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Gazette Magazine
Dove And
Pigeon Housing Requirements
Doves and pigeons are usually
kept in wire or netting enclosed aviaries, with so-called
permanent shelters attached. The latter are solidly roofed over,
and in colder climates furnished with doors and windows,
providing suitable protection from storms, heavy snows, cold and
rain. To prevent mice, rats, and other marauders from digging
under the aviary wire, a cement foundation may be used sunk 18
inches or so into the around, or else the aviary wire may be set
as many inches into the soil. To keep mice, etc., out of the
aviary, a mesh sufficiently small is usually effective. The size
of the entire aviary, of course, depends on the available space
and on the number of pigeons and doves, and perhaps other fowl,
it is meant to accommodate. Doves can do well in relatively small
quarters as shown at right, while larger pigeons will require a
greater amount of space to live comfortably. Usually length and
width are more important than height. If the enclosure can be
planted with low shrubs and bushes, it will enhance its
appearance considerably by making it more natural. Moreover, the
shrubs, small trees, etc., may furnish nesting sit
es
and roosting places for the doves. Some dove fanciers, who have
the welfare of their feathered char-es very much at heart, will
use roofs of glass or certain plastic material since they prevent
cats, birds of prey, and other dove-enemies from troubling the
aviary occupants from above. For perching purposes, smooth
boards, six or eight inches wide, may be fixed horizontally in
different locations off the aviary floor. For nesting purposes,
open-top wooden boxes of various sizes depending on the variety
of doves they are to accommodate, or else baskets made of wire or
other materials, may be hung in more or less secluded locations
in the wire-flight as well as in the permanent shelter. Most
doves prefer to nest in the open flight. In other words, the
furnishings of a dove-aviary are very simple and inexpensive. For
nesting materials, most doves use bits of hay or straw and the
larger species, twigs and sticks. Usually they build rather
flimsy nests, which on occasion their keeper may wish to
re-enforce with hay or straw in order to provide a softer and
firmer foundation for eggs and young. He can do this usually if
the doves in question are fairly tame and tractable. Drinkers and
feeders used should be so equipped and so situated in the aviary
that they cannot be easily soiled by dropping.
Feeding And Nutritional Considerations
As mentioned above, providing a
good diet for seed eaters is quite simple. The smaller varieties
including Diamond, Cape, and the many small so-called ground
doves thrive on a diet of millet, both small and large, wild-bird
seeds available at most poultry feedstores and some fine
bird-grit. Medium-sized varieties including Tambourine, Blue
Ground Doves, etc., will in addition take milo and larger doves
such as Bronze-wings, Squatter Pigeon (pictured at top left of
page) Bleeding Hearts, etc., will feed freely on milo and whole
corn. Popcorn, which is not too large, is ideal dove feed, taken
readily. In nature wild doves feed not only on seeds but also on
grubs and worms, especially so at breeding time. Hence, it is
advisable to give captive doves also some soft food, preferably
in the form of live mealworms which are relished especially by
the medium and larger-sized varieties. The number of worms may
range from half to a full dozen per day per bird, either thrown
on clean ground or else placed in a dish from w
hich the worms cannot escape. So
calledmynahor mockingbird food slightly moistened with grated
fresh carrot and topped with chopped apple or grape is very good
for foreign doves of most kinds and readily taken by them once
they are fairly accustomed to it. This writer mixes the soft food
with grated longhorn cheese, which his doves eat readily. While
some fanciers ad- vocate the use of greens for doves, he has not
found a liking for them among his varieties. Incidentally, the
various seeds may be given all mixed up, or else each kind in a
separate con- tainer, so-called cafeteria style, which has the
advantage of letting the keeper know which seeds certain doves
prefer. They may be given in quantities to last a week or longer,
provided, of course, that they are kept clean and not soiled by
droppings or dust. So-called health grit should be kept before
the doves at all times; also, of course, fresh, clean water.
Many pigeon and dove breeders keep their birds in pairs in their own aviary. As to whether doves may be kept with larger fowl, such as quail and pheasants, is a question not easily answered. If the enclosure is very large, enabling the doves to get quickly and easily out of the way of, for example, pheasants, which may dislike them, the combination may work. There must, of course, be suitable hiding places on the floor of the aviary for the doves, especially for their young, should they leave the nest early, drop to the ground, and be at the mercy of the larger fowl, which have been known to injure and kill them. Assuredly, the most practical way to pigeons or doves, especially if one wants to breed them successfully, is to give each pair a pen or aviary to itself. During the breeding season doves should not be transferred to other quarters, since it takes them at times long to accustom themselves to their new surroundings.
Aspects of Breeding
Success in breeding doves and pigeons,
next to proper housing and feeding, depends very largely on
keeping healthy, vigorous, true pairs. In warm climates, as in
California and Florida, they may breed the year round, with but
short rest periods. In other climates, spring and summer are
their principal nesting times. During these periods they should
not be disturbed. Frequent inspection of the next is not
recommended as it may cause them to desert the eggs and young
when so interfered with. You'll find that there are good breeders
and feeders among pigeons and doves as well as indifferent ones.
Some species will lay some fertile and some infertile eggs. At
times they may lose interest in their squabs and stop feeding
them, even though these are still quite young and helpless. For
such doves, the fancier makes it his business to keep one or more
pairs of tame ringneck doves on hand which are to serve as
dependable foster parents for the young foreign doves. Ringneek
doves will usually accept eggs or squabs from foreign doves and
raise them successfully, provided they are the same age as their
own. If very young squabs are to be fostered, the breeding
condition of the foster parents must coincide with that of the
true parents so that the former will have "milk" in
their crops ready to feed their foster children; otherwise, the
squabs will die.
