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Meat pigeons are a type of domestic pigeons that are raised for the purpose of eating. There are about 50 breeds of meat pigeons. Farms for breeding this species of birds have been opened in many countries. Meat pigeons are shown in the photo.
Do pigeons eat
Meat pigeon breeding in Russia is not widespread. Perhaps this is due to the fact that pigeons in our country were bred only as flying and decorative. Those single individuals brought in by amateurs cannot serve as a full-fledged base for breeding meat breeds.
In the Mediterranean countries, where the meat direction of pigeon breeding originated, these birds were eaten. Avicenna also highly appreciated the nutritional properties of this meat and recommended it for use by weakened patients. In the Roman Empire, it was served to the table of aristocrats as a delicacy. Later, meat pigeon breeding began to be carried away in European countries and in the United States. Meat pigeons can be seen in the video:
Today, meat breeds are divided into 3 categories: gigantic (giant pigeons), chicken and meat.
What kind of pigeons do they eat
Meat breeds of pigeons, grown clean, with the correct diet, timely vaccination, have tender meat with the best taste. Individuals no older than two months of age are sent to the slaughter. Their meat is considered the most valuable in terms of nutritional qualities; it can and should be eaten.
As for urban birds, they are not only unsuitable for food, but can also be dangerous to human health. Due to the poor diet and habitat in the city's landfills, wild pigeons are susceptible to infections. In addition, their meat has nothing to do with the juicy, tender meat of poultry.
Wild pigeons are less susceptible to infections, but the possibility of infection when cooking and eating their meat cannot be completely ruled out. For hunters, the wild pigeon is a wonderful trophy, which is suitable for cooking meals over a fire and soups. The best taste is in the meat of turtledoves and wood pigeons.
Meat breeds of giant pigeons
Giant pigeons (another name - giants) differ from other categories of meat breeds in appearance. They have a more massive body, short plumage, widely spaced legs, they resemble domestic chickens. The body is stocky, flying qualities are practically not developed. The most fertile of all breeds of meat direction. Meat pigeons are presented in the photo by varieties.
Roman meat pigeons
Roman birds are classified as giants, but they are kept as decorative. Previously, they became breeding material for the creation of other large breeds of pigeons.
Roman pigeons do not have flight characteristics, are not too active, have low reproductive qualities, but are very resistant to diseases.
The body of birds is powerful, elongated, with a dense, dense plumage. The feathers on the tail and wings are long. The weight of an adult is from 900 to 1300 g. The color is varied: gray, silver, with transverse black stripes on the wings and tail. Individuals of black color may have white blotches on the head, while beige birds may have brown ones. There are individuals of fawn, white and brick colors.
King pigeon meat breed
The breed is bred as meat and decorative. Representatives of this breed are rather massive birds - up to 800 g, exhibition birds - up to 1.5 kg. The color of the plumage is predominantly white, but there are silvery and beige shades.
Features of the breed:
- well-formed thoracic region;
- small eyes, in birds with white plumage - black, in dark birds - yellow;
- strong, slightly curved beak;
- short wings with a small span;
- legs are strong, devoid of plumage;
- short tail;
- wide back.
Kings have a rather aggressive character, especially males differ in this.
Representatives of the breed are unpretentious in care, they contain them in an open-air cage with the possibility of walking. Like all representatives of meat pigeons, kings are very caring parents. They diligently sit on eggs and feed their chicks. The breeder needs to equip the nesting places not too high, since the kings are not able to take off.
Modena meat pigeons
Modena pigeons are native to the city of Modena (Northern Italy). The breed was known even before the First World War. It is considered the only pigeon that was not bred with Asian birds. Today there are two main varieties - English modena (shitty) and German (gazzi).
Description of Modena meat pigeons:
- a wide palette of shades (there are more than 200 colors);
- small head on a thick, short neck;
- small brown eyes;
- beak of medium size, slightly rounded;
- the body is powerful, the chest is wide;
- the wings are tightly pressed to the body;
- the tail is slightly raised.
The weight of an adult bird reaches 1.1 kg. Modena have a very strong immune system. They grow and gain weight quickly. Due to this characteristic, the breed is often used for crossing.
Strasser meat pigeons
Were bred in Germany. The breed is subdivided into German, Austrian and Czech Strassers.
The weight of this breed of meat pigeons reaches 1 kg. The birds have a large body, a powerful head and a sloping forehead. The wide protruding chest is a real decoration of the bird. They have a short back, completely covered with wings. Legs are devoid of feathers, strong, widely spaced.
