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Re: Silly questiuon from an inexperienced breeder.
Posted by Michael L on 5/03/05

On 5/03/05, Stacy wrote:

>
> Anywho, I have a pair of doves that have tried to mate. the
> female laid eggs, but it seemed to early (less then three-four
> days) for them to be fertile. My issue is they are soft shelled.
>
> This worries me- I have had this pair for only a couple weeks,
> and I am afraid that they have not had enough calcium. Is there
> a way to get them back on track, or should I just let them chew
> their cuttlebones and keep offering them eggs?
>
> I just want it to be too much or too late, and I can hardly
> find any e-reading to help me with this problem, and others.
> What do they eat other then seeds? Can they eat the same people
> food that parrots can (veggies, whole grain bread, onions,
> everything but the avacodo)?
>
> I am concerned about this because of my inexperience with this
> type of bird.

Stacy,
Soft shelled eggs are a sure sign that the hen is lacking in
calcium. There are a couple of things you can provide to make it
better.
First there are foods that are rich in calcium such as broccoli,
kale, collards, mustard and turnip greens. If you chop these
fine they will usually eat them.
Cuttlebone isn't good in it's natural state because doves usually
won't eat it from the hard piece. You can scrape it over any of
the soft foods that you feed them as it will stick to these foods
and be taken in that way. Putting it over seed is worthless as
it falls to the bottom of the dish.
You can also grind the egg shells from hard cooked eggs and blend
them right back into the chopped eggs.
Another easy way is to provide a calcium supplement right into
the drinking water. A favorite of mine is Calciboost from the
Birdcare Company.
Also, mineral grit and oyster shell should be available at all
times as doves need this to help digest their food.
You mention onion...that is not a food that is recommended for
any bird. But the whole grain bread and veggies are great.
Are these the ringneck doves or are they diamond?

Michael L

Posts on this thread, including this one

• Silly questiuon from an inexperienced breeder., 5/03/05, by Stacy.
• Re: Silly questiuon from an inexperienced breeder., 5/03/05, by Michael L.
• Re: Silly questiuon from an inexperienced breeder., 5/03/05, by Stacy.
• Re: Silly questiuon from an inexperienced breeder., 5/03/05, by Michael L.
• Re: Silly questiuon from an inexperienced breeder., 5/04/05, by Stacy.
• Re: Silly questiuon from an inexperienced breeder., 5/28/05, by Kitty.J.