Does anyone know about doves?

[Clark2008]

I have a beaucoup around here! A Momma in my honeysuckle, a Momma in my SPIDER PLANT (she even lets me hold the planter with her in it! OMG!) and, well, a Momma Robin in my carport and a Momma cardinel in my shrubery.

Here's my question - I also have what appears to be an abandoned egg in my newspaper box (yep, had to put a note on it NOT to put papers in there because there were eggie babies). Momma dove there hasn't been back since I discovered this nest - well, since my son discovered it.

Shall I cut that loss and just keep the nest for the baby robins I ALWAYS end up helping raise (they bounce along the ground and I keep 'em safe from the cats and feed them with help from their dad - did you know the dad feeds them when they're hoppy, before they fly?) OR is there any possibility I could slip the egg in one of my other Momma birds' nests?

They, obviously, are used to my smell, but do they reject eggs not their own? I know about the robins and cardinels, but, heck - I must have gotten on the bird sanctuary hotline, because all these doves are new to me! But, doves mean peace, so I'm peaceful with that!

Here's my dove who lets me get oh-so-close:



Here's my honeysuckle dove:



And here's my baby-baby robins:



Now, I say this like I birthed 'em, but, of course, I didn't, but I DO want to ensure they survive and they are in MY very immediate environment, so... help? Please!

:hi:

[Road Scholar]

1. They're migratory, so if you raised them they would migrate this fall.

[Clark2008]

2. But if I put that egg in with the other Momma, would she raise

it?

If she doesn't, that's fine. I just don't want her to disown her own.

[Maddy McCall]

4. Yes, she probably would.

I don't raise doves, but I did raise chickens, ducks, and quails.

If the egg is "younger" than the ones she's already sitting on, the problem is that she might stay on that one last egg until it hatches, instead of feeding the already-hatched babies. Chickens won't leave their nest until all of the eggs hatch. I don't know if it's the same with doves, though.

Edit to add: Can you borrow an incubator from a friend or the local co-op until that egg hatches? That might be your best bet.

[Maddy McCall]

3. From my dealings with ducks and chickens...

you can slip the egg under another sitting bird.

Do it as soon as possible; mindful of my experience with chickens, here's the problem: Mother bird will sit until all of her eggs hatch. This could result in the others starving while Mom waits on that last egg to hatch.

If I were you, I think I'd cut the loss and let nature take its course.

[Clark2008]

5. It's younger - not as big

So... I'll recycle the nest after a couple of days. Like I said, I do use them to take care of baby robins.

I honestly have NEVER had so many nests within my reach. I think I am on some bird hotline: "Hey, nest there. She's a sweetie. Will even help you feed your babies!" LOL.

Oh - and thanks. I figured as much. I guess I COULD try. If the other one hatches and she still sits, then I'll take the other one and move it. I was just worried she'd leave both eggs. But, thanks again.

[Maddy McCall]

6. Yes, you can do that.

We have had to do it with chickens before. Remove infertile eggs 6 hours after the last chick hatched. You could probably do that with dove eggs.

It sounds like you are Mother Nature incarnate. :D We have lots of deer on our property--like you, I always joke that they tell their friends to hang out at the McCall place, because Maddy allows no hunters there.

:hi:

Good luck, and please PM me after the new arrivals...in case I miss a thread you post.

:bounce:

[Clark2008]

7. Oh! I live in the city and get no deer, but I've helped Mommy

fox, ducks, possums and, yes, even skunks.

I live near a natural park - and (I was on the park board) we were adding a walking trail. We kept all the habitat, but during paving, I had so many critters, I felt like Ellie Mae Clampett.

Do you have pics of your deer babies? Deer are so beautiful. I don't get the opportunity to see them as much as I'd like. I'd love to see them.

[Maddy McCall]

8. No...no photos.

Let me tell you about what we saw a month or so ago. Two bucks were fighting over a doe. The young buck would not give up. The old buck kept chasing the young guy away, and the young one would circle around, and try to get out of the older male's line of sight. The female finally just ran off, tired of the guys scrapping over her.

I WISH I would have had a video camera for that. It was the wildest thing I've ever seen.

I need to get a good lens for my camera. It's hard to photograph them in the field...I need a telephoto lens so I can get some closeups.

We have deer, turkey, and a wide assortment of little critters. My brother claims to have seen an otter in our creek (we have seen beavers in it before, so he knows the difference), but I've yet to see one.

:D

[Clark2008]

9. I know! Did you see the lizard fight a DUer captured?

Same thing - they fought all day - the chick - she left. LOL

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=5070742

[Maddy McCall]

10. Yes, I did!

And if you could just imagine it being deer instead of lizards, well, that's what the two bucks looked like.

:hi:

bedtime for me. Exhausting day. :)

[pitohui]

11. will a cardinal raise a dove? is that the question?

i seriously doubt it, baby doves are fed on pigeon milk which a cardinal can't produce so i think the baby would die anyway

the strategy that doves have is that they have quick, two egg nests, w. babies that grow v. quickly, if they feel the need to abandon the nest and start over, it is no big deal, because they can try again and again

if you want to put the dove egg in another dove nest, be my guest, doves don't have a sense of smell but you might have difficulty finding a time when there is not actually a dove sitting, as you have no doubt noticed, they like to nest close to people in hanging baskets presumably for the protection we provide from predators, and it seems there is always an adult on the nest that i would not like to disturb

i guess i'm saying don't worry abt the dove egg, i would just discard it

nice photos by the by

[fudge stripe cookays]

12. I wouldn't touch it.

I learned the hard way a few years ago when I had a mamma dove take up residence in one of my hanging baskets.

She gave birth to three lovely babies, and we could watch them from the window.

Several days later, one of the babies "fell" out of the nest. We went to put him back in, and a little while later, she attacked him and stabbed him through the throat with her beak. I was devastated. Did not know anything about the whole "don't touch baby birds" thing. I still hate myself. I keep thinking-- if we'd tried to care for him or put him somewhere else he might still be around. But we signed his death warrant by putting him back in that nest. :cry:

If the egg hatches by itself, OK. But if you touch it, the little guy won't have a chance.

[radwriter0555]

13. the human smell thing is a myth, you can safely handle the egg and

place it in a nest. Doves are about as dumb as a bird can get, bless their hearts, so have no fear of compromising it. The best thing you can do for them all is to make sure the kitties don't get at them. Other than that, you're best off leaving them alone and enjoying the nature theater with a hands-off approach.