White doves/ Update /or are they pigeons??????new pics!

[bantymum]

Gidday all,
Ive been offered 2 breeding pairs of beautiful White fantail Doves.
Im going to source a dovecote for them and keep them in an aviary for a couple of weeks until they settle in, then they will be free to fly around and hopefully come home again to Me.
The gent who has given them to me has 100 or so and he Lives near a busy road and I nearly ran over them today. So I got out and shooed them back over his fence to him, He said "do you want some?" after i remarked on their beauty.
He has them free in his yard and they sleep in a house on a post!
They land on his head etc too.
I am excited, Has anyone ever had these????
I have searched the net to no avail except for numerous sites offering doves for wedding etc.
Im hoping to get some dos and donts from anyone here.
Thanks Helen

 

[jdypat]

I have doves and have enjoyed them veyy much. I built a huge cage from chicken wire and they have a house to go into to nest and sleep.
Ive never seen anything breed the way these do. even in the winter. below zero outside and they are on the nest. new ones weekly and in that cold. imagine!
mine are a combination. i have mourning doves. laughing doves and fantails and some just ordinary gray and tan and mixed colors. the sound of them in the evening before dark is so relaxing and sweet.
I have a couple that escaped and they fly free over the property. I tried to catch them and could not. they sure wise up to traps and if not caught in the first few days of freedom they wont get caught.
because these two fly free ive considered letting them all do that. it is so refreshing to see the white beautiful things floating out over my pasture land and onto the top of my barn. BUT last week a white flash caught my attention in the back yard and a scream of fear and i looked to see a hawk had attemted to catch one of them and if he had not crashed into a cyclone fence he would have had a good supper. How they have made it flying free out there i cannot say.
also i found one dead in my side yard he ws one of three tht escaped leaving the two that are free now.
I have probably 26 more in the cage.. and would love to turn them out and let them be free and float around in their graceful life. do you know if that man looses any to hawks and cats and such? judy

 

[bantymum]

Hi Judy,
The fellow has 2 cats that dont even bother them, he hasnt mentioned Hawks but I will ask him in the morning.
I have been researching them online and found some info under "dovecote" which explains how to "home them" by having a huge net over the cote and onto the ground around it so nothing can disturb them. You leave them in it for 6 weeks, but that is too long for me to grasp however if the net run is large enough it should be ok.
Now I just have to find a dovecote, and they are hard to find here.
Maybe i have to make one out of a small dog kennel until i can get one made properly.
The dovecotes are beautiful and it would look so nice in a bed of pale pink and white flowers.
I love these birds, Ive always wanted some and ive seen them for sale for $20 each but this man wants to GIVE them to me as he has so many flying free.
Its funny how I end up with pets, nearly ran over this lot, must be fate.
Im really looking forward to collecting them in the morning.
Ill let you know Judy, but I think you should let them fly free as they are used to your yard by now??and you get much more joy watching them flutter and play above you.

 

[jdypat]

Quote:
ive considered it several time.. now remember i did loose one to a cat just weeks ago..but these two have been successfully free for quite a while.. i would rather live a month free than a year in a cage.. so i just might chance it..
my dove house.. (i would love to have a beautiful cote) is just a wooden house like thing that has tin on the roof and half screen wire.. the study kind.. and it has shelves in the covered area for nest.. shoeboxes with hay in it.. they love it.. i also have water and seed in that area.. i cover the wire with plastic in the winter so they have a place to come in to from the cold wind.. i used to put a light bulb in it close to the shelves but didnt this year.. they did fine..
so goodluck letme know and maybe soon if you do well i will just take down the chicken wire cage.. its 20 feet by 10 feet and looks quite bad...ugly in fact. judy

 

[bantymum]

Wow, Dovecotes are expensive but beautiful,
$250 upwards. They recommend placing them somewhere where you can see them from the window so you can watch their antics from the house.
Ill layby one today.
Ill keep them in a large flight aviary until the cote arrives.
Ive seen lots of ads for people to hire the doves for weddings etc as they return home after release.
They also hire them in an ornate cage for the reception.
That may be someone to think of in the future.
They can earn their keep. But im looking forward to just having these gentle creatures flapping around my garden.
Ill have to watch the lice and mites too with my dear chookies.

 

[Wildsky]

Wow thats fantastic - my grandfather used to have those....

Now you can send me messages by pigeon!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I just have plain ringnecks, but my original pair was a white and grey. They sure did produce some neat looking offspring! I have an albino, pied, tangerine, and a few other neat colors now.

I've never heard of fantail doves before. Does anyone have a picture of them?

 

[bantymum]

Thanks, Im still trying to find out their proper name but maybe they are just plain white doves.
Their tail fans out.
They are soo pretty, and I brought home 6.
Ill get a pic shortly!

 

[bantymum]

OK, I now need a name for my New business!!!
Ive researched it, Ive got beautiful birds, theres not one competitor in my city!!! No one has started one yet but if you search under "white dove"
Youll see how popular they are.
Ive spoken to a lovely funeral director today who is very keen to use my services when the birds are trained.
So its all go from here.
Im trying to think of a business name which contains the word "dove".
I need to get some bands made up and I have 3 lines of text available to use for the order.
So ill need my Business name and phone number.
Im not sure yet wether I can get individual numbers on the bands too as in 1-100.
Anyhow, just in case anyone is sitting there with nothing else to do (yeah right)!!!you can help me with a nice flowy name!!!

 

[jdypat]

whats wrong with the name you have already called it.."Beautiful Birds".? doesnt limit you and tell s it all.
im busy on my end reading up on cotes and such and planning on building one or having one built.. im so excited.. it nevr occured to me til laltely to have them free and floating so beautifully on my pasture... i can hardly wait.
i want a huge one. i have 25 or more birds... dont knw for sure which is female or male have so much to learn..
we have a tribe of "mennonites" around here who do beautiful wood work ic oud hire them.. or i love the idea of a rock house did you see those on the internet?
a huge thing to last forever or along time anyway.. if bush doesnt get us bombed and destroyed.. ah i meant to say cheney..hes behind this all... bush aint smart enough he has cheney to ring the bell.
forgive me
anyway while i await the bomb im gnna be watching my bird s fly aournd and hearing the coo's.. i ahve one that says.. 'paw paw" and one that laughes all the time.. they are so much fun..and so relaxing.. luv judy