What are the reasons pigeons stop laying eggs?
China has a long history of pigeon farming. In ancient times, homing pigeons were mainly raised to carry messages, but today information technology is advanced and homing pigeons are no longer needed, yet more and more people are raising pigeons. This is because of the breeding of meat pigeons: meat pigeons are delicious and nutritious, and are deeply loved by people. However, many breeders find that their pigeons stop laying eggs. Pigeon eggs are mainly used to hatch squabs, and their eggs are extremely important to a farm. So what are the reasons pigeons stop laying eggs? Let's take a look with Qinnong.com.
1. Older pigeon age
After a pigeon reaches 7 years of age, its body begins to age, especially its reproductive function, which declines or disappears, thus causing it to stop laying eggs or lay fewer eggs. Generally, this situation does not occur on ordinary farms; breeders usually cull and replace breeding pigeons when the pigeons are around 5 years old, to keep the breeding pigeons young and vigorous.
2. Molting period
Pigeons generally have a molting period every year. During molting, pigeons consume a large amount of energy and nutrients, so they usually stop laying eggs at this time to ensure successful molting. High-yielding pigeons have a short molting duration, while low-yielding pigeons have a long molting duration. At this time, pay attention to nutrient supply to speed up their molting.
3. Disease
Many diseases can cause pigeons to stop laying, such as Newcastle disease, pigeon pox, candidiasis, respiratory diseases and other infectious diseases, as well as inflammation of the reproductive tract. These diseases have a low mortality rate, but they affect the health of pigeons and cause them to stop laying. Therefore, during rearing, pay attention to the hygiene of the pigeon house and strengthen disease prevention and control.
4. Nutritional problems
Both overnutrition and malnutrition can cause pigeons to stop laying. With overnutrition, feed should be restricted, the amount of feed given should be reduced, and the supply of nutrients such as bone meal and cod liver oil should be reduced or stopped. With malnutrition, feeding should be strengthened, the amount of feed increased, the proportion of high-quality feed raised, the supply of protein and vitamins ensured, and the number of feedings increased.
5. Improper medication
Vaccination and improper medication can both cause pigeons to stop laying. Vaccination during the growing period of pigeons can cause them to stop laying, so vaccination is best done before they are placed in cages for pairing. When using drugs to prevent and treat diseases or to promote growth, pay attention to the characteristics of the drugs. For example, chloramphenicol and sulfonamide drugs can cause pigeons to stop laying, and such drugs must be prohibited for use on pigeons, regardless of whether they are beneficial to pigeon growth.
The above are the reasons pigeons stop laying eggs brought to you by Qinnong.com. That is all for the introduction to the reasons pigeons stop laying. If you want to learn more, please stay tuned to Qinnong.com.