Detailed Explanation of Key Technical Points for Breeding and Raising Meat Pigeons
I. Getting Pairing Right
Young pigeons reach sexual maturity at around 5 months of age and begin courtship behavior, at which point pairing starts. When pairing, the following issues should be noted:
① Prevent early mating. Sexual maturity does not equal physical maturity. To prevent early mating, young pigeons aged 3 to 4 months should be raised with males and females separated. Generally, by 6 months of age, the body has fully developed and can mate and reproduce normally.
② For newly established pigeon farms, 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 pair up, causing losses in production.
③ For cage-raised meat pigeons, artificial pairing is practiced by manually placing selected male and female pigeons in one cage to let them approach each other and pair for breeding. The method is to place one pair of breeding pigeons in a cage, first separating them with a wire mesh in the middle, so they can see each other through the partition window and become familiar with each other. After a few days, when the male and female pigeons become close, the partition window is removed and they are paired. Otherwise, they will fight.
II. Getting Egg Laying, Incubation and Brooding Right
Under normal circumstances, 2 eggs are laid consecutively per clutch. Generally, the first egg is laid at noon or in the evening on the first day, no egg is laid on the second day, and the second egg is laid after noon on the third day, with a time difference of 48 hours. Pigeon eggs are white, oval-shaped, weighing about 15 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 sitting on the eggs, and the incubation period is about 18 days. After 4 to 5 days, the first candling can be done. Hold the egg against a bright light; if red-brown blood vessels are visible inside, evenly distributed in a spider-web pattern, and the shape is stable, it is a fertilized egg. By the 10th day, candle again with a light. If one side of the egg is dark and the other side shows a relatively bright 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 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 all-milk feeding; afterward, they switch to feeding the parent pigeons' food that has been soaked and softened in the crop. Squabs grow very quickly. At hatching, they weigh 18 to 20 grams, and after 2 to 3 days their weight can double. At about 7 days they open their eyes, at about 10 days uneven feathers grow all over the body, and at about 20 days the body is fully covered with feathers. They begin to peck food on their own. At 23 to 25 days, the squab can reach over 550 grams and can be sold as a commodity.
III. Getting Prevention of Predators Right
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 love to eat pigeon eggs and squabs. Cats 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 daily, and problems must be solved promptly. Do a good job of rodent control.