Looking for Satinette Pigeons! OH

[Bamrein]

Hi there! I recently joined this forum on the lookout for Old Frill Satinette Pigeons! My boyfriend and I live in a large apartment and we were originally looking at Diamond Doves. Upon searching a breeder's website I came across their Satinettes and I instantly fell in love with their look! However, I can't find much information on them. Quite a few websites have them pinned as highly affectionate pets. I've owned birds only one other time in my short life and that was several years ago and they were Parakeets. I'd like to know if these Satinettes are the kind of bird for me and if so, where to get them and what to get them!

Not looking for anything too loud or screechy, and something not too panicky at the sight of hands. If these birds are the ones for us then they would be purely pet quality. I will not be showing them and will not be breeding them. They will most likely be love spoiled little fluffy companions for my BF and I
I'd like to know:
- How loud are they/how often
- How bad is the smell
- How well do they handle
- Can same genders be caged together
- Are they flighty/bitey
- What do they eat? (I read somewhere mixed grains is good? What types of grain is best?)
- What kind of cage will work for them? Wire bottom? Plastic bottom? Bedding?

I look forward to all the insight!

 

[biophiliac]

Welcome to the forum! 2 recent threads discuss indoor pigeons...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/banded-pigeon-found-assistance-please.1271748/
and @Serin 's posts on this thread...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pigeon-talk.1276029/page-354#post-20996772
I think satinettes are usually considered to be docile. You should be aware that pigeons produce a lot of feather dust in case someone in your household may be sensitive to it.
I'm sure you will be getting advice on your questions.

 

[Serin]

Welcome. I have a female old german owl pigeon, which is a related breed, she is very new to the household but is simply wonderful. Docile, affectionate, very smart and easily trained. The droppings aren't really bad but there can be a lot of them. They are mostly well-defined balls, not splats, and do not have any odor. I am using strategically placed newspapers under her roosting spots and it's very manageable.

Pigeons bred for a nice temperament, which include the owl pigeons, the frillback pigeons, the pouters and the kings (not sure about sattinetes) are very calm by nature and will quickly bond with you, though this will be faster if you have only one bird. Females are quieter, mine coos very softly (she sounds like a distant owl, even if she is next to you) and not very often. Males coo much more often and at a higher volume but it is nothing like the sounds a parrot of the same size can make. Males are generally less cuddly and can be a bit nippy and temperamental from what I hear while hens are very docile and cuddly. Mine certainly is.

I trained my bird to step up and flutter up to my hand in two days! They are very smart and mine at least is very easy to handle. She steps up to go in or out of her cage. Her cage is small, 30 x 18 x 18 inches, but she is only in it to sleep and for another 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon. For a bird caged more, a large dog crate or a flight cage is a better choice. Wire bottoms hurt their feet, a soft solid surface is recommended. I use a towel on the bottom of the cage and pick out the "pellets" she left overnight and bury them in my houseplants. If some are a bit stickier and get in the towel, I'll turn it over and wash it the next day. Her cage has a branch perch, a wooden ledge, and a plastic rabbit litter box hung in a top corner as a nest, though so far she does not sit in that and sleeps on her ledge.

Pigeons eat seeds and very little else, they do not require vegetables or other foods that parrots do, and cannot digest these well. They will make their droppings messier. A good pigeon seed mix is available at any feed store and I think even petco sells a dove/pigeon mix. They also need a dish of mineral grit, or some crush eggshell, for calcium.

Hens do very well together, males will argue but may eventually bond, but it's not a sure thing.

I think you will find a pigeon or two to be rewarding pets. They are on a whole other level from diamond doves, and are many times more interactive and intelligent. I have had both, and don't recommend diamond doves except as an aviary pet. They are very dim-witted and timid and don't accept handling as a rule.

 

[backyard pigeons]

Hi there! I recently joined this forum on the lookout for Old Frill Satinette Pigeons! My boyfriend and I live in a large apartment and we were originally looking at Diamond Doves. Upon searching a breeder's website I came across their Satinettes and I instantly fell in love with their look! However, I can't find much information on them. Quite a few websites have them pinned as highly affectionate pets. I've owned birds only one other time in my short life and that was several years ago and they were Parakeets. I'd like to know if these Satinettes are the kind of bird for me and if so, where to get them and what to get them!

Not looking for anything too loud or screechy, and something not too panicky at the sight of hands. If these birds are the ones for us then they would be purely pet quality. I will not be showing them and will not be breeding them. They will most likely be love spoiled little fluffy companions for my BF and I
I'd like to know:
- How loud are they/how often they are very quiet birds. If you get a can, she will rarely make any noise at all.
- How bad is the smell not to bad. If cleaned regulary.
- How well do they handle that after a little bit, will be fine with being handled. Just be slow around them at first.
- Can same genders be caged together yes! Just expect babies!
- Are they flighty/bitey not bitey at all. Can be a little flighty if startled.
- What do they eat? (I read somewhere mixed grains is good? What types of grain is best?) Mixed grains are fine, you want 14 or 18 % protein.
- What kind of cage will work for them? Wire bottom? Plastic bottom? Bedding? Any of those are fine. I would recommend bedding on a plastic bottom. Or a wide bottom with a tray to catch droppings.

I hope this helps! Sorry about the coler

I look forward to all the insight!

 

[backyard pigeons]

Please click to expand above

Oh, and welcome to byc!

@WVduckchick has sats. She could tell you more about temperment.

 

[cavemanrich]

- Can same genders be caged together yes! Just expect babies!

Two females will produce female offsprings.
Two males will produce male offsprings.

Gosh,,,,, I feel like a school teacher today.
Ok... Thats all the comedy I'm sharing today

@Bamrein
Welcome to BYC,,,,,,

 

[WVduckchick]

I got my Satinettes all as adults, and they had not been handled, so they are still fairly flighty. And I keep them outside though, so I haven’t really tried taming them. Their coo’ing can get quite loud, I think, but not in an annoying way.

And technically, Satinettes are a “color variety” of Oriental Frills. They come in some beautiful different patterns/colors.
This site has a nice listing of the differences and colors
http://www.nunpigeons.com/index.php/3