Diamond dove breeding!

[Gráinne Barrett]

I have a nest installed for my diamond doves (canary nest) and they seem to think its a toilet! anything that I can do to stop their stupidity?!?

[DanteD716]

Hmm not sure, both my pairs seem to do the same

[Rox]

Nope, they are ridiculously dumb birds...

Seriously though, they do poop a lot in their nest. Don't worry too much about it. Good luck!

[Colt]

I provided the really deep canary bowls for them. They hold them better than the smaller ones. And yes the poop in it quite a bit. The squabs get the nest filthy. I have to change them out a lot.

[Gráinne Barrett]

They didn't bother themselves about breeding, thy just decided to use it a a a toilet

[Colt]

My diamonds took well over four months to start breeding. So be patient. One day she just started incubating and the next thing I knew I had babies. Three clutches later and I'm getting ready to pull their nesting areas so she can take a break. Hopefully she'll get the hint.

[Nipper06]

Grainne,

Did you also supply your Diamond Doves with nesting material? Just having nesting material around (in addition to the nest cup) will often stimulate breeding. Nest material could be short pieces of hay, dry grass, small twigs, strands of burlap, coconut fiber, etc. You can offer them finch / canary "nesting material" from the pet store but they might like something stiffer like alfalfa grass, which they sell for rabbits. Just cut them down to 5 inches long or so. Put a little in the nest cup and scatter more on the floor of the cage and let them finish the nest. Also, in the bottom of the nest cup, I used to put in some Clothes Dryer lint so the cup was more shallow and they seemed to like that.

Once they start breeding, the cup will get dirty. The babies try to "go" over the edge but they don't always succeed. So I usually took the babies out at 2 weeks old, removed the nest material and replaced it with fresh stuff, and then put the babies back in - and the parents never minded.

Keep in mind, once you get doves started breeding, it can be hard to stop them. You should limit them to 2 - 3 clutches a year because egg laying is hard on the females. Also, have a new cage ready because the male (father) dove may become intolerant of his own babies, once they reach full size (with long tails) and are self-feeding. Once he is chasing them around, it is time to put them in another cage! Also, some male Diamond Doves become aggressive with their mates around breeding time - so sometimes you have to separate the pair for a while so the hen doesn't get bred to death!

While nesting, the female Diamond Dove will require extra calcium. Make sure you have a cuttlebone in the cage and hi-cal bird grit / crushed oyster shells and, if possible, crushed sterilized egg shells, in a cup on the bottom of the cage. You can find all that at a good pet shop for birds or on-line.

When you sell off the babies, remember to tell people that they are brother and sister. Too many people end up buying "pairs" of doves (because their babies come in twos) and they are actually brother/sister and they should not be bred together, because of inbreeding. Breeding pairs of doves (and ANY birds) should always be as unrelated as possible!

[DanteD716]

Any luck Grainne? I have a hen on two eggs and another couple building a nest and courting

[Gráinne Barrett]

Hi everybody,
The doves have been joined by another pair in a large flight cage. Do they breed well in open fronted nest boxes, not just a hole? Thanks for the information

[Nipper06]

They might breed in open fronted nestboxes. I only ever tried using Canary nests.

But I am concerned about 2 pairs of doves in the same flight cage. It might work - but don't be surprised if they fight, once they start breeding. Doves are pretty territorial when breeding. 2 pairs of breeding doves in any size cage is normally a bad idea and they will usually have to be separated. Or, did you mean you got a second pair of doves in a separate flight cage? If the pairs are not in the same cage, disregard my comments!

Remember too, Diamond Doves will often not even tolerate their own grown babies in the cage, once they start a second clutch. I found that as soon as the babies reach full size and grow their long tail, my male wanted them OUT !! Just be prepared with an extra cage!

[DanteD716]

Mine will not use boxes at all, even with the top removed. U take plastic coated chicken write and shape into bowls and they have nested in those, they chose them over Canary bowls. I have 2 pairs in my aviary and the males bickered at first but all get along well now

[Gráinne Barrett]

It's like a box with 5 walls literally, like it's open at the front. Are these the ones you tried?

[DanteD716]

I tried a regular wooden next box but without the tops. They'll only breed in bowls or will build a nest on a concaved platform

[Gráinne Barrett]

Cool

[Colt]

Also nest placement may determine how soon they will attempt breeding for you. In their previous cage the pair never attempted to go to nest. When I moved them to a Double Flight I placed a deep canary cup at each end about halfway down, and halfway filled with sawdust, in the back corners. They used coconut fiber I had given the finches in order to finish the nest. She seems to prefer nesting in which ever corner gets the most light from the avian light bulbs.