What preparatory work is needed in the early stages of meat pigeon farming?
Preparation of the pigeon farm and housing
Meat pigeons are afraid of dampness, stuffy heat, and predators. For ease of management and disease prevention, pigeon farms with the means to do so should choose a location that is dry, well-ventilated, well-lit, conveniently accessible, pollution-free, and noise-free. There are many types of pigeon houses, commonly including double-cage houses, single-cage houses, group-rearing styles, and open-shed pigeon cages. The orientation is best facing south or southeast.
Pigeon farms without the means can adapt to local conditions and make do with what is available, using old factory buildings or warehouses for conversion. Once farming succeeds and there is an economic foundation, further development can be pursued.
Preparation of pigeon cages and equipment
Ready-made pigeon cages are available on the market. For small farmer-style pigeon farms, galvanized mesh can be purchased to make them at home. A homemade pigeon cage is 180 cm long, 50 cm high, and 60 cm deep, divided by a partition net into 3 small compartments, with 1 pair raised in each compartment. The bottom net has a spacing of 1 cm; the lower half of the rear net, partition net, and side nets have a spacing of 1.5 cm; the front net and top net can have larger spacing.
Pigeon equipment includes feed troughs, water cups, egg trays, grit cups, etc. These can be bought as a set or made at home using basins and bottles.
Preparation of pigeon-raising techniques
Improving the reproduction rate, survival rate, and first-grade product rate of meat pigeons is the key to ensuring success in pigeon farming. This requires solving the talent problem in pigeon-raising techniques in advance: whether to hire from outside or train internally. If training internally, arrange for personnel or go yourself to a proper pigeon farm for training. Without the means, you need to buy a large number of professional books, newspapers, and magazines on pigeon raising for self-study. You can also study in the columns of this website's online school such as "Meat Pigeon Knowledge Lecture" and the electronic publication "Pigeon Raising Technique Collection" to continuously improve and enrich your pigeon-raising skills.
Preparation of pigeon feed
Pigeons have no gallbladder and mainly eat plant-based feed, preferring pelleted feed such as corn, paddy rice, wheat, and beans. This requires formulating feed according to local crop resources. However, because the varieties and quality of raw grain are inconsistent, feed stability is poor, pigeons are picky eaters, and the nutritional composition is often not comprehensive or reasonable enough, affecting meat pigeon production. Therefore, pigeon farms with the means should consider purchasing a pellet machine to make their own meat pigeon pellet feed. They can also buy professional meat pigeon feed on the market.
Preparation for disease prevention in pigeon farming
Meat pigeons have relatively strong disease resistance, but with the rapid development of the pigeon industry and frequent introduction and trade circulation of pigeons, the incidence of disease is increasing day by day. To prevent and treat pigeon Newcastle disease, pigeon plague, ornithosis, pigeon salmonellosis, and pigeon trichomoniasis, it is necessary to keep antibacterial drugs, disinfectants, deworming drugs, and other medicines on hand.
Preparation for introducing breeding pigeons
Before introducing breeding stock, it is necessary to comprehensively and multidirectionally understand the supply sources of meat pigeon breeding stock and master the basic knowledge of selecting breeding pigeons. The principles are: purchase from units qualified to deal in breeding stock, adhere to the principles of comparing quality, price, and service, and insist on purchasing from nearby sources. Ensure good control over the quality, price, and structure of breeding pigeons. For newly established pigeon farms, introduction should be done gradually in batches, progressively expanding and optimizing the scale and structure of breeding pigeons.