So which is better for a dove act?

For me I find that the answer is definitely female doves. In fact, I don't like to insult my gender, but I actually hate male doves. Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't keep male doves from attacking the female ones, which has basically made it impossible to use them in my dove act. Plus they tend to coo a lot, which sometimes sortof gives away the secret hiding places. Is this how it is for everyone, or am I missing something?

It's very frustrating, cause back in May I ordered two female doves, but just found out that one of them is actually a male (he's starting to attack the ladies). Anyone know if there's a way to stop them from doing these things? Sadly it seems to be their natural instinct.

Lady doves fight just as much as men doves. After all, do you like everyone in the world, and get along with both sexes equally. Birds are no different then us humans. I had to males and they fought all them, well one thought he was the king of the cage.

You must be doing something incorrectly. Both male and female doves are quiet in dark places. When I wad loaded on my person, or had in the Torino Bag, they did not make a sound. Same when I vanished them in the Tak-A-Part vanish. There has been difference of opinion, some say the females are louder and some say the males are louder. So as you can see their is not flat rules when it comes to doves.

Doves are very difficult to tell the sex of, about the only way, is that the males do not lay eggs. Anything else is only a best guess. A breeder told them, the female has a wider space between the bones on the back underside, Feel the arrow shaped bones. Wide enough to permit an egg to pass though. Of course you need to know how big a dove egg is to begin with.

Taking that you took our advice here on the Café, if you built a cage big enough, meaning 2 square feet, for 2 doves, and placed numerous perches around the cage, some so that only one bird can sit on a perch, then this should cut down on the fighting. If you notice any blood anywhere in or on the cage, you must separate them and keep them in separate cages. I hope you understand, when I say 2 square feet, I mean, 2 foot across, 2 foot wide, and 2 foot high. A perfect square. So if you have 3 or 4 doves, then you can make it 2 foot high, 2 foot wide and 4 feet long.

If you find blood, then use something like a nick shaving stick to stop the bleeding. Give them antibiotics for infections. They sell antibiotics at the pet store for birds, but being doves are larger birds, you have to give more then what is on the box as this is usually explained for small birds. Buy and eye dropper and insert it into the beak and into the throat, and inject the fluid. It is a good idea to give them vitamins as well daily.

Give them a shower every week, and don't let them near a draft. Clean their cages every week and spray with Lysol spray to kill any germs. What for mites, red and white mites can get infested in the cages. They sell mite spray and mite cans that attach to the side of the cages.

Depending on how you display your birds, as in a perch attached to a table, take them out every day and let them sit on the birch so they learn that the this perch is a safe place for them. So it helps that during a show they will not fly of to a high light or stage batten.

Well, good luck, and take care of those lovely birds.

Are you serious? Are they ringneck doves that you're talking about? Whenever I put a male dove in with the females, he quickly starts chasing after them and won't leave them alone. When I tried putting my new male dove in with the old one, they began fighting non stop until I separated them. I've seen the female doves fight some, but not nearly as much as the males. Even in a completely dark box my male bird does tend to coo some.

You have some might unfriendly doves there. I purchased my doves from a breeder. You must have some very horny male doves there, and some very picky ladies. How long do you let them chase around before you remove them. They do have to get to know each other, and determine pecking order. You know, "heads up guys, the big boss is here".

And yes, I am nothing but serious when it comes to magic.

Maybe Dave Scribner will chime in after Christmas and give you some suggestions.

Well it's Christmas day and here I am talking on the Café. Of course it's my favorite subject. Let me see if I can break some of this down.

1. Male doves are generally a little larger than female doves. Normally this isn't a problem unless you are using something with a small load chamber. Do not cut the tail short to make it fit.
2. Bill is correct. If the birds are in a dark place like a pocket under the jacket, they usually just go to sleep. It's very rare for them to make noise in the dark.
3. Male birds CANNOT be kept in the same cage. Males are very very territorial and will fight for superiority. This will be even worse if you put several males with a female.
4. Doves mate for life so if you put a male and female together and then try to introduce a new male, there will be fighting all the time. Remember, two's company three's a crowd.
5. Females do not generally fight unless you are keeping them in a cage that is too small. Again, Bill is correct on the size of the cage.
6. Females will seem to fight sometimes but it's more ritual and anything else. You'll see them raise a wing and slap another bird. As long as they are pecking at each other, there is no problem.

Now as for sexing your birds. The only 100% method of determining male versus female is for a Vet to do a test. However, you can rely pretty confidently on the method Bill described above concerning the breast bone. Run you finger down the chest of the bird from beak to just between the legs. At the start, you'll feel the breast bone. It's like a wish bone in a turkey. When you finger reaches the round part of the breast, if the bone splits like that wish bone, you have a female. That is where the egg is held while developing. If it doesn't separate, or only splits a little, you have a male. A dove egg is about the size of a marble.

Don't rely on whether or not the dove lays an egg. Females will lay eggs even if they don't have a mate. Of course they won't hatch. If you have multiple females in a cage, you may see 4 eggs in the nest. That is normal for two females. A male and female will lay only 2 eggs.

Those cage sizes may be something that I need to work on. Are there other pages on the Café that talk about cage size? Two of my cages are about 19" deep by 16" tall by 36" wide with 2 perches each. I keep my old male dove with his mate in one of these. Could it possibly be that this size or design could've made him more mean than most doves? Whenever I try putting him in a cage with other doves, (like during a dove act), he immediately starts going after them.

16" tall is not large enough. The birds need room to stretch and flap their wings. You should be able to find the proper cage and a pet shop. A cage 24" square s Bill recommended is sufficient for two birds. When you say you put the doves in a cage during your dove act, I would suggest you try to keep the males separated on opposite ends of the perch. In other words, put a males on one end of the perch, then put your females and finally a male. I don't know how many doves you are putting in that cage but the rule of thumb is keep the males separated as much as possible.

An alternative to using the cages if you have the room is to build an aviary outside. I had one in my basement that measured about 8' high, 12' wide and 6' deep. I kept 31 birds in that aviary. I was able to mix my males and females with no problem.