just acquired a pair of pigeon eggs

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so, a friend of mine called me up today to ask me if i was interested in taking in a couple of "strays". she and her significant other just moved into an apartment and found the patio occupied by smaller tenants, a family of pigeons. recently, and most likely due to all the new activity in and around their previously quiet bit of real estate, the parents left the nest, abandoning two fresh eggs along with it. they have been left exposed for quite a significant amount of time, but seeing as i currently have plenty of time on my hands, i figured she might as well bring them over.

there is probably very little chance that the eggs are viable after being left so cold, but after several jokes involving tiny fried eggs, candling proved them to be with yolk intact at the very least, which is the only thing you can expect for an egg which was laid only a week prior. i decided i might as well keep an eye out and watch for any development (or inversely, rot) as it's a better fate then being dumped from the patio with the rest of the nest. i rigged up an incubator using a small cricket tank of water warmed with a tank heater, and nested the eggs wrapped in cloth afloat in a tupperware, double boiler style. so far, the temperature is staying around 80*F which i have read is appropriate. i'm going to be sure they don't get too damp, and keep them rotated for even warming, just like mom would be doing.

while i don't expect them to hatch, i do have experience with raising birds, and plenty of time on my hands to rear a pair of needy squabs. an interesting experience in the least. anybody with experience want to offer a word or two of advice?
 

Vicious_Fish

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Mar 6, 2007
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I use to raise Homer, Tumbler and Roller Pigeon. There was a pair of Homer chicks I had to hand raise when their mother was killed by a hawk and the dad abandoned them when they were only a few days old. I never had to incubate any eggs so you'll have to look up what temp they need to be kept.

I fed the babies ground up Purina Gamebird Chow with some water added to it so it was like a milk shake consistency. I fed them 3 times a day through a large syringe (with the needle removed). They grew big and fat and imprinted on me as the "mama bird". Once they were about 3 weeks old they could eat food on their own and I returned them back to the pen with the rest of the pigeons.
 

L021

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Jul 14, 2009
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^.....
It's always sunny side up...
Anyhoo, you realize that if they hatch, the only viable option is to keep them as pets right? Pidgeons can track you down from miles off.

On the upside, they can transport letters for you :p
 

EMTOkami

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Sep 14, 2008
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While I like most birds but pigeons are hell spawn sent to bombard cars (I know they like black ford escapes). Hope it goes well for you though.
 
^.....
It's always sunny side up...
Anyhoo, you realize that if they hatch, the only viable option is to keep them as pets right? Pidgeons can track you down from miles off.

On the upside, they can transport letters for you :p
Me and my friend jokingly planned each taking one pigeon and setting up a feathered 'tin can telephone' system.

Ahhh, sadly, though, despite my efforts, the embryos are dead. They were probably left in the cold too long. Is it wrong to hope I get another opportunity like this in the future? Maybe I should look into wildlife rehab?
 

Lexi_D

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Nov 25, 2007
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Oh, that's a shame, but I admire your effort to save them. I don't think it would be wrong to hope for a second chance at this, I probably would have done the same thing. You should definitely look into wildlife rehab; it would be great to volunteer at a local wildlife rehab center and you could do some of the same things (I'm planning to do that later this summer).
 
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