Free Flying Ringneck Doves

I would like to say that it is quite possible to free fly ringneck doves if you have the time and patience to train them properly.
I have 6 ringneck doves and have been free flying them for over a year now. They all are much loved pets and it is so lovely to see them enjoying their life - they love to fly! Here are a few pics:
Toffee getting ready for take off...... He and his friend like to circle the house a few times before landing in the tall trees in the background.

Pinky likes to take leave his cage and go back to it only on this table!

Snowflake on the house roof.

Toffee and Coffee (2 males) showing off to each other!

Pinky courting snowflake in her cage (with her jealous mate - chalky).

Chalky getting angry........after this picture he left his cage to chase off Pinky and give him a few wing slaps!

Coffee enjoying evening stroll on the driveway.

Bedtime for Pinky

Jak, where do you live? Around here the Coopers and sharpshins would eat them in a heartbeat. Neat that you can do that.

sourland said:

Jak, where do you live? Around here the Coopers and sharpshins would eat them in a heartbeat. Neat that you can do that.

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What are Coopers and Sharpshins? I am Northern Thailand but from UK. We have plenty of predatory birds here (more than UK), but my doves are very clever at avoiding them! Its not true that they are too domesticated to recognise predators. They even know different people and are very wary of them when out.

The main problem I found was CATS, that would hide in the bushes.

My doves get on very well with my Chickens and think they are part of the flock. I think the Roosters crowing is one of the things that help them know where home is if they fly far off into the jungle.

I also have a pair of diamond doves and want to free fly them. But they tend to shoot off into the air at the slightest noise or movement and I am not convinced they are as intelligent as the ringnecks. The female diamond doves also has a crest and I think she is too precious and unusual to loose.
Here is a pic of her and her mate.

Quote:

I've never seen crested diamond dove before. Where did you get she? How common is it in Thailand?

Hi, you said that you can free-fly your birds with proper training. Can you offer any advice on training doves? When your doves are free-flying outdoors, can you call them back to their enclosures when exercise time is over? How did you train them to just not fly away and live in the wild?

I have had two birds for the last 12 years, but my best buddy died. I would like to get a new bird to keep the remaining bird company.

I like to give my birds free-flight and exercise time 2-3 times a week. The one that died was extremely tame and I could pick her up and place her in the cage when I needed to leave the house (I don't like leaving them out unattended). The surviving bird has never tamed and trying to get her back into the cage is a 20 minute process, which is hard to take if you're late for an appointment, or trying to go to bed. I treated both birds equally when I first got them, so I don't know why they responded differently except that it is just their personalities.

When I get the new bird, what can I do to really train her? Is it possible to train a ring neck dove to come on a command, like people can do with parrots? Is there a treat to give them to reward them? I'd like to ramp-up the training with the new bird if it is possible.

Your advice would be helpful and truly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dan