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Reproduction Data
Abe and Sarah
Both hatched January 1999
Photo by Dr. Charlotte C. Van Hoozier
Data on this page was provided by Dr. Charlotte C. Van Hoozier
Many readers ask for information about such things as incubation periods, age at fledging, and age of sexual activity. This page provides those numbers based on data collected by Dr. Charlotte Van Hoozier for all eggs produced by her pair of silver whitetail diamonds during the year 2000.
Dr. Van Hoozier purchased two white tail diamond doves on September 18, 1999. Both doves were reported to have an age of 9 months verification of this age was impossible. Neither of the two birds were banded. These two birds began
their mating activity on January 15. 2000 and laid their first clutch of eggs between January 20th and January 22nd. The following table displays summaries of the data collected during the year.
Total number of clutches: 15
Total number if eggs laid: 30
Total number of eggs hatched in 2000: 15
Total number of eggs hatched in 2001: 2
Total number of eggs that did not hatch: 13
Total number of birds alive at fledging: 17
Total number of birds that died before fledging: 1
(This bird probably died because it was much smaller than the first baby that was hatched and did not obtain
sufficient food from the parents. Future small babies were provided with supplemental feeding).
Total number of birds living as of April 2001: 13
Total number of birds died as of April 2001: 5
Average incubation time of 1st fertile egg: 13.4 days (range 13 to 15 days)
Average incubation time of 2nd fertile egg: 11.9 days (range 11 to 12 days)
Total number of males: 9
Total number of females: 5
Total number of unknown sex: 3
Average age when eyes opened: 4.8 days (range 4 to 6 days)
Average age of fledging: 10.7 days (range 9 to 12 days)
Average age when baby was removed from the parents cage: 18.9 days
Average age of first bow coo (males): 8.8 weeks (range 5.7 to 11.5 weeks)
Average age of first egg laid (females): 16.7 weeks (range 12.1 to 21.3 weeks)
The table below shows the dates the eggs were laid and the dates they hatched.
Jan 20 - Clutch 1, egg 1 laid
Jan 22 - Clutch 1, egg 2 laid (no hatch)
Feb 06 - Clutch 1, hatch 2 (15 days)
Feb 13 - Clutch 2, egg 1 (no hatch)
Feb 14 - Clutch 2, egg 2 (no hatch)
Feb 20 - Clutch 3, egg 1 laid
Feb 22 - Clutch 3, egg 2 laid
Mar 04 - Clutch 3, hatch 1 (13 days)
Mar 05 - Clutch 3, hatch 2 (12 days, baby died in 1 day)
Mar 14 - Clutch 4, egg 1 laid
Mar 16 - Clutch 4, egg 2 laid
Mar 28 - Clutch 4, hatch 1 (14 days)
Mar 28 - Clutch 4, hatch 2 (12 days)
Apr 09 - Clutch 5, egg 1 laid
Apr 11 - Clutch 5, egg 2 laid
Apr 23 - Clutch 5, hatch 1 (14 days)
Apr 23 - Clutch 5, hatch 2 (12 days)
May 09 - Clutch 6, egg 1 laid (no hatch)
May 11 - Clutch 6, egg 2 laid (no hatch)
Jun 02 - Clutch 7, egg 1 laid
Jun 03 - Clutch 7, egg 2 laid
Jun 15 - Clutch 7, hatch 1 (13 days)
Jun 15 - Clutch 7, hatch 2 (12 days)
Jun 30 - Clutch 8, egg 1 laid
Jul 02 - Clutch 8, egg 2 laid (no hatch)
Jul 14 - Clutch 8, hatch 1 (14 days)
Jul 25 - Clutch 9, egg 1 laid
Jul 27 - Clutch 9, egg 2 laid
Aug 07 - Clutch 9, hatch 1 (13 days)
Aug 07 - Clutch 9, hatch 2 (11 days)
Aug 23 - Clutch 10, egg 1 laid
Aug 25 - Clutch 10, egg 2 laid
Sep 05 - Clutch 10, hatch 1 (13 days)
Sep 06 - Clutch 10, hatch 2 (12 days)
Sep 20 - Clutch 11, egg 1 laid (no hatch)
Sep 22 - Clutch 11, egg 2 laid (no hatch)
Oct 18 - Clutch 12, egg 1 laid
Oct 20 - Clutch 12, egg 2 laid (no hatch)
Oct 31 - Clutch 12, hatch 1 (13 days)
Nov 12 - Clutch 13, egg 1 laid (abandoned)
Nov 14 - Clutch 13, egg 2 laid (abandoned)
Nov 26 - Clutch 14, egg 1 laid
Nov 28 - Clutch 14, egg 2 laid (no hatch)
Dec 09 - Clutch 14, hatch 1 (13 days)
Dec 20 - Clutch 15, egg 1 laid
Dec 21 - Clutch 15, egg 2 laid
Jan 02 - Clutch 15, hatch 1 (13 days)
Jan 02 - Clutch 15, hatch 2 (12 days)
References
Van Hoozier, Charlotte Cox, Diamond Doves, A Year in the Life of My Diamonds, Abe and Sarah Macon, GA: Doveland Press, 2001, pp. 130
P. O. Box 367,
Tallahassee, FL 32302-0367
Last revised on: January 13, 2011