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Meat pigeons are a type of domestic pigeon that is raised for consumption. There are about 50 breeds of meat pigeons. Farms for breeding this bird species have been opened in many countries. Meat pigeons are shown in the photo.
Do they eat pigeons?
Meat pigeon breeding in Russia is not widespread. This may be due to the fact that pigeons in our country were bred only as flying and decorative pigeons. Those single individuals brought by amateurs cannot serve as a full-fledged basis for breeding meat breeds.
In the Mediterranean countries, where the meat direction of pigeon farming originated, these birds were eaten. Avicenna also greatly appreciated the nutritional properties of this meat and recommended it for consumption by weakened patients. In the Roman Empire, it was served to aristocrats as a delicacy. Later, pigeon breeding became popular in European countries and the USA. 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 raised in clean conditions, with proper diet and timely vaccination, have tender meat with better taste. Individuals no older than two months of age are sent for 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 their poor diet and living in city dumps, wild pigeons are susceptible to infections. In addition, their meat has nothing in common with the juicy, tender meat of poultry.
Wild pigeons are less susceptible to infections, but the possibility of infection during the preparation and consumption of their meat cannot be completely excluded. For hunters, wild pigeon is an excellent trophy that is suitable for cooking over the fire and soups. The meat of doves and wood pigeons has the best taste.
Meat breeds of giant pigeons
Giant pigeons (another name is giants) differ from other categories of meat breeds in appearance. They have a more massive body, short plumage, widely spaced legs, and resemble domestic chickens. The body is stocky, flight qualities are practically undeveloped. The most prolific of all meat breeds. Meat pigeons are presented in the photo by variety.
Roman meat pigeons
Roman birds are classified as giants, but they are kept as ornamental birds. Previously, they became breeding material for creating other large breeds of pigeons.
Roman pigeons do not have flight characteristics, are not very active, have low reproductive qualities, but are very resistant to diseases.
The bird's body is powerful, elongated, with thick, 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. Black individuals may have white patches on their heads, while beige birds may have brown patches. There are individuals of fawn, white and brick color.
King pigeon meat breed
The breed is bred as meat and ornamental. Representatives of this breed are quite massive birds - up to 800 g, exhibition birds - up to 1.5 kg. The plumage color is predominantly white, but there are silver and beige shades.
Breed Features:
- well formed thoracic region;
- small eyes, black in birds with white plumage, yellow in dark birds;
- strong, slightly curved beak;
- short wings with a small span;
- legs are strong, without feathers;
- short tail;
- wide back.
Kings have a rather aggressive character, especially males.
Representatives of the breed are unpretentious in care and are kept in an enclosure with the possibility of walking. Like all representatives of meat pigeons, kings are very caring parents. They diligently sit on the eggs and feed the chicks. The breeder needs to arrange nesting sites that are not too high, since kings are not able to fly.
Modena meat pigeons
Modena pigeons come from 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 through crossing with Asian birds. Today there are two main varieties - English Modena (schitti) and German (gazzi).
Description of meat Modena pigeons:
- wide palette of shades (there are more than 200 colors);
- small head on a thick, short neck;
- small brown eyes;
- beak is medium size, slightly rounded;
- the body is powerful, the chest is wide;
- the wings are pressed tightly to the body;
- the tail section is slightly raised.
The weight of an adult bird reaches 1.1 kg. Modenas have a very strong immune system. They grow and gain body weight quickly. Due to this characteristic, the breed is often used for crossbreeding.
Strasser meat pigeons
They were bred in Germany. The breed is divided into German, Austrian and Czech Strassers.
The weight of this breed of meat pigeons reaches 1 kg. 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 by wings. The legs are featherless, strong, widely spaced.
The colors of the Strassers are varied. Birds with stripes on their wings and tail are common. There are individuals with completely white wings.
They have high performance. One parent pair of Strassers produces up to 12 chicks per year. They give good results when purebred crossing. They are somewhat aggressive. The flight 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 can hatch up to 22 chicks per year. They gain weight quite quickly.
Breed characteristics:
- powerful body;
- the plumage is dense;
- the head is small, rounded;
- the chest is wide, protruding forward;
- limbs are short, without feathers.
Body weight up to 1 kg. One of the features: the sex of the chicks can be accurately determined by the color of the plumage. Texans are unpretentious in maintenance and have a calm disposition. Quickly adapt to the environment. Like other meat pigeons, Texans practically do not fly.
Hungarian gigantic
Hungarian pigeons were bred in Hungary as farm birds (meat birds). Their weight reaches 1200 g. They have a fairly powerful body with well-feathered legs. Quite prolific - a couple hatches up to 10 chicks per year. The breast is wide, the head is rounded, the beak is large. 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 lynxes
The breed was developed in Poland in the 19th century. They immediately gained popularity in Europe, including Russia, as they have high fertility - up to 8 broods per year.
Polish lynxes are birds with interesting feather colors. They can be single-colored with a beautiful metallic sheen. All representatives of the breed have two belts on their wings.
They fly extremely poorly, but in general they are active and are able to independently obtain food for themselves. They have a calm disposition.
