Pigeon is a bird that lays eggs throughout the year. But sometimes it may not lay an egg or the egg shell is soft or infertile when it lays an egg. What are the reasons and why the pigeon is not laying eggs? If she lays eggs, why is she infertile?
The pigeon is not laying eggs because it has not yet matured. If not laying eggs, chances are your pigeon has a nutrient deficiency that causes soft eggshells. Age is another factor. If the pigeon does not mate, the resulting egg is also infertile.
To fix this problem you need to know some other reasons so that you can treat the problem accordingly. Here I will tell you some home remedies and some medicines that are helpful. If you just start giving medicine without knowing the reasons, it can be a waste of time.
Contents
Why are my pigeons not laying eggs Reasons?
Pigeon is laying infertile eggs?
Below are the reasons due to which your pigeon is not laying eggs.
Pigeon is infertile
Pigeons are one of the fastest growing birds. They are usually very fertile and can breed up to 12 times a year. With each mating, they lay two eggs, one male and the other female.
Sometimes pigeons, like humans, are infertile, which prevents them from laying eggs. If they are laying eggs, the eggs may not be capable of hatching. These birds live together for life. But if a bird is barren, they may leave it and look for another pigeon.
How to know if the egg is infertile or not?
You can test the fertility of birds by the candle method. Go into the dark and place your egg on top of the flashlight. The light should be bright enough for you to see what’s inside the egg. .
Remember to check the egg 7-9 days after the incubating period begins. Sometimes after laying eggs, pigeon may not sit on the egg.
Your pigeon is not matured
Pigeons lay eggs only when they reach maturity. Male pigeons reach the age of 4 months and females reach the age of 6 months. Usually mating starts from 7th month. This is their first mating. The time depends on the different species of pigeons.
Pigeons grow very fast. At the age of 6 weeks, they weigh more than adult birds and gain more weight. So the new PWT keepers assume that it will be met soon. This is also a misconception .Don’t get your hopes up too early . Here is the pigeons’ life cycle.
It is most likely that you got a new pair of pigeons from the pet store. They may look like adults but may be too young to lay eggs. Give them some time.
Lack of nutrients
This is one of the main reasons why your pigeon does not lay eggs. Food is essential for proper growth and nutrition of the body. You may have noticed that pigeons in cities or forests mostly do not lack these problems because they get all kinds of food. They are fulfilling their nutritional value.
Vitamin C Deficiency: Pigeons cannot get food that is deficient in vitamin C. Vitamin C deficiency can cause your pigeon to lay sterile eggs.
If you have a pet pigeon and you are only feeding it one type of food, for example if you start feeding your pigeons only rice throughout the day and that is what they are eating. Then it can be harmful for him. This is because the nutritional content of one food is different from another. Too much of anything is harmful. Rice is good but do not replace food.
You can read our article on how rice is good for your pigeon here.
Excess of anything is harmful. If you feed a pigeon only wheat, it is likely to gain weight. Due to obesity, the pigeon lays infertile eggs. This is due to excess amount of fat in the body and according to research. You can read what pigeons can eat, here.
Obesity is the mother of all diseases.
If your pigeon gains a lot of weight, you may not be giving it the freedom to fly. These are the birds that always return home despite being miles away. It always comes back to you. If they fly, they will automatically maintain their weight because they will burn more calories.
You can drink them with carob seed water to reduce body fat.
Mating is not properly done
Sometimes the colloidal organs do not touch each other properly. Chances are that the sperm cannot reach the egg, causing it to produce an infertile egg. Pigeons stay together for several days until they hatch.
If you pair manually, keep the unit away from other birds for a few days. If you keep them with other pigeons, the pair is likely to break up. Both of them will start looking for a new partner. It also causes problems in eggs. Do pigeons mate for life?
Pigeon is old
Pigeons are living creatures .Like others they also have cycles of formation of gametes . They produce gametes for many years . Their life expectancy may exceeds 15 years. At that time they may stop laying eggs.
How do you get pigeons to lay eggs?
Don’t worry if you have this problem . The simple solutions to your problem are here. After studying the above problems you are now able to identify which medicine is right for you pigeon.
Feed them proper food
Diet is everything. Better diet will keep your pigeon healthy and when your pigeon will be healthy it will proper eggs.
| Food name | Quantity (gram) |
| Pearl Millet | 5 gm |
| Mustard seeds | 5 gm |
| White millet | 5 gm |
| Chick pea | 5 gm |
Mix all the ingredients and feed your pigeon twice a day. You can also add some other grains, like rice, to change the taste.
Also feed them chicken feed. This food is helpful for proper rearing of pigeons.
Note: May be increased as per quantity.
What if pigeons lay eggs with soft eggshells? You can feed your pigeon egg shells. Break the eggs into small pieces and feed them to your bird as the pigeon will lack these nutrients when it eats the eggshell. Nutrition will be maintained.
You can also separate the female from the couple for a few days.
You can give standard food with proper nutrition. Feed your pigeon small amounts of vitamin C tablets. Provide them with a good environment by maintaining proper temperature. These things will help you to lay eggs in your pigeons.
Fulfill their Vitamin C deficiency .
Give them Vitamin C capsules in water two times a day. Break the big capsule into 4 small pieces that will work for days. This is the best remedy .
Give them folic acid also
The combo of vitamin C tablets and Folic acid is good for getting perfect eggs. Half tablet of folic acid should be given in the morning after 1 hour of breakfast .
Home remedy for Reducing fat in pigeons
You can help your bird to reduce weight by feeding them Caron seeds, green cardamom and liquor ice water.
Take these things and mix them in water. Boil the water for some minutes. After that separate the water from them. Cool down the water and give it to the pigeon for reducing weight.
Related questions
At what age do a pigeon stop laying egg?
They don’t have a specific age to stop laying eggs .The highest pigeon I know has the age of 12 who was breeding still. Although pigeons can live longer . There was a pigeon who died at the age of 23 .At that he cant breed .
This bird can also grow old just like humans. The ability of mating decreases with the age. Usually they will lay eggs until they are alive. As i told earlier they mostly die before they stop laying eggs
How long does it take for a pigeon to lay an egg after mating?
It takes 8-12 days for pigeon to lay egg. Female after mating choose the best possible spot for laying eggs. After that they may have intercourse daily. Female can lay mostly two eggs .The first one is usually male while the second egg is female
How do you improve pigeon breeding?
Pigeon breeding can be improve if you provide them proper food ,a good environment and best breeding pair. Temperature should also be maintained because some times if an egg is hatched in a very hot weather. There are chances that baby may die because of excessive heat.
What month do pigeons lay eggs?
Pigeons lay eggs in autumn and spring seasons mostly
Pigeons are mating but not laying eggs?
It takes time for pigeons to lay eggs. Wait for 13 days .If they still don’t lay eggs check the mating pair may be they are not breeding properly. There is also possibility that one of the pigeon is infertile .Try to change the pair. Fulfill their Vitamins and calcium quantity.
This thing will surely work hope so . Read the solutions I told in this article .
How many times do pigeon lay eggs in a year?
Pigeons can lay eggs 12 months a year .They lay two eggs so total of 24 eggs a year. In winter some species of pigeons don’t breed. So an average 12-16 baby birds can enter this world.
Summary
If pigeons are not laying eggs, they are often malnourished. Supplement them with nutrients like vitamin C and calcium. Even very young pigeons do not lay eggs. Unfertilized pigeons can lay sterile eggs. Feed them with crushed garlic mixed with water. Hope your problem is solved.