Content
Crested pigeons are a breed that stands out for its interesting appearance and unique flight style. Due to their unusual wing structure and ease of care, they are widely popular among breeders. Before purchasing sickleback pigeons, experts recommend familiarizing yourself with the breeding features in order to get healthy individuals with high performance.
History of the breed
Ancient Turkey and Syria are called the homeland of sickles. “Beautiful creatures” (as the name is translated from Sanskrit) were bred here for a long time.
Sickleback pigeons were brought to Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. After the first individuals appeared on the territory of the empire, many pigeon breeders wanted to purchase them. Thus, through the efforts of certain Kaiser and Kirichenko, who contributed to the development of the breed, the birds ended up in the city of Ochakov. In the process of breeding work, breeders bred several types of sickle pigeons:
- Garkushinsky;
- muzikinsky;
- Kalachovsky.
Fans paid special attention to selection: only individuals with excellent flight qualities were allowed for breeding. As a result, after a while the wing flap, reminiscent of a sickle or a crescent moon, became the hallmark of the breed from the city.Ochakov, and the sickle pigeons themselves received a second name - Ochakov's eversion pigeons.
Description of sickle pigeons
Sickle-turned pigeons, despite their small size, are characterized by strong muscles and extreme endurance. This feature is due to their origin. It is believed that strong sea winds on the coast prevented free soaring. The sicklefish were forced to adapt to sudden changes in the direction of air flows.
Distinctive features of the sickle pigeon breed are also called:
- developed parental instinct;
- ability to quickly recover after the appearance of offspring;
- the ability to fly smoothly and easily regardless of the time of year;
- excellent orientation in space.
The listed qualities are inherent only in purebred individuals, which are becoming less and less in the process of selection work.
Flight of sickle doves
Crested pigeons are a flying breed. They are able to soar high into the sky and soar in the air for hours. They fly out in a flock from a balcony or dovecote platform, and in the air they separate for individual flight. Birds line up in a kind of whatnot, hovering vertically at different heights.
Representatives of sickle pigeons have different flight styles:
- Tortsovaya. The bird throws its wings above itself (parallel to each other), while turning out its flight feathers. This feature served as the basis for the name of the breed – reversible.
- Swing. The dove hovers in the air alternately, now on the right and now on the left wing. Performs the exercise rarely, but for a long time.
- Crescent-shaped. The bird folds its wings in the shape of a sickle, which makes it possible to capture the air flow and rise high into the sky.
- Rigid wing, or “crowbar”. When ascending and descending, the sickle pigeon, surrendering to the will of the wind, makes wave-like movements with its rigid wing. At the same time, it looks broken, which is why the style received the name “crowbar.”
Crested pigeons do not make circular movements when flying. They fly up vertically, hover, and then descend in the same way.
Crested pigeons do not migrate. Due to strong air currents, a pigeon can fly far from the dovecote and get lost.
There is a video about sickleback pigeons, which shows how breeders train birds in frost and strong gusts of wind.
Breed characteristics and standards
Crested pigeons (photo below) are slender, correctly built. The skeleton is light, not massive. The head is dry and small in size. The chest is not wide. The feathers are dense and thick. Solid or variegated color:
- black;
- white;
- ashen;
- with red, yellow, blue shades.
According to the generally accepted standard, sickle pigeons are distinguished by the following characteristics:
- Extended body. Body length is 34-37 cm.
- Narrow, sharp-tipped wings. They grow up to 21-25 cm, almost completely covering the tail (2 cm of space remains free).
- Convex 4th joint on wings. Causes an unusual flight pattern.
- Lush tail. It reaches about 11-12 cm in length.
- Wide tail feathers (12-14 pieces). The gap between them is considered a marriage.
The upper wing fold of representatives of the sickleback breed normally consists of 3-4 flight feathers. In this case, a right angle should be determined between the shoulder and the wing of the pigeon.
Breeding sickle pigeons
Serpasto-reversible pigeons are energetic and unpretentious. They adapt well to unfavorable climate conditions, reproduce well and care for their offspring independently. Even a novice breeder can cope with their maintenance.
Oviposition
The female of the sickle breed lays 2 eggs alternately in each oviposition cycle. This happens in the second week after mating, in the first half of the day. The interval between the appearance of eggs is approximately 45 hours.
Incubation
In sickle pigeons, females sit on their eggs. For the comfort of the birds, the nests are separated by partitions or placed at the maximum distance from each other.
The incubation period, depending on the time of year, is 16-19 days. Several times a day the dove turns the eggs on its own. Sickleback chicks appear 8-10 hours after the start of pecking.
Keeping chicks
Sickleback chicks are separated from their parents at the age of 25-28 days. Crushed grain is used for feeding. Vitamins are added to drinking water and mineral supplements are also given.
Upon reaching 2 months of age, young sickle pigeons begin to be trained in flight style. The signal for the start of training can be the transition of the chicks from squeaking to cooing.
Care for adults
Crested pigeons do not tolerate restrictions on their freedom, so the dovecote should be spacious and bright. Its dimensions are calculated according to the scheme 0.5-1 m2 space for a couple of birds. In this case, the total number of couples in one house should not exceed 15.The height of the room is 2 m. An aviary is also required.
The optimal temperature range inside the dovecote is +10⁰С in winter and +20⁰С in summer.
A grain mixture of legumes, wheat and millet is suitable for feeding adult sickle pigeons. The amount of grain is calculated according to the proportion of 40 g per 1 individual. It is also advisable to add vitamin complexes to food.
Conclusion
Crested pigeons are extraordinary birds that impress with their special flight style. Even novice breeders can cope with their breeding. And attention, care and regular training will allow you to achieve high breed performance.
