# Confused Boys



## DoubleDoves (May 16, 2011)

Hello everyone!

I've been coming back to this board over and over again when I have questions about my two ring neck doves, Irc and Yule. They are both male, Irc being at least a year older than Yule, who is around 1.5 years old. I say at least because we adopted little Irc from one of my boyfriends friends who could no longer keep him. He had only had him for a year, but we're not sure how old he was when he was purchased. We're pretty sure he and Yule actually came from the same store, but there is no way for us to actually confirm what age Irc is other than that he's not too terribly much older than Yule.

Now after that long confusing intro, comes my first of what will be many questions I'm sure. Irc and Yule have never laid eggs in the six months my boyfriend and I have had both of them together, yet they both attempt to get it on with each other and take turns being dominant. For awhile we let them do it because we figured they would figure themselves out eventually. This worked for awhile, but then they got too grumpy at us and each other, so we started to shoo them off each other. They were the happiest in this time period and getting along with each other much better. That peace lasted for about a month before they started to get grumpy again and started to bow coo and wing attack each other. So, we let them do it again, which only mildly calmed them down.

Most of the time, they get along with each other very well and we've had no problem with any injuries or food dominance or anything like that. They'll preen each other, and sleep all cuddled up next to one another and be the best bird sons one could have, even worrying for the other one if they can't see each other and cooing just to make sure they get a coo back. And then sometimes they will carry on for an entire day bow cooing and attacking both each other and us! This usually ends in us separating them and giving each of them individual attention like they are only children and then bringing them both over to sit on us until they can be civil again.

I guess my question is, are we doing okay? Or are we encouraging their behavior? They each get attention from us on normal days too, but it seems like on certain days they both just need to be alone with us. I would just like to minimize their grumpy days and not encourage them to be grumpy all the time. And should we let them try and mate or should we shoo them away? Both seemed to work and not work in turn so any help will be appreciated.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

DoubleDoves said:


> Hello everyone!
> 
> I've been coming back to this board over and over again when I have questions about my two ring neck doves, Irc and Yule. They are both male, Irc being at least a year older than Yule, who is around 1.5 years old. I say at least because we adopted little Irc from one of my boyfriends friends who could no longer keep him. He had only had him for a year, but we're not sure how old he was when he was purchased. We're pretty sure he and Yule actually came from the same store, but there is no way for us to actually confirm what age Irc is other than that he's not too terribly much older than Yule.
> 
> ...


well..ask any het. guy if he would like to be cooped up with another guy the rest of his life..lol.. he may get pretty grumpy.. You have two male birds..so that is not ideal..but sounds like it could be worse at some moments.. you have some options.. keep things the way they are and referee when you need to.. I worry they may start something when your not there. another option is get a bigger cage with a seperator in it and buy them two hens, or find a home for one of the males and get the remaining one a hen.. you could put them in their own cages and play with them alot..but really it is hard to replicate another bird as a mate for the birds.. this is why I like hens..even two can get along and they both lay eggs and sit on them..and they are alot more quiet than males....


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## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

spirit wings said:


> well..ask any guy if he would like to be cooped up with another guy the rest of his life..lol.. he may get pretty grumpy.. You have two male birds..so that is not ideal..but sounds like it could be worse at some moments.. you have some options.. keep things the way they are and referee when you need to.. I worry they may start something when your not there. another option is get a bigger cage with a seperator in it and buy them two hens, or find a home for one of the males and get the remaining one a hen.. you could put them in their own cages and play with them alot..but really it is hard to replicate another bird as a mate for the birds.. this is why I like hens..even two can get along and they both lay eggs and sit on them..and they are alot more quiet than males....


Maybe a week or so after you see the mating, place a couple fake eggs in their nest. Each may think the other laid the eggs, and they both might sit on them.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

ptras said:


> Maybe a week or so after you see the mating, place a couple fake eggs in their nest. Each may think the other laid the eggs, and they both might sit on them.


that is a great idea!.. they are probably pretty frustrated their "mate" does not lay eggs..


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## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

spirit wings said:


> that is a great idea!.. they are probably pretty frustrated their "mate" does not lay eggs..