At breeding time, many doves
become more or less aggressive--that is, they fight off other
doves that come close to them or their nesting sites in an effort
to protect their breeding territory, just as they would in the
wild. That is why in a small aviary one should generally not keep
two pairs of the same species together, since there is bound to
be trouble sooner or later. Some males at breeding time will
chase their mates all over the 
aviary, pecking at them unmercifully, and
at times even killing them. For such pairs it is essential to
provide ample hiding places so that the female can get away, at
least for a time, from her over eager mate. Brush placed in
corners of the aviary may serve this purpose well. In extreme
cases the pair may have to be separated for a time.
Sexing mature doves is not so difficult since at breeding time the male will coo and display before his mate. This display is a sure sign of maleness. Thus, in the case of species, both sexes of which look almost alike, one simply has to wait until nesting time. Usually, the male is somewhat larger than the female; moreover, his plumage is usually more colorful; of course, these sexual differences apply not to young stock, which often looks like the mature femal eof the species. It should be emphasized that if one is in possession of a true pair of doves, one which breeds and feeds well, one should by all means keep it as a precious stock pair. Especially among the rarer varieties of doves such pairs are almost priceless.
Most foreign doves lay two white eggs, which they incubate from twelve to eighteen days. They feed their squabs by regurgitation as do domestic pigeons, and these stay in the nest much longer than do the young of tame pigeons, which is a -real advantage. Some of the larger species, such as cuckoo and other doves, lay only a single egg at each setting. Thus, the Luzon Bleeding Heart lays two eggs each time, whereas the Bartlett Bleeding Heart dove lays but one. The reason for this difference is not known.
The young of foreign doves should be left with their parents quite a few weeks after they have left the nest. Usually the parent-birds not only tolerate their offspring at that time, but continue to feed it. Should, however, fighting occur between old and young, then the latter must be transferred to their own pen or aviary. This writer has found Bronzewing, Greenwing, Ruddy Ground, Blue Ground, Australian Crested, Diamond Doves, and Key-West Quail Doves to be dependable feeders and rearers. Foreign doves show much individuality. Each species has its own way of flying, cooing, feeding and breeding. It is these differences, aside from beautiful plumage and lively behavior, which makes the keeping of foreign doves so fascinating, and which enable him to specialize according to his whims and the facilities at his disposal.
Some Popular Dove And Pigeon Breeds
The beginner in the dove and
pigeon fancy can do no better than to start with a truly popular
breed, such as the Diamond Dove or the Ruddy Ground Dove, both of
which are prolific producers and steady feeders. These are
charming little birds which become fairly tame in a reasonably
short time, if treated with patience and consid
eration. Popular also is the Zebra Dove,
a graceful, slender dove slightly over eight inches long. It
derives its name from the narrow black lines, with which the main
part of the brownish-gray body is covered. The female is somewhat
smaller than the male and less reddish in the region of the
occipital bone. Another favorite with many fanciers is the Blue
Ground Dove: the male is blue, the female, brown. It is about
eight inches long. The young are colored like the female parent;
after a few months, the males change to blue. imported originally
from Africa, round and compact in shape, is the TambAijrine Dove,
easilyrecognizedby its white face, breast, and belly, and its
dark-brown back. The breastof the hen is gray and her back
light-brown. This lovely dove, a fast flier, is rather shy. An
excellent breeder and feeder in the writer's aviary has been the
Indian Greenwing Dove,which is about ten inches long. It is
sometimes called Emerald Dove. Its color is a striking
bottle-green, the male having streaks of white above the eyes, on
the forehead and the shoulder butts. Thebillof this very
attractive species is bright red. Owing to their gentleness, the
Australian Bronze-Wing, measuring from thirteen to fourteen
inches in length, is a favorite with many fanciers. It is a
compact bird with short legs that stays on the floor of the
aviary during the day. The male's wings are adorned with highly
metallic feathers, showing colors of green, copper, and blue,
which "light up" in brilliant sunshine. The female is
less colorful. The writer's pair would breed the year round. It
relished angle and mealworms, in addition to the usual seed diet,
A species usually slow to breed is the Bleeding Heart, whose
habitat is Luzon in the Phillipine Islands. Its name derives from
an irregular, blood-red parch appearing in the center of the
upper breast, which is snow-white. In the hen, this patch is
usually smaller and less brightly colored. An allied species is
the Bartlett Bleeding Heart, whose plumage is much darker than
that of the Luzon species.
This page is updated regularly so please check back soon for more and different information and pictures on pigeons and doves.The reader should keep in mind that there is much difference between the various kinds of doves and pigeons, so far as their breeding and other behavior is concerned. This applies also to individual pairs of a given species. For this reason, generalizations relating to the behavior of this or that species, or this or that individual pair, are rarely applicable. It is this individuality, however, which makes the hobby unusually interesting! Newcomers should start out with some of the more common species and gradually work up to other breeds as you gain knowledge and experience. Read the information on keeping and breeding pigeons and doves that is available in each issue of the Game Bird Breeders Gazette magazine and visit the aviaries of as many successful breeders as you can. By doing so you will gain the knowledge and confidence that will result in success, gratification, and a good profit in return for your time and efforts if this is important to you!