Construction Plan and Equipment Introduction for Meat Pigeon Breeding Greenhouses
When it comes to pigeons, I believe everyone is very familiar with them, because they are a relatively common type of bird in daily life. Pigeons have many uses and value; they can not only be kept for enjoyment, but can also be eaten, and their taste is very delicious, with extremely high nutritional value. So do you know how to raise meat pigeons? How should a greenhouse for raising meat pigeons be built?
Construction Plan for Meat Pigeon Breeding Greenhouses
1. Double-row pigeon house
The roof truss usually adopts a gable style, with the north eave 2.5 m high and the south eave about 2.8 m high; if fiberglass tiles or asbestos tiles are used for a flat roof, attention should be paid to reinforcement and leak sealing to prevent attacks from tornadoes, typhoons and storms. The depth of the pigeon house is 2.2 m, and there must be a 0.8—0.9 m wide operating aisle in the exact center, with drainage ditches around it. The pigeon cages face each other, and there can be 3-layer or 4-layer cage houses; outside the cages, it is best to hang tarpaulins from the top to the ground. In winter, the tarpaulins can be lowered for warmth, and in other seasons they can be rolled up to achieve ventilation and light transmission.
The outer perimeter and upper layer of the cages are wire mesh, and the side facing the operating aisle is provided with wooden doors or bamboo-and-wood [doors]. Feed troughs and health sand cups are hung on the cage doors, making feeding and observation convenient. To facilitate water supply and washing, a full-length water trough should be installed on the outer side of the cages. The cages are 60 cm wide, 60 cm deep and 55 cm high; there is no partition between the upper, middle and lower 3 layers of cages, and the bottom of the lowest layer is about 20—50 cm above the ground. If each row of cage houses is a 3-layer cage house, the length is generally 18—21 m.
2. Single-row pigeon house
The structure of the single-row pigeon house is basically similar to that of the double-row pigeon house. In the single-row pigeon house, pigeon cages are placed only on the sunny side, while the shady side is built with a brick wall with several windows, which is the difference from the double-row type. The advantages of the single-row pigeon house are that it faces south, so there is ample sunlight, good ventilation, and warmth in winter. However, its disadvantage is that the breeding capacity per unit area is half that of the double-row type and it occupies more land.
What Equipment Is There for Meat Pigeon Breeding
Pigeon-raising equipment generally includes nest bowls, feed troughs, drinkers, health sand bowls, perches, bath basins, pigeon-catching nets, leg bands, bedding, pairing cages and squab transport cages, etc.
Prospects for Meat Pigeon Breeding
Meat pigeon breeding has a short cycle, low cost, quick returns and high benefits. It is a breeding industry with great development prospects and also a good project for getting rich quickly.
The cost of raising meat pigeons is much lower than that of raising meat chickens. Counting from when the parent pigeon lays eggs, after 17-18 days of incubation, the squabs can be sold after 24 days of brooding, so the raising period is extremely short. One breeding pigeon consumes 40 grams of feed per day, and one lactating pigeon consumes 75 grams of feed per day. From hatching to sale at 30 days of age, a squab consumes a total of 1000-1500 grams of feed, so the amount of feed used is very economical. In addition, protein feed is currently expensive; the protein proportion in meat chicken feed is as high as about 20%, while the protein proportion in meat pigeon feed only needs 13%. If meat pigeons are raised intensively on a large scale, their feed cost is clearly lower than that of meat-type chicks.
The incubation period of pigeons is 17-18 days. The squabs are first fed pigeon milk from the crops of the parent pigeons, then gradually transition from half milk and half grain to feeding on soaked grain. Meat-type squabs grow extremely fast, and at 25-30 days of age their body weight can reach 500-700 grams. Taking each pair of breeding pigeons producing 6 pairs per year as an example, at the purchase price currently offered by foreign trade departments, after deducting feed costs, medicine costs and management fees, raising one pair of breeding pigeons can yield a profit of 100-150 yuan per year. If squabs are selected and bred, and sold as reserve breeding pigeons at 2-5 months of age, the profit is even greater.
Feeding and Management of Meat Pigeons
1. Feed formulation: Pigeons have the habit of being picky eaters. For a daily ration made by mixing multiple feeds together, the order in which they eat the feed is: mung beans→peas→wheat→corn→soybeans→rice→sorghum, etc. Therefore, it is best to formulate pellet feed to avoid insufficient intake of certain nutrients caused by picky eating. At the same time, certain components of the feed ingredients should be increased or decreased according to changes in season and production cycle. Summer is hot, so add mung beans to clear heat and reduce internal fire; winter is cold, so add hemp seed to increase the energy value of the feed; during the molting period, add rapeseed to shorten the molting time. When formulating feed, attention should be paid to the balance of animal protein, especially essential amino acids. Animal protein is very important for the egg production, fertilization rate and hatchability of pigeons, as well as the weight of 28-day-old squabs.
2. Feeding method: feed 3 times a day, at fixed times and in fixed amounts. For feeding times, it is mostly adopted at 7:30 in the morning, 2:00 at noon, and 6:00 in the evening; the feeding amount is: about 40 grams per pair of pigeons during the non-breeding period. During the breeding period, it is best not to interrupt feed. If pellet feed is not used, before feeding, first soak the feed in warm water (about 40°C) for 30 minutes, then dry it slightly before feeding, which is beneficial to the digestion of squabs.
3. Formulation and provision of health sand: the quality and intake of health sand directly affect the growth, development and reproduction of pigeons. During the breeding period, the formula of health sand (%): river sand 35, yellow mud 20, shell powder 15, salt 5, lime 2, poultry multivitamin 2, gentian 0.5, gypsum powder 2, eggshell powder 2, bone meal 2, charcoal powder 6, fish meal 5, licorice 1, growth hormone 1.5, oxytetracycline calcium salt 0.6, yeast tablets 0.4. Pigeons like to eat fresh, dry health sand, so health sand is best provided once a day.
The above is a summary compiled by the editor about greenhouse construction methods and feeding techniques for meat pigeons. I hope it can be helpful to everyone! As is well known, pigeons are a very delicious and nutritious food. Many people eat pigeons to regulate the body and supplement nutrition, and they are often in short supply on the market, so breeding meat pigeons is also one of the relatively promising breeding projects!