adoption

[ste63home]

hi there my dads pigeons ley an egg in the aviry and there is another pigeon sitting on 2 eggs in a nest in her box so he has put the egg from outside with the 2 inside do you think this pigeon will adopt this other egg ????

[Darnaway]

Its not so much as will the birds adopt the egg as will they be capable of feeding 3 youngsters assuming they all hatch.

 

Mother Nature in her wisdom decided 2 eggs and most birds manage this nicely but look at the difference when a youngster is single reared.

[Guest Freebird]

It will but you should take one egg away as it will be hard on the parents. This is why they only lay two.

[peterpau]

I have two hens paired to on cock and they have been like this all year, at the min I have a youngster hatched in the nest and both hens sat on it. Earlier in the season I took one pair of eggs away. With three birds sitting four eggs I wouldn't see any problem with them hatching and feeding. Tiz some thing I've not let happen however as I have enough, but !!!!!

[cowman]

how long has the hen been sitting the other  2 eggs ?? as if hers hatch 5 to 10 days before the new egg her milk may have been depleted by the earlier 2 chicks .

[pjc]

why take it away from where it was laid, just leave it, she will lay a 2nd with it and sit herself?

But as has been said, they are unlikely to rear 3 healty squabs if the eggs are all the same age which it doesn't sound as if they are!