Carnot
Carnot pigeons are of French origin. The bird's body weight is about 600 g and can be raised in enclosures. The best breed in terms of productivity and average daily weight gain. A pair brings up to 16 chicks per year. These birds have a strong immune system and many pigeon breeders do not vaccinate their flock. The survival rate of chicks is high.
The appearance is not particularly attractive, so the carnot is not used as an ornamental bird. The plumage is most often motley.
Biological characteristics 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; experts recommend it as a dietary product.
In some countries, pigeon meat farming has switched to industrial forms of production. Many subsidiary farms and specialized farms are engaged in the cultivation and breeding of meat breeds.
One of the best representatives of meat breeds are Strassers - the largest meat pigeons. Pigeons of this breed have high live weight, good fertility and early maturity. Strasser meat is fine-fiber and high in protein.
Birds are sent for slaughter at 30 days of age. By this time, the live weight of the bird reaches 650 g, and the gutted weight - 500 g. In a well-organized farm, up to 6 kg of meat is obtained from one parent pair.
Thus, under proper housing conditions and the correct feeding ration, meat pigeons can be raised year-round, selecting pairs from strong, healthy individuals.
Breeding methods for meat pigeons
Meat pigeon farming has 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 not successful.
In European countries, in particular in Hungary, where 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 expensive. 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 their own food in the summer, and the breeder feeds the pigeons once a day. On the one hand, this is a fairly economical method of breeding, but on the other hand, difficulties arise from the fact that pigeons need to be protected from predators, wild birds, which can be carriers of infectious diseases. The main thing is that there is no guarantee that the pigeons will have time to gain a certain mass over the allotted period of time.
Intensive method
The intensive breeding method is characterized by regular feeding, which is aimed at rapid weight gain. The most suitable breeds for this method are Texans and Kings. They are able to gain weight in a month. In addition, these breeds are prolific and are capable of laying about 5-10 clutches per year.
Selected meat pigeons are placed in cages and force-fed with a porridge 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.
Among the disadvantages of such keeping: there is a possible risk of developing certain pathologies, since the bird is kept in limited conditions. The meat of these birds contains a high percentage of fat content.
Combined method
Most common among meat breed lovers. It is a cross between intensive and extensive breeding methods.Suitable for those breeders whose main goal of breeding is making 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 bird breeding room. Small birds with a calm disposition will need a small room; large and active birds will need more space with many feeders and drinkers. For pairs hatching 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.
Meat pigeons can be bred in cages and enclosures. The room must be cleaned and ventilated daily. Enclosures will need to be insulated during cold weather. It is better to make the floor wooden or with a special coating so that the birds do not freeze their paws. The enclosure should be equipped with a variety of perches and ladders. Nesting sites can be made next to them. The breeder will also need to take measures 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. Food should be plentiful and as high in calories as possible. It should include barley, millet, and oats. The ratio is selected based on the needs of the breed. Vaccinations and 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 feeders, cleaning should be done every week with the addition of disinfectants.
The breeder should inspect pigeons daily for diseases. Any bird suspected of being in poor health should be isolated.
Birds should be slaughtered before 35 days of age. During this period, pigeons have the most valuable and nutritious meat. Before slaughter, sesame seeds, anise and dill are added to the birds' diet, and milk with salt is given the day before slaughter. In older individuals, the meat does not taste as tender, so females aged 1-2 years are kept for breeding.
Meat pigeons and meat pigeon breeding have their drawbacks. 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 must be sent to slaughter.
Meat pigeons are shown in the video:
Breeding pigeons for meat as a business
Before you start developing this line of business, you need to become thoroughly familiar with this area of activity, calculate profitability, take into account payback periods and draw up a detailed business plan. In addition, you need to study all the possible nuances of competent pigeon breeding, keeping, and feeding.
After carefully studying the issue of breeding pigeons, you can select a breed. To properly organize a business, only young individuals should be selected. Bird health is also an important factor.To make the right choice, you must 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 a flock; as a rule, they coo to each other, birds of the same sex behave somewhat aggressively.
To breed pigeons, young pigeons will be required. The lifespan of pigeons is about 16-20 years, but after 10 years they gradually lose their reproductive properties, and possible offspring will not be viable. The age of a bird is determined by its paws and wax. At the age of five months, pigeons reach sexual maturity and the cere turns white. Then it increases in size, which is typical for 3-4 years.
Reproduction methods can be different:
- natural mating, in which the birds themselves select a mate;
- mating of birds similar in appearance;
- linear breeding – accurate determination of the qualities of the bird after mating;
- inbreeding – mating of related pigeons to improve the breed.
Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The main expense that a novice pigeon breeder faces is the purchase of highly productive, healthy pigeons. The cost is determined by the breed of meat pigeons. Profit will depend on many factors. First of all, you will need to establish a distribution channel for the products, otherwise all efforts in breeding and growing will be in vain. Perhaps this will be an online resource or advertisements for sale. This will help you find customers, establish sales and make a profit.
Conclusion
Meat pigeons are increasingly in demand and are of interest to breeders.The benefits of pigeon meat and its dietary properties are beyond doubt. The advantages include the high rate of weight gain and the unique resistance of birds to infectious diseases. One of the disadvantages is the inability to automate the feeding process. Therefore, breeds of meat pigeons with good fertility are the most profitable.
