DOVES

Doves are one of the four pillars of Allevamento Poggio di Ponte. All the varieties of our domestic doves derive from Columbia Livia species, the wild dove, which is also called “rock pigeon”. Dove’s feeding is rather various, it is primarily granivorous and it loves grain; it is a non-migratory species and it is able to orient itself to find its dovecote up to hundreds kilometers away (Homing Pigeon). The life of a common dove varies between 3 and 5 years about the wild state, but it can get to 15 years for domesticated breeds. It is usually not easy to distinguish between the two genders, except for certain species in which sexual dimorphism is marked through different color coat. A typical doves behavior can be observed when female and male are together; male courts female by swelling his neck, turning on itself as a strange dance and giving off a peculiar sound. It’s often easy to distinguish female by her height, usually slightly lower than male and by the fact that she lets chasing after by the male. During mating, male and female bring each other for the beak and bend their neck many times, till female crouches and male blows up to her back to fertilize her. Both members of the couple brood alternately two white eggs laid by female, for about 18/20 days and in their first 5 days little doves will be feed with a sort of milk that comes from their parents. After a month little doves are able to fly and to abandon the nest but they are capable to reproduce only after 6 months. Within Allevamento Poggio di Ponte are bring up many different Doves breeds. They are divided into 5 big different families: Utility Pigeons, Colour Pigeons, Tumbler and Highfliers Pigeons, Owls Pigeons and Structure and Utility Pigeons.