Some tips on keeping doves.
Mount your dovecote on a 100mm x 100mm tanalised post set firmly in the ground, preferably in a concrete base.
Fasten the dovecote on top of the post using the stays provided using either screws or nails.
The height of the post is not that important, but you need to remember they are vulnerable to cats and should be away from anything which provides cats with a springboard to get to the dovecote. It is useful to wrap some aluminium sheet or sheetmetal around the post to prevent cats climbing.
Make sure the dovecote is not close to branches of trees. Doves prefer their homes in an open area where they can see all around them.
With new doves, wrap some soft netting around the dovecote so the birds can see their whole environment. Plastic coated netting from your garden centre works well. The birds need to be able to walk right around the outside. Make sure they have access to clean fresh water and food at all times. Keep them secure inside the netting for three to four weeks before releasing.
After three to four weeks the netting can be removed and the doves will be free to fly around. They will be homed and return to the dovecote.
Provide them with clean water and food daily (a separate table can bet set up for this).
Doves can be fed on grain, such as wheat or barley with a little maize. Specially formulated pellets are available in some areas and some dove owners feed their birds on poultry pellets.
