Laughing Dove 

Do you want to keep Laughing Doves at home? Then it’s ideal if the birds can stay both outdoors and indoors, allowing them to bask in sunlight and seek shelter and warmth in the rain.

Note for outdoor keeping: For safety, the outdoor area must be built so no other animals, especially no birds, can get into the Laughing Dove’s accommodations, as bird droppings pose a sensitive infection risk to your doves.

Ideal Size of the Aviary

For one dove, you’ll need a minimum size of 70 x 40 x 50 centimetres (L x W x H). For a pair, the dimensions should be at least 90 x 50 x 50 centimetres.

Your Laughing Doves need enough space to fully spread their wings, and their tails should be free when sitting and not touch the cage bars.

Proper Setup for the Dove Cage

• Doves need a suitable shelter they can use at night or during bad weather.
• Access to water for drinking and bathing is also essential.
• Additionally, provide your doves’ home with untreated branches of various thicknesses that serve as perches.

Light and Fresh Air

If you’re keeping your doves indoors, they must get enough fresh air and light but be careful to protect them from draughts.

To ensure this, you can use a box cage that is closed on three sides inside the house. Unlike a wire cage, this type of cage does not let in draughts.

Socialising and Group Size

While many racing or ornamental pigeons can be kept for breeding in a loft with multiple pairs, this is not possible with Laughing Doves due to their pronounced territorial behaviour.

Therefore, keep adult Laughing Doves alone or, preferably, as a pair. Keeping other pigeon species in the same loft, especially during breeding season, is not recommended.

Note: Young and still sexually immature Laughing Doves are not territorial and can share an aviary.

Seeds are at the top of the menu for Laughing Doves. Additionally, you can serve them ready-made seed mixes.

Make sure your birds have consumed all components of the food before adding more to ensure they are getting all nutrients. During the breeding season, you can supplement their diet with high-protein food.

Grit for Digestion

As doves lack teeth, they rely on other mechanisms to break down their food. This function is filled by grit, which must be available to the birds along with food.

For this purpose, you can use commercial bird grit, as pigeon grit is generally too coarse for Laughing Doves. You can also provide a special mineral powder for pigeons in the same dish.

When the breeding season for Laughing Doves begins depends on the birds’ native country and food availability. For example, in Senegal, the doves breed every month, while in Chad, breeding is limited to September and October.

Mating and Clutch

To signal readiness for mating, the male bows and raises his head feathers. After a successful mating, Laughing Doves build their nests, usually in trees or bushes near the ground.

Both genders of the Laughing Dove incubate two white eggs per clutch. The young hatch after about two weeks and quickly become fledged.

The lifespan of a Laughing Dove depends on its keeping and nutrition. While some individuals of the species live for about nine years, others can reach an age of up to 20 years.

Caution: Selective Breeding Issues

One hereditary disease known in Laughing Doves is associated with the type of plumage. For example, “Silky Down” where dove feathers are not closed is considered selective breeding resulting in poor flight capability.

The Laughing Dove is now a domesticated species, but it originates from North Africa. Its range extends from the southern coastal regions of Saudi Arabia to Senegal and Mauritania.

Laughing Doves in the wild prefer dense forests with acacia trees. Since the birds love to bathe, they are often found near water sources. They are also commonly seen near humans, for instance, in agricultural areas or parks.