Incubating Pigeon Eggs
The incubation period for pigeon eggs is 17 days.
The temperature in the incubator for pigeon eggs is 99.5 - 100.5 degrees fahrenheit.
The humidity level (wet bulb thermometer) for pigeon eggs is 84-88 degrees fahrenheit.
The final day of egg rotation for pigeon eggs is day 15.
Please note that all of this information is only a guide and that this information may differ according to the incubator manufacturer’s guide.
Always consult the manufacturer’s guide when using an incubator and automatic egg turner.
Click on the link below to visit Amazon.co.uk to find out more about this book or visit one of the Farming Friends Bookshops.
Commercial Pigeon Breeding & Rearing
Egg Rotation eggs Hatching Humidity Incubation Incubator Pigeon Temperature
Hi Sara, my dad has bred pigeons for many years, he would know all about this. x
Comment by Louise — April 11, 2008 @ 11:20 am
Hi Louise,
I would love to hear more about your dad’s pigeons. Did he use an incubator or did he get the pigeons to hatch the eggs?
Thanks for dropping by and commenting.
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — April 22, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
hi, last night i found 2 pigeon eggs on my balcony, they had only been there for a couple of hours, there were no pigeons around so i brought them in and wraped them in a blanket and put them under a lamp to warm them back up, does anyone no if this was the right or wrong thing to do or of they are even still alive, and is there anything i can do to help them servive and hatch?
Any help is welcome
Comment by Sam — May 20, 2008 @ 10:30 am
Hi Sam,
Thanks for leaving a comment.
I think that you did the right thing in keeping the eggs warm. If you cannot see the nest then taking the eggs was the right thing to do as it is unlikely that the pigeons would be able to get the eggs back to the nest. If you can see the nest and it is possible to place the eggs back in the nest then I would do this. If this is not possible then I would candle the eggs to see if they are fertile and have pigeon chicks inside.
Candling is a way of checking the fertility of an egg and the development of the embryo, with the use of a light source in a darkened room. In a darkened room, carefully hold the egg up to the light to observe the contents of the egg.Here is a link for more information about candling eggs.
http://www.farmingfriends.com/candling-eggs/
If the eggs are fertile and have chicks inside then I would incubate the eggs or find someone who is able to do this, or keep the eggs under the lamp and regularly turn them.
I would probably contact my local animal santuary or RSPB to find out advice from them.
Hope this information helps.
Let me know how you get on.
Kind regards
sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — May 27, 2008 @ 6:46 pm
Hi, ive had a pigeon lay 2 eggs in a plant pot on my balcony, there has been 2 pigeons regulaly taking it in turns to sit on the eggs and keep them warm, i was just wondering how long would it be before the eggs hatch, and how long will they be there before the chicks are able to fly off.?
Thanx Phil.
Comment by Phil — July 17, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
Hi, anyone that can help me.
Is a pigeons first brood usaully successful? If not, how many seperate times will they have to lay eggs to get the idea of what to do?
Also, I have two fantails and yesterday (after keeping them in the loft for 3 weeks) we let them go.
The felmae seems to be quite good at her navagation but the male seem realy bewildered.
He tends not to fly as much as she does and cannot seem to find the loft again whereas she can.
Tonight, she flew from a roof to get to the loft and he did not follow, a few minutes later, he flew round trying to find her but failed.
He has now gone missing and is nowhere to be seen.
Will he find her again or is he now gone forever?
(sorry about all the questions, im quite new to pigeon keeping)
Comment by Jo — August 6, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
Hi Jo,
I know that pigeons can have possibly 3 clutches of eggs but I don’t know what the success rate is for the first.
I have a friend who has been breeding and keeping pigeons for years so I will print off your comment and go and see him in the next few days and then I can get back to you with correct information. I hope this is ok. I will be in touch soon. I hope that your pigeon comes back.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — August 6, 2008 @ 7:57 pm
hi i have just found a pigeon egg and i do not no if i should put it under a lamp or in the airing cupboard???????
any help welcome
asap
Comment by caitlin — August 7, 2008 @ 2:02 pm
Hi Caitlin,
Thanks for your question. If you can see the pigeon nest and you are able to put the egg back then I would try to do this.
If you are not able to do this then I would put the egg in a box and place in the airing cupboard. You could check the temperature to see if it is around 99.5 degrees fahrenheit, you can also put in a damp face cloth or dish cloth to get the humidity and just keep making sure the cloth stays damp.
Alternatively you could put the egg in a box under a lamp and again I would check the temperature. I think that the airing cupboard is a good idea if you can achieve the correct temperature.
Then in around 17 days the egg may hatch out. You could candle the egg to see if it is fertile and has a chick inside.Here is a link for more information about candling eggs.
http://www.farmingfriends.com/candling-eggs/
Hope this is useful.
Let me know how you get on.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — August 7, 2008 @ 4:23 pm
Hi, my 4 year old bought me an egg that he found by our pond, i am preety certain it is that of a collared dove, i have it wrapped in a tea towel in our airing cupboard, i attempted to do the candling test, and saw where the blood vessels were clearly, on examining the egg a little further up, i found what looked like an embryo, it had some kind of tail bit, presumably what is attaching it to the yolk and vessels, and what could have been the backbone, am not sure whether embryo is still alive, it was about 1/2 to 1 cm in length, and was showing up black, have you any advice, and what would a blood spot look like on the interior of the egg against the light?
i also need some advice as to what to feed it should it hatch! the egg was very cold when my son brought it to me.
the embryo didn’t look 3d, so is it dead?
Comment by melanie cox — September 4, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
Hi Melanie, Thanks for visiting farmingfriends and leaving this very interesting comment. I am afraid that I don’t much experience of candling pigeon eggs, so I can only advise you from what i have read.
You are right to keep it warm and it needs a temperature of 99.5 - 100.5 degrees fahrenheit and a humidity level of 84-88 degrees fahrenheit which you could create by dampening a face cloth and placing in the airing cupboard. You also need to make sure that the egg is carefully turned several times a day without being shaken and make sure that the pointed end is facing down.
I’ve got to go out now so I will post more about the embryo formation tomorrow.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — September 6, 2008 @ 4:26 pm