Domestic pigeons are considered the most common among their relatives. You can get them for keeping on a farm, breeding, or just as poultry. Raising a pigeon at home in Russia is not difficult, 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 you buy birds, you need to familiarize yourself with the information for beginner poultry farmers: 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 properly draw up documents and be aware that at home the birds need to go out properly, give them vitamins, feed them balanced and conduct regular vaccinations.
To get started, you need to do the following:
- To issue a state permit for the maintenance and breeding of pigeons in a private household, a permit for the construction of a dovecote or private 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 get all the necessary permissions. The pigeon house 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 room space.
It is necessary to provide decent protection from drafts, excess noise, cold, precipitation, provide moderate lighting with small windows or low-power electric lamps (ideally create twilight), ventilation, and sufficient dishes for food and water. Be sure to carry out disinfection, fight against mice, rats and parasites. At your own request, you can allocate 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 make, suitable for 1-4 pairs of inexpensive pigeons. It is bad because it does not provide protection from weather and predators.
- The enclosure from the area enclosed by a wire fence with a roof is much better than the previous version. You can save pigeons from rain or snow, but there is no way to escape from temperature changes in winter. This may adversely affect the breeding season. You can also make a kind of a barn, replacing the wire walls with wood or stone.
- The housing of a rounded 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 this 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 room 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, cells 30 x 30 x 60 cm in size or drawers. Branches or their semblance 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 their neighbors about their bird affairs. The feeder can be made whole, 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 doves are kept in. It is imperative to remove the pigeon feather every time on 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 do not have time, you can in the winter and before the appearance of pigeons. When working with chemicals, be careful not to inhale chemical vapors. Birds should be kept out of the room during cleaning or disinfection so that they do not inhale the chemicals. Use organic substances or drugs that are not harmful to health.
With the onset of winter, replaceable straw or hay litter, chipboard, plywood, polystyrene or any other thermal insulation materials can be used for warming.
After the dovecote becomes fully suitable for normal living, you can safely buy birds. There are many breeds, and each has its own "job". Some (decorative) are striking in their beauty at exhibitions, the second (sports) - former postmen - now compete in speed and endurance, the third (flight) are able to captivate with the beauty of flight, and the fourth (meat) are 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. Doves are hard 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 doves are sold. One individual can cost from 2 to 6 thousand. It depends on the breed. During the purchase, you must carefully and reverently 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. Pigeons even though they do not fly away anywhere, still suffer a little from the cold weather and the new regime. The body becomes more passive in order to relax and prepare for the arrival 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. Disease prevention and treatment should be carried out on time. At home, reproduction should be carried out in conjunction with proper care and nutrition. This rule should be prioritized.
The stores sell combined feed with an optimal set of nutrients. 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 staple food of birds is made from cereals (millet, wheat, barley, corn).
Domestic pigeons Kostanay 2014 (2)
THE DOVE IS THE BIRD OF THE WORLD. World of doves
Sometimes it is necessary to give some industrial crops containing fats, which make it possible to retain the necessary heat and better fight diseases. As such an additive, seeds of flax, rapeseed or sunflower are suitable. Proteins needed for gaining muscle mass and egg formation can be obtained from legumes by birds. Vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, and potatoes should be boiled and finely chopped so that the food can be absorbed easily. You should add shell rock, ground eggshells and other mineral additives in order to protect animals from a deficiency of calcium and other minerals needed for a good skeleton and plumage.
If you do not feed the birds with various additives, the pigeons are weakened to such an extent that some individuals are not able to do anything.
Birds should 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.
The 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 at least something has been consumed by the bird, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. As a prophylaxis, show the birds to the veterinarian at least 1 time in 6 months for examination. Diseases that affect pigeons are many. Each of them can ruin a business, so you need to beware of any symptoms.
- 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, it is necessary to isolate him from the rest and seek help from a veterinary clinic. Do not save on the health of pigeons, because you can stay 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 at the bottom 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, pigeons will have a desire to find a pair. If the business does not require manual selection of parents to combine the best qualities or to breed a new breed, then you can not interfere in their affairs. A "natural" pair will give birth faster. But if there is a fear that some very strong pigeon will choose a too bad pigeon (or vice versa), you need to prepare a steam cage. The male himself will reveal himself in large sizes and active behavior associated with the desire to draw 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 pair 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 hatch 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 must especially carefully monitor the cleanliness and good level of humidity in the room. Even dust can harm eggs, making them unable to absorb air.
Chick care
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. It is necessary to ensure normal access to food and water for birds. If the water becomes dirty during the day, it must be replaced with clean and fresh water.
High-quality 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. Feathers need to be fed regularly (the largest meal should be in the evening), food can not be spared. Such small organisms need surprisingly much food. If you wish, you can enrich the diet with vitamins from the pharmacy for animals so that the pigeons do not need anything. You can learn in detail how to properly care for chicks in a photo or video.