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latentimage Elite user No More Room In Hell.. 440 Posts |
I just got a pair of mated doves about a month ago, and Im still new to the whole breeding thing. The male and the female have made a nice nest, and they both sit in it all the time, but its been several weeks and the female still looks like she has no eggs in her ready to lay. Is this normal, and how long will it take before she will lay eggs?
"Come to the edge," he said, They Said "We Are Afraid," "Come to the edge," he said, They Came, He Pushed Them...And They Flew. -Apollinaire
"If there be a skeptical star, I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." -W. MacNeile Dixon |
Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
Al,
Doves can surprise you. Unless you have seen the male doing "push-ups" and cooing, you may have two hens or two very young birds. Nest building is a good sign. If you get more than two eggs, that is a bad sign. It means you have two females sharing a nest. Keep us posted! Do not move the nest! Once there are eggs in it, it is too late. Oddly, research shows that the altitude of the nest can change without a problem. But any lateral movement is likely to cause the pair to start over in the "old" spot. If they start the nest in a bad place, it makes more sense to move the whole cage and force them to start over. Good luck! Bob DoveMagician@magicbysander.com |
latentimage Elite user No More Room In Hell.. 440 Posts |
Bob,
I bought this pair from a dove breeder, and they are male and female and have been used for a breeding pair in the past, and I guess they have had several clutches of babies. I also put a nesting box in the cage which they seem to like and they built a nice nest in it. I'm trying to raise babies on my own because it is very expensive for me to have to buy birds and have them shipped to me. The mated pair cost me 70 dollars and I had to have them shipped from Wisconsin. Right now I have 2 trained birds that I used in my act, plus the pair that I hope will have babies that I can put into the act as well (the goal is to have 6 useable birds). I'm just wondering why they keep concentrating on the nest, but the hen still hasn't laid any eggs. Any advice?
"Come to the edge," he said, They Said "We Are Afraid," "Come to the edge," he said, They Came, He Pushed Them...And They Flew. -Apollinaire
"If there be a skeptical star, I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." -W. MacNeile Dixon |
KSMagic2007 Regular user Missouri 200 Posts |
A good nesting box is a small plactic basket with a handtowel in it. It worked very well for my doves.
Good Luck Kyle |
Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
Al,
If you have breeding pairs and you are not moving the cage or nest around, you should be in the dove raising business soon enough. They must be just getting "moved in". Six birds are what I use in my act too. The audience never sees but two at a time except in the two-hour show. In the two-hour show I vanish the cage with six birds. Too bad you had to have your birds shipped in since you live in Missouri. There are plenty of breeders there. Next time put up a "doves wanted" notice on the bulletin board or at the check out counter at the Farmers' Coops (feed stores) in your area. You should get a better deal from them. I used to live in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Although I supplied magic dealers and magicians doves from there for years, there were plenty of farmers there who just kept a few pairs as pets. They get over stocked with birds. Other parts of the country aren't as lucky. You are also near Pel-Freeze in Springdale, Arkansas. They are in the rabbit business and have a very good line of cage wires, j-clips, tools and other items for cage building and pet supplies you can use. I wish we had those resources here! Good luck on getting your pair started nesting. In the future, we'll look for your ad in "doves for sale". Bob |
latentimage Elite user No More Room In Hell.. 440 Posts |
Bob,
Thanks a lot for the advice. There are plently of feed stores around here, and we are always there getting feed for the horses, but I never thought to check. I certainly hope mine start a family soon, it sure would be nice. Allen
"Come to the edge," he said, They Said "We Are Afraid," "Come to the edge," he said, They Came, He Pushed Them...And They Flew. -Apollinaire
"If there be a skeptical star, I was born under it. Yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." -W. MacNeile Dixon |
MagicalPirate Special user Shamokin, PA 828 Posts |
I have two males and a female. I have only had babies a couple of times. The first one died on me young and second matured and became an adult. I lost that one when a cat overturned the cage of the some of the birds flew the coop or were removed, I not sure of which.
Mostly I find the males taking turns sitting on the eggs. After she had laid the eggs she seems to loose interest until there is actually a baby and then they all get in on the act of feeding and caring for it. Martin
Martin Blakley, CSH, DASH, CMSA
http://www.thehypnoguy.com/HYPNORESOURCES http://www.docgrayson.com/ How To Sell Anything Online http://tub.bz/?r=1z Copyright to my own words retained 100%. |
Mr. Muggle Special user 999 Posts |
Since I put a nest in my cage my mated pair of doves have been busy.
After a few failed attempts I now have a 2 month old chick that has 90% of its feathers. The only thing is that the pair is now on another egg, and the chick is still relying on the parrents for food. Any advice? This pair has abandon'd 2 other chicks and Im about to take the nest away. MM
"Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it because you're not really looking. You don't really want to know the secret... You want to be fooled." - The Prestige (2006)
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
MM, at 8 weeks, the chick should be pretty much able to take care of itself. It will try to get the parents to feed it as long as it can. Does it eat seed on it's own at all or strictly relying on the parents?
Where the magic begins
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Kingry Elite user Virginia 464 Posts |
Any way to get the chirps to eat? I have lost more doves because they can't figure out how to eat. I even tried feeding with a syringe every two house once to no avail.
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Rupert Bair Inner circle ? 2179 Posts |
Hi,
I got given a mating pair they had chicks in a plastic box for kids toys with like mesh insted of solid sides, they hatched and after a week they abandanded them and when I got home they were half dead, they died that night, they have only produced unfertilized eggs and I really want them to have chicks. I I tried alkinds to get them to eat but I think they were just to weak to take it. Matt |
Kingry Elite user Virginia 464 Posts |
Lost one of the pair today. I have seen the remaining bird eat seed. I have always heard Java's make horible parents.
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Justin Hart Loyal user Warsaw, VA 221 Posts |
I've had all those issues and still can't get my pair to not abandon...I'm talking after two weeks the momma bird will toss it out. It was probably dead long before that though, so I'm not sure why.
Is it unhealthy to have the birds reproduce year round or should you only have nesting during spring and fall? |
Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
Kingry, if the babies were abandoned and now you've lost one of the parents, it sounds like a medical problem.You might want to take the remaining adult to a vet for a check up and then try to remate it.
Justin, there is a breeding season however, my birds lay eggs all year round. It has never been a problem for me. While it may seem like the mother tossed the baby out, it is not uncommon for the little one to get caught up in the feet of the parent and get dislodged when it leaves the nest for food. I've had that happen several times.
Where the magic begins
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Kingry Elite user Virginia 464 Posts |
No, I lost one of the babies, not one of the parents. Mom and Dad are healthy, just don't want to be tied down. The remaining baby has learned to eat seed now. I have been told that doves have a very low sucess rate. That's why they breed 7 times a year.
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
It's funny, I've heard about the low success rate but personnally have never had the problem. In my career, I've raised close to 100 birds and have only lost 4 while they were chicks. Guess I'm the exception to the rule.
Where the magic begins
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