How many pigeons incubate eggs: when they hatch chicks and where they nest

When growing pigeons in households, one cannot do without their reproduction. It will be useful for beginners in poultry farming to find out how many days pigeons hatch eggs, how many chicks are usually in the nest. How birds incubate pigeons, whether the male helps the female or not, how long after laying eggs, the chicks hatch, what little pigeons look like.

When and how many eggs are laid?

Pigeons of all breeds lay 1 or 2 eggs, young doves often have 1 egg in the nest. The size of the eggs depends on the breed of the bird. You can breed pigeons starting from six months. But usually parent pairs are formed from birds of 1-5 years of age.

There are at least 3 broods per year, with a maximum of 2 eggs. At home, some breeds breed chicks all year round, as they live in warm dovecotes. Like wild, domestic doves carry only 1-2 eggs. If there is 1 egg in the nest, you can transfer another from the abandoned nest, if there is one.

How do doves hatch their eggs?

Wild rock pigeons hatch for 16-19 days. How many days they sit at home depends on the breed, the maximum period is 22 days. Wild birds make their nests from twigs, grass, and other suitable materials before laying their eggs. They are looking for cozy, protected places for this; in cities, nests are often arranged on balconies. They love to settle on tree branches, in hollows or thickets of tall grass, that is, in secluded places where birds cannot be disturbed by predators or humans.

In the summer, a pigeon pair can breed 3 broods in a row. In autumn, laying stops, as the pigeons will not have time to fledge before the onset of cold weather.

Laying starts a week after mating. First, the female lays one, after 2 days - the second. As soon as the eggs are laid, the female proceeds to incubate.

She warms them with her body, as do other birds. At the same time, the dove does not sit in the nest all the time, she spends several hours outside it to eat, drink and rest.

Do males help?

Females sit on the clutch from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. the next day. The male then takes her place and guards the eggs while the dove is occupied. But if the female lingers, the male begins to show displeasure and coo.

How long does it take for chicks to hatch?

At least 16 days pass after the start of incubation.The first chick in the brood appears from the first laid egg, the second - after 1 day. The day before hatching, pigeons peck at the shell. To facilitate pecking, you can humidify the air in the dovecote by placing containers of water next to the nests. You can’t help the chicks out of the shell, you need to wait until the process ends naturally. For pigeons, it can take 0.5-1 day. If the chick never appeared, it means that he died, and you need to come to terms with this.

Despite the short incubation period, the breeding season in the household must be prepared in advance. In the dovecote, you need to put nests according to the number of pairs, put grass, straw, twigs next to it so that the birds can make a nest.

In order for the pigeons to hatch at the same time and develop in the same way, the first laid egg must be removed from the nest and a fake one should be placed. Store the egg at room temperature until the female lays the second.Then put it in the nest. When the females sit on the eggs, they must not be disturbed, otherwise they may leave the nest, the embryos will die.

What hatched pigeons look like

Chicks emerge from eggs helpless, covered with rare yellow fluff, blind. The eyes open on the 6th day. After hatching, adult pigeons pick up the shell and discard it.

Doves are inconspicuous, with a large head and beak, look awkward. The beak grows in the first days and becomes even larger. The pigeons lie in the nest, move little, their parents provide them with food.

Feeding starts immediately after hatching. Both parents feed the pigeons. First, they get food from the crop of adult birds - a special liquid mixture, which is popularly called pigeon milk. The composition of milk allows it to be the best food for a pigeon body that has not yet grown strong. Then the parents bring insects, grain, greens, larvae to the nest, accustom the chicks to adult food.Pigeons get used to feeding and at the sight of their parents they begin to ask for food: they stretch their necks and flap their wings. They are trying to peck at the grain that has fallen into the nest.

In addition to nutrition, pigeons provide warmth and protection from predator attacks. In wild pigeons, it looks like this: while one of the parents covers the chicks, the other distracts the uninvited guest from the nest. Birds are able to imitate weakness or injury in order to divert the attention of a predator to themselves.

In the nest, young pigeons spend 1 month. During this time, they gradually become covered with feathers, become like adult birds, and fly away by the end of the month. In size, the chicks almost catch up with their parents, but they look more graceful, their plumage is matte, and not shiny, like in adults.

The female, some time before, starts laying the next batch of eggs and quits looking after the pigeons. The pigeon can continue to feed the brood until the end of the month and longer.

The period of incubation in pigeons depends on the breed, but, in general, does not exceed 3 weeks. In such a short time, embryos manage to form in the egg and, although the chicks are born dependent on their parents, they are quite large and well-formed. A short incubation period allows the birds to hatch from 3 clutches per season. And although there are only 2 chicks in each of them, their total number is such that allows the pigeons to successfully breed, increasing the population.