The color of the strassers is varied. Birds with a stripe on the wings and tail are widespread. There are individuals with completely white wings.
They have high performance. One parental pair of strassers brings up to 12 chicks per year. They give good performance in purebred crosses. They differ in some aggressiveness. The flying qualities of this breed are not developed.
Texans
The country of origin of these pigeons is Texas (USA). Representatives of the breed are highly productive. A pair of Texans is capable of raising up to 22 chicks per year. They gain weight rather quickly.
Characteristics of the breed:
- powerful body;
- plumage is dense;
- the head is small, rounded;
- chest is wide, protruding forward;
- limbs are short, without feathers.
Body weight up to 1 kg. One of the features: by the color of the plumage of the chicks, you can accurately determine the sex. Texans are unpretentious in content and have a calm disposition. They quickly adapt to their surroundings. Like other meat pigeons, texans practically do not fly.
Hungarian gigantic
Hungarian pigeons were bred in Hungary as farm birds (meat). Their weight reaches 1200 g. They have a rather powerful body with well-feathered legs. Fertile enough - a couple hatches up to 10 chicks per year. The chest is wide, rounded head, large beak. The back is short, completely covered with long wings.
The color of the plumage is usually one-color: white, black, yellow, blue, and there are also individuals with splashes.
Polish lynx
The breed was developed in Poland in the 19th century. Immediately gained popularity in Europe, including in Russia, as they have high fertility - up to 8 broods per year.
Polish lynxes are birds with interesting feather coloration. Can be monochromatic with a beautiful metallic sheen. All representatives of the breed have two belts on the wings.
They fly extremely badly, but in general they are active and capable of independently obtaining food for themselves. They have a calm disposition.
Carnot
Carnot are pigeons of French origin. The body weight of a bird is about 600 g, it can be grown in aviaries. The best breed for productivity and average daily weight gain. The couple brings up to 16 chicks per year. These birds have a strong immune system and many pigeon breeders do not vaccinate their livestock. The chicks have a high survival rate.
The appearance is not particularly attractive, so carno is not used as an ornamental bird. The plumage is most often variegated.
Biological features of meat pigeons
Meat pigeons have valuable meat in terms of nutritional properties. It contains about 22% protein and 10-18% fat. Pigeon meat tastes tender and juicy, it is recommended by experts as a dietary product.
In some countries, meat pigeon breeding has passed to industrial forms of production. Many subsidiary plots and specialized farms are engaged in the cultivation and breeding of meat breeds.
One of the best representatives of meat breeds is the Strassers - the largest meat pigeons. The pigeons of this breed have a high live weight, good fertility and early maturity. Fine-fiber, high-protein strasser meat.
Birds are sent to slaughter at 30 days of age. By this time, the live weight of poultry reaches 650 g, and gutted - 500 g. In a well-organized farm, up to 6 kg of meat are obtained from one parental pair.
Thus, with proper housing conditions and a correct feeding diet, meat pigeons can be reared year-round by pairing with strong, healthy individuals.
Breeding methods for meat pigeons
Meat pigeon breeding did not become widespread in our country, although in the 70s in the Odessa region there were attempts to open workshops for the production of pigeon meat. However, they were unsuccessful.
In European countries, in particular in Hungary, where meat pigeon breeding is well developed, several breeding methods are used. Among them: extensive, intensive cultivation and combined (economic and decorative).
Extensive method
This breeding method is considered quite costly. But for breeders living in regions with a warm climate and having free access to green food, the method is quite applicable. Birds have the opportunity to independently obtain food for themselves in the summer, and the breeder feeds the pigeons once a day. On the one hand, this is a fairly economical way of breeding, but on the other, difficulties are associated with the fact that pigeons need to be protected from predators, wild birds that can carry infectious diseases. The main thing is that there is no guarantee that during the allotted period of time the pigeons will have time to gain a certain mass.
Intensive method
The intensive breeding method is characterized by regular feeding, which is aimed at a rapid increase in weight. For this method, the most suitable breeds such as Texans, Kings. They are able to gain weight in a month. In addition, these breeds are fertile and capable of making about 5-10 clutches per year.
The selected meat pigeons are planted in cages and forcibly fed with a mushy mixture 4 times a day at a certain time. Each individual absorbs about 50-60 g of this mixture per day. In 2-3 weeks, pigeons gain up to 800 g.
