Wolf
09-04-2007, 01:15 AM
I decided to let one of my Imprints, a Female Saker (Hilda) lay and sit her clutch this year for the 1st time. She layed a total of 4 eggs........eventually !
She layed 3 eggs and sat relatively tight then skipped an egg and layed her 4th before sitting proper. I let her sit the clutch for 12 days and then pulled the clutch and set in the incubator, hoping she will double clutch.
During the natural incubation Hilda left the eggs on a couple of accasions eg, when I passed her food (rushing her grub to get back to the eggs), feet cooling sessions in the bath and to generally stretch her wings.
All was going well until my new neighbour started extending his pigeon loft !!!!!! :evil: the site of the neighbour dragging roofing felt and nailing sheets scared the **** out of her !! She left the ledge on a couple of occassions over the period of approx 2 hours. The neighbour is as good as gold and regularly hands over surplus pigeon meat and we swop the odd bird story or two (the feathered variety of course!!!! you never know the missus could read this !!) over the fence....you can t tell the bloke to get off his own loft....I had no choice than to perservere !!!
The building at roof level only took 1 day so the disruption was minimal, thank f---, :-|
I have a 6 ft fence that screens my imprint chambers but this runs a fair old distance from the pens so any disturbance above 7ft at the wrong time of year (breeding season) could spell disaster...and Ive been threatening to build a closer screen for a few yrs now and as the old addage says if it could happen it will happen and this is a good example!!:rolleyes:
Fearing the worst I plucked up the courage and candled the eggs tonight and they all appear fertile, only the last egg , the one after she skipped shows early stages of fertility half shading but no clear vein or embryo developement, so far so good, just need to hatch them all out now...............................
Fingers crossed we will have 4 healthy Peregrine Sakers from this clutch..I will keep you posted :supz:
Good luck,
Andy
She layed 3 eggs and sat relatively tight then skipped an egg and layed her 4th before sitting proper. I let her sit the clutch for 12 days and then pulled the clutch and set in the incubator, hoping she will double clutch.
During the natural incubation Hilda left the eggs on a couple of accasions eg, when I passed her food (rushing her grub to get back to the eggs), feet cooling sessions in the bath and to generally stretch her wings.
All was going well until my new neighbour started extending his pigeon loft !!!!!! :evil: the site of the neighbour dragging roofing felt and nailing sheets scared the **** out of her !! She left the ledge on a couple of occassions over the period of approx 2 hours. The neighbour is as good as gold and regularly hands over surplus pigeon meat and we swop the odd bird story or two (the feathered variety of course!!!! you never know the missus could read this !!) over the fence....you can t tell the bloke to get off his own loft....I had no choice than to perservere !!!
The building at roof level only took 1 day so the disruption was minimal, thank f---, :-|
I have a 6 ft fence that screens my imprint chambers but this runs a fair old distance from the pens so any disturbance above 7ft at the wrong time of year (breeding season) could spell disaster...and Ive been threatening to build a closer screen for a few yrs now and as the old addage says if it could happen it will happen and this is a good example!!:rolleyes:
Fearing the worst I plucked up the courage and candled the eggs tonight and they all appear fertile, only the last egg , the one after she skipped shows early stages of fertility half shading but no clear vein or embryo developement, so far so good, just need to hatch them all out now...............................
Fingers crossed we will have 4 healthy Peregrine Sakers from this clutch..I will keep you posted :supz:
Good luck,
Andy