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Pigeons as Pets
Name: David
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
we saved a pigeon. it now lives with us. we let him
outside and it has flown around but always comes home. this morning he
now a she - had 3 eggs in her cage...wow...
1. how did this happen?
2. what is the best way to make sure they survive?
Replies:
David,
It 'happened' in the same way any chicken or other bird produces eggs. This
is a natural occurrence. Note that in order for a young pigeon to develop,
the egg will have had to have been fertilized, through mating, prior to the
egg being laid. Otherwise the egg will never develop, as is the case with
nearly all chicken eggs purchased at the store. In the rare occasion, a
chicken mates, unknown to the farmer, who then sells a developing chick as
an omelet candidate. Needless to say, it is important to assure mating does
not occur when the goal is edible eggs.
As far as your situation....allow a period of time and see if anything
develops. After a period of time, if nothing happens, the egg will 'spoil'
and its smell will indicate to you that the egg was not successfully
fertilized. Since the pigeon, as you mentioned, had the opportunity to fly
away and return, it is anyone's guess whether the eggs (any or all) are
fertilized. If nothing develops after 1-2 weeks, you might try picking up
and seeing if the eggs smell badly. You will know if they have gone bad.
Otherwise, gently replace them and either wait for hatching or until the
smell test fails, and the eggs would then need to be discarded.
Thanks for using NEWTON!
Richard R. Rupnik
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Update: June 2012
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