Our Doves

We use the White Rock Dove which is the same genus as the intelligent racing pigeon. These are strong flyers and can find their way home from distances of 500 miles! How exactly they do it is a mystery, but we do know the love of home is a big inspiration for them to fly back.

(Ladies, we train our Doves like you need to train your man; give them lots of good food, plenty to drink, lots of love, a clean home, the occasional promise of an early night, and let them spread their wings whenever they feel like it and they will always come home!)

Based in South Wales, our White Rock Doves are fed the best corn, fly freely around the lofts (as you can see below) and are taken on regular training flights. They are fit, healthy, happy and in pristine condition – like all excellent athletes! We breed our own Doves to ensure they are born of good stock and treated with the ustmost respect and care from day 1.

Every year our Doves are vaccinated against disease which is certified, and preventative treatments given regularly for common irritations these birds are prone to encounter. Vitamins, minerals are given on a daily basis along with a few natural trade secrets such as garlic and cinnamon to enhance the performance of flight and ensure the best possible chance of a return home.

Our Doves once released will often "beat us" home, even from distances of 100 miles, testimony, we believe to the fact that they love their home. We can take full credit for this, as keeping the birds safe, well and happy is a labour of love. What we cant take credit for is the special and unique magic they will add to your event - they do that all by themselves.

Jan 5th 2010 - liking the snow!

Sunbathing April 23rd 2010

You can easily distinguish a Rock Dove which has a neat slender tail, from a Fantail - which has "shuttlecock" type tail feathers, or a Garden Dove which has a longer bushy tail.

Our Doves are transported to your venue in a blacked out vehicle (so they will rest) in baskets approved by the RSPCA to hold 20 birds - but we keep a maximum of 6 birds in each basket, which has an attached drinking trough; this was especially designed for us as you cannot buy them. They are transfered to their display cages at the last possible moment ready for your event.

We are members of the Welsh Homing Union and as such abide by their regulations regarding the welfare of our Doves. This includes loft hygeine and how we transport our Doves to events.

Stray Doves

We get a lot of calls from people who have had Doves/Pigeons turn up in their gardens; there are 3 things you can do...

1) If there is a ring on the birds leg, write down the identification number and call the Welsh Homing Union on 01443 441010, or the Royal Pigeon Racing Association 01452 713529. They will identify the owner of the bird who will then contact you with instructions on how it can be returned home.

2) Call us, and we will be sure to give the bird a good home providing you live within reasonable driving distance. If not we will try find someone who will foster the bird.

3) *Feed it and keep it! If you feed the bird for more than a couple of days, you will more than likely have a new member to your family! If you decide on this option however, try find a mate for it as these birds like company and get lonely on their own. Either go to your nearest garden centre to purchase a fantail dove, or get in touch with any of the numbers above and they will tell you where you can find a local breeder to get a mate for your new pet.

If the dove is a fantail, it is not a good idea to keep it if you have a cat. Fantails are quite slow to take off in flight, and unless you have experience in the keeping of these birds, they could suffer at the claws of any cat.

If looking around to compare Dove Release suppliers it is not just the cost that you need to consider. How well are the Doves looked after? If well cared for, this will certainly show up on your photographs.

You will want pure white Doves in full feather. An easy check to ensure you are getting well looked after Doves is to enlarge the images on websites. If the Doves have any flights or tail feathers missing they are being used during the moult, which is not comfortable for them. Any ruffled or darker tail feathers or brown staining suggests the Doves are kept in cramped unhygeinic lofts. This will show up on your photographs and ruin the memories of something so special.

The image you see on the top header of every page, is in the Dove world absolute perfection, thats what you want to see. (the full image can be seen on our image gallery page

DIY Dove Release

Please be aware that to purchase Doves from pet stores or garden centres to release on your occasion will not be the same as using a trained Rock Dove, and is cruel. Most of these Doves have little or no homing instinct and unless the birds are trained by a professional, once released they will perish in the wild! Another thing to avoid is to use a company that will offer to send or deliver your Doves for self release. This shows that the birds have not been trained and may not find their way home, and they usually arrive after travelling overnight in a small cardboard box with no food, water or after care. These Doves will look awful on your photographs.....that is assuming they have not flown away whilst you are transfering them from the box into your baskets ready for your event!

As well as this, the release will not be as effective if not done by someone who is used to handling Doves, crowds of excited people and busy photographers!

NB: Anyone using fantail/garden doves (or any untrained birds) could find themselves prosecuted by the RSPCA for cruelty.

Wedding venues & funeral directors are now becomng aware of this practice and the "dove release" may be reported as the Doves just hang around the grounds until they either starve or become cruely killed by hawks.

The RSPCA will be informed of anyone releasing such birds into the wild.

We have a few fantails amongst our flock; these have been rescued following irresponsible release at weddings/funerals. We have given them a good home, and they are happy to stay with us. We will under no circumstances use these for display purposes, as unlike our rock doves, will not stretch their wings during a fly home, so we consider this not to be in the best interest of the dove. Also as their tails are very large and bushy, it could cause discomfort when they try to move within the confines of a small space.

There was a case just recently where the father of the bride arranged a "dove release" at Castell Coch. The Doves were purchased from a local breeder and let out of a basket to fly straight onto the rooftop - the wedding guests were horrified, and the family was reported to the RSPCA by the groundsman of the castle.

We would advise you not to have doves at your wedding if your budget will not stretch to you using the services of a professional, legal company.

Environmentally Friendly too!

We use recycled wood to build many of our lofts and to insulate the interior of all our lofts. The manure is collected and used on allotments to help grow flowers and vegetables.

If the bird is injured please do call us; Rod has a "hospital wing" within his pigeon lofts where we keep birds that cannot fly because of injury and old age pigeons that have no desire, or are too old to fly! They still get looked after, and have an aviary for fresh air.

* if this is not a wild bird, it is more than likely not used to eating meat, so the best food would be uncooked rice, corn, peas, lentils or bread (in very small pieces) always accompanied by clean drinking water. Once a month you can put fresh garlic in their water (just soak whole cloves in a large container and use to top up) and alternate this with a few drops of cider vinegar and let them stay on it for a week. This will help keep them healthy inside and out.

Lovey Dovey UK

White Dove Release Services - To Celebrate Life's Precious Moments!