How old before a dove starts laying eggs? Need advice please.

[Lobzi]

Ive had a "female" dove sold to me about 4 months ago. The man told me it was a female. I bought it for my male who was doing a lot of bowing and cooing at my baby chicken chicks. I knew he was a "he" no doubt. This one I bought does the bowing and cooing thing too and between the two of them they have a nice nest they built with my help and take turns sitting on it. I finally gave them a quail egg to sit on and they are obliging.
How old does the female have to be prior to her laying eggs. I want to be patient with "her" as I think the two have bonded. The man who sold me the dove is willing to exchange but Im worried I will just make things worse by bringing in another dove. Im worried first that I will just get another male from the guy and second that my dove and this one I bought might suffer from the separation after alll these months together.
So should I be patient and continue to wait for egg to appear. They guy is also willing to give me some viable eggs for the two to hatch and parent. I am looking for advice on this conundrum.

 

[lightchick]

If they are sitting on quail eggs and they haven't laid any of their own then they are most likely two males. My pigeons never start sitting until they've laid they own eggs. If I just put a egg in their nest and they hadn't laid then they'd just ignore it.

 

[Lobzi]

I cant find any info on how many months old a female dove must be prior to laying an eggs. Can someone tell me please.

 

[lightchick]

I cant find any info on how many months old a female dove must be prior to laying an eggs.  Can someone tell me please.

I'm pretty sure they have to be at least six months before they lay eggs.

 

[Lobzi]

If a female is too young to lay would she sit on the nest?

If I gave a male and female pair an egg would they sit on it if the female was too young to lay and therefor knew it was not her eggs? Currently my two doves have been sitting on this dud quail egg as if it was there own. They have been taking turns as would be expected if she had laid the egg.

 

[lightchick]

I doubt it. She wouldn't have the mother instinct yet. I've read that doves are mature at 6 months occasionally 4 months. Depends on breed and diet.

 

[Lobzi]

Ok, good then, Im guessing I need to exchange this supposed female for another hopefully female then. It must be two males that are mature enough to sit on an egg when produced.
Thanks for all the info everyone.

 

[Orloff]

I was told there are no different between doves & pigeon on a DNA level.
Is this true?

 

[Serin]

I was told there are no different between doves & pigeon on a DNA level.
Is this true?

The pigeon and ringneck dove are the species most often referred to in casual conversation here. They are two distinct species, Columbia livia and Streptopelia risoria. They are both in the Columbiformes clade and are related but not the same species.

 

[BelieverInMagic]

The pigeon and ringneck dove are the species most often referred to in casual conversation here. They are two distinct species, Columbia livia and Streptopelia risoria. They are both in the Columbiformes clade and are related but not the same species.

Actually, there is no discernible scientific difference between doves and pigeons, it's true; they are typically used interchangeably. Scientists often disagree on what exactly would qualify one species as one or the other and generally agree they're actually the same. The two you list are Columbia livia, most commonly known as Rock Pigeons (but also known as rock doves as well), and Streptopelia risoria, also known as Barbary or Ring-Neck Doves. While these are possibly the two most well-known examples, there are many other species in the Columbidae family who are also interchangeably called doves and pigeons. Where I live for example, people say the most common type of "pigeon" in my area is the "white-winged dove" (Zenaida asiatica). At weddings the "dove releases" are actually Homing Pigeons (Rock Pigeons Columbia livia but that are bred to have exceptional homing instincts and in the cases of these releases, to also be white). You can tell the difference between the white homers and regular white ring-necks because these particular two, the ringnecks are smaller and have a much smaller ceres (the skin around their nostrils) while the homers have large bulging ceres. Some people say pigeons are bigger, or have darker or more distinct colors, but there is no scientific differential, people have varying opinions on it, and there are many exceptions to these rules of size and color. Morning doves have distinct colors, zebra doves are primarily dark, rock pigeons are also called rock doves and are used for wedding dove releases, and there is a wide range of colors and sizes, some featuring reds, greens, blues, and distinct patterns in their plumage.