Hi everyone,
I recently got ten broken eggs. Some of my doves always lay eggs when sitting on the high perch. I put a nest inside the cage, but they never use it. I am not sure if that's because I put the nest in the wrong place. Any suggestion? Thanks!

photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/DoveLover.ma......kXIKn7PM

I only see 7 birds in your aviary, so I'm assuming that the 10 eggs were laid over a period of time.

In any event, I think the problem is that your nest is on the bottom of the cage with the perches near the top. The doves will lay the eggs when it's time, even if they are on the perch. They are just dropping to the floor. I would suggest raising the nest nearer the perch and also putting in another nest. I don't think one is enough.

On a side note, I noticed that you have two perches. One is a small diameter round one and the other is a rope. I would suggest that you add another perch that is wider and flat, so they can stretch their feet. If they always have to sit with the feet curled, they could develop problems.

Thanks, Dave. I have put another nest in. It's near the top perch. I'll see if that's fine for the birds.
DoveLover

Good news! There is one egg in the high nest now! Thank you, Dave.

But I didn't see any bird sitting there. Should I put the nest with the egg down to the bottom again?
DoveLover

Leave the nest where it is. There are several possibilities. One is that the female that laid the egg does not have a mate. Females will lay eggs without a partner. It may be that the mother is too young to know what to do. It is also possible that it just isn't time for her to be sitting on the nest. They don't sit on it constantly. The male will nest from 10 am to 4 pm, and then the female will sit on it the rest of the time.

Thank you, Dave. Now, everything is going fine.