A Detailed Guide to Pigeon Keeping Methods and Breeding Stock Selection Techniques

Pigeons are a very common kind of bird in our lives, distributed all over the world and widely kept. What we usually call pigeons is one type of domestic pigeon among the hundreds of species in the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae, and among domestic pigeons, the most common is the homing pigeon, which can mainly be used for speed flying and delivering messages. Humans have been keeping pigeons for thousands of years. Pigeons are good at flying, small and agile in body, and their feathers come in various colors. They mainly feed on grain, are easy to tame, and are very suitable for living alongside humans. So how should we go about keeping pigeons?

1. Selection of breeding pigeons

Pigeon keeping can be divided into two main categories: ornamental and meat use. Ornamental pigeons are mainly white pigeons, fairy pigeons, tiger pigeons, black-capped pigeons and so on; their feathers are beautiful and glossy in color and their bodies are small and exquisite, making them very suitable to be kept as ornamental pigeons. Meat pigeons, on the other hand, are mainly the Mondain, King and Carneau pigeons, all of which are among the world's famous meat-type pigeon breeds; they are generally larger in size and heavier in weight, and are suitable for eating.

When selecting breeding stock, you should choose breeds suitable for local keeping. The weight of a breeding pigeon is generally around 1.5 jin. Pigeons that are too fat will crush the pigeon eggs. Breeding pigeons should also have relatively strong reproductive capacity, generally needing to reach a standard of more than six pairs of squabs produced per year.

2. Feeding pigeons

Pigeons generally feed mainly on grain. Pigeon feed usually takes the form of mixed grains, commonly including wheat, sorghum, corn, peas, buckwheat and so on. When feeding, note that you should choose at least two kinds of feed to mix together for feeding, and during training an extra portion of mixed grains should be added.

There is also a fairly wide choice of supplementary foods for pigeons, such as green vegetables, cabbage, wheat sprouts, or special green feed or mineral feed for pigeons, and so on. Pigeons need to be fed twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, with an interval of roughly ten hours. Generally, the amount of feed fed to each adult pigeon per day should reach about fifty grams. The amount fed in the morning accounts for roughly one third of the whole day's feed, and the afternoon feeding should account for about two thirds. During training, a little more feed can be added appropriately. In order to make it convenient to train pigeons in the habit of returning to the loft automatically after training, the feed is generally given only after the pigeons have returned to the loft.

3. Management of pigeons

The pigeon loft should be built in a dry, well-ventilated place that can receive sunlight. In ordinary times, good work must be done on the prevention and control of pigeon diseases, especially diseases such as pigeon plague and pigeon pox, which are extremely harmful to pigeon keeping. When disease is found, isolation should be carried out promptly to prevent the disease from spreading and infecting others. Sick pigeons should be treated promptly, and healthy pigeons should also be protected from infection.

It is best to establish a reasonable vaccine immunization plan, receiving vaccines on time and in the right amounts, to prevent trouble before it happens. At the same time, in daily life, attention should be paid to cleaning the pigeon loft, with frequent disinfection to prevent the breeding of germs.

The above is what the Tuliu.com editor has brought you on how to select breeding stock and how to keep them. We hope it is helpful to you.