Emerald Dove Husbandry Manual - Nswfmpa.org

Jennifer Brown ● Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica ● Husbandry manual
To hold a b ird using a pigeon grip, the keeper holds the birds’ feet side by side between
the first and second fingers with the palm of the hand facing upwards. The thumb of the
same hand closes over the top of the tail and the ends of the primary flight feathers
which keeps the wings in a normal closed position. This allows one hand free to examine
the bird and extend its wings or to support the birds’ breast.
A handy hint is to keep the bird facing the keeper as th is will reduce escape attempts if
the grip on the hand relaxes slightly.
7.5 Release:
The safest way to release or introduce new birds into an existing aviary is to use a Noegel
cage (see Fig 7.5.1) and a soft release method. This cage can be suspended up at the
back of the aviary though for the Emerald Dove a cage on ground level would be more
appropriate see Fig 7.5.2. By housing the bird in this enclosure for a week the new animal
can get used to its surroundings and the existing animals in the enclosure can get used to
the new bird. After a week the door to the Noegel ca ge can be opened and the bird
can come and go as it likes. By supplying the Noegel cage with food and water for an
extra week you are giving the bird the chance to adjust to its surrounding while giving it a
safe h aven if t he b ird c annot find the f ood i n the aviary o r i s b eing b ullied o ut o f t he
available food. After a week the Noegel cage should be taken away and the bird should
be acclimatised to its new enclosure.
Cage m ade o f
mesh material
Doors at either end
Door
Substrate s uch a s
newspaper or mulch
Food and water
bowls
Fig 7.5.1 Example of a Noegel cage
A Noegel cage can employ a two door system as seen in Fig 7.5.1. This allows a keeper to
access t he f ood an d wat er wh ich i s a t o ne en d o f t he c age while g iving t he b ird the
other side of the cage as a saf e haven. When it is time to move the bird out of the cage
both d oors c an b e used i f t he b ird is u nwilling w ith one l eft o pen f or t he b ird and t he
keeper accessing the other. These cages are made of sturdy mesh material and can be
suspended o r l eft o n t he g round. I t sh ould b e r emembered t hat th e c age sh ould be
24