[HappyHippy]

I'm looking for a bit of advice folks.
I want to keep a couple of pairs of white doves (got a redundant telephone pole which would make the PERFECT place to put a dovecote)
I've talked hubby into making me a matching chicken coop and dovecote  What I'm not sure about is the dimensions needed for a pair of doves to roost in and whether it should have a perch or not ?
I'm planning a simple, rectangular shape with one box on top of the other, I think 12-18 inches square per section, with about 12 inches high and have the entrances off set, one on the front and one on the side. Does this sound about right ? I'd welcome any information and advice you could give me.
Many thanks,
Karen x

[bamford6]

get a second hand barrel from the distilaries

[HappyHippy]

Hi Gary,
I've got the wood already - offcuts of marine ply for the dovecote and offcuts of 22mm think junkers beech flooring for the chicken coop (it'll be the heaviest coop ever made lol!)
I imagine the barrell would make a great dovecote (and would probably be easier for hubby to convert) but I'm a typical, fussy female and once I'm stuck on an idea that's it I'm afraid 
Would a pair need about the size of half a barrell ? Just so I can do some size calculations.............and what about perches ? Would they need them and what kind of diameter would they need to be ? Parrot sized perhaps or smaller ?
Thanks
Karen x

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi there - I think the entrance holes are about 6" high and 4 " wide, and the cut outs were used for landing boards.  The nests are about 6 " deep 12" high and about 12" long, though they could be much smaller.  The idea is that the hen has a nest in each end as the hens use two nests alternately during the laying season, but this does not seem to work in practice (though it says it does in the books)  They dont perch but build their own nests on the floor of the nest box -  all in suprisingly individual ways. 

Watch out for the sparrowhawks and keep away from tall trees which give the male sparrowhawk plenty of cover when waiting to kill your doves.  We dont seem to have peregrines round here thank goodness, so I dont know about those. 

all the best
Sue

[HappyHippy]

Sue, that's a stunning dovecote - absolutely beautiful ! and thank you for your advice
Thankfully (for hubby's sake) I don't want anything quite as big as yours, just a couple of pairs (for now ) I'm thinking more along the lines of something like this http://www.dovecotes.co.uk/ So, I should be making 2 boxes per hen, which at the sizes you've mentioned won't be a problem, what about the blokes though (are male doves called cocks ?) do they need a wee nest of their own or do they share with the hens ?
I don't have to worry about sparrowhawks, my big resident buzzards take care of them  and I'm sure there is plenty of food for them, as my chickens have always been okay (in an open run) so I'm assuming the doves will be too, we've got hundreds of wood pigeons which don't seem to be buzzard breakfasts either.
As you can tell this is totally new to me, so if I'm going 'off track' please keep me right !
Thanks,
Karen x

[darkbrowneggs]

There is very rarely anyone out overnight, so I assume that they share a box, or if there are youngsters in one then the male keeps them warm whilst the hen sits the new eggs.  Its worth having a few spare boxes, as the youngsters get chucked out, and then have nowhere to live.  Mine all look pretty much the same so I don't really know who does what, but they are lovely to have around. 

I have lots of buzzards but they don't seem to bother with them, but one year I lost 36 in 6 weeks to sparrowhawks .  I had to catch up the remaining 6 and keep them in an aviary till after the breeding season, but now they just about keep going with the sparrowhawk taking a lot of the youngsters, but the  older ones often managing to get away, especially now the resident jackdaws take over some of the nest boxes each spring, and keep a watch posted for the hawks which they mob unmercifully once they have spotted them.

All the best
Sue