cock treads the hen

[micko and jack]

when a cock treads the hen how long before the first egg arrives

[Guest Freebird]

Think it's around 10 days

[Guest Thunder Birds]

It's generally approx 10 days from pairing that the first egg arrives - providing the pair clicks. As with humans pigeons like to 'practice' and fertilization of the egg doesn't occur until approx 24 hours before the egg is laid. You can tell if the hen is due to lay by gently feeling the vent bones at the base of the tail - normally these will be form a quite tight v shape - when the egg is due the v will begin to open up.

[Guest milkyal]

well me missus is about to drop because here V's wide open  ;D

[Tony C]

It depends a lot on the time of year and how fit the birds are. Winter months and when they're moulting things take a little longer. With a pair that click straight away during the summer you will see the cock start to drive the hen hard from the 5th day of pairing and you should expect to see eggs from the 8th day onwards.

[Guest IB]

When you first pair the birds up after the winter months and the birds are in good condition, it takes 8-10 days for each pair to lay. During the racing season, when the birds are really fit, it is usually a lot quicker, 7 days or less.

 

The hen's vent opening is a good sign that the hen is due to lay; earlier signs are:

(1) cock driving his hen to nest;

(2) the hen developing a pronounced 'hump' at the rump, making her look crooked-back;

(3) the hen 'covering' the bowl, that is she sits in it for long periods around 2 days to go;

(4) the cock building, that is bringing twigs etc in from the garden, usually when the hen is covering the bowl.

 

I've only recently come across definitive info on the formation and laying of the pigeon's egg. According to Manual of Ornithology by Noble S Proctor & Patrick J Lynch, ISBN 0-300-07619-3, p224 "the entire process of ovulation through egg laying takes about 41 hours in the Rock Dove but just 24 hours in the domestic chicken".

 

Also on p224 they say "the female bird's reproductive system is designed to take up minimal space in the bird's body and prevent the potential problem of simultaneously carrying two large fragile eggs within the abdominal cavity." That also explains why there is a 'day's' gap between the pigeon's 1st and 2nd egg.

[Guest Freebird]

The hen can also store sperm for up to a week!