The length of time it takes a pair of pigeons to incubate eggs and bring up nestlings is about 43 to 50 days. Pigeons may produce up to six broods a year.
Pigeons lay one to three white-shelled eggs per brood and incubate them for around 18 days. Once the nestlings are hatched, the parents look after them for 25 to 32 days in the nest. Baby squabs are fed pigeon milk, which is a white secretion that both parents produce in their crops.
Pigeons mate for life and the male builds the nest. He choose a site on a ledge or cliff and brings one stick, stem, or piece of straw at a time, cooing all the while to attract a wife. The nest is used for each brood and ends up as a sturdy mound stuck together with droppings from the babies.
