Dove eggs

[the outdoorsman]

Does anyone know where I can get some?

I herd doves will sit on eggs for you. Is that true?

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Try contacting a hunting preserve and see if they will provide you with some eggs. HOWEVER, if you hatch them yourself, be prepared to hand feed the babies. They do not hatch ready to eat and drink on their own like baby chicks.

I have heard of people using doves and pigeons to hatch eggs, but you'll still have to take the chicks away from the hen when they hatch. Plus, they can only handle 1, 2, or 3 eggs (depending on size of the eggs & size of the bird). If you want to hatch some chicken eggs, get a good broody hen - a chicken broody hen. She'll do 100% of the work for you. She'll incubate them, feed them, keep them warm, and teach them how to act like a chicken.

 

[the outdoorsman]

Quote:
If I do get one it would be sitting on quails eggs.

Do you know where I could get a live grown dove?

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Yes they will sit on eggs other than their own, but be aware that it isn't as easy as just buying a dove if you want them to foster. You will either need a breeding pair or a single bird who is interested in nesting (pairs are much better, single pigeons or doves get stressed out more easily as both parents would normally take turns sitting on the nest). You need to time the eggs you want to hatch with the sitting/laying cycle of the breed or species of foster parent you choose so they don't give up on the eggs too early. This is especially important if you want them to raise other pigeons or doves for you as the crop milk the parents produce has to be timed correctly. Rignecks make excellent fosters, and can be purchased at many pet stores, but to get a known breeding pair, you would probably want to go through someone who raises them.

 

[the outdoorsman]

Quote:
Thank you I saw an ad on craigs list and it said that they had two ringneck doves for sale.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

I have two doves for sale, if you want them. They are young but should be breeding in a few months. Because they are young, I don't know what sex they are. But in the end, it doesn't really matter. If they are the only two doves you have, they will still mate up, even if they are boy/boy or girl/girl. The boy pairs will build a nest and sit on it as if there were eggs. The hen pairs (easier to foster with because you can physically see when the eggs are laid - boys just randomly decide to "lay") will of course end up with 4 infertile eggs.
Doves hatch in 14 days. So you'll want to incubate the quail eggs for a few days before putting them under the birds.
Pigeons on the other hand, are larger so they can foster larger eggs, as well as dove and quail eggs. Pigeons hatch in 18 days - the same as coturnix quail. I have hatched several chickens (both bantam and standard) out from under my pigeons, as well as coturnix. When they hatch, you'll want to get them in a brooder ASAP. Otherwise they may fall out of the nest and get pecked on by other birds.