How to properly maintain and raise domestic pigeons
Domestic pigeons are considered the most common among their relatives. You can get them for keeping on a farm, breeding, or just as poultry. It is not difficult to raise a pigeon at home in Russia, the main thing is to approach this matter with all responsibility.
Domestic pigeons
It is better to start a pair of domestic pigeons: such birds behave more calmly and do not rush to fly away. Before purchasing birds, you need to familiarize yourself with the information for novice poultry breeders: where you can keep pigeons, how long they live and how to properly care for them. It is enough to come up with a plan for breeding and keeping birds and only then proceed to the acquisition of pigeons.
Preparation for purchase and maintenance
Anyone who has completely thought about everything and finally decided to become a poultry farmer should complete the list of initial requirements. In fact, anyone can become the owner of a dovecote, the main thing is to correctly draw up the documents and be aware that at home the birds need to go out correctly, give them vitamins, feed them in a balanced way and carry out regular vaccinations.
To get started, you need to do the following:
- Obtain a state permit for the maintenance and breeding of pigeons in a private household, a permit for the construction of a dovecote or individual entrepreneur.
- Build and equip a pigeon house.
- Buy pigeons.
- Issue an opinion with a veterinarian.
- Populate animals and domesticate birds.
A permit for keeping pigeons costs about 20 thousand rubles. This price is not overpriced, you do not need to save on documents, it is important to obtain all the necessary permits. The dovecote must be spacious and cozy so that the birds have the opportunity to reproduce normally. The basic sanitary and zootechnical standards must be observed: one pair of pigeons corresponds to 1 m² of the area of the premises.
It is necessary to provide decent protection from drafts, excess noise, cold, precipitation, provide moderate lighting using small windows or low-power electric lamps (ideally create twilight), ventilation, and sufficient utensils for food and water. Be sure to carry out disinfection, fight against mice, rats and parasites. At your own request, you can take part of the dovecote for weaker or infected birds so that the disease does not spread to healthy individuals. You can get acquainted with how to build a poultry house and what needs to be done inside, in a photo or video on the Internet.
Types of poultry houses
- The dovecote in the form of a hinged cage is very easy to manufacture, suitable for 1-4 pairs of inexpensive pigeons. It is bad because it does not provide protection from weather and predators.
- The wired-roofed aviary is much better than the previous version. It is possible to save pigeons from rain or snow, but there is no way to escape from temperature changes in winter. This can be detrimental during the breeding season. You can also make a kind of barn, replacing the wire walls with wood or stone.
- A dwelling with a round tower structure made of wood or brick, consisting of several floors or sectors, must necessarily be higher than 4 m. It is difficult to build, but it is the best option for breeding pigeons. Good protection and easy disinfection will pay off all the costs.
- The dovecote in the attic serves almost as well, only it is much easier to equip it. Any attic space of a country house will do. It is only worth thinking about the place for walking, as well as the unpleasant aspect in the form of the constant smell of pigeon droppings. In more detail, each type of poultry house can be seen in the photo.
When a plan is found and a pigeon house is built, you need to run the birds once into the house, and these individuals will build and make their own nests. Pigeons can weave their nests themselves during nesting in the spring, but before that you need to provide something like cells 40 cm wide and 30 cm high, cages 30 x 30 x 60 cm in size or boxes. Branches or their like are attached near them, and in the middle of the dovecote you can lay a wire or wire so that the pigeons can sit and coo with neighbors about their bird affairs. The feeder can be made in one piece, but with a large number of sections for each individual. Vacuum drinkers can freeze during the cold season, so you can make any other, for example, from cans.
How to properly care for your poultry house
Dishes for food and water, like the entire dovecote with cells, must be cleaned of droppings once a day, and from bacteria and parasites - once a week. Also, the care of the room depends on what the pigeons are kept in. Be sure to remove the pigeon feather every time a certain number of days, for example, 2 times a week.
Every six months, it is necessary to organize a general cleaning with complete disinfection and etching of rodents and parasites. The best time is before wintering. If you didn't have time, you can do it in the winter and before the pigeons appear. When working with chemicals, be careful not to inhale chemical vapors. Birds should be kept out of the room during cleaning or disinfection so they do not inhale the chemicals. They use organic substances or preparations that are not harmful to health.
With the onset of winter, replaceable straw or hay bedding, chipboard, plywood, polystyrene or any other thermal insulation materials can be used for insulation.
After the pigeon house becomes fully suitable for normal living, you can safely buy birds. There are many breeds, and each has its own "job". Some (decorative) amaze with their beauty at exhibitions, the second (sports) - former postmen - now compete in speed and endurance, the third (flight) are able to enchant with the beauty of flight, and the fourth (meat) is served as a delicacy. You can focus on one breed, or you can diversify the case with several types. Domestic pigeons are always very calm, these birds will easily find understanding with their fellows. Pigeons are difficult to tame, the main thing is to be patient.
