How I Ship Doves & Pigeons
By Tony Brancato
I have been shipping birds for 35 years. However it does not mean I have discovered a fool-proof way to get live creatures from point A to point B. However, the experiences I have had may help when it comes to shipping doves and pigeons via the post office within the United States.
Before I continue this article I want to publicly thank all those folks that work very hard to get us the privilege of shipping via the post office. For their part the postal personnel do a remarkable job. Problems have occurred obviously, but most of us would agree that the post office has a fairly good tract record.
Doves: Before shipping doves, I think it's a good idea to segregate and observe the birds for ten to fourteen days. This allows the sender to be certain that they are healthy, feeding and drinking normally. Observation also helps you to determine the sex of the doves that are not dimorphic.
I am very careful when I get ready to catch and place the doves in the shipping box. I try and make it as stress free as possible. Just before I put a dove into the box, I use a small syringe filled with either Pedialite or Humming bird nectar. Great care must be exercised as not to get any liquid into the bird’s windpipe (death can occur immediately). Once the crop is filled I gently put the dove into the box. The liquid sustains the doves, prevents dehydration and they arrive fresh and active. Shipping beyond 24 hours is not good for any animal. Small doves suffer from prolong shipping. Some small species of doves are very delicate to shipping. I’ve made the determination that I will not ship Cape Doves. They are just too fragile to endure the stress of being shipped. Other fanciers may disagree and that of course is their prerogative.
Shipping Boxes:
I recommend using boxes that are approved for birds and acceptable by the post office. I always like to place a thick pad of foam rubber in the inside to of the box. Many times frightened or wild doves will bang their heads to a bloody mess inside the box. I also try and separated all large doves. Smaller doves can be placed two or three to the box compartment. (Some small species should not be put in together if they are aggressive).
I also like the birds to have a solid footing. Pine needles, grass, or any material including shredded newspaper will prove that footing.
Please do not use boxes more than twice. I have received birds that I wondered how in the world they made it alive. Using dirty boxes or ones caked with feces is revolting. Taped and re-taped boxes also imply that the breeder (seller) has little regard for the safety and health of his/her birds. Several years ago a guy sent me some bantam chickens.He had put a half dozen ripe tomatoes in the shipping box for the chickens to eat on route.By sheer luck I got the soggy box home in time the entire bottom of the box fell through.What if the bottom of the box had fallen out on the plane or at the post office ? Can you imagine “non” bird people trying to catch frighten small chickens? These were expensive show quality birds, nevertheless I ceased to order from that individual.
Have the post office hold the birds and call you upon delivery. Otherwise the box of doves can ride around all day before being delivered, causing undue stress on these fragile creatures. If you live in a small community it might be prudent to pick up the doves at the nearest large city postal annex. Usually it takes an additional day to deliver to small or rural communities.
My experience has been that the post office will do it’s utmost to get the birds to you as soon as possible. Our small post office in Beaumont, CA has been terrific; they call me no matter when the birds arrive from Los Angeles (90 miles away).
On the other hand I’ve found the tracking number on the billing sheet to be absolutely worthless. I’ve called, used the Internet and I’ve never been able to locate the birds in transit. I’ve even had the “computer” state the birds were never picked up and are being sent back to the sender (me) when in reality they were picked up hours ago. So much for our modern technology.
Receiving Doves:
Always prepare in advance for an up coming shipment of doves. I have a special box (small pen)
for both large and small doves that is completely enclosed. Before I remove the doves from the shipping box I cover the top of the shipping box with a large, heavy cloth. When I open the box the doves do not get out or become unduly frightened. Doves are placed in the holding pen that contains various seeds, fresh water and a low wattage light bulb. The box has ventilation yet it is warm and totally secluded. The doves are isolated from the outside of their new world.
Each day I gradually expose the doves to their new environment by lifting the cloth so they can see out. In ten days to two weeks the doves have adjusted well enough to be placed in the aviary. Observe the new arrivals and provide plenty of water fountains and feed containers.
A recipe for disaster is to take doves out of their shipping box and put them directly into their new home. Frighten doves crash against walls, are too stressed to find the water and feed and either get injured or die within a very short time. Aggressive resident doves may also cause stress and death by bullying the new arrivals.
A little extra care can make the difference between success or failure. We owe it to our birds to do everything in our power to make their very stressful transition from one environment to another as smooth as possible.
In conclusion there is no fool proof method of moving animals from one place to another without risks, what we can do is try to minimize those risks.