Acceptable Loss
(Internet Published) Apr 2001
Throughout the time that I have kept pigeons, I have often come across loss
and learned to accept it. However, there are certain types of losses that I
can accept better than others.
When two pigeon eggs have been produced and incubated for four days I can
hold them against a strong light and perceive filaments and traces of
embryonic life if it exists. Otherwise if there is no such sign of life I
can discard such eggs.
When squabs fail to hatch and are found to be dead inside the shell after 18
days of incubation. When squabs hatch and die within a few hours is also not
a serious problem. When squabs die from chill at about 1 week old due to
parent's neglects and lack of overnight incubation. I accept these losses
especially when breeding in winter or with pairs that are not really mature.
For this reason I am most reluctant to breed from pigeons that are less then
2 years old.
In all of the above examples, I can accept the loss with confident knowledge
that two more eggs will appear in about 10 days time. The loss does not
represent a vast waste of time.
Next, I come to unacceptable losses, such as when squabs get out of nest
boxes and on to the floor to be savaged by non-parent cocks. Some sort of
escape shelter must be made under which such squabs can escape.
Yet, the most despicable losses are when under trained and under imprinted
young ones get up on the wing even at 6 weeks old. It takes time and
patience to imprint young pigeon before their maiden flight and no pigeon
under the age of 8 weeks should be caused to fly. There should be 3 weeks of
loft training and general imprinting before their crucial first fly under
strict control. Losses at this time are unacceptable because death by
starvation is almost inevitable - The alternative being eaten alive by a cat
or a hawk. Not very clever is it!