How To Home Incubate Pigeon Eggs

By  Clayton Kim Updated

Things Needed

  • 5-gallon Styrofoam container

  • Lightweight digital heater

  • Duct tape

  • Tape measure

  • Wire mesh

  • Thermometer

Tip

Lightweight digital heaters are available at your local hardware store. The digital heater should weigh no more than 1 lb.

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While females carry babies for mammals, male and female pigeons take turns incubating their eggs. Normally, female pigeons lay two eggs. They take approximately 18 days to hatch. It is possible to home incubate pigeon eggs with the right heat incubator. Pigeon eggs need an incubation temperature between 98.6 and 100.4 Fahrenheit. A digital heater is needed to keep a constant temperature to incubate pigeon eggs. Digital heaters are available at local hardware or pet stores.

Home incubator

Step 1

Take the top off of the Styrofoam container. Place the lid of the container on the ground.

Step 2

Poke a hole in the top of the container using a pencil.

Step 3

Place a lightweight digital heater on the inside lid of the Styrofoam container. Push the electrical cord of the digital heater through the hole in the lid.

Step 4

Tape all four sides of the digital heater to the center of the top of the Styrofoam lid using duct tape.

Step 5

Measure the bottom of the Styrofoam container using a tape measure.

Step 6

Cut wire mesh to the dimensions of the bottom of the Styrofoam container using scissors.

Step 7

Spread the wire mesh on the bottom of the container. The wire mesh protects the eggs from the water at the bottom of the container.

Incubation Process

Step 1

Plug in the electrical cord of the digital heater. Set the digital heater to the temperature of 99.8 Fahrenheit.

Step 2

Put the lid on top of the Styrofoam container. Let the digital heater warm the Styrofoam container for three hours.

Step 3

Mark the eggs with an "+" on one side of the egg using a pencil. Mark the eggs with a "-" on the other side of the egg pencil. The markings help with rotation of the eggs.

Step 4

Open the lid of the Styrofoam container. Place the eggs on top of the wire mesh. The eggs should be placed with the same marking facing up. For example, place all eggs with the "+" side on top.

Step 5

Place a thermometer directly on top of one of the eggs. Check the temperature three times a day.

Step 6

Pour 1/2 cup of distilled water through the wire mesh to the bottom of the incubator every 24 hours. Eggs need humidity to grow.

Step 7

Rotate the eggs from one side to the other side every eight hours.

Step 8

Repeat until the pigeons start to hatch.

References

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