I finally got to bring home 4 new white, feathered friends. Man, these things are difficult to find around here! I hope there are 2 males and 2 females, but the breeder told me that the only thing she knows for sure is that there is one female.

I have been hoping to get some doves for a long time.....like 10+ years. I have done tons of research so I feel fairly prepared, but I know there is still lots of things I will have to learn. I'm sure some things I need to know will only come with experience. I want to send a special, "Thank You!" to all of you that have helped me along the way. Without that help this day would not have come.

Regan

I hope you the best of luck.

All the best Regan.

Glad you have them!

Good Luck!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Regan, if you have them in one cage, watch for fighting. More than one male in a cage with a female will cause trouble. Watch all of them and their actions should let you know which is the female.

Congrats Regan!! You will soon have 20 doves before you know it!!! *smile*

-Alpha

Thanks everyone. Dave, the lady I got them from had been keeping them together in one cage. She said they did not fight, and they showed no signs of fighting. However, I have 3 cages right now and plan on building 3 more one of these days. I paired them up, but I am only sure (according to the breeder) that one is a female. I am hoping there are 2 males and 2 females and I get them paired correctly, but I guess it is just a guess. I have been looking/listening for signs but I've only had them for a day or two and so far nothing. I have heard that females tend to "laugh", and I know the bobbing head motion is usually male, but I also know there are no absolutes without the testing. By them being kept together and not fighting I wonder if there may be 1 (or less) males. They are young though, (less than 6 months) and I guess they have been together for their entire life, so maybe that is why they haven't fought....yet.

Do doves usually hatch 2 eggs? How long does it take for doves to lay, hatch and raise the babies before they lay again? One thing I noticed is the color of their feet. Two of my doves have darker feet, kind of purple-like in color, while the other two are a lighter, rediish-like color. Does this indicate anything? Age, sex, siblings? Should I pair the color-matched feet or seperate them? Speaking of which, does in-breeding affect doves? I started thinking about that last night, and I have never heard it addressed anywhere that I can remember.

I knew it wouldn't be long before I was asking more questions....again!

Thomas, I hope I can raise a few.....but 20! No thanks! I'll do good to keep up with these 4 right now. I have started training them, but my time is limited due to my mother's recent heart attacks. I am having to spend much of time helping take care of her.

Thanks again for everyone's help!

Regan

"Do doves usually hatch 2 eggs?"

Answer: Yes

" How long does it take for doves to lay, hatch and raise the babies before they lay again?"

Answer: depending on maturity they will start to lay when mature enough (vague, I know *haha*). Doves will lay eggs even when not fertilized, so usually wait about 22 - 25 days before hatching, if fertile. To see if an egg is fertile, just watch the coloring of the egg. If after about 14 days it still looks 'clearish', its most likely not fertile, and toss them out. As for laying eggs after babies, once the babies are able to feed themselves, they can be moved to another cage, and the paying process will start all over again. Doesn't take long, so you'll have that 20 before you know it! *haha*

"One thing I noticed is the color of their feet. Two of my doves have darker feet, kind of purple-like in color, while the other two are a lighter, rediish-like color. Does this indicate anything? Age, sex, siblings?"

Answer: Yes, it means that your doves are maturing. The darker the feet, the older the dove. Has nothing to do with the sex of the dove, just the age. I have a dove that is near 8 years old, and he has very dark purple feet. I have younger ones that have pink feet. Its an age thing is all.

"Should I pair the color-matched feet or seperate them? Speaking of which, does in-breeding affect doves? I started thinking about that last night, and I have never heard it addressed anywhere that I can remember."

Answer: Naw, don't worry about pairing until you see a male courting the female. If she accepts one of her suitors, you will see him 'mount' on her back. Those are the two you want to separate from the others to begin your dove family. - as for in-breeding, it happens. I did have a pair that were the same clutch, and well, they had successful and unsuccessful offspring. Its nothing to worry about, but can happen.

Hope that helps Regan!

Thomas, it does help.... a lot! Thank you, my friend!

These purple feet are bothering me. About how long does it take for this to begin. I do not know this breeder, and this is the first experience I've had with her, so I hope she is being honest with me. When I asked her their age she told me they were around 6 months old. I assumed that each pair may have been born at slightly different times, but now I am wondering if the purple-footed ones are much older. They do not look any different other than their feet. They are not really dark, but darker and have that purple tint.

Is their any other clues as to their age? I have looked at their beaks and they all look exactly alike. Their feathers are very clean and perfect. No raggedy tail feathers or anything. Tey are bright-eyed and they really look healthy and great.

The only other problem I have found is that one has something wrong with the nail of it's rear toe on one foot. I first thought the nail was gone, but upon closer inspection it looks like it is there but there is something hardened around it. Maybe like it stepped in droppings and it hardened, or something like that. I very gently tried to get it off but it is stuck in there. I'm not sure what it it. Could this be a deformity, or perhaps something caused from an injury? Should I just watch it and see if it comes off as the nail grows out? I am afraid if this remains this way that this particular dove may not be sutable for certain productions. I could see it having a problem if Shamada used it with his I.H./cane dove production.

I think it is actually the prettiest and tamest of all my doves, but if this is a permenant problem I may have to use it in ways where it will not have to have a death grip to hold on to something.

Regan

Soak it in water for a few minutes. It will become moist and soft enough for you to peel off if it is a dropping.

