Diamond Doves are primarily seedeaters. They can be found running along the ground, in their native Australia, in search of their favorite grass seeds. Basically they need water, protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals to thrive. It is fairly easy for them to get these in their natural habitat. As caged birds, it is our responsibility to provide for their needs as best we can.

It is fairly easy to provide for the nutritional requirements of your Diamond Doves. If three basic ideas of cleanliness, freshness and variety are kept in mind, feeding your birds should be a pleasure and benefit to all. Fresh, clean water must be provided at all times. The water should be offered in a container allowing the dove to place its beak into the water. Diamond Doves are one of the few birds able to suck water up and into their throats. I locate my water containers low or on the ground, but protected from contamination from debris or droppings. If the container is exposed to sunlight, a few drops of bleach per gallon will help keep the algae down and not harm your birds. Also be sure to clean the containers well and often.

To provide for the nutrition of your Diamond Doves, a variety of seed mixes and supplements are readily available and will do quite nicely. I feed my Diamond Doves a mixture of seeds. I start with a prepackaged, fortified Finch mix or Finch seed. To this, I add an equal part of plain white millet and mix it well. The Diamond Doves seem to be partial to the white millet. I try to gauge the amount of seeds the birds will eat between feedings, so to reduce waste. Diamond Doves tend to throw seeds to the side in their search for their favorites. I prefer using a container designed to reduce seed throwing. Select a shallow container with a lid that has holes in the top large enough for the Diamond Doves to see the seeds, to get their heads inside comfortably and to reach the bottom. The container should also be easy to clean. Clean and disinfect all feed and water containers often. Containers as described are available at most feed stores. I have also seen homemade variations work well. Place the containers on the ground and in a protected location to avoid contamination. Also, discourage birds from roosting on the containers. As a side note, I have a large bucket that I have fitted with a small hole, wire mesh, cupped a few inches down into the top. I dump the old left over seed from the containers onto the mesh. This allows the seed to fall into the bucket. The droppings, pine needles and feathers stay in the mesh to be discarded. In this way I can recycle the seed by offering it to the wild birds in our back yard.

At least once a week, more often during breeding season, I provide some form of soft food to my Diamond Doves. I alternate between offering soft, crumbled, cornbread and hard-boiled eggs. If the eggs are given, chop them up fine, shells and all. Offer the egg in small portions and don't leave it in the cage long as it spoils quickly. It may take a few times before your birds will try something new. Once they discover it, they will look forward to the treats. Other forms of soft food I have heard offered include: moistened whole grain bread crumbs, moistened game bird crumbles, cooled cooked rice and moist dog food nuggets. Your birds will let you know what their favorites are.

There are a few other things I provide to my Diamond Doves in order to provide the minerals and added vitamins. I make a mix of fine starter grit, fortified salt and ground oyster shells, providing it in small containers at all times. I place a cuttle fish bone in each cage for them to pick at, and hang a sprig of millet up near a perch. They seem to enjoy picking at this too. If fortified Finch seed is not available, I sprinkle a powdered vitamin supplement on regular Finch mix or wild birdseed. I always keep a powdered hand feeding formula in the freezer. It keeps well this way and can be very handy if a chick is abandoned or injured. I also use the formula, mixing in some whole seeds, to help bounce back a weak adult, until it can eat on its own.
In the next article, I will discuss breeding Diamond Doves with some discussion on genetics.

Jeff Downing