Can dove's breed with pigeons??

[pigeonkeeper]

Hi, i was just wondering if doves can breed with pigeons? When i was looking for pigeons, i found doves also and just wondered if you could breed doves with pigeons!

Thanks!

pigeonkeeper

[Victor]

It is possible pigeon person but pigeons do have a larger wing span and their beaks are larger not to mention that pigeons are a bit larger peiod, and it can be a threat to a dove but have been know to co-exist.

I found a post that member Luis O posted related to this:


...I want you and everyone else to know that once your pigeon becomes of breeding age you might want to seperate him from the doves, that is of course if you don't want him and a dove raising babies. They can reproduce together. The resulting babies are infertile for the most part and some can be extremely beautiful. Its just something to think about if it hasn't been mentioned to you already.

Take Care!

Luis

[Kimberly_CA]

I haven't bred them but my dove/pigeon experience turned out to be very dangerous for the dove. Female homing pigeon and male laughing dove together and the pigeon wanted to kill him. They had to be separated or she would have.

[Victor]

Originally Posted by Kimberly_CA

I haven't bred them but my dove/pigeon experience turned out to be very dangerous for the dove. Female homing pigeon and male laughing dove together and the pigeon wanted to kill him. They had to be separated or she would have.

I have heard and read about this too Kimberly. I would lean on not taking a chance.

[MaryOfExeter]

It's possible like everyone else has said. IF anyone would like to try experimenting with this, I would strongly suggest breeding the ringneck to a smaller sized pigeon. Like rollers, tumblers, and figuritas for example. I wouldn't trust putting a homer-sized or larger pigeon with any doves. In fact, the only hybrids I've seen were pictures of roller x ringnecks. They were very pretty I think it said it produced all sterile females and fertile males or something like that (can't remember, but I'm almost sure it said one or the other in the offspring WERE fertile at least sometimes. Or maybe it said they produced only males or only females, being sterile either way).

[jbangelfish]

I knew a guy who used to use Chinese Owls and Ringnecks. The choice of Roller is just that they are fairly small and fairly common. As far as I know, all young are male and sterile. I have never actually seen a female or a fertile male hybrid.

So....this begs to question, There are two eggs and one is always male and one female. What happens to female hybrids? Is there a lethal gene linked to this cross?

Has anyone ever had two babies born to a pigeon dove cross? I'd like to know as these are intersting and beautiful birds but if lethal genes are involved, maybe this isn't such a good practice.

Bill

[JoyfulSongTree]

Hi Folks,
Here's a chart on Known Dove/Pigeon Hybrids and the fertility of their offspring:
http://www.internationaldovesociety....es/hybrids.htm

Best wishes,
Carol

[JoyfulSongTree]

Originally Posted by jbangelfish

...There are two eggs and one is always male and one female...

Hi Bill,

I was once told flat out that this is a "old wives' tale". I don't think I like that term very much...

Anyway, so I looked into it and and here's what "a master", Dr. Wilmer J.Miller, has to say:

" ... 50% chance of a male and a female in a clutch. 25% chance of both males, and 25% chance of both females. This is the approximation theoretically expected. Some species deviate by a small percentage from this, but ringnecks have not had several thousand analyzed for such a deviation. .... ""

I don't know how often two babies are born to a pigeon dove cross in the same clutch, though.

Best wishes,
Carol

[george simon]

Originally Posted by JoyfulSongTree

Hi Folks,
Here's a chart on Known Dove/Pigeon Hybrids and the fertility of their offspring:
http://www.internationaldovesociety....es/hybrids.htm

Best wishes,
Carol

Hi CAROL, I was just going to post the INTRENATIONAL SOCIETY web site but see that you have already posted it this is a very good site and the list of hybrids is very impressive and as you said some of these hybrids are fertile.It seems to me that there has been more research done on the subject then most of us know about I will be going back to this site from time to time.There may be genes that genetical might be very intresting.For one the color green in the wild doves and pigeons very intresting. ..GEORGE

[maryjane]

My first set of hybrids were both males; both exhibited exactly the same "male" behaviors, especially the up and down bow/cooing such as doves do. My second pair seem to be male and female, and the female did lay eggs, but they did not hatch. These were her first eggs so I don't know if it's due to infertility, of lack of skills in egg-sitting since she is young.

[JoyfulSongTree]

Originally Posted by george simon

Hi CAROL, I was just going to post the INTRENATIONAL SOCIETY web site but see that you have already posted it ... It seems to me that there has been more research done on the subject then most of us know about ... ..GEORGE

Hi George, was just lurking by ... but I had that hybrid chart bookmarked, so it made for a quick post.
If you haven't already checked out Dr Miller's site, www.ringneckdove.com there is a lot of info on dove and pigeon genetics ( and some hybrid pics ) there as well.

Best wishes,
Carol

[JoyfulSongTree]

Originally Posted by maryjane

My first set of hybrids were both males...

MaryJane, I've been wanting to tell you that I absolutely love the looks of your first hybrids, so much so that I keep their photo in my inbox just to look at them from time to time. If you have any other pics of them online anywhere, I'd love to know where they are !
And if anyone wants to see who I mean, they're pictured here:
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpo...3&postcount=11

Best wishes,
Carol

[maryjane]

Thank you, Carol....they were very special little guys! I am sad to say that is the only picture I have of them. They made this funny "whonk whonk hooo whonk" sound and bowed up and down as doves do, like they were trying to make the dove sound but it came out half pigeon. They were both very friendly and spent all their time together, they were like siamese twins. I wish I had more pictures to offer you but I'm glad you enjoy that one.

[JoyfulSongTree]

Originally Posted by maryjane

... that is the only picture I have of them...

Maryjane, I'm glad you at least have that photo, then! It's a beauty and so were they ... they sound like they were a lot of fun, too

Best wishes

[jbangelfish]

Originally Posted by JoyfulSongTree

Hi Bill,

I was once told flat out that this is a "old wives' tale". I don't think I like that term very much...

Anyway, so I looked into it and and here's what "a master", Dr. Wilmer J.Miller, has to say:

" ... 50% chance of a male and a female in a clutch. 25% chance of both males, and 25% chance of both females. This is the approximation theoretically expected. Some species deviate by a small percentage from this, but ringnecks have not had several thousand analyzed for such a deviation. .... ""

I don't know how often two babies are born to a pigeon dove cross in the same clutch, though.

Best wishes,
Carol

Of all the thousands of pigeons that I've raised, I cannot remember two of the same sex in a nest. I know that I'm getting older and more forgetful but 50% odds of one of each and 25% of two male or two female seems wrong to me.

Is is possible that I've forgotten hundreds of these same sex nest mates? Anything is possible but I'm going to pay particular attention this breeding season.

Bill