Regan, relax. You don't have any major problems going on that I can tell. When the doves are first born and up to about 6 months, the feet will gradually turn from a very light pink to a solid pink color and then begin to turn reddish then purple with age. The color change is gradual. If they are purple now, then in all probability, they are probably they are closer to 1 year than 6 months. As they age, the toes will turn very dark. That really isn't a problem. Just start working with them each day.

As to the "growth" on the rear toe, if you can hold the dove without it going crazy, try spraying the toe with water and then gently try to remove the growth. If it is something it stepped in, the water will loosen it up and it'll come off.

From your description of not being able to use the dove for some productions, it sounds like this is a rather large growth. Again, relax. As for appearance, the sudience never really sees the doves feet anyway. If the growth does not come off with water, you may want to take it to a vet. Like people, the longer something goes without being treated, the worse it can become. If it bothers the dove (like if it is in any pain) you'll see him trying to preen the toe more often to remove the discomfort.

Or, and if you don't want to raise doves, get some fake eggs from your pet store and put them wherever you see the first egg layed. As long as they think there is an egg in there, they will not lay anymore.

Thank you Mike. That is a great tip. I had thought about it, but just had not had time to do it yet. I had actually tried to wet it a little by dipping my finger in their water but it was not a very efficient way to do it. After one attempt I decide to wait and try again using a better method. I am running back and forth to my mom's house and trying to train these little boogers in between. I'll try to get around to soaking that bad toenail within a day or two if I can! Thanks!

Regan

Posted: Sep 30, 2009 12:17pm
Dave I did not see your post when I posted my response to Mike.

Thanks, as always you have helped to ease my mind. Most likely the breeder has not been upfront with me about their age. Do you suggest I pair them up by age (foot color) or seperate them? Without knowing the sex of them I am just guessing anyway. The breeder marked one that had she said had been sitting on some eggs, but that is all I know. As I said before 2 males and 2 females would be ideal, but the real reason I went with 4 to start with was so I would have a better chance to get at least one pair that will mate.

The bad toeis not a large growth at all. When I first saw it I thought the nail was none. It is hardly visible, and in fact I didn't notice it for a while. The top of the nail remains visible but most of the sides and underneath part is covered. It is about the exact size (diameter) of the toe and the same length of the nail.

The dove does not seem to be bothered at all by it. It can grip my finger fine, but without that particular claw I fear it may not be able to do something that requires a strong grip, such as a fast I.H. production on a wand or cane. Then again, it may be able to but it just seems that the rear claw problem could hinder it's grip.

Regan

If you can take a picture of it and show it to us, go ahead.

Regan, even with one bad toe, your dove will be able to grasp and hold on just fine. Very often they will actually perch on one leg.

As to pairig them up, here's what I'd do until I got some more information about them. Leave them all together in one cage as long as they are not fighting. They will pair up naturally and mate for life. You'll know a true pair by the way they act. A mated male and female will preen each other and do the courtship dance. Once you see which ones cling to each other, you can separate them.

If you try to mate them up yourself without knowing their sex, you could match two females. It will look like a good match and they'll even lay eggs but not fertile ones.

Dave, thanks! That sounds like a great idea! I was afraid my guessing might not work. LOL

I took a closer look at the feet in better light. When I noticed the darker color on two of them yesterday evening it was near dusk, and cloudy on top of that. The light was bad and the feet looked kind of purple. Looking at them today in good light revealed that they are not purple at all. Two doves certainly have darker feet than the other two, but it is more redish than purple. The others are a very light, pinkish color.

I feel a lot better now. I'm glad you told me they start darkening to red at about 6 months or so. Maybe this is what is happening and the breeder was being honest with me. There is a difference in the foot color between the 2 pairs, but in good daylight it is not all that much. The breeder had first said around 6 months old, and later said less than 6 months old. Maybe one pair is slightly older than 6 months and the other slightly less than 6 months.

Thanks so much for your help Dave! I will put them all back together as soon as I can. Do they generally pair up and pick a mate fairly quick or is this going to take a while?

Regan

P.S. Mike, I will try the water and see if the....uh.....'thing'comes off the toe. If it does not I will try and get a picture up and see if you experts might know what it is.

Congrats on finally taking the plunge, you won't regret it.

4 is a good # of doves, for a kids show or even better,to punch the end of stage routines nicely... I had just 4 for a long time, and used to do that, I still do when I have to travel lighter.

Good luck.

Steven

Regan, mating isn't an exact science. It may happen quickly or it may take a long time. There's no way of telling. Kind of like a lot of people in a room. Noone can tell who will be attracted to who or when. It may not happen at all. You just never know.

Regan,

Throw a colored silk over a lamp and turn on some Barry White. They'll pair up in no time!

Congrats on your new feathered friends.

Don't forget a little glass of wine For them not you

Ha ha! Good one guys!

Dave, I took your advice and put them all back together. In fact as soon as I put them together 2 of them seemed to take to each other and started the preening ritual. I have noticed some others doing this too, and so far it seems like they are not staying with the same one.I have heard 2 different ones doing the 'laugh', one of which is the one the breeder said is a female.

I am going to leave them in the same cage until I am sure that 2 have paired up. I have got another cage ready with a nesting box, so as soon as they let me know I have an empty honeymoon suite waiting for them!

By the way, the one that had the thing on it's claw is all better. I soaked it as Mike and Dave suggested and the thing came off. Thanks guys!

Regan