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brendan_670 New user 26 Posts 
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I have a ringneck dove and am wondering how long their tails should be after I trim it.
Thanks, Brendan |
Maro Anglero Loyal user FLORIDA 248 Posts
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I trim off an inch and I have a dove video that says to put all the tail feathers together then trim it, I don't like to do that, I open the tail then trim it round, to me it looks much better. Again my opinion.
Maro
For the Magician: The hard must become habit, The habit must become easy, The easy must become Beautiful
Doug Henning |
Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4864 Posts
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Personally, the only time I trim the tail is to neaten it up. Sometimes after sitting in the cage, the tail gets a little frazzled. I never just trim to shorten it up. You can trim the tail down to the tip of the wing but when it's produced, I think a nice tail spread is just as important as flapping wings.
You have to ask yourself why you are trimming the tail. If it's just so it fits into a prop then as I've mentioned before, you can gently bend the tail down under the body if necessary. You can also look for a better prop. Manufacturers tend to build props for magicians, not to make the dove comfortable.
Where the magic begins
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Bob Sanders 1945 - 2024 Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts
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Why are you trimming tails on heathly birds? Get harnesses that fit!
Bob Sanders Magic By Sander |
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brendan_670 New user 26 Posts
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Quote:
On 2006-03-08 20:58, Bob Sanders wrote: The reason I am trimming it is because when I got them, they were in a small cage, and their tail was very frized at the ends. I only trimmed about 1/4 of an inch off. Also, is their anything I can do to make their tails so they don't friz out so much at the end? I know that a big cage will help this but I have a big enough cage for them. |
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Bob Sanders 1945 - 2024 Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts
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Brendan,
You are asking a very reasonable question. What has helped my problem there is cutting a piece of hardware cloth and putting it flat on the inside bottom of the cage. (My cage bottoms are 18"x24".) The hardware cloth I use has 1/2" x 1/2" squares. If for some reason it ever becomes rusty, just start over. It will really help you keep clean, straight dove tails. It is also cheaper than a new cage! Enjoy your dove magic. Bob Sanders Magic By Sander |
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4864 Posts
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The tails often become frizzed if they can touch the sides of the cage while they are perching. The cage should be large enough and the perches located in such a way so this can't happen.
Where the magic begins
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brendan_670 New user 26 Posts
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Quote:
On 2006-03-11 12:39, Bob Sanders wrote: I just picked up some hardware cloth and want to paint it. What kind of paint is safe to use? Dave, Their tails don't touch to sides when they are perched, but thanks for making sure. |
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4864 Posts
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Brendan, the tails can also become frizzled from flying within the cage. In those cases, just trim a very small amount of feathers to make them even. If you squeeze tail together left to right at the tip, you can trim just a bit and make all the feathers even. This will give them a square tail which isn't a bad thing. You can round off the end feathers if you want. This is the only time I would trim a tail feather. Never to make it short enough to fit in a prop.
Also, if you get a chance to watch the Shimada videos, look at the tails on his birds. At the production, they look fine but if you examine the tail, you'll see they are really frizzled.
Where the magic begins
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Bob Sanders 1945 - 2024 Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts
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Brendan,
The hardware cloth I get is galvanized. That will outlast paint with bird droppings. I don't recommend any paint. Bird droppings will eat a hole in most paints! Good Luck! Bob Magic By Sander |
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brendan_670 New user 26 Posts
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I gave the doves peanutbutter for a treat and after a while I went to take the peanutbutter out and one of them had peanutbutter all over him. Most of it was on its tail. I washed it with water first but it wouldn't come out. I used a little soap to get it out. I should have asked you guys what to do because her tail is messed up. I don't know if the soap weakened the feathers or what but, her tail featers are breaking. The other dove's tail is fine. They have a L=24' W=16' H=16' cage. Is there any way I can keep his tail from breaking?
Thanks, Brendan |
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4864 Posts
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Brendan, no major harm done. In the future, don't use soap. It washes away the natural oils on the feathers. Just spray them down with water and they'll preen themselves naturally. Don't worry about the tail feathers either. They will grow back. When giving them peanut butter, just use a small amount so they don't spread it all over.
Where the magic begins
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MrEz New user 5 Posts
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I have to add my 2 cents here and I know that it has been covered, however, would you like 1/4" of your tail clipped? And before I get flamed, I have 4 birds, although I don't use them in any of my illusions at this time, I have never clipped thier tails. Don't use any paint on the hardware cloth, or if you must, use a quality non-toxic paint. I appoligize if I rant here, but in most cases, the more I meet people, the more I love my birds.
Ok, now I'll get off my soapbox..
Not imaginings, Not optical illusions, they're, MysterEz.
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4864 Posts
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MrEz, I agree that trimming is not usually necessary however there is a little difference between trimming the doves tail and trimming a human's tail. There are no nerves or feeling in a doves tail. The feathers are hollow like straws. Trimming them in no way hurts or harms them. If I'm not using them for an immediate show, I don't trim them. They will shed the old ones and grow new ones as necessary. If however they are in a show and get their tales frizzled, then I might do a slight trim but not as a rule.
Where the magic begins
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Bob Sanders 1945 - 2024 Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts
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Quote:
On 2006-03-29 18:51, brendan_670 wrote: Brendan, when in doubt use Johnson's Baby Shampoo. But rinse, rinse, rinse. There is also something called "Show White" available from tack shops. It is in a spray can and used to touch up white points on show horses. (Or even to make teams of horses match!) The best, when it works is just plain old kitchen corn starch powder. (It will also absorb some oils.) It's OK for the doves to eat it. However it is really too dusty to appeal to them. Enjoy! Bob Sanders Magic By Sander |
Posted: Mar 8, 2006 02:34 am 