Pigeon breeding: incubation, nests and young birds

Brooding and rearing are the heart of any pigeon breeding operation. Anyone who knows when pigeons start brooding, how long the incubation period lasts, and what the young live on in the first few days can manage the loft calmly and intervene less. This guide summarizes the course of a brood from nest building to the young pigeons fledging and answers the questions owners and breeders ask most often.

When do pigeons brood?

Pigeons are extremely flexible in their breeding readiness. Under the protected conditions of a loft with consistent feeding and sufficient light, breeding is possible almost all year round. In the wild and with feral pigeons, the focus is instead on spring and summer, when food availability and temperatures are favorable.

In managed breeding, the start of brooding is deliberately controlled. Most breeders pair the birds in spring so the youngsters are developed in time for the season. Over the year, a pair raises several broods in succession. Often the pair begins the next clutch while the young from the previous brood are still being cared for. How many broods you allow depends on the condition of the parent birds and the breeding goal, not on biological possibility.

If you approach the season in a planned way, set up the loft beforehand. Accessories for this phase can be found in the category Breeding & Rearing.

Pigeon mating: How do pigeons mate?

Pigeons live in lasting pair bonds and remain loyal to their partner through several broods. The cock pigeon courts with conspicuous behavior: he turns with his tail spread, coos, and follows the hen. If she accepts, they then rub beaks, with the partners placing their beaks into each other’s. The actual mating is brief; the cock steps onto the hen’s back.

Afterward, the pair defends its nest site. The cock occupies the nest box and drives off other pigeons. For the breeder, this is the right time to distribute pairs deliberately and provide enough nesting places so there is no conflict over boxes.

Pigeon nest: nest building, nesting material and location

The pigeon nest is a shallow, rather loose structure. The cock brings in straw, stems, and fibers, which the hen arranges in the nest. Without offered material, pigeons build only a makeshift nest, and the eggs then lie on a hard surface, which means a risk of breakage and heat loss.

Nesting material and nest bowls

Nest bowls made of plastic or clay provide the foundation. They give the nest shape, keep the clutch together, and can be cleaned between broods. A common size is a diameter of 23 cm, for example the Nesting bowl full 23 cm made of gray plastic, the heavy nesting bowl Ø 23 cm in black, which sits more stably thanks to its higher weight, or the ventilated Nesting bowl Airluxe 23 cm. If you prefer to replace rather than clean after each brood, choose cardboard nest bowls in a 10-pack, which are disposed of after use as a single-use solution. The nesting material goes on top. Tobacco stalks have proven effective because they are stable and give the nest structure without matting together. Available are long tobacco stalks in a 2 kg bag for building the nest and short tobacco stalks 2 kg for padding. Pea straw 10 kg is suitable as low-dust bedding for the floor of the box. You can also place an insert in the nest bowl: Nest inserts made of natural fibers in a 10-pack are round 23 cm discs made from untreated, breathable fibers that absorb moisture and can be completely replaced after the brood, reducing parasite pressure. For larger lofts, they are also available with 50 pieces or 100 pieces per pack.

Location in the loft

Nest boxes belong on a quiet, draft-free wall, not in the area directly below the landing entrance. Dim light is preferred; a consistent temperature is more important than warmth. Make sure you can reach every box without disturbing the neighboring pair: you will need to inspect them several times during brooding and ring the young birds. What you see there is recorded on a nest card in 9.5 × 5.3 cm format: pair, laying date, and hatching date are then noted directly at the box, held by the matching nest card holder. You keep track of all pairs in the breeding record A6 with laying list for 55 pairs or in the larger breeding record DIN A4. Further accessories for setup can be found under breeding aids.

Pigeon eggs: two eggs two days apart

A normal pigeon clutch consists of two eggs. The hen lays the first egg, and the second follows about two days later. What happens next is decisive: proper incubation usually begins only with the second egg. That is why the two young hatch almost simultaneously, even though the eggs were laid two days apart. This synchrony is desirable, because two youngsters at roughly the same stage of development can be fed evenly by the parents. Alongside real eggs, artificial nest eggs are also used in breeding: a solid plastic nest egg for pigeons or the 44 g dummy nest egg for slipping under is placed in the nest as a decoy, for example to synchronize broods, replace a clutch, or prevent a pair from laying again immediately after eggs have been removed.

To form the eggshells, the hen needs calcium. Grit and mineral mixes should therefore be available at all times, not only once the clutch is already laid. You can find suitable products under Minerals & trace elements — from the house brand, for example Eurital Vital Grit with oyster shells, lime, red stone, and shell mix.

How long do pigeons brood?

The incubation period for pigeons is 17 to 18 days, counted from the actual start of brooding. Small deviations of one day are normal and depend, among other things, on the ambient temperature and on how consistently the pair sits.

A notable feature is the division of labor: hen and cock take turns brooding. The cock typically takes the midday shift, meaning the period around midday, while the hen sits the longer shifts in the evening, at night, and early in the morning. The changeover follows a fixed rhythm that you can observe in the loft. If an egg remains unattended for a longer time, that is a sign of a disturbance in the pair or a problem with the nest site.

When checking, rely on calm, brief observation. Frequent and prolonged opening of the box causes pairs to abandon the clutch.

