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Doves
are very sensitive to the elements.
While some doves are quite hardy,
it is still very important to offer
them shelter from wind and moisture.
Many doves will also require heat
in the Winter months. This can be
offered by heating your outdoor aviary
or bringing them inside from the cold.
When it
comes to housing there are a couple
of questions to ask yourself:
- How
much room do I have to keep doves?
- What
kind of doves do I plan to keep?
- How
many doves will fit comfortably
and happily in that space?
Since
there are so many dove species available
it is often hard to resist keeping
and enjoying all of them. One of the
biggest mistakes a beginning dove
fancier makes is putting too many
birds in a single aviary. The amount
of room needed per pair of doves depends
totally on the kind of dove you plan
to keep. Most doves require a large
aviary and all doves prefer a large
aviary. There are only a few species
which will thrive in small cages.
Below are examples of a modular aviary
design that can be built with any
desired dimensions (see sizes mentioned
below).
Large
Aviary
A large aviary is the ideal situation
for keeping all doves. Doves are avid
and swift flyers and need plenty of
room for exercise. There are countless
designs for large aviaries; some quite
decorative and others not so decorative.
You should take into account the climate
of your area when choosing an aviary
design. The most common design is
a modular style which can be expanded
at will. Many large dove keeping operations
outfit a large building with numerous
(75-100) flights which enables them
to keep a tremendous nember of birds.
Most back yard aviaries will only
accomidate 1 to 4 large flights (see
large flight examples by CLICKING
HERE and HERE).
A large flight would measure on the
average: width: 4’ length: 12’ height:
8’
Medium
Aviary
When you don't have much room perhaps
a medium sized aviary will do. Though
not ideal and much smaller than the
larger flights, there are many species
who will do fine in a medium sized
aviary. Be sensitive to the needs
of your doves. A meduim flight would
measure on the average: width: 3’
length: 8’ height: 6’
Small
Aviary
A small aviary is usually the last
resort. Most dove species will not
do well at all in small aviaries.
There are, however, a few who will
do fine. A small flight would measure
on the average: width: 3’ length:
4’ height: 6’ There are only a couple
of species who will do well wth this
size (ringneck & diamond): width:
2’ length: 2’ height: 2’
Links
to Several Photos and Websites about
Housing
http://community.webshots.com/album/399156989mlRrLU
http://www.socalfinches.com/Aviary_Photos/aviary_photos.html
http://www.javafinch.co.uk/build%20aviary/odoor/outdoor%20flight.html
http://www.parrotpassionsuk.com/Aviaries%20and%20
breeding/Buildingandmaintainingasmallaviary.htm
http://www.backyardaviary.com/
http://www.diamonddove.com/BirdComplex1.html
http://www.diamonddove.com/OutdoorAviaries.html
http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/Aviaries.htm
http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/More%20Cages.htm
http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/Breeder%20cages.htm
http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/indoor%20aviaries.htm
http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/indoor%20aviaries.htm
http://ceremonydove.com/Photos.htm#YouthLoft
The link
for"Diseases" is to an excellent
web site that treats the subject.
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