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EdwardHilsum Regular user England 145 Posts |
Hi, I was just wondering, as I have a pair of doves, will they only lay eggs if there is a nest in the night box/aviary. I have a small pack of 'nesting material', but I am not sure if I am just meant to put the block into the the aviary and they will make the nest on there own, or if I have to make it into a nest first, as I have heard doves aren't very good nest builders.
I have already put one block of nesting material in the night box, but I don't think they did anything with it and it got covered in droppings, so I got rid of it. Should I have left it in there? Any advice welcome, Thanks, ~Eddy |
Steve Anderson New user Texas 30 Posts |
Eddy,
Doves will lay eggs with or without a nest, and you are right they are not good at building nest. You can take the nesting material and shape it into a nest for them and place it in their night box. When they are ready they will start going to the nest. You did the right thing by removing the dirty nesting material block. Steve |
EdwardHilsum Regular user England 145 Posts |
Thanks Steve,
That is what I did before with the nesting material-shaped it into a nest for them, but I don't think they even noticed it, probably because they haven't started breeding! I will do the same again and maybe they will be ready to breed soon. Thanks again, ~Eddy |
EdwardHilsum Regular user England 145 Posts |
Sorry, one more thing: how big should the nest be, as the blocks of nesting material I found at the pet shop are quite small?
If anyone has a picture of a good dove's nest that would be great! All the best, ~Eddy |
1906Alpha1906 Special user North Cacky Lack 516 Posts |
Edward, Any size will do for nesting really. They will lay eggs all over the place, so there is really no designated area. HOwever, if you place one in there, they may or may not use it as you have found out. Nesting material doesn't necessarily mean they will start laying eggs either. *smile* Have they laid eggs before? Sure you have a pair...it can be tricky sometimes.
Usually when doves lay the eggs, they are whereever they lay them, once that is done, if you start putting pieces of nesting material in the cage, they will take it to the egg and start building around the egg. Yeah, its backwards, but that is what they will do. hope that helps. As for pictures of nests...go to http://www.dovepage.com and you will see different photos. Some nests are big, some small. Depends on the size of your cage. |
EdwardHilsum Regular user England 145 Posts |
Thanks Alpha, They have not laid eggs before, but I am expecting them to shortly as the breeder I bought them from said they would be within 3 months. Also, I saw them kissing (I think!) a week or two ago!
I am getting another pair in the weekend, so I am aware there may be problems between the two males. Hopefully not though as my aviary is quite large. I think I will do as you say and wait for them to lay an egg before giving them the nesting material this time. Will they then keep this nest for future eggs, as I have heard that is what they do in the wild. ~Eddy |
Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
Edward, I use what they call a coop cup which is available from any pet store. I get nesting material made by Abba which looks a lot like hay and it just fills the cup. The cup is about 6" across and 3" deep. I leave that in the cage and when it's time to lay eggs, the female will climb it and do what comes naturally. The nests are elevated so they don't do their business in them. I change the material after the new babies get out on their own.
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EdwardHilsum Regular user England 145 Posts |
If I got a coop cup, one for each pair I guess, would I place them in the night box or closer to the ground, elevated a bit as you say?
Thanks everyone for answering all my questions and for your advice. As you probably have guessed I have only just started out in dove magic and I really appreciate all your help. |
Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
I don't have a night box in my cages. A night box is only really needed if there are two or more pairs in a cage. They use it for privacy. I have my cages in the garage and it's naturally dark at night. When I had an outdoor aviary, I made a few boxes for them to get that privacy if they wanted.
In any event, my nests are set at the same height as the uppermost perch. They actually sit on the end of the perch. That way, they cannot do their business in the nest. While there are babies in the nest, they will poop in the nest. That's why after they leave and are on their own, I change the nest material. Here's a photo of the coop cup/nest material and mommy dove getting ready to get in. Click here to view attached image.
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EdwardHilsum Regular user England 145 Posts |
Thanks Dave, I already have a couple of those dishes/cups so that will be no problem. Is it alright to just put hay in them as they only sell nesting material in very small supplies at my local pet shops, and it is not the same material you had in yours in the picture.
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
Edward, hay will work. So will straw. Strips of paper work as well just make sure it's not newspaper. The black print comes off on the birds.
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EdwardHilsum Regular user England 145 Posts |
Oh, I put newspaper down in the night box, so it much easier to clean out, so should I change this to something else. Although, I haven't noticed any black on my birds. It's probably because only their feet really touch the paper, and when they're in there, they quickly go up to the perch anyway, unless they are getting some grit.
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
Many people use newspaper on the bottom of their cages etc. It's just a chance you take. If the bird decides to sit for some reason, the newsprint can come off on their feathers. It doesn't hurt them, just doesn't look good. You can use plain brown paper like wrapping paper or butcher's paper. Another alternative and the one I use for my cages is to put a layer of paper towels down. I'm not sure about the cost or availability there in England but I buy the towels by the case. I use the cheap ones since they do the trick. Clean up is as simple as removing the towels and replacing them.
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EdwardHilsum Regular user England 145 Posts |
I think I will just stick to the newspaper as they don't sit down in the night box and it hasn't been a problem. Thanks for the warning though.
Also, I think paper towels would be quite a costly option as I change the paper quite regularly and the newspaper is free! |
Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
Just keep an eye on the birds feathers. If they start to look dark or dingy, then the newspaper is the culprit. I change my paper every other day. A roll of paper towels last about a month and a half and costs me about $1.50.
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EdwardHilsum Regular user England 145 Posts |
I didn't think they would be so cheap. I was thinking you meant the single paper towels, more like tissues, not the rolls. I am not to sure where I would be able to get them over here. Maybe it is the equivalent of this toweling stuff you can get here, but still not as cheap as America!
The only thing that colours my doves' feathers are these pink and blue perches I have. I think they are called trimming perches and they are made of rough material that slowly rubs away onto the birds chest feathers. They are really good though because they are wavey to excersise the doves' feet and they file down their nails. They also contain minerals such as calcium so if they peck at them, it is good for the birds. I prefer them to putting sandpaper on perches because when I did that, it cut my bird's feet and they were bleeding and they must have got really sore for them. I know it is an easy cheap way to trim their nails, but I felt it wasn't kind to my little friends! |
Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
I'm not familiar with the perches you are talking about. I have a round and a flat perch in each cage at different levels. They get excercise jumping from one to the other and the different size perches give their feet the excercise they need. In the winter, they sit on the flat ones which spreads their feet out and they sit on them to keep warm. Some of the cages have a cement perch which keeps the nails short and is better than sandpaper. The rest of the birds just get a manicure from me whenever necessary.
Where the magic begins
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EdwardHilsum Regular user England 145 Posts |
This link shows the perches I have. The wave perch does the same job as the trimming perch, but as it is wavey, excersises their feet also.
http://www.petsathome.com/icat/bd1cs1saw3 |
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