Free flight flock

[Bossroo]

Quote:
I have been asking these questions on the amount of feed to raise the squab and carcass weights produced in the real world for quite a while now ... I am still waiting for an answer. ANYONE ???

See if this link helps. Looks like it is a publication put out in 2007 by an Austrailian group. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/213221/Squab-raising.pdf The pigeons in the study were utility kings. The article says:
• 25 breeding pairs will eat about 3 kg of feed daily.
• 1 breeding pair will eat about 45 kg of feed and 4 kg of grit yearly.
• 1 pair of birds will eat 22 kg of feed to breeding age.
A 500 g squab is produced from 3 kg of feed, giving a feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 6:1.

Thank you SRSMITH 69... Yes, I read that article... that 45 kg = 99.208 pounds of feed, I have seen other articles that vary from 50% less that to 25% more. Most of the published articles are over 50 years old. Production claims from reading breed standards ( published ??? many years ago, and the real world birds of today may or may not be even close) I found to be just that... claims. I attended a County fair last Sept.. I talked to a pigeon exhibitor there who stated that his exhibition fancy breed of choice is now only about half the size of what they were 20 years ago. The breed standard still calls for the original size. He also stated that he is lucky to produce 3 birds a year from his pairs. Most articles and pigeon web sites are slanted to racing pigeons or strictly for pets. So NO help there. I would like to raise pigeons for meat, but not knowing the costs of production and/or even what to expect for production returns is asking for economic failure. Who is right in the real world of today ?

 

[srsmith69]

I don't have much history to speak of, but I will share what I have. I got 7 pigeons back in August... 3 Texan/Homers and 4 homers. I was looking for Texans, but the breeder had them all in the same loft and they had of course cross bred. The crosses are approximately the size of the texans but their feathering is "rough" rather than smooth, so I don't believe they are full blood. In Mid september, I acquired 4 full-blood Texans from the secretary of the Texan Pioneer organization. From that point, I have been feeding 11 pigeons. So, say on average I have been feeding 10 birds per month for 4 months. I have fed almost 150 lbs of pigeon grain (basically chicken scratch with peas and popcorn instead of cracked corn) through today. That would be 450 lbs per year Equals 45 lbs per bird/year or 90 lbs per breeding pair.

The Texans began immediately to lay eggs, but due to their size, they are ground nesters. They have each had 4 clutches of eggs. The second clutch was laid 48 days after the first clutch was laid without any supplemental light. I added supplemental light to extend the "day" to about 15 hours, and the third clutch was laid approximately 34 days after the previous clutch. My clutches have not been very successful.

Pair A laid their first egg in my loft the day I brought them home. Middle of the floor. It got stomped immediately because they had not had time to make a nest. They laid their second egg and I added a fake egg to give them a full clutch. They incubated it for 18 days, but the egg didn't develop. Their second clutch both hatched and at 30 days the male squab weighed 1 lb 11 oz on a digital postal scale. The female squab weighed 1 lb 10 oz. These are live weights since I am wanting to build up my flock. These squabs have been weaned for about 3 weeks and have eaten their portion of the 150 lbs of feed. Pair A's third clutch had a 50% hatch. Another male squab that is 15 days old and they have begun sitting on their 4th clutch 33 days after laying their last clutch.

Pair B has an excitable cock that stomps to threaten me and other birds away from the nest. Their first clutch, one was stomped and the second disapeared (I had 3 eggs disappear, think a snake. Added 1/4" hardware cloth to all openings and haven't lost an egg since). Clutch 2, one stomped 2 days after laying and the other stomped the day before it was supposed to hatch (fully developed but dead squab inside). They laid a new clutch 7 days after the previous one should have hatched. This clutch is being fostered by another pair of pigeons. Pair B then laid a 4th clutch 9 days after I took their last clutch.

I can't say if their laying is a fair example, but I am very satisfied with their frequency of lay. I knew when I got them that they were ground nesters and that is the reason they were available. I had searched for months for Texan stock, but had been unable to locate any, so I was happy to get them.

The other 7 birds took a while to pair up. One pair of homers is on their second clutch. The first one disapeared due to the snake. their second hatched on thanksgiving. The other pair of Homers is sitting their first clutch. Two of the Texan crosses mated and have built 3 different nests, but never laid. They built a huge nest this last time, but no eggs. I put two fake eggs in their nest when pair B laid their first egg. The Texan cross pair immediately began sitting their fake eggs. After 4 days, I gave them the eggs from pair B. Hopefully, pair B's eggs will finally get a chance to hatch.

Summary:
10 birds average per month for four months
150 lbs feed
2 pair Texans: Laid 16 eggs resulting in 3 squabs, 1 snake food, 6 eggs in the nest, 4 eggs stomped, 2 didn't develop
Original 7 pigeon: laid 6 eggs resulting in 2 squabs, 2 snake food, 2 eggs in the nest

ETA: Just received 4 more texans in the mail today. Roast squab is not far off.

 

[Bossroo]

Thank you SRSMITH 69, This is exactly the information that I needed. You have the intestinal fortitude to show what the real world is all about. Learning curve and all. Others that I have talked to only pussyfoot around the rosey and only spout out the breed standard ideal. We all know that the ideal is so hard to achieve. May I ask what you mean by the Texan Pioneers are "ground nesters"? Do they make their nest only on the ground or can they fly up and use and lay in nests say in nest boxes 4-6 feet off the ground on a wall?

 

[srsmith69]

All Texans are not ground nesters. The guy I got my birds from had nest boxes up to about 5 foot high and his birds were using them. He didn't really seem to want to part with his birds, but sold me a couple pairs that he warned me were ground nesters. One pair that I have could nest in a box. I've seen them on roosts that are 5-6 ft high. They choose to nest just inside the doorway to the loft so I have to step over them everytime I enter. I generally move them to another location after the hen starts sitting. The cock in the other pair just can't get off the ground. He can only fly about 2 feet off the ground. I've thought of putting a box about 1 ft off the ground, but haven't done it yet. The hen flies well enough. He just seems too heavy to get a good liftoff. The lady that just shipped me four birds said her birds can and do use nest boxes. But... if you look at Yardbird tx setup, his texans nest on the ground.

 

[Bossroo]

This is very interesting as I have never heard of anyone mentioning the Texan Pioneers as ground nesters, much less any other squab breed. When I saw Yardbirs tx photos , I never put 2 plus 2 together only that that individual bird just hapened to have her nest on the ground. I whent to several squab breeder sites and no-one mentioned that little fact. Do you have any other tidbits to share that a newbie would want to know?