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Darcy Regular user 128 Posts |
Hi everyone, I thought at one point one of my doves was getting ready to lay an egg. But about 2 weeks later he has done nothing, he shows all the signs of getting ready to lay, but nothing has happend. I am a bit concerned that this may be unhealthy as he is very heavy and seems uncomfortable. Any advise is greatly appreciated.
Darcy |
sperris Special user http://www.Anti-Conjuror.com 881 Posts |
You may just have a lazy bird, are you sure its a female?
DANSPERRY.COM
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spatrick Special user Tom Sawyer let me whitewash these 517 Posts |
Doves will go through several false pregnancies. This will pass. If it goes on for over a week you may want to see a vet. Also keep on the look out for false eggs as well.
S. Patrick |
Darcy Regular user 128 Posts |
I am positive that it is a female because she has layed several eggs before. This has been going on for over a week, so I guess my best bet would be to take her to a vet.
Thanks for your replies!! Darcy |
Jkta99 Regular user New Orleans 109 Posts |
I have seen many birds die because they were egg bound. I would take it to the vet to make sure it isn't.
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Darcy Regular user 128 Posts |
Thank you very much
Darcy |
magic mike New user Michael M. 88 Posts |
I put my female Java dove together with my very light colored male ringneck 9 days ago. She has just laid two eggs, but neither bird is sitting on the eggs.
Is this normal? Could it be that the eggs are not fertile? If these doves do mate, will the chicks be sterile?
Channing Pollack is my idea of the perfect magician. For those of you that have not seen him perform, I recommend trying to get hold of a video of an old movie called "European Nights" made about 1959.
I was able to buy this video from Stevens Magic |
Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
Magic Mike, I answered you question in response to the PM you sent me.
Where the magic begins
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
Darcy and Magic Mike,
Dove nesting habits are strange but somewhat predictable. Laying eggs is apparently optional to some degree. The only thing about that I can say with absolute certainty is that only females lay eggs. There are never more than two. It is not rare for them to wait a day or two later before setting. Once setting begins, you can set your watch by the schedule. Females get the night shift and most of the day. The male role is to cover the eggs from about 10 AM to 4 PM. I have seen the male setting role performed by another female. (Yes, two females were incubating the eggs and the eggs were still fertile. I have raised many doves in 8’ x 8’ walk-in aviaries. Males are too frequently outnumbered in that situation by accident.) Both babies hatch within hours of each other. Given the opportunity, the adults will move the empty eggshells to the water. It must be some primitive form of misdirection to predators. If a dove throws an egg out of the nest, leave it. There is something wrong with the egg. You may write on the eggs with a pencil (date them) and the doves don’t seem to mind. Yet they will spot a cracked shell that humans will never notice. Mated doves will start laying again before the last clutch leaves the nest. For reasons known best to doves, they will abandon a nest that was well started. I have noticed that bad thunderstorms do reduce successful nests. They seem to have no effect upon hatched birds. Yet the coldest and hottest weather seem no problem. The length of daylight does seem to determine nests starts. Long days result in more nests. Over the last thirty years, I have raise thousands of doves, not to even mention other birds. Never have I lost a bird to being “egg bound”. I will admit that I have heard about “egg bound” females all my life. I’ve never seen one. My wife is a physician and spent her younger days as the “show and tell” girl for animal shelters and taught college Biology in California for years. She tells me it is highly unlikely that a female bird cannot expel an egg whenever necessary. Remember eggs are warm and soft until expelled! The air hardens the shell after it is layed. To answer another question, if a colored bird mated with a white dove produces young, the offspring can also breed. As a rule, I try to keep all the dark-eyed white doves I raise for future breeding stock. They are mated with a regular white dove and produce red-eyed white doves that seem hardier, larger, and faster developing. Rarely I get a dark collar on the offspring. Those, I have to reject simply because I raise stage birds that must all look alike in the shows. Pieds make great segregate parents. Depending on where in the world you live, wild doves often have pointed tails and do not result in pretty tails on mixed offspring. Domestic doves have gently curved-edged tails. Look at the one in my photo here or on my web pages. Feathers are very important parts of a good magic show production bird. Maybe these will answer some of your questions about your new doves. Enjoy them and protect them from other animals. They become very dependant upon the owners. Bob |
Darcy Regular user 128 Posts |
Thank you very much for your relpy, really appreciate it!
Darcy |
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