A Detailed Guide to Meat Pigeon Breeding Techniques and Management Methods

Growth and Reproduction

Meat pigeons reach sexual maturity early, reproduce relatively quickly, and grow rapidly. At 5 to 6 months of age, pigeons can be paired for breeding. Each pair of breeding pigeons can produce 8 to 12 pairs of squabs per year, and squabs need only 25 to 30 days of feeding before they can be sold, reaching a body weight of 500 to 750 grams. Meat pigeon raising has a short breeding cycle, fast turnover, low investment, and quick returns. The housing and equipment required for raising meat pigeons are simple, the scale can be large or small, and feed consumption is low. Each pair of pigeons consumes no more than 100 grams of grain per day, mainly raw grains such as corn, which require no processing, are inexpensive, and are easy to obtain as feed ingredients, resulting in low feeding costs. Returns can be seen in the same month the breeding pigeons are purchased. Meat pigeons have good adaptability, few diseases, simple feeding and management techniques, and high and stable breeding income with low risk.

Building the Pigeon House

1. Pigeon House

In response to the five fears of pigeons: fear of dampness, fear of stuffiness, fear of darkness, fear of dirt, and fear of natural enemies, the housing requirements for meat pigeons are

high and dry terrain, good ventilation, ample sunlight, cleanliness and hygiene, protection from natural enemies, facing south with a deviation of 5 to 10 degrees to the east being preferable. Pigeon houses are divided into two types: (1) breeding pigeon houses, also called production pigeon houses, which can use ordinary buildings or be specially built as simple row-type pigeon houses, with multi-tiered three-dimensional pigeon cages placed inside. (2) Young pigeon houses, which can also use old buildings and are best kept in small groups. Preferably each room should be 10 to 15 sq m, with a height of 2 to 2.2 m, and the house should ideally connect to an exercise yard enclosed with wire mesh or nylon netting. Young pigeon houses do not have pigeon cages inside, only some perches, allowing the birds to live as a flock.

 2. Pigeon Cages and Pigeon Equipment

Pigeon Cages For production pigeons, cage rearing is preferable, mostly using 3 tiers, with single-cage housing. Each single cage is 50 cm wide, 50 cm deep, and 45 cm high. Inside the cage, a nest bowl rack and nest bowl are provided, and a feed trough, waterer, and health grit cup are hung on the side of the cage. Generally, 6 single cages are combined into one group, which can be made of bamboo and wood or of wire mesh and angle iron.

Pigeon Equipment: includes nest bowls, feed troughs, health grit cups, waterers, perches, leg bands, etc. Nest bowls can often be made from wooden strips or plastic fruit basins, with a diameter of 18 to 22 cm and a rim height of 4 to 5 cm, with soft dry grass and similar materials used as bedding at the bottom. Nest bowls are used by production pigeons for incubation and brooding. Leg bands, about 1 cm high and ring-shaped, with an inner diameter of 8 to 9 mm, come in plastic and lead types, printed with numbers for easy record-keeping. Generally, squabs kept for breeding should all have leg bands put on at 7 to 10 days of age.

Reproductive Performance

Pigeons lay eggs, incubate, and brood throughout the year. They reach sexual maturity at about 6 months of age, with an incubation period of 18 days and a “nursing” period of 30 days. Usually a pair of production pigeons raises 5 to 7 pairs of squabs per year. Pigeons breed according to a “monogamous” mating system. The female pigeon lays 2 eggs per clutch, that is, generally one egg is laid on the first day, another is laid the next day, and incubation begins immediately after. During incubation, the male and female pigeons take turns sitting on the nest. Each day the male pigeon takes the day shift (from 9:00 to 16:00), while the female pigeon sits from 16:00 until 9:00 the next day. During incubation, eggs must be checked manually. Generally, at 4 to 5 days of incubation, infertile eggs and dead embryo eggs should be checked and promptly removed; on the 10th day of incubation, candling should be done once more to remove dead embryo eggs. If a single pigeon egg is being incubated, the nests should be merged promptly.

Nutrition and Feed

Each pair of adult pigeons drinks 120 to 300 milliliters of water per day. The crude protein content in the feed should be 12% to 15% for young pigeons and pigeons out of production, and 15% to 18% during the breeding period. Fat content should be 3% to 5%, with supplemental multivitamins and minerals. The feed should be fresh and high quality, and feeding inferior or moldy feed is prohibited.

Health grit should be mixed and used immediately, kept fresh. The method is to crush and mix multiple ingredients and then feed them. It can be fed daily or concentrated twice a week. Each pair of pigeons consumes about 5 to 9 grams per day, totaling 3 kilograms per year.