Should I give her a girls name...

Question
QUESTION: Hi.  I adopted a white pigeon, I think it's a homing pigeon from the photos I've seen.  It had a bad wing.  It now flys around the room, but I can tell it is still not 100%.  I thought it was a boy because it cooed and ruffled it's feathers and danced in circles when it sees me. I've had it about 6 months.  I love my bird!  I just came home and there's an egg in it's cage!  I swear we never had sex.  How'd this happen.  She's never been outside since I got her.  What should I do.  Help!!  Thanks

ANSWER: Hi, Donna,

LOL!  Pigeons can make very nice pet birds!  Your bird is laying infertile eggs as a result of raging hormones (any female bird can lay infertile eggs without being with a male).  You don't need to do anything except leave the egg alone.  If she wants to incubate it, let her.  If you remove the egg, this could result in her laying more and more each time you remove one.  Just let her abandon them (she may lay another one...pigeons usually lay 2 eggs per clutch) in her own time.  When she does abandon them, just throw them away.  It won't hatch because it isn't fertile (unless you're a male pigeon and you had sex with this bird!!!).

Chrys

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much for your help.  She's a real character, my little white pigeon!  She lives in my room in a huge German Shepherd size metal dog cage.  I use corn cob bedding and she has a staue to sit and poop on.  I feed her Baymore Pigeon feed and give her fresh water.  Once a week she comes to work with me where she can fly around my office.  She likes to hop around on the ceiling fan and make it spin, then she bobs her head as if to make it spin faster.  Her one wing still sometimes hangs lower than the other and I am afraid I'll lose her or she'll get eaten if I let her fly free outside.  She seems to enjoy going for rides in the car where she either sits on my shoulder or sits on her travel case or dash.  She loves to be scratched behind the head.  She seems very happy.  Anything else I should be doing for her?  Oh, I also give her a warm tub of water for a bath a couple of times a week.  Thanks, Donna

Answer
Hi again, Donna,

I think it's safe for her to have a female name.  You seem to be doing well with your pigeon.  I've trained several pigeons in my time, but one I'll never forget, Thumper.  Thumper was a baby bird that his parents abandoned so I handfed him.  He also lived in my room and had a roost on top of a shelving unit in the room.  He would poo only on the top of that shelving unit that I cleaned off daily.  In the mornings, this bird would come down off his roost, stand near my head, and coo until I woke up!  Sometimes the bird would actually sit down right next to my head and stay there until I awoken.  I had trained the bird to come to me whenever I tapped my fingers on a surface.  When I left my room, he would follow me around the house just like a little kid.  I loved that pigeon so much.  He passed away a couple of years ago.  

Just watch out for hawks when you are outside with your bird.  Pigeons are a hawks favorite meal.  They will swoop down on a pigeon, however, if you're always around when your bird is out, a hawk most likely won't try pouncing on your pigeon.  Provide pigen grit to help grind up the seed hulls.  Otherwise, you seem to be doing well.  Sounds like her wing might be permanently hurt for some reason, so she likely won't fly.  Pigeons love water and love to bathe in the sun.  You might want to make her a place somewhere inside where she can bask in the sun when she wants.  They spread their wings (one at a time) and just let the sun shine down on them!  She may like to take baths or showers with you.  Many parrots do this and love it!  As much as pigeons love water, she may take to it as well.  

If you need more advice, come back.  I'm interested in how you continue to get along with your bird and vice versa.  Pigeons fascinate me!  Keep in touch.

Chrys