Aurora Parakeets, Poultry & Doves - page two

The diet we feed our Ringneck Doves & Bantams begins with mostly a mixture of Pennington Wild Finch & Pennington Wild Bird Seed, which are fortified with vitamins & minerals. To this, we add other whole grains, like safflower, wheat, hulled barley, hulled buckwheat, rye, spelt, kamut, flax, poppy, sesame,  hulled oats & corn. In smaller amounts, we add bee pollen, apple fiber, dried whole eggs, tomato powder, dulce & kelp (seaweeds), acidophilus, & small pieces of garlic chips, plus a little Global's Mineral Vit powder.. We may add bits of dried apple, pineapple, banana or papaya, tho not all at once. We also rotate small bits of different unsalted, nuts: dry roasted peanuts, raw almonds or pecans. Small amounts of dried greens added, in rotation, are: spinach, nettle, alfalfa, dandelion or chickweed. We don't give too many greens at one time. A very small amount of fresh dandelion or chickweed, when possible.

These are some of our many Ringneck Doves. "Dumpling" a Dark Frosty Pied is on the left. Their perch is a 2" by 2", which replaced the smaller round ones, after we read that     their toes were subject to frostbite. They are in 2- 8' by 8', walk-in cages; one for the males & one for hens & unsexed babies. The roof is metal. The top half of the walls are     treated plywood. The bottom panels are lattice, covered with 6mil plastic, doubled, & are removable, for the summer. When it's nice during the fall &winter, we can lift up a part of the plastic around the bottom, for air flow & to let more sun in. The walk-in cage is ideal,   because it allows Patty to interact with the Doves, which promotes trust & aids in taming. To them, she is "big" mama bird. She doesn't use a net; just walks up to them & picks them up! While feeding & cleaning, they fly & land on her shoulders, arms, back & bent knees (heads are a no-no) & stand on her shoes. They are all around her feet & she must move slowly, so as not to step on one. She loves it & thinks it's great!

ON FEEDING GRIT: There is quite a controversy among bird people about this. I believe if birds are fed an all pellet diet, they don't need grit. All pellet diets may be cleaner, but are unnatural as are too much cooked food. Cooking kills the enzymes necessary for digestion. If they are fed any seeds, they need grit. Since we feed mostly seeds, we use a mixture of   small ground granite, very fine oyster shell & parakeet/cockatiel grit. Finely ground egg shells are added during breeding season. A cuttlebone is kept in the cages at all times....              The wild doves are often seen, at the side of the road, eating grit. Sometimes, the cars hit them. It's a good idea to put grit at your feeders too.

Doves love to bathe & when done, will get on the ground, spread their wings & soak up the sun. Patty has rigged a funnel, attached to a piece of garden hose. Bird bath water is emptied down the funnel & hose, to the outside, which waters & fertilizes a small tree. Birdbaths are then dried & food trays are set back up there.  After a 42" snake got into the pens, they were recovered with 1/2" hardware cloth, hopefully to keep just about anything out!!!

Hi, my name is "Ashley". I'm a Frosty Ash, Pearl Ringneck dove. I found a chicken feather & want to use it to build a nest, but my mom won't let me. She will only let us have babies in a cage, in the garage, so she can be sure who our parents are & keep her records straight.

This is a hen sitting her eggs. We use small wicker baskets, first lining them with cedar chips, then dried pine needles on top. They lay two eggs, which take 14 days to hatch. When the hen is off the nest, the male sits the eggs. Both feed the babies. The babies are pecking seed at three weeks old & are eating on their own at four weeks. Below are some PICTURES OF BABY DOVES.

This is "Micky", a frosty fawn pied.

My first flight, back to the  breeding cage, mommy & daddy & SAFETY!!!

This baby is an orange  pearl.

This baby has just discovered he has wings!

We love & promote  the wildlife out here, & have finally gotten our property  "Backyard Wildlife Habitat Certified" by The National Wildlife  Federation, & hope others will do the same.

You may E-mail us at birdmess1@yahoo.com

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