What aspects of meat pigeon breeding and reproduction need to be done well?

1. Do a good job of pairing.

Young pigeons reach sexual maturity at about 5 months of age, begin courtship behavior, and are then paired. When pairing, the following issues should be noted: ① Prevent early mating. Sexual maturity is not the same as physical maturity. To prevent early mating, young pigeons aged 3 to 4 months should be kept with males and females separately. Generally by 6 months of age, the body has already developed fully and can mate and reproduce normally. ② For a newly established pigeon farm, it is best to introduce young pigeons aged 3 to 4 months, with equal numbers of males and females. After reaching 6 months of age, they can be paired purposefully. If the numbers of males and females are unequal or there is a gap in age, some pigeons will not be able to form pairs, causing losses in production. ③ Cage-raised meat pigeons use artificial pairing. The selected male and female pigeons are placed in one cage by human arrangement so that they become close to each other. The pairing and reproduction method is to place one pair of breeding pigeons in a cage, first separate them in the middle of the cage with wire mesh, and let them see each other through the separating window and become familiar with each other. After a few days, when the male and female pigeons are close, open the separating window and they are paired; otherwise, fighting will occur.

2. Do a good job of egg laying, incubation, and brooding

Under normal circumstances, 2 eggs are laid consecutively per clutch. Generally, when the first egg is laid on the first day, it is at noon or in the evening; there is no laying on the second day; after noon on the third day, the second egg is laid, with a time difference of 48 hours. Pigeon eggs are white, oval-shaped, weighing about 15 grams to 20 grams, and sometimes only 1 egg is laid. Incubation mostly begins after the second egg is laid. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs, and the incubation period is about 18 days. After 4 days to 5 days, the first candling can be carried out. Hold the egg against a bright light. If there are reddish-brown blood vessels inside the egg, evenly distributed, forming a spider-web pattern, and the shape is stable, it is a fertilized egg; by the 10th day, candle again with light. If one side of the egg is dark and the other side forms a brighter blank area due to the enlarged air cell, it is a normally developing egg. At about 18 days, the squab pecks through the shell and emerges. Generally, the first-laid egg hatches first, with a time difference of 12 hours. Two days to 3 days before the squab hatches, the parent pigeons prepare for brooding, and their food intake increases. After the squab hatches, the parent pigeons secrete pigeon milk in their crops, and the parent pigeons feed the squab mouth to mouth. In the first week, it is fully fed with crop milk; afterward, they are fed feed that the parent pigeons have eaten into the crop and that has been soaked and softened. Squabs grow very quickly. When just hatched, they weigh 18 grams to 20 grams; after 2 days to 3 days, their body weight can double. At about 7 days, they open their eyes; at about 10 days, uneven feathers grow all over the body; at about 20 days, the whole body is covered with feathers. They begin to peck for food on their own. At 23 days to 25 days, squabs can grow to more than 550 grams and can be sold as commercial products.

3. Do a good job of preventing natural enemies

Cats, rats, and snakes are extremely harmful to meat pigeons and are major enemies of meat pigeon farming. Snakes and rats that crawl into pigeon houses very much like to eat pigeon eggs and squabs. Cats very much like to get into pigeon houses to catch and eat squabs and young pigeons, and bite parent pigeons and breeding male pigeons. Therefore, pigeon houses and pigeon cages must be reinforced to strictly prevent cats, rats, and snakes from getting in; the number of eggs laid and changes in the number of squabs and young pigeons must be checked every day, and problems must be solved promptly when found; and rodent control work must be done well.