Doves for Squab?

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BrieCheese23

BrieCheese23

In the Brooder
Apr 10, 2016
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Has anyone done it? Obviously doves are a bit, sometimes a lot, smaller than pigeons, but I've heard that dove meat is more tender when they get older and I can get doves more readily in my area than pigeons. Go figure. If I go with doves instead of making a loooong drive for pigeons, what breed would be best? I have access to diamond doves (they seem too tiny for much if any meat) and ringnecks so far that I've found.
 
I'd go drive for, or order through male pigeons/rock doves. Even ferals homers or rollers you could get extremely cheap to free, would yeild more meat for less feed, n be more tender. I find my rollers eat lot less feed for meat I do get, as I don't sell what I won't fly (less than thirty feet). Kings are supposedly best way to go but I've seen only runty ones less meat that homers here.
I've kept n eaten mourning, laughing, collard, n ringneck doves, and they were nowhere near eating pigeon meat. Ferals are all from more over homers and meat pigeons, so naturally more meat than other doves.
 
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Doves are far too small... much smaller than quail and not used for meat as far as I know. Only perhaps wild ones... which are different species and bigger bodies.

Also you can't keep doves together in the same pen like pigeons. They prefer to live in pairs in their own cage. Also doves are much less prolific breeders than pigeons.

Many people call the white pigeons, doves. Maybe that is what you mean? These are just normal homing pigeons or fancy pigeons that are a white colour. They can be used for meat.. and you can keep them in a colony coop / flight and they are really prolific.
 
Yes, white release doves that race home from places taken are just white homing pigeons ("racers"). However white turtle doves very slender and small as are just white ringneck doves.. Sometimes sold for ceramony release, just flutter low exhausting soon.
 

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