Winter Housing For Doves

Question
Hello Stacie-

I got a pair of ring neck doves this past summer who are currently living on my screened in porch.  I was debating on bringing them in the house for the winter or leaving them in
their aviary on the screened in porch.
If this is a possibility what is the best way to winterize
their enclosure so they can stay warm. Their aviary is
6Lx7Hx3D and I live in Ohio where it can get very cold.
Thank You,
Kelly
PS Also I was wondering if you know the best place to buy large dove cages?

Answer
Hi, Kelly,

I'm not Stacie...Stacie sent your question to the question pool and I picked it up from there.

I also live in Ohio and have kept pigeons/doves for over 15 years.  I have always kept my birds outside in a loft in the winter time with no heat.  As long as the birds can find shelter from the wind, they will be just fine outside on your screened-in porch.  My birds actually love to sit out in the sunlight in their flight cage even when it's very cold outside, but they usually will go inside the loft when the wind starts blowing hard.  Of course, I close them off from accessing their flight cage during the night, but that's usually to keep them safe from predators that roam around in the dark.  I've even seen them playing in the snow!

You can find a variety of large cages from Drs. Foster and Smith (www.drsfostersmith.com).  There are many places to buy large cages from...try Googling "bird cages" on the internet.  I prefer to make my own cages so I can have a cage exactly the way I want it and of the correct size.  

Chrys