Diamond Doves started laying eggs!

[Dallas]

Okay, everyone. So I have two diamond doves that I got at the beginning of last December. I can't recall their ages right now, as it was actually my ex who purchased them. I need to find out. Anyway, the female has started laying eggs. We noticed yesterday their was a broken one on the bottom of the cage, where she had laid it from a high perch! Today she passed another, again from the same perch.

What I want to know, is how many eggs will she lay? Will she continue to lay them now, consistently? Will she lay a certain number and then stop until its that time again? How does this thing work, with diamond doves in particular? We had a nest in there when we first got them, but they never used it, and it ended up only being pooped in as they perched on the sides of it occasionally, so we had taken it out. We put one back this morning, but apparently she still didn't use it. The male has started tending to it though, and I have given him some extra nesting material to build with. Is there any way I can coax her to use the nest? Is there anything I should be worried about? What can I do? Is there anything I should do?

Thanks in advance! Any help is appreciated!

 

[Anne & Gang]

she will lay an egg every other day until she is done....if you do not provide a proper nestbox for them, there is very little chance the eggs will actually hatch..although they might....I also recommend you candle the eggs to see if they are actually fertile...she might lay from one to 9 eggs..please up her calcium i.e. cuttlebone and mineral block and feed calsi rich foods such as broccoli & kale.....all eggs must be hard and same size or she is lacking in calcium in which case you must provide a calcium supplement such as calci boost...I also recommend you buy false eggs...birdsupplynh.com..that way you may replace the broken ones with a false one...so she will not be tempted to lay to replace..they should start hatching at about the 25 day mark....provide them with extra food & water 24/7 good luck!

 

[Dallas]

Thank you so much Anne! I had not planned for any of this, but she has been working away at her cuttlebone. I have also been giving them some broccoli as well, so it seems like I'm ahead! The eggs although broken, seemed to be good, so I will hope they use their nest and continue to. I will look into the false eggs. Do you think they would take to a nest box? I'm thinking they would feel more comfortable that way, but I thought Diamond Doves preferred open nests like Canaries. Have you raised any Diamond Doves? What are your thoughts on this? Also, is there an approximate number of eggs I can expect, or days until she is finished laying? Like I said, today was the second egg, and I'm assuming the first was the day before yesterday.

 

[Anne & Gang]

yes, you are right diamond doves do prefer a mroe open nest...however, if you find they are laying the eggs on the grate and start to sit on them, there may not be much of a chance for them to hatch..however, with the nest you have there, hopefully, they will start to pay more attention . nO, I have no raised diamond doves but know quite a lot about them as I have friends who have them...one to 9 eggs is not unusual for them. If the egg is broken, I would actually remove it as it could become filled with bacteria ...They may not start paying attention to the egg(s) if they are first timers..it might take them a while..but leave the eggs until they appear to abandon...apparently, sometimes you can leave them for ages and they appear to ignore them. then poof, they suddenly start sitting on them.

 

[Dallas]

Thanks so much Anne! Will provide pictures with my next update!

 

[Anne & Gang]

I FOUND THIS....[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Offspring[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How many eggs do doves lay?
Most doves lay two eggs; some species only lay one. Wild doves are notorious for infertile eggs.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Why do foreign doves abandon their eggs or young?
Abandoning eggs may be due to biting pests (lice, mites), noises that frighten brooding birds, or overcrowding and fighting. Frightened doves will abandon young, or if the nest is disturbed in any way, parents may refuse to care for the young.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How can I save abandoned foreign dove babies?
Hand-feeding formulas are available from pet shops, feed stores, etc. Small feeding syringes are available from veterinarians. Young doves should be placed in a box with a light bulb for heat.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Why are some of the young doves ”Scalped” or killed by other doves?
Young doves that are scalped or killed wander into the territory of another dove. Shrubbery provides hiding places for young doves from more aggressive adults. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]^back to top[/FONT] [/FONT]

 

[Dallas]

Uhoh..... I don't have a photo right now.... Don't hurt me! But, after they had not laid any eggs for a week, I went into the kitchen this morning and saw a beautiful, completely intact egg sitting right in the middle of the nest! I saw her sitting there last night, but she has been without eggs, so I didn't think that there would be anything under her. Guess I was wrong! I will candle it later today to see if we are expecting anything, as well as take a photo, but just wanted to update. Thanks again!

 

[Dallas]

This is all in the middle of horrible storm warnings here in the south, and I have been on edge about keeping the fids and myself safe in case of an emergency, so that was a very nice surprise this morning.