Early spring meat pigeon breeding management: focus on cold protection, warmth retention and disease prevention and control

Meat pigeon

    1. Cold protection and warmth retention:

    Pigeon houses should be checked regularly for cold protection equipment to ensure they do not leak rain or snow and are not attacked by cold wind. In cold weather, doors and windows should be closed tightly, and bedding with good insulation performance should be added to keep the pigeon house dry and hygienic. Arrange meat pigeon breeding reasonably; when the pigeon house temperature is below 0°C for a long time, breeding should be stopped to let the breeding pigeons rest. In the daily ration, appropriately increase energy feed. Sesame, rapeseed, etc. can be added.

    2. Drinking water temperature should be suitable:

    The drinking water amount for each meat pigeon is 25-35 ml. The water temperature should be natural water temperature, ensuring cleanliness and hygiene. Do not let them drink water that is too hot, too cold, or frozen. In severe cold weather, it is best to drink warm water of about 20°C.

    3. Scientific feeding:

    The feed is mainly beans and corn. General daily ration formula: peas 2%, corn 30%, sorghum 15%, wheat 15%, and an appropriate amount of barley, oats, millet, etc. can be mixed in. The feed in the daily ration needs to be crushed into pellets, not whole seeds or powder. In cold seasons, meat pigeons should also be supplemented with mineral feed, commonly known as “health sand.” Its formula is: shell powder 20%, fine sand 25%, red soil (or yellow mud) 30%, bone meal 10%, charcoal powder 7%, slaked lime 5%, salt 3%. Generally, a pair of meat pigeons needs about 75 grams of feed per day, fed in three times in the morning, noon and evening, and an appropriate amount of green feed such as vegetable leaves should be provided.

    4. Disease prevention and control:

    In this season, meat pigeons are prone to respiratory diseases such as cholera, colds and tracheitis, as well as infection by external parasites such as fleas and pigeon lice. Therefore, the pigeon house should be cleaned every day, and disinfected 1-2 times a month with 5% Lysol or 0.1%-0.2% benzalkonium bromide solution. Observe the pigeon flock every morning and evening, focusing on the performance and droppings of the meat pigeons. If sick pigeons are found, isolate and treat them promptly. (1) Pigeon pox: prick the pox open, then wash with boric acid water, and feed an appropriate amount of oxytetracycline at the same time. (2) Indigestion: feed half a tablet of yeast tablets to each meat pigeon. (3) Diarrhea: feed half a tablet of oxytetracycline to each meat pigeon. (4) Soft leg disease: feed bran, green feed and calcium tablets. (5) Ascariasis: deworm once every two or three months with piperazine or tetramisole.