This is our pigeon house. Right now, 16 pigeons live here. And this is Happy, who is always trembling just a little.
Getting used to their new home
Someday I’d like these pigeons to fly outside the pigeon house, so I installed a door they can come in through freely from outside. But except for Happy, these pigeons are in my care for someone else, and I’d hate for one to get eaten somewhere. I’m still a little nervous, so for a few months I’m letting them get used to this place and seeing how it goes. Happy, you’re so smooth and sleek!
While we were still talking about building nest boxes first, for some reason they laid eggs on the floor. One of the nests is Happy’s — which is how we found out Happy is a girl! Funny, isn’t it, Happy?
The pigeon house can hold about 30 pigeons, so a few babies aren’t a problem. I also learned that once a pair has built a nest and raised young somewhere they know is safe, they’re more likely to come back to it. So for now, I’m letting one pair from each group hatch: the white pigeons all came from the same place, and the gray pigeons came from another. Happy happened to pair up with a male from the gray team — that one over there is Happy’s husband. (Why is everyone stuck to the wall?)
A crack from the inside
The white team’s nest has two eggs, as usual. One has a faint diagonal crack made from the inside, and when I put my ear close, I could hear a little “tick-tick-tick.” So the pigeons are about to be born — on the floor!
Babies!
Good morning, pigeon house! Please don’t poop in the food bowl. The baby pigeons were born safely! Yesterday there was only a cracked egg. One chick seemed stuck, so I helped it a little, and it hatched last night. The other one hatched on its own after that. They’re so small and fluffy, their eyes aren’t open yet, and their bellies are full.
Pigeon parents make something called pigeon milk — a nutrient-rich substance produced in the crop (the food pouch in the throat) — and feed it to their chicks. The babies grow on it at first. In about two weeks their feathers grow in, and then they follow their parents around and practice pecking at food. Their mother is white, and their father is the white pigeon with a bit of brown pattern.
Happy’s nest will hatch soon too. I hope the babies grow up safely with their parents. I’ll keep sharing updates on the pigeons!