Which is. Better pigeons or doves ?

[JoseCruz]

So I want to get some pigeons but my mom says they are messy, noisy, and more. She said I should get doves. Anyone have experience with both?

 

[ChickenHermit]

I grew up with a LOT of both- dozens of doves, and hundreds of pigeons. For doves, we had diamond doves and ring necks. For pigeons, we mostly had birmingham rollers, along with smatterings of this an that- fantails, racing pigeons, german nuns, high flyers, arc angels....many kinds! Between pigeons and doves, I liked the pigeons a lot more. I found them to be more friendly than doves, who tended to be extremely skittish and standoffish.

Of the pigeons, my favorites were the rollers- they come in a ton of fun colors, the genetics are fun to play with, they are fantastic parents, and they are more likely to be friendly. Watching their little soap operas was always fun too! German nuns tended to have fantastic personalities as well. Overall, we found pigeons to be more hardy than the doves as well.

I do like doves, to be clear- but more for watching than for interacting with.

 

[JoseCruz]

Thanks, yeah I'm thinking of getting racing homers

 

[jak2002003]

It depends of where are you keeping them.

If they are going to be pets in the house then doves are a must... pigeons are not really dirty... but because they are bigger than doves they make more poops.. and they also make so so so much feather dust.. which covers everything.. and many people get bad allergies to the dust.

If the birds are outside in a well ventilated loft then I think pigeons are the best... because you can let them out and watch they flying free... its so nice knowing they are happy really free.

Pigeons come in all sorts of breeds, colours and shapes.. so you can have a good collection. Doves are usually just the ring neck doves... which are all the same shape and only vary from pure white to brown.. although they can be very attractive and peaceful to keep.. they cooing can be annoying for some people.. as the males do it nearly all the time and its LOUD.

Also pigeons can live together in a big group if they have enough space.

Doves are best kept in pairs.. because they will fight in a group as they are not as social is pigeons.

Finally.. pigeons are much hardier in the winter and don't need extra heat.. but doves will need more insulation and heat if the winter temps go below freezing for any length of time.

Hope this helps you with you decision.

PS.. make sure the loft or cage is always dry and no damp or rain can get in.. that way it will not smell because the poops dry out... and also its healthier for the birds and you.

 

[JoseCruz]

Thanks guys, these post are really helpfull and they will be outside.

 

[ChickenHermit]

Outside is really important, for either actually. The dust that jak2002003 mentions above can cause serious health allergies over time. Both pigeons and doves have it, but pigeons have it more.

I also agree that doves can be loud! Pigeons do a lot of cooing and some growling noises, but doves can be kind of high pitched. Ringnecks have a funny loud laughing call they do that is very peculiar. Some people like the sound, but if you don't I imagine it gets annoying pretty fast.

Homers can be really fun! Are you planning on racing them, eventually, or keeping them as pets only?

 

[JoseCruz]

.

 

[JoseCruz]

Probably just pets, I've never raced pigeons. I chose this breed to be my first because they supposedly have better homing instincts that normal homers.

 

[JoseCruz]

How much space would a pair need?

 

[Hokum Coco]

How much space would a pair need?

I once had over 40 white homing pigeons (or nearly all white).
Due to a devastating raccoon attack I am down to 6 birds and in a rebuilding process.

Another attack by weasels this winter wiped me completely out! Now I just started rebuilding my flock again in 2015; I have 12 birds.

My nest boxes are large and designed to accommodate a nylon mesh feed bag makes cleaning easier fold up the soiled and pop in the new
Easy Peasy you only really need one or two square feet for a nesting area.







The blue bar is a feral that trapped in with my flock.
He could not keep up to the training regiment and failed to return.








My pigeon trap with inner bobs to hold birds inside loft.




Nest Bowl available at the Dollar Store in Canada.


My baby barn converted into pigeon loft

I

I used this converted Styrofoam cooler as a nest box over winter months with excellent results once the squabs were too big to cover by the parents and not fully fledged. Usually in a perfect world pigeons stop breeding in September. One odd pair hatched eggs on Christmas Eve.