Remember the pair of boys that I had SW? I put a pair of real eggs under them last fall. One hatched, and they successfully raised it to adulthood. Unfortunately, that baby was taken by a hawk this spring.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

ptras said:


> Remember the pair of boys that I had SW? I put a pair of real eggs under them last fall. One hatched, and they successfully raised it to adulthood. Unfortunately, that baby was taken by a hawk this spring.


oh yeah.. the pair of bachelors.. I hope they try it and repost what happens.. it seems like it would calm them down for a time.


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## DoubleDoves (May 16, 2011)

Hello again!

Thank you both for your responses. The problems we have with hens is that we really don't want the hassle of dealing with eggs if we can at all avoid it and don't have the ability to keep more than two birds. I was worried when we first got Yule that he would turn out to be a hen and as college students we'd have to worry about having chicks if we weren't on top of switching them out with false eggs. Neither of these birds are very aggressive, just noisy. All bark no bite. ^_^ When they wing attack the other bird will scuttle away about a foot or fly up to a different perch and that usually ends that.

We just want to minimize any frustration they could be feeling. Today they seem pretty happy to just hang out with us and they haven't been upset at each other at all. We just took Yule out when we first woke them up and they were both quiet for awhile. Irc cooed once and we called back to him and he was fine. Now we have them both out and Irc is laying down on my shoulder while Yule sits on the standing perch we built for them last summer.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

DoubleDoves said:


> Hello again!
> 
> Thank you both for your responses. The problems we have with hens is that we really don't want the hassle of dealing with eggs if we can at all avoid it and don't have the ability to keep more than two birds. I was worried when we first got Yule that he would turn out to be a hen and as college students we'd have to worry about having chicks if we weren't on top of switching them out with false eggs. Neither of these birds are very aggressive, just noisy. All bark no bite. ^_^ When they wing attack the other bird will scuttle away about a foot or fly up to a different perch and that usually ends that.
> 
> We just want to minimize any frustration they could be feeling. Today they seem pretty happy to just hang out with us and they haven't been upset at each other at all. We just took Yule out when we first woke them up and they were both quiet for awhile. Irc cooed once and we called back to him and he was fine. Now we have them both out and Irc is laying down on my shoulder while Yule sits on the standing perch we built for them last summer.


ok... so what do you need advice or opinions on?


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## DoubleDoves (May 16, 2011)

More or less if we were encouraging or discouraging their grumpy behavior. @[email protected] These two are our first doves, but reading only goes so far, especially with these two.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

DoubleDoves said:


> More or less if we were encouraging or discouraging their grumpy behavior. @[email protected] These two are our first doves, but reading only goes so far, especially with these two.


These are two males..of course they are going to be grumpy from time to time.. doves have a strong drive to find a mate and procreate..if they can't do that it can be stressful.. not sure how you would be encouraging how they act..it is just nature... you can discourage it by getting them a nest basket and some fake eggs..that way they will at least have some normalcy to their life.


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## DoubleDoves (May 16, 2011)

spirit wings said:


> These are two males..of course they are going to be grumpy from time to time.. doves have a strong drive to find a mate and procreate..if they can't do that it can be stressful.. not sure how you would be encouraging how they act..it is just nature... you can discourage it by getting them a nest basket and some fake eggs..that way they will at least have some normalcy to their life.


Thanks, I'm just glad that its just boys being boys.  We have a nest basket that we can use for them so we might try it out and see what they do.


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## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

DoubleDoves said:


> Thanks, I'm just glad that its just boys being boys.  We have a nest basket that we can use for them so we might try it out and see what they do.


You can get fake eggs at any pigeon supply store.


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## Jaysen (Jun 21, 2010)

Finding the pigeon supply store can be tricky!

Assuming you are the standard "college" student (which means flat broke) you may want to experiment with some recent suggestions. The suggestions were: golf balls, modeling clay, carve them from wood (table leg?), and a smooth egg shaped rock painted white.


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## Doves1111 (Mar 5, 2005)

ptras said:


> Remember the pair of boys that I had SW? I put a pair of real eggs under them last fall. One hatched, and they successfully raised it to adulthood. Unfortunately, that baby was taken by a hawk this spring.


I had a pair of Ringneck Dove males that I used to used as fosters. They made great parents. A pair of males will get along better if you give them a nest and fake eggs to set on.

Dawn


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