How to breed pigeons at home
Before breeding pigeons choose a suitable breed. You can buy domestic or wild birds rocks. Wild breeds will cause more problems. They need special care and also more free space must be provided. Pets adapt better to captivity and do not need special conditions of detention and food.
Bird categories
All pigeons raised in captivity can be divided into 3 separate categories:
- Decorative look. These representatives have an unusual color of plumage and exterior. There are about two hundred species of such birds and about 30 different colors. Their disadvantage is that special conditions for keeping decorative pigeons are required.
- Flying pigeons. Each variety has its own individual flight pattern. Therefore, the breeding of flying pigeons attracts more of those who like to follow the flight of birds.
- Sporty look. These birds are descendants of post pigeons. They are usually brought in to participate in tournaments to identify the fastest individuals.
Some people prefer dietary meat, for which pigeons are bred. Outwardly, it resembles game meat, but has a delicate sweetish taste. It is sometimes paired with fruits or berries.
100 grams of pigeon meat contains only 294 kcal.
How to breed pigeons depending on the conditions of detention
Before purchasing pigeons you should worry about the dovecote. Conditions of comfort must be created in it. contents with an arrival window and a perch for convenience. In him it is recommended to create an aviary for the free finding of the birds contained in it.
Since pigeons need to be kept in a warm place, even in a cold season, the temperature inside the dovecote should not fall below 10 ° C. Drafts should be excluded in it, but you need to ventilate it regularly.
To protect the bird from infectious diseases, periodically clean and disinfect the room in which they live.
Since pigeons are bred subject to cleanliness, it is recommended to clean and wash the feeders every week. Besides, rodents are dangerous for these pets, they can carry infectious diseases.
Dovecote equip so that each pigeon has a separate niche. In height it should be about 20 cm, and 40 cm wide.In such a cell, a pigeon can fit completely. Each niche should also be periodically cleaned of garbage.
How to train a pigeon to a dovecote
For the pigeons to get used to a new pigeon house needs at least 2 weeks. It is necessary that the bird first mastered the inner space of the dovecote. After that, you can little by little accustom them to the surrounding area. Give an opportunity to look at her through aviary lattice.
Then they can be released walk around the yard, having previously covered it with a net. So that the bird cannot fly away, a load should be tied to its wing or simply cut the flight feathers. AND it will be possible to release flying no earlier than in a week. Easier to accustom to pigeon houses of young chicks.
Keeping pigeons in an apartment is characterized by its own characteristics. The main difficulty is to let them fly.
Pigeon acquisition rule
Pigeons are usually bought together a female and a male. But one pigeon can be purchased. Usually, in this case he finds himself a mate himself.
The male has a larger body size.During the mating season, he performs a kind of "pas" dance next to his partner. Such a couple can be recognized by their positive attitude towards each other. After forming a pair, they stick together almost all the time.
When buying such a pair, you should pay attention that the individuals are of a standard build. There is no need to buy too small or unnaturally large.
They must have well-groomed and clean feathers, and be free from obvious defects (lameness, feathers sticking out in an unnatural way, etc.). They should also have a good appetite and excellent flying capabilities.
It is necessary to examine the wings to establish possible infestation by ticks. Weak birds, sick and infected should be discarded immediately.
Features of nesting
Reproduction of pigeons at home begins in the spring, usually in March.
Nest building
After determining the pair, you can start nesting, creating the most comfortable conditions for obtaining offspring:
- If wild pigeons are bred, then large branches should be attached near the dovecote to remind them of wild nature. This should be done because they build their nests in the branches of trees.
- It is typical for domestic pigeons to build nests in a hollow, so it is necessary to provide a place for laying eggs. Baskets installed in a room with pigeons are suitable as nests. They should be placed away from each other to create privacy conditions.
So that the dove could to form a nest, one should take care of the raw materials for it. This is primarily thin twigs. They need to be spread out over the area of the dovecote. The pigeons will arrange themselves yourself a nest. Only females are engaged in their creation. And the supply process males are engaged in materials. In addition to branches for construction, you will need dried leaves, last year's grass, scraps of thread and pieces of feathers.
Incubation period
How pigeons are bred and how long the incubation period lasts:
- It starts 7 days after they mate. Takes approximately 9 days.
- The female lays 2 eggs for about 40 hours.
- It is necessary at this time to make sure that after the appearance of the first egg, replace it with an artificial one, and only after the female has laid the second egg, return the first one.
Improve the breed, or it is possible to get other qualities if the pigeon crossing scheme is used. Moreover, it is necessary take into account the laws of heredity.
In order to determine the fact of fertilization, one should look through the egg into the light. If the egg is fertilized, a black dot surrounded by veins can be seen in it.
Hatch eggs like male and female alternately, giving the mate a chance to rest. The whole the process of incubating a clutch of eggs takes approximately 30 days.
Emergence of chicks
Chicks emerge from eggs completely blind. There are no feathers on them. At first, their parents are engaged in their nutrition. But, when they start to feed themselves, you need to provide them with adequate food and fresh water. It should be borne in mind that they need a lot of food, even more than adult pigeons. Their diet is based on grains, and the quality crushed chalk or limestone should be used for feeding.
Poultry diet
Breeding pigeons at home requires maintaining an optimal diet:
- For one adult pigeon, a daily food ration of 50 g is provided. These are grains, vegetables and suitable fruits.
- If pigeons are raised for meat, then hard-boiled eggs and crushed peas.
- To achieve the elasticity of feathers, the birds are fed with rapeseed or flax, because their seeds contain a large amount of vitamins. Be sure to place drinkers next to the feeders.
In the summer, the care process is much easier, since the pigeons are outside the dovecote almost all day. A dove in a cage spends only night time in the summer season.