Which meat pigeon breed is the best and largest for farming? What is the price per pair?

Meat pigeon

Meat pigeons have excellent food value and medicinal value, and enjoy the reputation among the people of "one pigeon beats nine chickens," so meat pigeons are very popular among consumers in the poultry products market. Raising meat pigeons is an emerging farming industry that has developed in China over the past few decades, and because of the large market demand, it has become a way for farmers to get rich.

I

Excellent breeds of meat pigeons

Meat pigeons havethe characteristics of heavy body weight, poor flying ability, early sexual maturity, fast reproduction, being mainly raised for meat and egg production, fast growth of squabs, a short feeding cycle, and high feed conversion efficiency. There are many kinds of meat pigeons, and now a brief introduction to famous meat pigeon breeds at home and abroad is given below to help everyone make the right choice. Raising excellent breeding pigeons is a prerequisite for accelerating squab production and improving the efficiency of a pigeon farm.

Excellent domestic meat pigeon breeds

Kilogram pigeon

This breed is produced in Kunming and has the bloodline of Homer and other pigeons; it weighs about 1 kilogram, hence the name kilogram pigeon.It has strong adaptability, strong stress resistance, and strong flying ability. Young pigeons grow quickly in the early stage, mature early, fatten easily, and save feed.The body shape is somewhat long, mostly slate gray, and there are also other feather colors.

Shiqi pigeon

Produced in Shiqi Town, Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China.Strong reproductive capacity, producing 7-8 pairs of squabs per year, but itseggshells are relatively thin and easily broken during incubation.Adult male pigeons weigh 750-800 grams, female pigeons 650-700 grams, and four-week-old squabs can reach 600 grams. Shiqi pigeons have many feather colors, with white being the best quality.

Yao'an meat pigeon

Produced in Yaoning, Yunnan, it is a small-to-medium-sized meat pigeon,early maturing, with strong adaptability, weighing 600-750 grams,with high feed conversion efficiency and tolerance to coarse feed。

Excellent foreign meat pigeon breeds

King pigeon

The King pigeon originated in the United States, and common types include the White King pigeon and Silver King pigeon.The White Feather King pigeon is one of the meat breeding pigeons with the best production performance in China.Adult male pigeons weigh 750-900 grams, and female pigeons weigh 650-750 grams. They lay 9-10 pairs of eggs per year, raise 6-8 pairs of squabs, and four-week-old squabs average 620 grams.

King pigeon K strain (American Utility King pigeon)

The King pigeon K strain is a hybrid improved breed of the King pigeon,with many feather colors, strong production performance, a short cycle, and tolerance to coarse feed.Adult pigeons weigh 500-750 grams. Squabs are small in size, weighing about 500 grams at four weeks of age.

French ground pigeon (Mondain pigeon)

Large in size, poor at flying, fond of walking. Adult pigeons weigh about 1000 grams per year, produce 6-8 pairs of squabs per year, and four-week-old squabs can reach 750 grams. This pigeon is roughly divided into three types:crested type, flat-headed type, and feathered-leg type (divided into two kinds: feathered and unfeathered).

Homer pigeon (Large Cropper pigeon)

Originally from Belgium and the United Kingdom. The large Homer bred in the United States in 1920 is the best. Adult pigeons can reach 1000 grams, and four-week-old squabs weigh 600 grams.The disadvantage is that the number of clutches laid is small, 5-6 pairs per year. Pure Homer pigeons weigh less than large Homers, 800-900 grams, and produce 7-8 pairs of squabs per year.

Carneau pigeon (Red pigeon)

Produced in Belgium and France. Weight is 700-900 grams.Strong reproductive capacity, producing about 10 pairs of squabs per year.Fond of flocking, poor adaptability, and poor disease resistance.Pure red feathers are considered precious, while pure white and pure yellow are both top grade.Strong brooding instinct, with a high fertilization and hatching rate.

Runt pigeon (Roman pigeon)

Originally from Italy, it is the largest among meat pigeon breeds, with a weight of up to 1200-1500 grams, and four-week-old squabs can reach 800 grams.Relatively strong reproductive capacity,laying 8-10 pairs of eggs per year, but because of its large body size,the fertilization rate and hatching rate are low, so its production efficiency as a commercial squab is not great, butit is better for breeding other new varieties.

