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Pigeons/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Rock Pigeon Squab | 9/3/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I have found a 14-15 days old Rock Pigeon squab on my window. It has watery eyes with light yellow ... A: The only way to positively identify is with a stool sample under microscope by a DMV. Common ... | ||
| The death of my Pet Dove | 8/30/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: David Ruble. I worked for Los Angeles School District and while doings some work at a school I was ... A: I don't believe the word dove is even in my bio. Perhaps you should read that before wasting my ... | ||
| pigeon/ dove | 7/21/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: Is it possible that a ring neck pigeon or dove would have attacked 3 young small birds that haven't ... A: A little vague on details, but I will give it a shot! Domestic pigeon males do occasionally enter ... | ||
| white pigeon/dove | 6/18/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: David: I found a white bird, it is slender in built, brown eyes, pink beak, legs and feet and no ... A: Helen, I can't say whether they are doves or pigeon without a picture. 2x2x3 isn't going to be big ... | ||
| Indian Fantails Diet | 6/17/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: Mr. Ruble, can you give me a complete diet chart/plan of Indian Fantail Pigeons? What should be ... A: :-), well, I won't give a "complete" diet schedule, but here are some rules of thumb; Flying and ... | ||
| Mixed Colors of Indian Fantails | 6/17/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: Mr. Ruble, I am going to buy an almond cock and black hen of indian fantail pair. Do you think they ... A: Approximately half of the young will be almond, of both sexes. However they will not be show almond ... | ||
| Nesting of Indian Fantail | 6/17/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: Mr. Ruble, I was thinking about putting sand instead of straws or dried grass in the nesting bowl of ... A: Niaz, I have used sand in the nest bowls. I lived in the semi-tropics at the time and it worked ... | ||
| breeding pigeon eggs | 6/16/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: We have eight pair of breeders. We found a damaged egg in three different nests. In one case, the ... A: No, the mated pairs won't fight, but the cock birds spend a LOT of time fighting over territory. ... | ||
| IDENTIFY THIS BIRD | 5/14/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I saw this bird among other pigeons on a sidewalk by Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY. It is pure white ... A: From your description and the distant photo, I see no reason why it couldn't be an albino. It could ... | ||
| 2day old pigeon crop too full? | 5/4/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: we are trying to help a 2 day old "squeaker" that my daughter was given (in egg form) and she ... A: Baby pigeons can ingest a massive amount of food; to the point where half of their mass is in front ... | ||
| pigeon/dove breeds | 4/28/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I already have some fan tail dove but yesterday i was given some more birds. I know the 2 white ... A: Wow! There have been MANY entire books written on pigeon color and genetics; too much for me to ... | ||
| training pigeons | 4/28/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I have 20 racing pigeons which are now about 3 months old, every time I let them out they only fly ... A: First, I am no expert on racing homers. Don't let them free fly. You need to establish a time of ... | ||
| Male Ringneck Dove | 4/21/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: About 2 years ago I bought what I was told were a male and female pair of Ringneck Doves. Turned ... A: Yes, the male should set at night. If she layed immediately after putting them together (within a ... | ||
| breeding | 4/18/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I have only been breeding pigeons for about three years now. In order to explain my curiosity. I had ... A: Assuming you threw the last infertile eggs out, you obviously have 2 hens! I have never done it, ... | ||
| Pigeon's Size, Weight, and Health | 4/12/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: My pigeon's weight as of her last vet appt. was 66 gms. I used to feed her variations of wild bird ... A: I have no way of knowing whether 66gms is light or heavy without knowing what kind of pigeon you ... | ||
| Pigeon behaviour | 3/28/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I have a friend who has a pigeon on a nest on her balcony. There are two other pigeons that seem to ... A: I'm assuming these are wild birds? If so, it wouldn't work to try containing them (thereby fencing ... | ||
| New Pigeon That | 3/23/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I own a pigeon that really can't fly. A couple of weeks ago while we were in my backyard, another ... A: If your female has been alone for awhile, I would think hormones would kick in if the new bird was ... | ||
| Pigeon that doesn't make a good pet | 3/22/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I plan to keep a pigeon as a pet. There are several options, I'd like to know among the following ... A: It depends on what you are expecting from your pet! Diamond Doves and Mourning Doves are both ... | ||
| Hatching pigeons eggs | 3/20/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: David, I hope you can help me with some advice. I'm hatching two pigeon eggs that were left in my ... A: I really don't know what would work for first food. Oats is a good place to start. But if you only ... | ||
| Hatching pigeons eggs | 3/20/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: David, I hope you can help me with some advice. I'm hatching two pigeon eggs that were left in my ... A: Mercedes, I have read different incubation periods, but in thousands of personal experiences, it's ... | ||
