If you read our last post, you may have noticed a hint of our newest arrivals. Sue has adopted 9 Ringneck Doves, from an older couple in Bisbee who needed to find a home for them due to health issues. They came to live with us in the middle of this week and are temporarily housed in one of the dog crates. They are dainty, pretty little things, even though some of them are in the middle of molting. They are settling in to their new environment and are even, almost, getting used to the dogs barking. Ringneck doves, also known as Cape Turtle Doves, are a gentle species of bird that have been domesticated for over 1,000 years. Though their original plumage was a mixture of browns and grays, they come now in a variety of colors, including fawn, pied, tangerine, and white. Ring-necked doves sound similar to pigeons in their cooing, and though they are not loud, they can be persistent. Some people find the noise soothing, while others will be annoyed at their cooing diligence — it is said that they rarely cease, but ours are very quiet for long stretches. The ring-necked dove is the most commonly kept companion bird of the dove family. Originating in Africa, these hardy birds can be found living happily in the wild in most of the Southern states. Because they are so hardy, they make a good choice for someone who doesn’t have the time to devote to a more attention-demanding bird.
They seem to enjoy each other’s company and don’t mind their temporarily cramped living quarters. They can’t stay in the dog crate forever though, so Sue is in the process of building them a permanent enclosure. There is an area on one side of the exterior of the coop that gets very little use by the chickens, but is inside the electric fence where Sue has started to build a tall enclosure. It’s just in the beginning stages at the moment, so it doesn’t look like much. She decided to bury the welded avian wire so that nothing can dig under, or if the chickens/ducks decide to dig there, they won’t inadvertently let the little guys out. The welded wire is also going to go up for 2 or 3 feet so snakes can’t easily crawl in. We hope it’ll be big enough to give them some type of small tree to perch in and other interesting things. One day, if we get our big greenhouse set up, we think we’ll be able to let them live in there and maybe even add some button quail. That would be quite neat! Well, we’ll keep you posted on the building project – it’s what’s on the docket for the weekend! Maybe we’ll be able to let them in there by Monday. Until then, as always~
Thanks for reading!
Today’s Weather: We had a smattering of rain not too long ago. Looks like it might be moving along now though. It’s been partly to mostly cloudy all day. Currently it is 84° at 5:33 p.m.
Egg Report: Yesterday we ended up with 3 duck eggs, and 17 chicken eggs. Today our final total was 16 chicken eggs and 3 duck eggs.
Wing and a Prayer 