Chook Me!

Mixing Doves With Parrots? Also Wing Clipping/Lorikeet Diet/Training...?

For several years I have kept ringneck doves with small parrot species in a large aviary and have not even had a whisper of a problem. Today a bird breeder told me that I should never do that because doves are at high risk of giving parrots diseases due to being poultry. Can someone please tell me your thoughts on this? Thanks. He also told me off because I clip both wings on my lorikeet instead of just one wing and that I am teaching him to "step up" instead of justing saying "up" and also because I don't feed my lorikeet seed as well as the nectar diet, fruit, etc. What the..? :\

Public Comments

1. I kept all kinds of birds together in aviary for many years, never had a problem. It sounds like your bird breeder is a bird brain and just plain doesn't like you. If you are having no problems with what you are doing, why change it?
2. I would not give this breeder (?) much heed at all.. The object of wing clipping is to not allow them to fly up (and away). They should be able to fly gracefully to the ground. With only one wing clipped, they can not fly at all, they crash and hurt them selfs. DO NOT EVER CLIP ONE WING... This is old school thinking, and is harmful Doves and small parrots should get along fine. Be extermly careful in interducing new doves though. They can carry bugs that do not effect doves that can kill our parrots. New birds should be quarrentined (sp) for at lest 30 days and vet checked for problems. I know somebody who lost their whole flock this way. A parrot only understands what you teach it, if it is "up" or "Step up", or even "Fly Away" all these cues will work for steping up if you teach them that. However the simpler the commands the better, that is why some people use "Up" a single word easier on the bird.
3. You should NEVER clip just one wing on a bird. Always both wings. If it tries to fly with one wing clipped it put them off balance and they can get hurt. He's right, don't keep doves with parrots. Usually you should not keep different breeds together in the same cage any how.
4. "What the.." expresses my thoughts, as well. I'm afraid that I would have to severely limit my exposure to this person's "knowledge" in the future. The information you have seems more up-to-date. Neither doves (Columbiformes) nor parrots (psittacines) are poultry (Galliformes) and therefore are seldom susceptible to the same diseases. Most incubation periods are limited to months, not years, so anything any of your birds might have been exposed to would have shown up by now. Most people house doves and parrots separately in order to protect the gentle doves from a potentially territorial, aggressive parrot... or parakeet. Even the tiny American budgerigar can be brutal, as a friend unfortunately learned when his diamond doves were scalped. Clipping *both* wings is the commonly accepted and preferred practice now-a-days. Although many trainers say "Step up" to get a bird onto their hand and "Up" to urge the bird to a higher perch (as in trick training), what's important is that you use one command consistently and the bird understands what it means. There's no hard and fast rule here. I searched "lorikeet-diet" and found much information about what they eat in the wild and what they're fed in captivity, specifically in zoos and avicultural displays. Seed doesn't seem to play a large part of it. Where did your "expert" obtain his information? Please refer to the links I've listed below to help ensure many healthy, happy years with your pet. Best regards, Kathy Houston TX