My doves started a beautiful family. Three questions:
1) when i remove the babies; at an appropriate age, will the parents get depressed?
2) if the siblings are opposite genders will they mate together?
3) If I keep one will the father try to mate with it if it’s a female?
Hi John,
No matter the species, once the chicks have been fully weaned, you have to move them to another cage. The parents will instinctively try to drive the chicks away once they are able to be independent. This is nature’s way of preventing inbreeding. So no, the parents aren’t going to mind and probably will be relieved when the chicks are moved out. In fact the main issue is they will want to breed again. So as soon as the chicks have left the nest, take the nest away to keep the parents from laying eggs again too soon. The parents should be rested for several months in between every clutch, and limited to 2-3 clutches per year. The chicks must be separated from each other if they are male and female, to keep them from breeding. And when older, you cannot put them back with the parents or they may breed with the parents. It’s best to find them new homes.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
