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Emmy

Diamond Doves

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This is a recurring problem I have had this year and it happened last year as well.

Last year in the outside flight I had a pair of diamond doves  lay two eggs in their nest. They were incubating the egg  and all seemed to be ok until the eggs suddenly disappeared.  The same thing happened to the next set of eggs- no sign of egg falling out from nest n trace of egg shells.

The only time they have managed to raise a chick was when I removed the egg from their nest and hatched it out in the incubator. I hand reared it for a few days, during this time I had removed 'mum and dad' from the aviary and put them into a cage provided a nest pan and transferred the chick to their cage where they took over the feeding.

Just recently this has happened again with the diamond doves the hen was sitting on 2 eggs in the inside flight I'm sure the eggs weren't far off from being hatched  but when I checked the nest and again the eggs had disappeared  and no trace of egg shells etc.  

I had been blaming the cockatiels for stealing the eggs but now I'm not sure if that was correct. 

My friend also has a pair of Diamond doves in  her aviary sitting on 2 eggs (there are finches and canaries  in her aviary same as I have) but she had NO cockatiels and she contacted me tonight to let me know the two eggs in the diamond doves nest in her aviary have disappeared -no trace of egg shells etc.

Both of us have no mice/rats in our  aviaries.  

Anyone have any clues why this is happening?  Could it be the canaries or the  zebra finches  that are responsible for this?. Or could it be the diamond doves themselves?

Be grateful for any ideas anyone may have why this is happening.

Emmy

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my first thought was the doves are eating them themselves... I no zebbies that are lacking in calcium have been known to do that.. I do not no the size of a dove egg my concern that it's the zebbies are would the egg be too big for them. so that leave the dove themselves or the canaries. it is getting to canary breeding season so the hens my be looking for nests or trying to top up on calcium. but this is just a guess Emmy

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Thanks for answering,

It has been a problem trying to work out what's been happening even more so since it happened to my friend's birds too.  The birds have lots of cuttlefish, egg food  etc etc. so its not a lack of anything in their diet.

Since posting this I have been told its the zebra finches that are doing this.  Seems it happens a lot and has been seen happening.  They actually eat the eggs in the nest therefore no broken shells are found and when the other finches see this happening they join in too.

My zebbies better watch out because if I catch them at it they'll get their 'wings clipped';)

Emmy

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