Hi!

Does anyone have any experience breeding Doves? If so, we have questions.

Ralph and Dotty

Ask away, I used to allow my Pied Doves to breed.
How can I help you?

Hi! Arty,

Is it necessary to handfeed the babies like you have to do with parrots to get one that is hand tamed?

With some species of parrots, once the cock and hen bond, they want nothing to do with their human flock members. Is the case with doves?

What is the demand for doves? Are they hard to sell once they are old enough?

Will our male bond with another female if he has already bonded with a female(his mate died about 2 years ago) or will he have nothing to do with another female?

Is there a chance that if we got him another female, they would not get along?

Thank you,
Ralph and Dotty

Hand feeding will not be needed for that little extra help during bond, but handling as often as possible will help tame the young.
Be prepared to hand feed if needed, not all mated pairs are good parents.
You will find that with all birds once they mate up, the human/bird relationship will be put on hold, However Doves are pleasant, they may peck alittle, and a wing slap here and there but they don't bite, so handling them weather they desire to be held will help the human/bird bond remain intact.
(The demand) The Dove will take a back seat to the Parrot in many cases, it depends upon the buyer, Diamond/Ring Neck Doves are the number one seller in pet shops, You may have a problem selling your Doves, the demand is Low.
If you intend on selling your birds to local pet shops, talk to a few shops and learn about the market, size this issue up before hand.
The Dove is admired and bought and kept as a Pet, are they a HOT ITEM, No.
The average price for a Diamond Dove is $30.00 here in the twin cities metro area.
There is a saying in the Dove/Pigeon world, (they bond for life) while they are alive this is (YES) but if there were something to happen to the mate, they will
Find another mate, will the new mate you introduce be excepted, more than likely yes, the courtship will begin.
Doves breed diffrently than other's, the hen will lay a new clutch before her first clutch is wiened, there will be a need to provide another nesting bowl and material, the Cock will assume the roll of wiening as the hen sits on another clutch, 2 eggs per clutch.
I hope I have been of help, If you need me, I will do all I can to assit you.

Hi Arty,

Thank you so much for the information on breeding doves. I have had Ring-neck Love Doves for about seven years now and in that time I have had three clutches. But none of them were fertile and the last clutch had no hard shells on them and my male was sitting on them and smashed them.

Is there a certain time during the year when they have a mating season or have you found it to be all year round?

Thank You again for the help.

Ralph and Dotty

Sorry to have taken so long to respond, been kinda buzy here.
Doves are basically controled by mother nature (in the wild), however domesticated doves will breed year round.
I am sorry to hear about your mated pair and there misfortunes, offer your doves oyster shell grit, this will help to improve there calcium levels, and hopefully stronger eggs in the future.
Not all mated pairs are successful parents, I have afew here that don't do so well when it comes to raising there young.
Good luck, if you need further help, I will do my best to help ya out.