Fantails have become a very popular breed, Both with the fancier and the person who just wants a few to flutter around the garden. They are easy to care for and will become tame. They spend most of their day about the garden, returning to their home each night.

 

Fantails can be housed in a number of ways, the most attractive being a dove cote. These come in to forms the wall cote or a pole cote. As their name suggests the wall cote is fixed to a wall and the pole cote stands on a pole. The problem with both of these is that they are hard to clean out and you have no control over the birds. If you wish to ring our examine young birds you will need a good pair of ladders.

 

Fantails can be kept in a aviary, whilst it is much easier to clean the birds loose the freedom of fight which they do enjoy. I have tried a number of ways over the years and have found that for me the best way is a small aviary about 6'x3'x6'. Each morning the birds are let out and the door left open, this allows them freedom and at the same time you are able to check any young birds their may be. Each night the door is closed, this keeps them safe over night and allows you to handle any that you need to. A shed or out building could also be adapted and used in the same way.

 

What ever way you choose be it aviary shed or out building it will need to be fitted with a few items. The first one being shelves for the birds to roost on. These can be very basic lengths of wood about 4'' wide fixed a various heights. The next item if you intend to breed you fantails, are nest boxes. Again these can be very basic and made from almost any thing, i have found that the best way to make them is out of planks of 4''x1'' timber. A box is them made that measures 12''x4''x4''. The entrance hole needs to be about 4''x4''.

 

It is important that the birds are contained in their new homes for at leats three weeks or they may not return once they have been allowed out.

 

Fantails are as easy to feed as they are to house. They should be fed on a staple diet of mixed pigeon corn this normally contains corn,wheat, lentils and pulses. they will also enjoy the occasional piece of bread. Water should always be available and you will be surprised at how much they can drink. As well as drinking water they will also enjoy a bath, this helps to keep their feathers in good condition. Grit should also be made available as this will aid digestion.

 

Members of the pigeon family are notoriously difficult to sex. The only sure way of telling is by watch their behaviour.

 

The male tends to be slightly larger than the female,with a shorter and bolder head. The female has a slender head and neck, as a result this tends to make her beak appear longer than the males. The male is more showy than the female and coos more loudly paretically in the courtship when the male will turn 360 degrees over and over again in front of the female in an attempt to impress her. It is the male that will bring all the twigs to make a nest and sit inside the nest box cooing to attract a female.

 

After a while you get an eye for sexing and just when you think you have got it right a bird comes along and fools you.

 

Once your fantails have become established they will start to form pairs. The male will be seen strutting and cooing round the female, this may go on for days until the female is impressed. Once they have formed a boned it will last for life. The male will choose a nest site and with the females approval he will start to collect nesting material. This is normally small twigs and he may spend days until the pair feel that they have made a nice cup shaped nest.

 

After a day or so of completion the female will lay her first egg she will then lay a further egg they next day and then incubation will start. Both the male and female will take part in the incubation that lasts for about 19 days. The young hatch blind and covered in yellow fluff, they soon grow and at the age of about 3 weeks they will leave the nest. If all has gone well the parents will already have another clutch of eggs.

 

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