Ringneck dove laying very fragile eggs?

Question

I'm the happy owner of a pair of ringneck doves that are now aged between 12 to 18 months (petshop bought, the seller couldn't tell me how old they were exactly).

The female started laying eggs a few months after I bought them and do so regularly every month or so. So far, all her eggs had very thin shells that broke easily under the weight of the parents. I always end up replacing the eggs with fake ones so they don't start laying more immediately. I gave them calcium supplement in their water but it don't seem to make a difference.

I don't want to breed birds, mine are just companion animals, but I'm worried that it could be the symptom of an health problem with the female. Any tips? I would have seen a vet but there's no avian vet in my area.

Answer 1

Calcium in H2O is not enough.  This is a calcium deficiency, as you know so crushed oyster shell must be available at all times, laying eggs or not.

Good about the vet - they know nothing about birds.

What triggers birds to lay is long daylight hours and lots of food.  If you cut down on both by covering with a dark sheet until mid morning and covering early in the evening.