# can ringnecks over winter



## remmy10

hello, i'm fiona and i have four beautiful ringneck doves that i adopted near the beginning of the summer, they have been in my home-made aviary ever since, but now winter is coming around and i have no clue what to do, the aviary can't retain heat because the walls are made of screen, can ringnecks be outside in the winter like pigeons? or do they have to be in a heated space?


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## A_Smith

A friend of mine haws many colors of ringneck doves and they are outside here in PA year round. They are in a small loft about the size of an outhouse. with lots of screaning. He covers the screen with plastic to avoid blowing snow from building up inside. You do not need to supply heat. He has not had any problems during the winter.


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## spirit wings

remmy10 said:


> hello, i'm fiona and i have four beautiful ringneck doves that i adopted near the beginning of the summer, they have been in my home-made aviary ever since, but now winter is coming around and i have no clue what to do, the aviary can't retain heat because the walls are made of screen, can ringnecks be outside in the winter like pigeons? or do they have to be in a heated space?


They can be out in winter...but only if it is draft proof loft or enclosed and some sunlight can get in there would be best..they can acclimate from summer to fall to winter..but abrupt changes are what is not good..If you are in the north where it gets below 0 for long periods then I would bring them in.


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## remmy10

*thanks*

thanks, it gets pretty cold here in MA, and i know i can't afford a lost for them, i'll try covering the sides. its just that these doves have never ever been outside during a winter here, i adopted them from someone who kept all four of them in a parrot cage in her living room, do you think they can handle it?


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## spirit wings

remmy10 said:


> thanks, it gets pretty cold here in MA, and i know i can't afford a lost for them, i'll try covering the sides. its just that these doves have never ever been outside during a winter here, i adopted them from someone who kept all four of them in a parrot cage in her living room, do you think they can handle it?


If they are acclimated..meaning if they are out there already..and as the seasons change they natrually get acclimated.. it is going from one extreme to the other is when you may have problems..cold to warm..warm to cold.. give extra carbs like corn also in the winter..it gives them energy to keep warm..if they are healthy they should do fine if they are not exposed to cold wind or drafts. keeping them on a south facing wall of a house helps too so they get sun on them in the winter.


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## November-X-Scourge

same for pigeons? It gets up to -30 over here....


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## Libis

I don't know if my ringnecks would ever tolerate that. lol Edmund is already puffing up at night like he's freezing in my bedroom when it's at least 60-70 degrees. His son is the same way (my birds are wimpy--don't worry, they aren't sick as they act a bit different when fluffing b/c they are sick.) I'd have to build the taj mahal for my birds to be ok with being outside all winter (though that's also b/c we did have 40 below zero for a while last winter.) Does anybody else have birds who are particularly sensitive to cold within their flock? Or are Edmund and his kids just wimpy because of genetics? (His mate could care less what temperature it is.)


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## kyomi

Hey Hun
I have 3 ringnecks and 1 eurasian collared dove,the eurasian's are more hardy so are fine out in the aviary during winter,although he is shut in a warm rabbit hutch at night
i bring my ringnecks in during winter my aviary is quite open to the elements
i cant see why you cant leave them out as long as they are in a nice warm hutch or wooden box at night x


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## Doves1111

remmy10 said:


> hello, i'm fiona and i have four beautiful ringneck doves that i adopted near the beginning of the summer, they have been in my home-made aviary ever since, but now winter is coming around and i have no clue what to do, the aviary can't retain heat because the walls are made of screen, can ringnecks be outside in the winter like pigeons? or do they have to be in a heated space?


Ringneck Doves can tolerate the cold very well...but they cannot tolerate cold wind or a cold draft blowing on them. Cover the sides of your cage with 6 ml plastic sheeting. You may have to cut a couple of vent holes. You can get the plastic sheeting at The Home Depot.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Make sure the perches in the cage are flat and are at least 1 1/2" wide. On a flat perch the doves' toes will be covered by their feathers and kept warm. If you use round perches in the winter...the doves' toes will not be covered by their feathers during the freezing temperatures...and their toes may freeze and fall off. 

I keep my Ringneck and Diamond Doves...and Zebra Finches...outside in a loft which has attached flights...year round...with no supplemented heat. I do lock them up in the loft at night during cold weather. Here's are some pics of my loft and flights from last winter. I never used to cover the flights with plastic sheeting...but I am so glad I did last winter. I didn't have to shovel out the flights of all that snow! I will cover the flights for now on. 
http://thecoocoohouse.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=115058200
http://thecoocoohouse.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=115058202

Dawn


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## Msfreebird

OH...THANK YOU DOVES1111! I remembered there was someone in the northeast that had doves outside! It was YOU...I remember your loft 
I took in 2 Ringnecks that the wildlife center had. They were found by someone out on their front lawn looking for food last spring 
I had them in a cage in my isolation room and put them in my new Fantail loft last month. I was thinking I would have to bring them back inside for the winter, and I really didn't want to because they are so happy out there, and getting along fine with the fantails.
I cover my flight cages with plastic also for the winter. But I get the heavy gauge 'clear' plastic at Joanne's Fabric Store (comes in several gauges). I like it better....it's clear (like glass) so I can still see inside the flight cage from the house to check on the birds. It's a little more expensive than regular plastic (also more durable), it comes on 4 foot rolls and you buy it by the yard. I use the 40 or 50% OFF coupon in Joanne's flyer (or you can print the coupon from their website). Usually costs me about $30-$40 a year to cover what I have.
So I guess mine get to stay outside this winter!


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## Doves1111

Msfreebird said:


> OH...THANK YOU DOVES1111! I remembered there was someone in the northeast that had doves outside! It was YOU...I remember your loft
> I took in 2 Ringnecks that the wildlife center had. They were found by someone out on their front lawn looking for food last spring
> I had them in a cage in my isolation room and put them in my new Fantail loft last month. I was thinking I would have to bring them back inside for the winter, and I really didn't want to because they are so happy out there, and getting along fine with the fantails.
> I cover my flight cages with plastic also for the winter. But I get the heavy gauge 'clear' plastic at Joanne's Fabric Store (comes in several gauges). I like it better....it's clear (like glass) so I can still see inside the flight cage from the house to check on the birds. It's a little more expensive than regular plastic (also more durable), it comes on 4 foot rolls and you buy it by the yard. I use the 40 or 50% OFF coupon in Joanne's flyer (or you can print the coupon from their website). Usually costs me about $30-$40 a year to cover what I have.
> So I guess mine get to stay outside this winter!


The clear plastic must be nice. That's what I don't like about covering the flights with the plastic...I can't see my birds when I look outside. I'll have to look into getting the "clear" plastic for this winter. Thanks for the info!

Dawn


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## Msfreebird

Doves1111 said:


> The clear plastic must be nice. That's what I don't like about covering the flights with the plastic...I can't see my birds when I look outside. I'll have to look into getting the "clear" plastic for this winter. Thanks for the info!
> 
> Dawn


It's really nice, even if you just put it on 1 side - the side facing your house, so you can see them.


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