What do pigeons feed their young? Crop milk

After hatching, the young pigeons are naked, blind, and completely dependent on their parents. Their first, and for the first few days only, food is crop milk. This is not milk in the literal sense, but a protein-rich secretion from the crop lining. Notably, both parents produce it, hen and cock alike. The youngster places its beak into the corner of the parent’s beak and takes in the crop milk there.

After the first few days, the diet gradually changes. The crop secretion is increasingly mixed with soaked grains until the youngsters eventually take in whole grains. The nutritional needs of the parent birds are high during this time because they are feeding two youngsters and often already the next clutch at the same time. Suitable blends for this phase can be found under rearing feed. The increased protein needs of the parent birds are covered by Eurital Protein Gold, and the vitamin supply through the drinking water Eurital Vitamin Pro. This group also includes Röhnfried CropMilk 600 g, a rearing feed for nestlings that is used for hand-rearing or as a supplement when the parent birds do not care for their young adequately.

Feeding young pigeons and fledging

The young pigeons leave the nest after about four weeks. They then first sit on the edge of the box, explore the loft, and learn to take in grain on their own. During this transition period they are still fed by the parents, while the parents have usually already started incubating again. In this phase, provide well-reachable feed and water stations near the floor, because youngsters do not yet find items mounted too high. Additional products for feeding during the transition period can be found under Healthy gut flora, including Eurital Probiotic with pre- and probiotics.

Ringing: a narrow time window

Ringing the young birds takes place in a narrow time window during the first days of life. After that, the foot is too large and the closed ring can no longer be slipped on. In racing pigeons, the rings are obtained through the federation and are a prerequisite for participation in racing. Note the hatch date of each box so you do not miss the deadline: a young bird that has not been rung can no longer be documented for breeding purposes. The official federation ring remains decisive; in addition, birds can be distinguished by color, for example with identification clip rings with 9 mm inner diameter in seven colors, but these do not replace the federation ring. If a ring has to be removed again, use a ring opening pliers.

How old do pigeons get?

Life expectancy depends strongly on living conditions. Feral pigeons only reach a few years on average. Traffic, predators, disease pressure, and irregular food supply significantly limit their lives.

Kept racing pigeons live considerably longer. With good housing, a clean loft, and needs-based feeding, 15 to 20 years are achievable, and in individual cases more. Athletic performance, however, ends long before the end of life. Breeding use is also limited: the most fertile years are generally between the second and about the eighth to tenth year of life. Older birds still lay eggs, but hatch rates and rearing performance decline. For this reason, proven breeding birds are often kept on, but no longer fully included in breeding.

Hygiene in the nest

The nest phase is the most critical stage of rearing. Warm, damp nests with droppings are an ideal environment for parasites and pathogens. Two points are decisive:

• Avoid moisture. Clumped, wet nesting material is removed and replaced. Dry, low-dust material is mandatory.
• Clean the boxes between broods. Scrape out the nest bowls, let them dry, and add fresh bedding. Red bird mites and feather lice live in cracks, not in the nest itself — more on this in the guide Identify and control red bird mites.

Observe the young birds daily. A youngster that does not beg, stays behind in the nest, or shows a swollen crop needs attention. The guide Pigeon Diseases: Recognizing Symptoms helps interpret signs. Particularly relevant in the nest phase are trichomonads, because they can be passed from the parents to the young through crop milk. After fledging, the focus shifts to juvenile pigeon disease.

What supplements do

Supplementary feed serves to provide nutrients. It adds components such as minerals, trace elements, or protein sources to the ration and thereby covers increased needs during breeding and rearing. They are not medicines, do not promise any effect against disease, and do not replace veterinary treatment. If you suspect disease in the loft, the veterinarian is the right contact, not the feed shelf.

Frequently asked questions

How long do pigeons brood?

17 to 18 days from the start of brooding. Both parents take turns, with the cock typically sitting the midday shift.

When do pigeons brood?

In the loft, almost all year round. In managed breeding, pairs are set up from spring, with several broods per year and pair.

How old do pigeons get?

Feral pigeons only a few years. Well-kept racing pigeons often 15 to 20 years, but intensive breeding use ends much earlier.

How do pigeons mate?

After courtship with cooing, wing-fanning, and beak rubbing, a brief mating follows. Pairs stay together through several broods.

What do pigeons feed their young?

In the first few days exclusively crop milk, a protein-rich secretion from the crop lining of both parents. Then increasingly soaked grains.

How many eggs do pigeons lay?

Two eggs about two days apart. Incubation usually begins with the second egg, so the young hatch almost simultaneously.

Brief summary

• Clutch: two eggs, about two days apart.
• Start of brooding: usually only from the second egg, resulting in almost simultaneous hatching.
• Incubation period: 17 to 18 days.
• Brooding shifts: hen and cock alternate, cock during the day at midday.
• First food: crop milk from both parents, then soaked grains.
• Leaving the nest: after about four weeks, feeding by the parents continues.
• Next brood: often begins while the young are still being cared for.
• Ringing: only in a narrow time window in the first days of life, in racing pigeons via the federation.
• Breeding season: in the loft almost all year round, in breeding controlled from spring, several broods per year.
• Life expectancy: feral pigeons a few years, kept racing pigeons often 15 to 20 years.
• Equipment: nest bowls, dry nesting material, grit, hygiene between broods.

This guide provides general information on pigeon breeding and does not replace veterinary advice.