Pigeon / Dove Care Sheet
Incubation figures, feeding by life stage, and the things that actually go wrong with this species — on one page.
- Incubation
- 18 days
- Incubator
- 99.3–99.5°F
- Humidity
- 50–55%
- Lockdown
- 65–75%
Pigeon / Dove Incubation
Forced-air figures. A still-air incubator runs about 101–102°F measured at the top of the egg — setting 99.5°F at the wrong height is one of the most common causes of a full-term chick that never pips.
| Where | Temperature | Humidity |
|---|---|---|
| Incubator | 99.3–99.5°F · 37.4–37.5°C | 50–55% |
| Last 3 days | unchanged — stop turning | 65–75% |
| Breeding room | 50–80°F · 10–27°C | 40–60% |
Both parents produce crop milk and share sitting, so a pigeon pair is far more robust than a parrot pair. Loft ventilation matters more than loft heating.
The honest check on humidity is not the hygrometer — it is the scale. An egg should lose roughly 13–15% of its lay weight by the time it pips. Too little loss means the air is too wet; too much means too dry.
Feeding Pigeon / Doves
What the diet should be day to day, and what changes when a pair goes down to breed.
Every day
A pigeon grain mix — peas, maize, wheat and legumes. Grit is not optional for pigeons.
Fresh food
Greens occasionally; grain is the staple.
While breeding
Raise the protein by increasing the pea and legume share. Provide a pickstone and mineral grit.
Feeding chicks
Both parents make crop milk, so their own nutrition is what feeds the squabs. Keep protein and minerals up throughout.
What goes wrong with pigeon / doves
- Without insoluble grit a pigeon cannot process whole grain properly.
- Canker (trichomoniasis) spreads through crop milk and shared water — a common cause of squab loss.
Pigeon / Dove Colour Mutations
The 6 mutations you are most likely to meet, and how each one is passed on. Every bird below is an illustration of that mutation, not a photograph of a specific bird.
Ash Red
Sex-linked
Sex-linked, dominant over blue. Ash-red body color with lighter wing bars
Blue
Sex-linked
Wild type for rock pigeon. Blue-grey body with dark wing bars
White
Recessive
All-white plumage — can result from albino, extreme dilute, or extreme pied
Brown
Sex-linked
Brown replaces blue/black pigment throughout plumage
Spread
Dominant
Spreads pigment uniformly across feathers, eliminating pattern (bars/checks)
Checker
Dominant
Modifier of wing pattern — checkered/spotted pattern on wing shield
Want to see what a pairing of two of these would throw? Try the free genetics calculator — it draws every predicted chick.
General guidance used by breeders, not veterinary advice. Conditions vary by climate, setup and individual bird — watch your birds first and consult an avian vet for anything health-related.
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