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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Will they make a mess at the ceremony? 2. Have you lost any of your doves from a release or training? 3. What type of white doves do you have in your loft? 4. How do your release doves find their way home? 5. Do your doves fly all year round? 6. Why can't the doves fly in the rain or bad weather? 7. Is it possible to release two white doves instead of 10 or 20? 8. Can you over night the white doves to an event? If not, why? 1.                Will they make a mess at the ceremony? There are no guarantees, but birds usually do not defecate when flying so the chances are slim.    Furthermore, the birds usually have a special diet before big events so they can perform at top levels without messing up. 2.                Have you lost any of your doves from a release or training? 1.  So far we have not lost any doves.  This is why we are so careful to ensure that the venue has no birds of prey in the area or lots of overhead wires to obstruct their flight.  (I think the birds look forward to their trip home knowing that good food will be waiting for them on their return and the accommodation is a safe, warm and clean loft to sleep in.) 2.  During September / October 2007  time when I was training for a wedding at the Vaal River, and I lost 5 white doves, all on separate occasions, and I am devastated.  Somewhere between home and the Vaal River, the birds must have crossed an area where there are birds of prey, because the balance of the kit were very nervous on their return home, and I can only assume that is what happened.    So unfortunately I had to cancel the arrangement with the future bride as I could not loose any more of my white doves.  I was very sorry to have canceled with her, but I have to think about my white doves. 3.                What type of white doves do you have in your loft? We have white homing pigeons.  The birds have been trained to return to their home loft.  People often ask if all doves will fly home.  No!  Only those that have been properly bred with the homing instinct and correctly trained.  NEVER release doves that have not been trained to return home.  Pet stores sell  domesticated doves which should never be released at a function as they cannot be trained to return home, and they will then sit around the venue trying to survive in the outside world, and most likely they will eventually die.  I find that very cruel. 4.                How do your release doves find their way home? That is a mystery as old as the hills but rest assured, happy, well-fed, well-trained doves will head straight back home. They have their own individual internal "GPS". 5.                Do your doves fly all year round? They are able to fly from May to end January of each year.  The Months of February, March and April, they go through their molting season.  This is when they loose their feathers and grow new ones.  At times the birds are unable to fly very far.  This is the reason why we keep the birds inside their loft to recover from this natural process of life in the bird world.    We could use some of our doves for display purposes and photographs only, depending on how their individual molting goes, but they certainly wont be able to be released to fly home. 6.              Why can't the doves fly in the rain or bad weather? They frighten in thunderstorms or any loud noises and when it rains, it obstructs their vision and could fly into dangerous situations.  I am are not prepared to put the white doves through something like that.    Should I ever be in a situation where I would have to cancel the white doves release because of the bad  weather conditions, I would place the white doves in the church, where after the signing of the register, photographs could be taken holding the doves, and place back into their cages.    I am sure this would be acceptable to all involved. 7.            Is it possible to release two white doves instead of 10 or 20? I don't like to release just 2 white doves by themselves.  Purely from a safety point of view, I like them to travel back home together in a pack of 10 or 20.  I just think it is safer in numbers for them and I feel that I am asking for trouble by releasing 2 white doves alone.  Releasing just 2 also doesn't give you that beautiful effect that 10 or 20 would give you. 8.            Can you over night the white doves to an event? If not, why? I am sorry, no I do not ship or overnight my doves to any event.  My first concern is the safety of my doves.  How will I know that they are being well looked after, fed the correct food,  watered correctly and kept in a safe place before being released, and will the area be safe from obstructions / weather conditions to be released from.  There are too many concerns and I am not prepared to put my doves through that.  I am a professional person and I prefer to be at every event with my white doves and for my clients to know that all is taken care of and to ensure smooth running of the release.