Of the minuses of such content: the risk of developing some pathologies is possible, since the bird is in limited conditions of detention. The meat of these birds contains a high percentage of fat.
Combined method
Most common among lovers of meat breeds. Represents a cross between intensive and extensive breeding method. Suitable for those breeders whose main purpose of breeding is to make a profit.
Breeding meat pigeons at home
Before you start breeding meat pigeons at home, you need to decide on the desired breed with which you will need to work in the future. To do this, you should pay attention to the area of the breeding room. Small birds with a calm disposition are suitable for a small room, large and active ones will need more space with many feeders and drinkers. For couples incubating chicks, a separate aviary will be required.
For breeding birds with the subsequent sale of meat, pigeons with high fertility will be required. If you breed meat pigeons for your own needs, less fertile individuals are quite suitable.
You can breed meat pigeons in cages and aviaries. The room needs to be cleaned and ventilated daily. Aviaries will need to be insulated for the cold season. It is better to make the floor wooden or with a special covering so that the birds do not freeze their legs. The aviary should be equipped with a variety of perches and ladders. Nesting places can be made next to them. The breeder will also need to take steps to protect their birds from animals.
Nutrition is the basis for keeping and breeding meat pigeons. The mass of meat obtained depends on a well-designed diet. Meals should be plentiful and as high in calories as possible. It should include barley, millet, oats. The ratio is selected based on the needs of the breed. Vaccinations, vitamin and mineral supplements to strengthen the immune system cannot be ignored.
Since birds produce a large amount of droppings every day, in addition to daily cleaning of the premises and cleaning of the feeders, cleaning with the addition of disinfectants should be carried out every week.
The breeder should inspect the pigeons daily for disease. A bird suspected of being in poor health should be quarantined.
Birds should be slaughtered before the age of 35 days. During this period, pigeons have the most valuable and nutritious meat. Before slaughter, sesame, anise and dill seeds are added to the diet of birds, and milk and salt are given the day before slaughter. In older individuals, the meat does not taste so tender, so females at the age of 1-2 years are kept for breeding.
Meat pigeons and meat pigeon breeding have their disadvantages. The disadvantages include high requirements for living conditions and feeding. In addition, even large breeds of meat pigeons are much smaller in size than chickens. Thus, in order to have enough meat, more pigeons need to be sent for slaughter.
Pigeons of meat breeds are shown in the video:
Breeding pigeons for meat as a business
Before you start developing this line of business, you need to thoroughly familiarize yourself with this field of activity, calculate the profitability, take into account the payback period and draw up a detailed business plan. In addition, you need to study all the possible nuances of competent breeding of pigeons, keeping, feeding.
After careful study of the issue of breeding pigeons, you can choose a breed. For the correct organization of the business, only young individuals should be selected. Bird health is also an important factor. To make the right choice, you need to have certain knowledge and skills in the field of pigeon breeding. Beginners may need to seek help from more experienced pigeon breeders. Since pigeons are monogamous birds, it is better to choose a pair at once. It is not difficult to identify a couple among the flock, as a rule, they coo with each other, birds of the same sex behave somewhat aggressively.
Breeding pigeons will require young individuals.The lifespan of pigeons is about 16-20 years, but after 10 years they gradually lose their reproductive properties, and the possible offspring will be unviable. The age of the bird is determined by the legs and wax. At the age of five months, the pigeons become sexually mature and the wax whitens. Then it increases in size, which is typical for 3-4 years.
Breeding methods can be different:
- natural mating, in which the birds themselves select a pair for themselves;
- mating of birds that are similar in appearance;
- line breeding - accurate determination of the qualities of the bird after mating;
- inbreeding - mating of related pigeons to improve the breed.
Each of the methods has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The main costs for a beginner fancier are the purchase of highly productive, healthy pigeons. The cost is determined by the breed of meat pigeons. The profit will depend on many factors. First of all, it will be necessary to establish a sales channel for the products, otherwise all efforts for breeding and growing will be in vain. Perhaps it will be an Internet resource or advertisements for the sale. This will help you find customers, establish sales and make a profit.
Conclusion
Meat pigeons are more and more in demand and are of interest to breeders. The benefits of pigeon meat, its dietary properties are beyond doubt. The advantages include the high rate of weight gain and the unique resistance of birds to infectious diseases. Of the minuses, the impossibility of automating the feeding process is noted. Therefore, the most profitable breeds of meat pigeons with good fertility.