II

Analysis of the value of meat pigeons

1. Food and medicinal value of meat pigeons

Squabs are not only tender in meat and delicious in taste, but alsohigh in nutritional value, very suitable for the nutritional needs of the human body, and are a high-grade tonic,with relatively high medicinal value. As early as more than 400 years ago, one of the main raw materials of the prepared Chinese patent medicine "Wuji Baifeng Wan," Baifeng, referred to the meat and bones of pigeons.

2. Economic value of meat pigeons

(1) Raising meat pigeons gives relatively high economic returns. According to surveys, a comparison was made between raising a pair of breeding pigeons and raising a laying hen or a fattening pig. Raising a pair of meat pigeons can yield a profit of 99.5 yuan a year, 22 yuan more than raising a fattening pig, and 2.2 times higher than the annual profit of raising a laying hen.

According to surveys, farmers raise100 pairsof breeding pigeons each year, and selling squabs can earn 600-800 yuan per month,with an annual net income of 7000-9000 yuan. If excellent squabs are further bred and sold as breeding stock, the value is even more considerable.

(2) Raising meat pigeons requires relatively little investment, has a short feeding cycle, and turns over quickly.A pair of breeding pigeons canreproduce for 5 years, while breeding chickens can only be used for 1-2 years; squabs of meat pigeons generallyat 25-30 days of agecan be marketed, while a meat-type chick needs 50-60 days to be marketed; the feed conversion ratio for weight gain of squabs is2：1, while the feed conversion ratio for weight gain of fattening pigs is 4:1, twice as high as that of squabs. From this it can be seen that the annual cost of raising meat pigeons is low.

(3) It can increase export supply and earn foreign exchange.Raising meat pigeons for export, with an ever-expanding market, can earn foreign exchange and support national construction.

(4) Comprehensive utilization of pigeon manure.After fermentation, pigeon manure can be used tofeed pigs, and can save concentrated feed for pig raising. Pigeon manure is also a very goodorganic fertilizer, and is a high-quality fertilizer for growing flowers.

III

Market analysis of meat pigeons

Since the recovery of China's pigeon industry in 2000, it has developed rapidly. There are more than 1200 pigeon farms of a certain scale in China, with more than 10 million pairs of breeding pigeons in stock. Demand for squabs continues to grow, showing a situation of prosperity in both production and sales.

Although the number raised decreased in 2001, demand for squabs remained strong, causing a shortage of market resources.Shanghai, Guangdong, Hainan, and Hong Kong and Macao, China need more than 100 million squabs each year, and other major cities such as Beijing consume more than 2 million squabs annually, while the squabs currently available to supply the market are less than half of that.

Foreign trade exports have recovered, with annual exports of frozen squabsof more than 2000 tons，The pigeon farming industry has the characteristics of low investment, low cost, quick results, and high income, and is one of the relatively profitable projects in current livestock production.

Profit guide for beginners raising meat pigeons

01

Pay attention to the source farm for breeding pigeon introduction

Introducing breeding stock is the first step in raising meat pigeons well. For entrepreneurs raising meat pigeons for the first time, it is best to visit several pigeon farms and make a comprehensive understanding of thebreeding pigeons, scale, technology, equipment, and reputationof the source farm, and then choose the most ideal partner.

The source farm is best a large-scale pigeon farm, which, in addition to excellent breeding stock, also has complete production support facilities and advanced meat pigeon breeding technology. This not only ensures good breeds, but also allows you to learn advanced technology, enabling the pigeon farm to develop continuously and steadily.

02

Make preparations before introducing breeding stock

(1) First buy two books onmeat pigeon breeding and disease preventionand read them carefully, so as to understand pigeon breeding and disease prevention, etc.

(2) Investigate in advancethe local meat pigeon market, such as: outlets for meat pigeon products, prices, etc.

(3) Determine thepigeon farm site, and you can choose abandoned factory buildings, schools, etc. (to save construction costs).

(4) Buildthe pigeon housein advance, so that production can be put into operation directly after introducing breeding stock.

03

Rely on leading enterprises and establish a stable contractual relationship with them

This caneffectively reduce market risk and ensure no loss.Enterprises generally implement one-stop service, and for new breeding households, this canwell relieve worries about breeding technology, feed, and sales, allowing them to devote all their energy to breeding and increase economic benefits.