PIGEON FARMING

 by Zarreen Sajjad, DVM, FVS, UAF.

MEMBER EDITORIL BOARD

THE VETERINARY NEWS & VIEWS WEEKLY

A quite interesting, entertaining, profitable and very popular household bird. Pigeons are generally worldwide known as a symbol of peace. Pigeon farming is less laborious and needs small investment. Meat of the squabs (baby pigeons) is very palatable, nutritious and appetizing. On the separate hand this practice can be an extra source of income, joy and entertainment. Raising the pigeons by modern methods is much more fruitful than primitive ways. For a successful pigeon farming business, the use of advanced rearing techniques is mandatory. Here we will describe some more about the benefits and steps for starting this business.

Advantages of Pigeon Farming:Pigeon farming offers some important benefits. The notable ones have been mentioned briefly below Pigeon is a domestic bird and can be handled with ease.

They females start laying at just 6 months of age at the rate of two eggs per month. Can be raised easily on the top of roofs or home yards. Very short hatching period (18 days). Squabs become ready to be marketed for consumption by just 3 to 4 weeks of age. Requires very little investment. Mostly they collect their food by themselves. Otherwise, feeding cost is still very low. Highly valuable and demanded meat is produced. A pleasing and very entertaining. One can spend good time watching their activities. Maximum profit, with small start-up capital and labor cost. Comparatively lower chances of diseases. Their closet is a useful manure for crops. Their feathers are used to make different toys. Eat various insects and help keeping the environment clean. The squab meat is famous as patient’s diet.

Life cycle:Generally they are reared in pairs. A pair of male and female stays together throughout their life and collects straws by mutual effort and make a comfortable nest for them to live in. Female starts laying at 5-6 months of age and lays a pair of eggs every month and both can hatch the eggs in 18 days. Female can lay upto 5 years of age. The crop of squabs contains crop milk, that acts as their feed for first 4 days. For the next 10 days, female feeds them and after that they start taking feed at their own and become adult at 26 days of age.

Pigeon Breeds:There are roughly three hundred breeds around the world which are categorized into two types. Meat Productive Breeds: Texona, White king, Silver king, Lokha, Gola etc. are the breeds

famous for meat production. Entertaining: Moyurponkhi, Lohore, Jacobin, Shirazi, Fantail, Modena, Frillback,

Trumpeter, Mukhi, Templer, Giribaz, Trubit, etc are game breeds.

Breeds Name Adult (gm) Squab (gm)

White King 755 500

Carneau 700 450

Homer 730 400

French Mondain 750 550

Swiss Mondain 800 600

Housing:Housing is the most important aspect in pigeon farming. One must keep the followings in mind while managing the pigeons.

Must be housed at comparatively higher altitude and must be access free of dogs, cats, mouse and other such harmful predators.

Extensive flow of air and optimum light availability must be ensured. Direct entrance of rain water must be prevented. Space requirement per pigeon is 30 cm3. A single apartment must have enough

space for a pair with a door of 10 cm2. The house must be adjacent to each

other and polyhedral. Always keep the house neat, clean and

dry. Clean their house once or twice a

month. Keep the food and water pots closer to

the house. Keep some straws adjacent to the

house, so that they can make their bed at their own.

Ensure 24/7 availability of water.

Feeding:

Pigeons mainly relish their hunger by eating maize, wheat, rice, paddy, enamel, legumes, mustard and gram etc. Must feed balanced diet for their proper growth and maximum meat production. Pigeon feed must contain 15-16 % crude protein. A single pigeon consumes about 35-50 grams grainy feed per day. Oyster shell, lime stone, salt, greet mixture, bone powder, mineral mixture can be given to attain fast growth. A chart of balanced ration for pigeons is mentioned below.

Feed Ingredients Amount (kg)

Broken Wheat 2.8 kg

Broken Maize 2.2 kg

Mustard 1.0 kg

Broken Gram 1.0 kg

Soyabean Cake 0.8 kg

Rice Bran 1.8 kg

Salt 0.4 kg

Total 10 kg

Baby Pigeon’s Feed:Squabs don’t need special feed for 4-5 days. They rely on and utilize crop milk also called as pigeon milk. For next 10 days, female pigeon softens the food in her beak and feed them.

Water:Water pot must be kept near to their house. They will drink water and love to have a bath ij that water. Clean the water pot on daily basis.

Diseases:Generally diseases in pigeons are less than other flying birds. They mainly suffer from Tuberculosis (TB), cholera, paratyphoid, pox, Newcastle (ND), influenza etc. May also suffer from Louse and Malnutrition. Follow the following pointsFollow the advice of a qualified veterinarian.Keep the house clean and germ free as much as possible.Separate the ill and diseased birds from healthy birds.Follow proper vaccination scheduleFeed them balanced ration to avoid malnutritious disorders.Use medicines to keep them louse free.