• I resently got hold of a paperback called, "How to build Everything You Need For Your Birds, from Aviaries to Nestboxes" by Don LaRosa. Anyone interested or thinking of taking on a project in this direction would find this book a good guide. I am not sure of the cover price as I picked it up at a book auction. But you can contact LaRosa Publications at (e-mail:
  larosa@is-plus.net). It has some great pointers, good drawings (with dimensions) and plans. I would recommend it. [Jeff]
• Some of the others on the list are much more adept at building aviaries than I am! I used 1" poultry wire on mine since doves don't chew wire like the parrots do, I'm not concerned about the zinc content of the wire. And, since I have dogs, cats and a goat that have free run of the yard and feel it is their need to protect the aviary, I have put those 4'x8' lattice panels (laying on their sides so they are 8' long and 4' high) along the bottom around the aviary. I also dug down around the outside of the aviary and place an 8" high sheet metal barrier, to hopefully keep some of the digging critters out -- or at least slow them down a little! As for a roof, I use a real dark sun-shade screening over part of it (I have the actual top of the aviary with the chicken wire and then the screening on top of that. And I have also used the corregated looking metal roofing panels and the fiberglass or plexi glass panels (whatever they are!) I have an inside portion of my aviary so the birds can go in when bad weather hits,
  but for some reason, they prefer to stay perched outside. So, when winter hits, I do a little extra reinforcing/protecting with vinyl tarps and that heavy-duty "industrial strength" clear plastic. [Helen]
• Longer cages are better for ringneck doves as they spend a lot of time on the bottom. Also I think it is better to keep the food and water containers at ground level. Finch seed is small for ringnecks. If you have a Southern States Store or Feed Store near you, you can probably get regular Dove Food. If you have to get it from a pet store than something more like cockatiel
  food would be better.It would be good for you to check out the questions and answers on the American Dove Association website: (http://www.infinet.com/~doveline/) [Dina]
• Thanks to those of you who sent pics of their flights. I thought I would mention that there is a difference in what you can build in the south as opposed to the north where we have severe winter weather and snow loads. Up here in northern Ohio, pigeon & dove fanciers go with a combination small building with attached wire flight. Ringnecks do well in cold weather as long as they stay out of drafts and wind, stay dry and have ample sunlight. In my walk-through door on my 8X10 building, I have an
  8"X6" passthrough cut with a short ramp extending both sides of the door about 5". My RN's come and go year around at will. They go out and sunbath even with snow on the ground. They are smart enough to go back inside if they begin to chill, etc. Only on the most severe weather days (1 or 2 per winter) do I close the passthrough and keep the birds inside the building. My 8X10 building is about 11'H at the peak. I made a skylight out of a disgarded thermal pane patio door which is about 32"X78". At one end of the building I put in a jealousy window that is about 6'X5'W. On one side I installed a thermal pane window that is 12"X48". These various windows are draft free and allow ample sunlight to enter. The jealousy window has a heavy duty screen and can be cranked open in hotter weather for a little or a great deal of ventilation. The building is 2X4 walls packed with 3-1/2" insulation, roof insulated too. I used random widths of 3/4" wood running sideways over the inside studs to act as a paneling and insulation cover. I wired it with a single 100w light and an outlet to plug in my candler and other tools when needed. The attached wire flight is 12X10X9-1/2H. It has a grass floor. I built the building for a grand total of about $65. How? I am a scavanger and a pretty good carpenter. If you go to housing developments you will see them bury, burn or trash piles of material. It is usually yours free for the asking. When someone is tearing down a building you can usually get free material for the asking. Windows and doors are thrown out on curbsides by people everyday. Garage sales will have a board commercially sold for $3-$5 for twenty-five cents. I used many 4X4's in my framing because someone threw them out. I have a program called Autosketch. It is a design program. Having a little trouble learning it as it is an older version. I am entering the plans for my loft/flypen in it and hope to have it complete with demensions, material list, etc. When it is done I'll make it available to anyone interested. Just watch this list for an announcement. My son is an architect so I am waiting for him to show me how to use the program. If I can impose on my neighbor this weekend, I'll get a pic of my setup to the list. [Ron]
• I'd like to know more about the 'community flight' also. I just acquired my first 2 pair of RN and they seem to bicker quite a lot. We have them in a 8X16 flight with a few quail.............
  • I used to keep ringnecks in a 7 x 7 x 14 foot flight, plus some flights a bit smaller. There will be "bickering" in these flights no matter how few your have in them. With time the adults (especially males) will even pull out some feathers from each other. However, mostly they will get along reasonably well if there are plenty of perches and nest sites, unless
    they are really crowded. There is quite a bit of individual differnces as well. Some bicker much more than others.
