What methods are there for introducing improved varieties of meat pigeons?

Improved-breed meat pigeons are superior varieties developed through long-term selective breeding by breeding pigeon farms. The parents of these varieties have strong reproductive capacity and good production performance; as long as parent pigeons are introduced directly, squab production can begin.

Generally, pigeon farms will not sell the original breeding stock, that is, the great-grandparent generation, of superior varieties obtained through long-term selective breeding. What buyers purchase is mostly the parent generation of improved varieties, and the parent generation cannot fully reproduce the superior traits of the previous generation. Therefore, when selecting breeding pigeons, one should comprehensively observe the external appearance and body type as well as production capacity. The feathers should be tight and glossy, and the body, legs and wings should all be free of deformities; the eyes should be bright, the iris clear, the breast keel straight without curvature, and the bird healthy and spirited. In terms of production capacity: at 25 days of age, body weight should reach more than 500 grams, and during the fattening period after 20 days of age, daily weight gain performance should be relatively good. Adult male pigeons should weigh more than 750 grams, and adult female pigeons more than 650 grams.

On the other hand, when introducing breeding stock, regional adaptability must be fully considered; climate, geographical location, feed, health grit and water quality are all factors that must be carefully compared.

Purchased breeding pigeons must be both easy to raise and have a high survival rate. Beginners often like to choose large-bodied, high-priced large varieties, but large varieties are harder to raise, have low reproduction rates, are not good at brooding, and are very difficult to raise well without sufficient experience. Beginners had best choose the White King pigeon; the White King pigeon has been raised in China for many years, and this strain has adapted to all kinds of climates in China, from Hainan Island in the south to Heilongjiang in the north, and can grow healthily in all of them.