's personality is really starting to shine. He is interested in everything!!!

Don't ya just love it when the personalities begin to flourish?

That's great news Naunnie! I think you'll enjoy it as well. You can watch them and interact with them more. You could always put them back out for the summer. Great decision. I know I couldn't stand my birds being out in the cold winter months.