Questions about Java doves?

[african chickens]

so I went over to my boyfriend's house for the first time today and I knew they had chickens for meat and eggs and a pet cat I don't have a problem with any of that it's the two little java doves that were never mentioned. Being a chicken addict I was interested in seeing their chickens but when I was in the area with all the cages and I noticed a small cage in the top back corner with two little doves keep in mind I had never been told about these doves I picked one up and my boyfriend's mom came over she looked at me with the dove and said you can have them, she told me how they were babysitting them for a family member while he was in Portugal he came home and he asked them to watch them for a little longer, unfortunately, he later passed away and my boyfriends family was left with these two doves they don't even want. It is a pair of 7-year-old java doves who have been living in that cage slightly exposed to the elements for about 3 years now and I know they are supposed to be kept inside but considering they have been outside that long I am thinking of taking them and keeping them in our barn where they will not be exposed to the elements and will most likely be given some kind of heat in the winter it is definitely better than the situation they are currently in, the dad has tried to release them they started with 3 but one didn't stay.

just to be clear I have nothing against the family they weren't necessarily prepared for these birds



I'm just curious if anyone knows about Java doves or doves in general since I have never owned doves.

what should I feed?
bedding?
DIY cage ideas?
Toys?

 

[SourRoses]

Poor birdies. I hope you can give them a better life. Some sun is probably a good idea, however you manage to set up their home.

 

[african chickens]

i added a few questions if anyone knows about doves and has answers to them

 

[Qwerty3159]

Hi, in case you don’t know this already there is no such thing as a Java dove, it’s a trade name given to the white variety of domesticated ringneck dove.

This species can do just fine outdoors as long as they’re kept out of the wind and rain. I would feed them a seed diet made for doves specifically. I wouldn’t do any bedding because they’ll scatter it everywhere while flying. Maybe wood pellets would work if you really wanted bedding. I keep pigeons and have only had doves here and there so hopefully some members who have doves can contribute more. We have pigeon care articles here on the site, most of the care is basically the same with the exception that doves eat smaller seeds than pigeons

Here is an example of a cage for doves. During cold weather you could pin up some plastic sheeting on the outside. I would add more perches to this cage for sure but overall I think it’s a good example of outdoor housing for them. Just a thought if you want to keep them in the barn, build a cage similar to this and put it on wheels so it can go out in the sun during nice weather and be moved back indoors at night/when it’s not so nice out. Where we live in the northeast the doves can stay outdoors or at least in the barn for the majority of the year.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

These aren’t wild doves, so they should be kept in a coop/aviary, and not let out. (Though you can let them out inside your house if you decide to keep them indoors.) Unfortunately, the one that disappeared didn’t become wild, it probably just flew off and was attacked by a predator.

 

[african chickens]

These aren’t wild doves, so they should be kept in a coop/aviary, and not let out. (Though you can let them out inside your house if you decide to keep them indoors.) Unfortunately, the one that disappeared didn’t become wild, it probably just flew off and was attacked by a predator.

so to Qwerty, I am planning on for now using the cage that the current owners got them in its not huge but it will do for now till we figure out what to build right now I'm thinking of a cage mounted on the wall in the barn with an easy pull-out pan underneath would be perfect and I guess I was aware there was no such thing as a java dove that's just what I've been calling them to make it a little easier

and to Roostersareawesome I am well aware of the other birds' fate there is no way a predator didn't get it unfortunately but yeah I plan to keep them in the barn and hopefully socialize them enough to the point I can take them out and let them play around

again I know they arnt wild birds and it hurts to know he has tried letting them go but honestly, he wasn't prepared for these birds and never really wanted them so I understand his view

oh another thing the bird on the left has a brown spot on his right side is that a marking or just filth cause really it looks like a marking though i didnt know they could have markings

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

so to Qwerty i am planning on for now using the cage that the current owners got them in its not huge but it will do for now till we figure out what to build right now im thinking a cage mounted on the wall in the barn with a easy pull out pan underneath would be perfect and i guess i was aware there was no such thing as a java dove thats just what ive been calling them to make it a little easier

and to Roostersareawesome i am well aware of the other birds fate there is no way a predator didnt get it unfortunately but yeah i plan to keep them in the barn and hopefully socialize them enough to the point i can take them out and let them play around

again i know they arnt wild birds and it hurts to know he has tried letting them go but honestly he wasnt prepared for these birds and never reallly wanted them so i understand his view

I recommend letting them hang out with you indoors once they’ve settled down, my pigeons live in an outdoor aviary but I bring them inside sometimes and they seem to enjoy the change of scenery. They also really like flying around my house (their aviary is large, but not as large as a house! ), and they often fly over to perch next to me even though they aren’t hand tame.

 

[african chickens]

I recommend letting them hang out with you indoors once they’ve settled down, my pigeons live in an outdoor aviary but I bring them inside sometimes and they seem to enjoy the change of scenery. They also really like flying around my house (their aviary is large, but not as large as a house! ), and they often fly over to perch next to me even though they aren’t hand tame.

my mom doesn't really want them to the house due to the dust but i can see if i can arrange it

and um can white ring-necked doves have spots

 

[Qwerty3159]

It could be a marking or just a stain. Give them a pan of water and see if they wash it off.

Also, my comment about the Java dove terminology was not meant to be nit picky, just wanted to clear any potential confusion about these being tropical birds

 

[african chickens]

we got them

here is their current setup

black dish for bathing
blue dish for water
green dish for food which im not sure how often to feed them