how long do piegons naturally live?

[prancyhorse]

what is the naural lifespan of a piegon? how long are they reproductively active? thanks

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Depends on the environment they live in.


I suppose naturally would be in the wild. Feral pigeons typically survive about 5 years, if they can avoid the predators.

Domestic pigeons usually live 10-15. Of course if you take care of them right and keep them healthy, they can really get up there in age compared to ferals. I believe the record is somewhere around 33 years. I know one pigeon that served in WWI lived through the war to serve again in the second world war. Lived to a ripe age of 31 or 32 I believe, regardless of the stress from flying through skies full of bullets and bombs. Pretty amazing, figured he'd have a heart attack!

ETA: Ooops, forgot about the repro. Pigeons usually start being considered 'old' at the age of 5 or 6, but most pigeons do stay fertile past then. This also depends on how hard they've been bred in the past, how old their mate is, and how you condition them for breeding. Hens that have been constantly bred can be worn down quick. Overweight birds do not mate well, and of course they need lots of calcium, D-3 (sunlight), and protien (but no so much to where they get fat) to make good fertile eggs. An old bird does better with a younger mate. Gives them more...eh...inspiration or motivation, I guess you could say

Usually the cockbirds are the ones who stay fertile longest, probably because they have an easy job and an endless supply

I had a 2000 bird last year that I bred from, and all of his eggs were fertile. The oldest hen I have/have had, is a 2001 hen, which is still making good eggs. I have seen many others breed from 10 and 11 year olds with pretty good success. And I believe I heard once of a person finally getting a 15 or older male to fertilize after many attempts and lots of good care and conditioning. Of course the hen he was with was considerably younger, so that probably helped.

 

[prancyhorse]

thanks you have been very informative. regards karen

 

[BoiseBubba]

up to thirty years, I have on one thats ten,

 

[truecolorsloft]

Quote:
Excellent info here. Too add our humble experience to this, we have a 9 year old roller cock bird that's still breeding and producing wonderful babies. We're also his third owner, and plan to be his permanent home. Just goes to show that an "old bird" can still be fertile and productive.