How to Raise Wild Pigeons? Master the Correct Breeding Methods

Wild pigeons are a species of undomesticated wild pigeon, commonly found in mountain forests and shrublands. They can be crossbred with domestic pigeons to cultivate new varieties. Sohow do you raise wild pigeons?

1. Site Selection and Enclosure Construction

When selecting a site, try to choose a sunny slope with good ventilation, dry conditions, and higher elevation. Set up elevated mesh cages, generally 40-60 sq m in area and 2.5-3 m in height, built with bamboo frames and bound with plastic netting. Inside the mesh cage, build a bird shelter for the turtledoves to take cover from rain and shade from the summer sun. The mesh cages of the breeding bird enclosure should be 1.5-2 m above the ground. Use bamboo or branches to make artificial trees, and set up artificial bird nests to facilitate egg-laying by the turtledoves.

2. Seed Selection

When selecting breeding birds, choose adult birds that are large-bodied, robust, disease-free, and 10 months old as breeding birds, and raise them separately. The feed should be supplemented with more foods containing protein, lecithin, and calcium to facilitate reproduction.

3. Feeding Techniques

(1) Egg-laying: Wild breeding birds generally mate and lay eggs in spring and autumn. For artificially raised wild pigeons, the method of manually injecting female birds with estrogen can be used to promote estrus within a short period, enabling them to lay eggs every month.

(2) Incubation: Collect the eggs after laying and place them in an incubator for artificial incubation. During the incubation process, adjust the temperature and relative humidity properly to ensure a hatching rate above 98% (turtledoves rarely have unfertilized eggs).

(3) Chick Management: When chicks have just hatched, pay attention to keeping them warm and provide timely drinking water. Use a potassium permanganate solution at a concentration of 2/000 as drinking water, and replace it every 4 hours. After hatching, chicks generally show foraging behavior from 6 to 8 hours. The best food choices are millet or small, easily digestible foods, and chick pellet feed can also be used. After 1 week, 20% barnyard grass seeds, rice grains, and various other plant seeds can be added to the feed ratio.

4. Later-Stage Management Techniques

(1) Disease Prevention and Control: Due to the high density of artificial breeding, infections are likely. Sanitation work inside the mesh cages should be done well, with regular disinfection, timely removal of droppings, and regular epidemic prevention. Sick birds found should be isolated for treatment, dead birds should be buried deep or burned, and all birds in that mesh cage should be disinfected.

(2) Timely Sale: Wild pigeons have a very short growth period. Artificially raised wild pigeons can generally be sold at 4 to 5 weeks of age, and they reach sexual maturity after 4 months.