diamond doves

winedotte · **Posted:** Sat Sep 06, 2008 1:56 pm

Hi,
what care requirements to do for these birds in the aviary?

thanks

Jaxsta · **Posted:** Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:33 am

G'day Winedotte

Diamond doves are a piece of cake.

If you have a decent sized avairy, I would recomend getting at least 3 pairs or more. They are colony birds. Supply brush for nesting, they like to use small twigs. Feed them on budgie mix. Once you get them going, they'll just start pumpin them out. You can keep them with finches and other birds that are of similar temperment.

At work we keep them in a desert style aviary, with plenty of tea-tree branches for nesting and plants like tussocks grasses, wattles etc. We have them in a mixed species exhibit with either spinifex pigeons or button-quails on the ground, finches, small grass parrots (bourkes/scarlets) little lorikeets, woodswallows, bee-eaters, even bigger pigeons like rock pigeons and squatters.

They are easy as and they come in a few different mutations as well such as normal, fawn, pied, silver and whte.

chicken lova · **Posted:** Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:09 pm

hey jaxta.. just a question, are you sure there is nothing wrong with keeping them in with the pigeons, because i bought some and they killed two already :shock:

I WAS SHOCKED lol.. but i bought another four and kept them in the same aviary but in a small cage then released them in the aviary after a week, they sometimes get hit but its not bad..

Jaxsta · **Posted:** Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:12 pm

chicken lova wrote:

hey jaxta.. just a question, are you sure there is nothing wrong with keeping them in with the pigeons, because i bought some and they killed two already :shock:

I WAS SHOCKED lol.. but i bought another four and kept them in the same aviary but in a small cage then released them in the aviary after a week, they sometimes get hit but its not bad..

What type of pigeons are they? Our aviaries at work are pretty big. We often find some of the lone males try to mate with bigger pigeons. If anything, maybe try taking the bigger pigeons out for a week or so.

chicken lova · **Posted:** Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:24 pm

i have mixed breeds, but i do hav some kings and tumblers( i think :lol:

)

i ll try and take out the bullies and see what happens :-D

Jaxsta · **Posted:** Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:53 pm

chicken lova wrote:

i have mixed breeds, but i do hav some kings and tumblers( i think :lol:

)

i ll try and take out the bullies and see what happens :-D

Sounds like a good idea, I wouldn't put pigeons that big with Diamond Doves. I've known people who have kept them with medium sized doves such as Bar-shouldered, Barbary, Senegal, Ruddy Turtle and Spotted-necked Turtle without a hitch. I've kept them withother smaller species like Peacefuls, Namaqua's and Talpacotti's with no problems. I'd watch the Talpacotti's though, they can get aggressive.

Even so, the pigeons we keep with smaller doves are mainly ground pigeons so they don't intermix all that much and they get along quite fine. I'm a bit wary with Spinifex Pigeons (You can't put anything else on the ground with Spinifex), but have had no problems.

Jax.

Stt · **Joined:** Sun Aug 19, 2007 7:01 pm **Posts:** 3006

hi i have a very agressive pair of kings and they killed a barbary dove

chicken lova · **Posted:** Mon Sep 22, 2008 3:02 pm

sorry to hear that stuart, my, thought pigeons and doves are meant to be peaceful :lol:

Jaxsta · **Posted:** Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:12 pm

chicken lova wrote:

sorry to hear that stuart, my, thought pigeons and doves are meant to be peaceful :lol:

Yeah, the aggression and behaviourial differences can be quite vast in pigeon and dove species. Some species are quite peaceful with each other and others, some species are quite peaceful with each other and not with other species, some species must be kept in pairs, some species must be kept in colonies etc etc etc. You must be very careful with your combinations if you want mixed species.

For example, Spinifex Pigeons, they are a terresterial species and you can not have anything else on the ground, but you can have arboreal species of pigeons and doves like Peaceful or Diamond Doves.

A prime example of having major behavioural differences are Rose-crown and Purple-crown (Superb) Fruit-doves:
- You can have pairs you can keep together all year round.
- You can have pairs you can keep together only during the breeding season. You either have to take out the male or the female, preferably take out the Aggressor.
- You can have pairs you can keep together until they breed and have a chick, then seperate. Again, you either have to take the male or female, preferably taking out the non-aggressor.
- Some individuals you can keep in a colony.
- Some individuals can not be kept in a colony.
- Some individuals you can intermix, Rose and Purple-crowns together and some individuals you can't.

If you want information on certain species of Columbines (Doves & Pigeons) just give me a hola.

Cheers Jax.

chicken lova · **Posted:** Mon Sep 22, 2008 9:38 pm

hey jaxta. very interesting

i would like to get information on my pigeons.. if you want i can pm you and give you my pigeon photos and can you tell me what types they are..

IF tyou want that is??? just tell me....

cheers guys :-D

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