| Female Pigeon Deserts the Male (?) | 3/15/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: We live in the French countryside and have "adopted" a couple of wild pigeons who nest in our open ... A: If you are usually only seeing one at a time, It would appear that they have a nest somewhere. When ... | ||
| Female Pigeon Deserts the Male (?) | 3/13/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: We live in the French countryside and have "adopted" a couple of wild pigeons who nest in our open ... A: It's possible she has found another lover! It does happen in the pigeon world. In fact there is an ... | ||
| Sick feral pigeons | 3/11/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I know you're an expert in breeding pigeons, but I'm hoping you could answer a couple health ... A: Certainly not in my realm of expertise. However, it has been my experience that similar symptoms ... | ||
| white doves | 3/6/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: Are white doves just white pigeons? And how young do I need to get a pair of doves for them to come ... A: There are white Ringneck Doves and there are white domestic Pigeons. I don't know much about ... | ||
| cold hardiness of fantail doves | 2/16/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I recently received some breeding pairs of fantail doves from a friend who raised them with his ... A: Pigeons are very tough birds as proven by the millions of ferals living in every nook and cranny in ... | ||
| good day | 2/14/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: what should i do....with my pigeons,they r going to others loft spending time in there...how can i ... A: You have to control them with food. If you intend to just let them come and go as they please, eat ... | ||
| Homing pigeons? | 2/14/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I was wondering, what kind of pigeons make good homing pigeons? I'm 15 and I think the idea of ... A: Any pigeon that can properly fly, will return home from some distance. Most will give up and be ... | ||
| Pigeon and Her Unfertilized Egg | 2/2/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: My pigeon surprised me by laying an egg. She cannot fly due to an injured wing, so I'm fairly ... A: Pigeons will peck at grass and other greens when allowed to free roam, but for the most part they do ... | ||
| Pigeon and Her Unfertilized Egg | 1/30/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: My pigeon surprised me by laying an egg. She cannot fly due to an injured wing, so I'm fairly ... A: You need to remove the egg before it rots and explodes, making a big mess! After it is removed she ... | ||
| Question | 1/30/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: how are you going? :-) I love pigeons a lot, and we have some in our backyard. They are so very ... A: Wow! An interesting question. I have raised pigeons since I was a small boy, so am well aware of ... | ||
| Ringneck Dove | 1/10/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: A friend gave my husband a ringneck dove that he had before he got married...he had to find a new ... A: She will eventually give up. However, it may not be that simple for the owners! First, the eggs ... | ||
| female pigeon and egg | 1/6/2011 | David Ruble |
| Q: I took a pigeon home because it couldn't fly and I was afraid a cat might eat it or something.. The ... A: Extremely unlikely that she would hatch and raise a baby by herself. Normally the daddy sets on the ... | ||
| laying eggs | 12/31/2010 | David Ruble |
| Q: I have a Indian fantail that has laid eggs twice. The first eggs, one hatched but did not live, the ... A: There should be someone in your area that carries pigeon grain mixes. The following are common ... | ||
| laying eggs | 12/29/2010 | David Ruble |
| Q: I have a Indian fantail that has laid eggs twice. The first eggs, one hatched but did not live, the ... A: Not sure I can offer much advice without a LOT more information. Pigeons need around 16 % protein ... | ||
| Baby crested pigeon? | 12/14/2010 | David Ruble |
| Q: Late last night we found a little bird laying in the grass under a tree. as we have a wild cat ... A: I have instructions for raising baby pigeons in earlier answers. This doesn't appear to be a ... | ||
| Pigeon | 11/18/2010 | David Ruble |
| Q: I have some pairs of pigeon. Recently one pair of them laid two eggs. After 14 days they eat their ... A: Without more information, there are a lot of reasons this could happen. Most likely they are either ... | ||
| Pigeon Molting | 11/12/2010 | David Ruble |
| Q: My pigeon started molting around the end of August or first of Sept. He's still molting and I see ... A: If there is not skin showing, all is well. I do not know the actual time period for a complete molt ... | ||
| Pigeon Molting | 11/10/2010 | David Ruble |
| Q: My pigeon started molting around the end of August or first of Sept. He's still molting and I see ... A: Hold his wing open and see if there is a gap in the primary (main) feathers. If there is, that ... | ||
| eye color on white homers | 11/7/2010 | David Ruble |
| Q: is black eye color on all white homers does that mean they are full blooded homers? I have a white ... A: White pigeons with black eyes is very common. It is more unusual, and usually intentional to have a ... | ||
| New Fantail | 11/1/2010 | David Ruble |
| Q: This past April, an Indian Fantail (Saddle) started feeding at my feeder and has been with us ever ... A: Rick, Commercial bird food is fairly decent pigeon feed. An addition of dry pigeon peas would be a ... | ||
David Ruble
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions concerning color, genetics and breeding of Pigeons.
Experience
I have 30 years experience in breeding pigeons, specifically in creating new colors and new breeds. I studied informally under Dr. Hollander.
Organizations
none currently.
Publications
Pigeon Journal, (early '80's)
Education/Credentials
N/A
Awards and Honors
former NBRC, FSCRC,and others member
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