Three Juvenile Mourning Doves Recuperate Together

The following story about mourning doves was shared with us by Olive’s Place Dove & Pigeon Sanctuary, Inc. in Oklahoma.

Three juvenile mourning doves were brought in by finders within a week of each other. They were all approximately 12 to 15 days old.

EmerAid IC Omnivore was fed to each one. Because they were already beginning to self-feed, EmerAid was continued as a supplement rather than switching the diet to formula.

Having several doves at once was advantageous because the oldest demonstrated foraging to the younger two, and they became proficient at feeding very quickly. Having siblings was also a safeguard against imprinting on humans.

The doves spent several weeks in a pre-release aviary before soft release on site, and continued to visit feeding stations.

The photo shows a seed mix with in-shell black sunflower seeds, although I no longer offer this to doves.