FEATURE
days giving the doves access to fresh air and direct sunlight, a facility that met with their considerable approval. During the year I did not lose any birds and bred 3 hens and 5 cocks using the colony system with all my stock in one large flight. Jerry Fisher feels that DIET is the key to success; some of the supplements I use are different to his. He uses iodised minerals – a black powder that pigeon breeders use with success. His birds (except the group of cocks) generally refuse his soft food mix - the only birds to do so. Given that the only seed they consume in quantity is white millet he is wondering if we can develop a base mix being mainly white millet with some bonding agent to integrate it with supplements. There is no doubt that we need to broaden the diet as much as we can and as we do not know exactly what they eat in the wild we can not imitate their natural diet. I feed blue maw seed and this they will eat so this gives some change/addition to their diet. So far
“JERRY FISHER FEELS THAT DIET IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS; SOME OF THE SUPPLEMENTS I USE ARE DIFFERENT TO HIS. HE USES IODISED MINERALS – A BLACK POWDER THAT PIGEON BREEDERS USE WITH SUCCESS.”
“THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT WE NEED TO BROADEN THE DIET AS MUCH AS WE CAN AND AS WE DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY EAT IN THE WILD WE CAN NOT IMITATE THEIR NATURAL DIET.”
the 2011 season seems to be progressing well with 4 hens sitting on 8 eggs (2 is the normal sized clutch) There is no doubt that Cape Doves are very vulnerable and not easy to breed, without concerted efforts they may be lost to UK aviculture forever or perhaps the opposite will happen and we may be able to save them. The Cape Dove is far from the only bird to be in this position and the next few years will be critical to the existence of a number of birds that were previously freely imported but are now increasingly difficult to obtain due to the lack of viable aviary strains. I will certainly continue to work hard to establish these birds in aviculture and I will use all the relevant skills that I have acquired over a number of years with my parakeet collection, it will not be a simple task but someone has to do it!!
In the end I decided that I must concentrate on my parakeet/parrot collection and very reluctantly sold all the Cape Doves.
40 BIRD SCENE
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