    It is better to avoid having ringnecks and pigeons together. Often it may work OK with small pigeons. But not infrequently the heavier birds dominante too much about the feed and nest sites as well as carry disease that the pigeons are not bothered by, but the ringnecks are! [wjm]
• In the past 24 hours I read three separate requests concerning dove aviaries for colder climates in winter such as northern Ohio & northern Kansas. I live in Chardon Ohio where we get 0-20 degrees F in January and February sometimes in 2 week stretches. We also get 10-12 feet of snow per winter and occasional freezing or near-freezing rains. About 10 years ago I read a dove article that suggested a good size indoor building for doves would be 8'X10'X11' or 12' at the roof peak (pitched roof). It suggested some small wire window type exterior pens the birds could walk out to sunbath & get fresh air. I built a building this size totally enclosed with an attached wire flypen of 12"X10"X11'H at the peak. My doves come and go from the building to flypen at will. I raise RN's and occasionally have other species. I had a pair of European Turtle Doves with the RN's. I do not heat the building in winter. They co-existed peacefully and spent as much time sunbathing (even when it snowed) as the RN's did. All of my doves did all of their night roosting, eating and drinking in the indoor loft. They are smart
  enough to know to go inside to get out of inclement weather, bitter cold, etc. On very cold days they would only go outdoors for 10-15 minutes and then retreat inside where there is no wind or drafts. By memory, I never lost a dove to winter weather conditions and I never had one injured like with frost bitten toes. My indoor loft gets some heat buildup by the way I cobstructed it. I used an old thermal pane patio door which measures about 34"W X 78"L and made a roof skylight from it. One end of the building has a jealousy window that measures 5'X5' and one siash day, etc. The good ole US of A is a 'thrown away' country. For the sake of newer members, I put together a list of 'cold-hardy' dove species a few weeks ago from this list. If you want a copy of this, email me privately. My last comment is I strongly do not recommend a partially enclosed or
  scantily enclosed aviary in the wintery climates. RN's are hardy but exposure to bitter cold and the elements with no place to retreat to or dry off and get warm will surely cause you loses. [Ron]
• Would it be safe to put rn doves in a totally wooden cage? What I'd ultimatley like would be something like a 4ft wide cage, like 6 or 7 feet tall with several levels. I keep my doves in the house so I'd like something rather decorative yet functional. I'm thinking of making it myself(yikes!! I'm not real handy) I haven't seen anything like what I'm thinking of. They won't chew the wood, right? So my main concern is safety & space, right? I'd probably do some wire because I'd need it for attaching things. I like the tube feeders the best, I find it's easiest to keep clean. Can I "wing" it, or do I need alot of research? [Tori]
  • Wood is fine for doves to be kept in, they are non destructive. However most doves spend time on the ground and the exercise of flight is very good for them. It is better to go for length and give up on height if at all possible. As if you laid your dimensions on their side to a 4'wide and tall cage that is 6-7'long. This would be better suited to them, hope it fits in
    your site and plans.
• I've built many aviaries over the years and a couple of dovecotes. It's amazing how quickly you become proficient when it is an act of love for your birds. The woof and wire/glass or PVC panels works well. They won't eat the wood. but they do need solid protection from a driving rain/wind and I use glass/fibreglas panel or clear PVC on the prevailing side.Your main
  concern should be mice/cat/rat/weasel proof depending on where you live. Will it have a heat source if needed? Draw a plan to scale first and allow for extra materials. If you're in a warm climate. often thick mil vinyl or rolled plastic will be ok instead of more solid material. Always wrap it from the outside. Good Luck...Colleen]
• I have been reading about cages for doves for years. Just about everyone who raises RN's agrees that the minimum size should be 2" long X 2' high X 2' wide. You would not keep more than 2 doves in a cage this size. Next, wood is fine but have plenty of open area in wire so that they get ample sunlight. You do not want to raise doves in the dark. At least the entire front of the cage should be wire. If I were building an indoor cage of layers, I would have the overall size of 6' high X 2' deep
  X 3' wide. From the 6' heigth, you would have 3 cages on top of one another. I would put larger dolly wheels (4) on the bottom. You could then roll the cage to different rooms or different areas of the room. What state do you live in? I have a bad memory - are you an adult or are you one of the 12 year olds on this list. Do you know anything about carpentry? If you tell me what size you are considering I can draw you up some simple building plans over the next week and email them to you. If
  you are not familiar with carpentry I will try to include simple but detailed step X step instructions. [Ron]
• Well, I am one who doesn't agree. I have single pair matings of ringnecks in cages 18 inches cube, all 6 sides 1 x 2 inch welded wire mesh since 1964. My holding cages are bigger, and I DO say the bigger the better. But when space is at a premium for genetic experiments for single matings...... The size necessary, it seems to me, is for them to be able to wing fan.
  They can and do do this in 18 inches cube. And the doves in these 18" cube cages seem to be tamer than most because (?) I am close to them more than just daily. They feed youngsters, bow-coo, nest coo, perch coo, and carry sticks to the nest even while strangers (visitors) are close (1-2 feet away). Even my diamond doves allow me to finger them aside to see their eggs. [wjm]
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