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Keeping doves in a dovecote

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We have a dovecote in the end of an old stone barn. I have thought about getting some doves, but have no idea about how to go about it. We do have a lot of wood pigeons around, but there again we also have a few folk around with shotguns.

 

Madly envious of your stone dovecote :love:

 

We found introducing the doves fairly easy, you just have to keep them confined for a few weeks while they develop their homing instinct, after that all they need is food and water and they pretty much take care of themselves. We 'homed' ours by constructing a timber and chicken wire frame around the dovecote and putting a net over the top, in your case you'd have to block the holes so the doves are confined within the barn. Opinions vary on how long they need to be kept in for, some say very young birds only need a couple of weeks but we left ours about 6 weeks because we weren't sure of their ages.

 

If you get white birds they're obviously pets so I doubt if anyone would take a shot at them.

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Madly envious of your stone dovecote :love:

 

We found introducing the doves fairly easy, you just have to keep them confined for a few weeks while they develop their homing instinct, after that all they need is food and water and they pretty much take care of themselves. We 'homed' ours by constructing a timber and chicken wire frame around the dovecote and putting a net over the top, in your case you'd have to block the holes so the doves are confined within the barn. Opinions vary on how long they need to be kept in for, some say very young birds only need a couple of weeks but we left ours about 6 weeks because we weren't sure of their ages.

 

If you get white birds they're obviously pets so I doubt if anyone would take a shot at them.

 

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I will go that way. It seems the best idea is to get a sizeable flock of doves rather than just a few.

 

The stone barn is lovely. It is across the courtyard from the main house and has been converted into a garage with a games room above. There is still a large area for the doves within the end gable, but I suspect that an outside netted area would be in order.

 

I don't think that the gun men are any problem at all. They thin out wood pigeons and occasionally bring me a couple along with the odd rabbit pie. :thumbsup:

 

Is there a best time to introduce doves, and where is the best place to obtain them?

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I don't know if there's a best time, we got ours in October and released them in the middle of November and they've been fine all winter, but then they were outdoor-reared so already pretty hardy when we got them. We started with 6 but after a few weeks another one showed up and has been with us ever since, and now we're expecting more very soon because there's a pair sitting on eggs and we think they'll hatch within the next few days.

 

As for where to get them from, there's various breeders around and most of them seem to advertise on Oodle. A lot depends on what type you want, Fantails are the prettiest but they're a bit delicate and not such good flyers. White Garden Pigeons are tough and agile, but they don't look as nice as the Fantails. We compromised and got crossbreeds, part-Fantail, and they're thriving. The extra one that moved in is a White Garden Pigeon. Our original six came from a breeder in Thurcroft, I can PM you his phone number if you like.

 

I wouldn't recommend getting too many to start with or you could soon have an overcrowding problem, they're the rabbits of the bird world, they breed rapidly and year-round!

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Hi I have recently purchased 2 pairs of doves and after 2 weeks they escaped through the netting. One pair remained in the area and came to feed but not use the dovecote? I have since re captured the pair and caged them to the dovecote and 1 bird stays mainly inside while the other sits on the perch platform. When should I re release them and will they learn to live in the dovecote or live on adjoining foof tops and just come down for the occasional food. Any advice greatly appreciated

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Hi if any of u want to buy some realy cheap doves for your shed or dove cote ,then i have some for sale,,cheap!

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hi,

i have a dovecote with 4 hens and 2 cocks in, i am just at the stage of homing them they have been in for about a week so far, i am using a homing net and 1 of the cocks seems to bully the hens out of the dovecote, its a 2 teir dovecote and the the other **** as paired up nicely with a hen, should i just give them more time to settle down or should i just have 1 ****? any help would be great thanks

Andy

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hi, i have some doves in a dovecote and i have found 2 eggs on the floor this week is this because i have 2 cocks and 1 is clearing out the others nest? any help would be great thanks. andy.

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just picked up this post, heres my contribution with experience.

 

An old friend is also a bird lover and decided to do just what you have in mind, however as time goes by his 4 doves turned into 8 and so on.. with all the free food around he soon attracted feral pigeons who see the home as a free holiday chalet. What occurs then is the ferals mate with the doves and soon you have ...... unwanted pigeons of all colours.

Aswell as the variety of colour he now has, he also has all the guanno from the ferals who sleep over. Guanno soon becomes not only unsightly and clogs gutters but becomes a health and safety hazard.

 

I now get paid to thin out the unwanted ferals that he has encoraged in the first place.

Edited by donky7

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Hi if any of u want to buy some realy cheap doves for your shed or dove cote ,then i have some for sale,,cheap!

 

Hi can you sell me 2 cocks and 2 hens please, as i have just set up a dovecote and any advice would be apreciated. Regards Harry

 

---------- Post added 02-03-2013 at 18:33 ----------

 

HI, Can you please supply me with 2 pairs of young doves and any advice on getting them trained to dove cote would be apreciated, and what is the cost. Regards Harry.

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my wife has always fancied a dovecote, so she bought one! we have several collared doves and a handful of wood pigeons in our garden, what are the chances of them taking up residence ? there is always plenty of food in the garden, thats why they have to share it with the deer, the badger and the foxes!

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I have recently moved house and a small flock of white and speckled doves appear in the garden every day and feed below the bird feeders. I am considering buying a dovecote for them. Are they likely to nest? All advice gratefully received as I know nothing’s no about keeping doves.

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