After choosing a breed, you need to go to the market or to another place where pigeons are sold. One individual can cost from 2 to 6 thousand rubles. It depends on the breed. During the purchase, you must carefully and anxiously inspect the birds. It is advisable to buy only healthy, active, undamaged birds with a lively shine in the eyes, even breathing and neat plumage.
Pigeons are feathered, sociable and social, choosing a partner for life. So that no one gets bored, it is necessary to provide each bird with a pair. After you bought the pigeons, you need to contact the veterinarian for a check and conclusion. For one head you will have to pay an additional 200 rubles. If pigeons are of meat breeds, then a check in accordance with GOST is mandatory, which requires 5-6 thousand rubles.
Each pigeon needs a separate cell or cage.
Wintering and proper nutrition
Winter is a difficult time for all animals and birds. Although the pigeons do not fly away anywhere, they still suffer a little from the cold weather and the new regime.The body becomes more passive to rest and prepare for the coming of spring. In winter, these birds are susceptible to vitamin deficiency, so it is very important to maintain the health of the entire livestock and feed the birds in a variety of ways. Prevention and treatment of diseases should be carried out in time. At home, reproduction should be carried out in conjunction with proper care and nutrition. Such a rule should be prioritized.
Combined feeds with an optimal set of nutrients are sold in stores. These feeds are designed for different types of birds, so you can easily find the right one. Anyone who wants to independently select a diet for their pets can fulfill this desire. The basis of the birds' diet is forage from cereals (millet, wheat, barley, corn).
Sometimes it is necessary to give some industrial crops that contain fats, which make it possible to retain the necessary heat and better fight diseases. Flax seeds, rapeseed or sunflower seeds are suitable as such an additive. Poultry can obtain proteins necessary for gaining muscle mass and formation of eggs from legumes. Vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, and potatoes should be boiled and finely chopped so that the food can be absorbed easily. Shell rock, ground eggshells and other mineral supplements should be added in order to protect animals from deficiencies in calcium and other minerals necessary for a good skeleton and plumage.
If the birds are not fed with various additives, the pigeons are weakened to such an extent that some individuals are unable to do anything.
Birds must have access to fresh water around the clock as it plays a huge role in the processing of food. To prevent pigeons from scattering food over the entire area of the dovecote after a good meal, you need to take away the feeders and drinkers on time.
List of foods that are not absorbed by the weak digestive system of pigeons:
- meat and fish;
- lemons, oranges, limes and other citrus fruits;
- dairy and lactic acid products;
- bread;
- sweet products.
If anything has been eaten by the bird, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. As a preventive measure, the birds should be shown to the veterinarian at least once every 6 months for examination. There are a lot of diseases that affect pigeons. Each of them is capable of ruining a business, so you need to beware of any symptoms.
Sources of the disease:
- rats, mice and other rodents;
- bacteria;
- viruses;
- cold;
- sick birds.
If during a daily examination of feathered individuals it is clear that someone is behaving inactive and looks weak, you need to separate him from the rest and seek help from a veterinary clinic. You should not save on the health of pigeons, because this way you can be left with nothing.
For prevention, it is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the pigeon house, and especially the temperature, the value of which should range from 10 ° C to 20 ° C.
Air circulation should take place in the lower part of the room. In turn, the room should be lightened for at least half a day; in winter, this cannot be done without electricity.
Breeding and incubation period
As soon as spring comes, the pigeons will want to find a mate. If the business does not require manual selection of parents to combine the best qualities or to breed a new breed, you can not interfere in their affairs. A "natural" pair will give birth to offspring faster. But if there is a fear that some very strong pigeon will choose a pigeon too bad (or vice versa), you need to prepare a steam cage. The male himself will reveal himself in large size and active behavior associated with the desire to attract all the attention of the dove to himself.
It is necessary to select the desired male and female, then place them overnight in one large cage, separate from the dovecote. This will not bring success if the doves do not converge in character overnight, but otherwise the future father and mother will always walk shoulder to shoulder.
During nesting, the farmer has the opportunity to significantly help the couple by leaving building materials (twigs, hay, leaves) on the floor of the dovecote. A week after mating, the dove will begin laying eggs. She needs to incubate only one pair of eggs at a time. Not one, not three, but two eggs, since in such a quantity it is not so easy to damage them.
During incubation, you need to especially carefully monitor the cleanliness and good humidity level in the room. Even dust can harm eggs, making them unable to absorb air.
Caring for chicks
3-4 weeks after laying the eggs (each breed has its own incubation period), the long-awaited stage of caring for the pigeons will begin. The first days of their life they are fed by their parents, but then the time comes to teach them how to eat from a feeding trough and how to drink from a drinking bowl. Birds should have adequate access to food and water. If the water becomes dirty during the day, it must be replaced with clean and fresh water.
Good nutrition and good drinking water are the key to the health of the future livestock of domestic pigeons. You can make a system of bridges or just bring water or food with your own hands. You need to feed the birds regularly (the largest meal should be in the evening), you can not spare food. Such small organisms need a surprisingly large amount of food. If you wish, you can enrich the diet with vitamins from a pharmacy for animals so that the pigeons do not need anything. You can find out in detail how to properly care for chicks in a photo or video.