Pigeon Questions

[Bird_Lover_17]

I have the opportunity to get some pigeons next summer. Any pigeon raisers can you answer my questions please?


What % protein needs to be in their feed?
How to keep them healthy in the harsh winter/ summer?
Good Dimensions for lofts/aviaries?
How can I keep them entertained?
Good online hatcheries to order from?
Common health issues/injuries?
Medications (for the pigeons) to have on hand?
Friendly breeds?
How much does it cost on average to raise them?
Do you have to race them? (I know that you need to keep them entertained, I am just paranoid that I will loose them.)

.....and any other information is welcome

 

[backyard pigeons]

I have the opportunity to get some pigeons next summer. Any pigeon raisers can you answer my questions

Congrats! You won't regret it!

What % protein needs to be in their feed?
How to keep them healthy in the harsh winter/ summer?
Good Dimensions for lofts/aviaries?
How can I keep them entertained?
Good online hatcheries to order from?
Common health issues/injuries?
Medications (for the pigeons) to have on hand?
Friendly breeds?
How much does it cost on average to raise them?
Do you have to race them? (I know that you need to keep them entertained, I am just paranoid that I will loose them.)

I recommend 13-15% protein in a grain mixture, with a small amount of chicken layer pellets.

Keep a dry, draft free, well ventilated and under crowded loft and health will follow! Hot or cold!

dimensions.... Depends on the number of birds you plan to keep. If you are building it, stick with standard lumber dimensions. Even foot numbers are best. So, don't build a 5×9, but rather a 4×8 (or a 40×80, pigeons are addictive). Build it as big as you are ble to!

You can keep them entertained by having an outdoor aviary to allow them to get sun and bathe, allowing them to breed and raise youngsters keeps them busy. Pick pots (hardened grit in a stone shape) are good... And companionship, a big flock is a happy flock.

I don't recommend ordering from hatcheries. They are overpriced with weak genetics. Look locally on Craigslist, or buy from a individual and have them ship the birds.

As far as health issues,,, I recommend getting a book on pigeons... There are so many, I could not been scratch the surface. But overall, good care of the birds keeps them from getting sick. And not throwing meds at them every time they cough keeps their immune system working. If you put the effort in, the results will show. That's why I like this hobby.

As far as injuries, if you have a wire floor anywhere sometimes a toenail manages to get stuck and come out, but it quickly heals despite the bloody perches. And young birds coming out if the nest will sometimes het picked on by an adult male, this is called scalping. I selectively breed against this and have attained a scalping free flock. In the case of this happening, separate either the bully or the injured bird until everything is back to normal and calming down.

Medications... I am not a vet, so I am not going to give you the most detailed or best info, but I will try.

I keep ivermectin in the paste form for worming my birds twice a year.

I also keep permethrin to keep the mites away.

And that's about it right now. I have decided I will stop medicating from this time on for inner body issues (other than worms). I am breeding for a hardy flock of birds with strong immunity. But do what works for your birds, not for mine.

All breeds can be friendly with time, but some are naturally friendlier than others. Pick the breed you like and spend time with them, and they will become friendly.

I pamper my birds, so I spend probably $40 a month for my 50 pigeons. But, there are ways to try to break even, such as selling birds. I also just made $150 for winning second place at a pigeon show, so there are my pigeons needs met for three months!

You do NOT have to race them! There is only one breed of the 200+ breeds recognized that can race, and that is the amazing thoroughbred of the sky, also known as the homing pigeon. And you do not have to race them either. But, I do recommend flying your birds, regardless of breed to allow them to 'play'. That is, unless you when an abnormal amount of Hawks.

I hope this helps!

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

1. I believe the proteins amount can change depending on what you use them for (performing and racing birds need more cause they work harder than my lazy show birds haha) I believe the feeds I've used over the years were always 15% and I've never noticed issues (I don't fly mine)

2. My loft is fairly good at keeping a decent temperature, my water never freezes in the winter and it doesn't get hot there during the summer. During the spring/summer/autumn (basically any time the suns out and it's not cold) I'll put a bath out for them, not only do they adore it but it keeps them clean and I like to believe it keeps them cool : D I live in Washington (west of the cascades) so my summers aren't too hot, my winters aren't too cold, so depending on where you live it could entirely differ on how well you'd need to bundle up your loft! Always always always make sure you have good ventilation!

3. My loft is 20 x 8 or 20 x 9. It's got an airlock (so when you open the door entering the loft, theres no birds in that area) and two sections separated by an old screen door. The slightly bigger section has four 'breeding boxes' (6' wide, 2' deep, 3-4' tall). The other section is just perches. I really love having doors dividing my two areas because when I am cleaning one area I can simply move the birds over and close them out, so while I'm cleaning I don't have to worry about them being above me, below me, or spooking them! There's also a closable pigeon-sized door cut into the wall that leads to an outside area (which is where I put their pools during nicer weather!)

4. I do not know of any online hatcheries that sell eggs nor squabs, I'd reccomend buying from a breeder (buy squabs or adults! pigeons can't be raised the same way as baby chicks/quail/waterfowl/etc. It's not impossible by any means but it's also not simple)

5. I think the most common thing I've encountered is feather mites? Mostly because back before covid I did conformation shows and most people don't really seem to care about feather mites (because unlike say chicken mites, feather mites only affect the feathers and the feathers molt out before any issues seem to ever arise) Still, always best to keep any pest n critter out of there! Borax baths have worked for me and my birds, some people have had issues with Borax and use other medications : D

6. My friendliest birds are BY FAR my birmingham rollers. My chinese owl project birds are fairly nice but the hens tear my a new one when they're broody! which was all the time hahaha! I used my birminghams for 4H showmanship and even lended my other birds to people for showmanship as well, I honestly didn't have much hope in them being friendly as I bought 5/7 of my rollers as adults, but once you are holding them, they calm right down and don't seem bothered! (my homers are also fairly nice, I like the rollers better though because my homers are H U G E)

7. I spend $27 or so on feed every month an a half, I finally ran out of grit last week but that's lasted me I think over a year (I can't remember the cost, sorry) and a $10-$15 bag of shavings for the breeding pens and when turning the ground in the loft lasts me quite a few cleanings! It'll mostly depend on how YOU raise and care for your birds, I've know someone who spends a LOT of money on her birds because they're inside pets, another person I know flies his and he spends a lot less.

8. You do NOT have to race them! Only one or two pigeon breeds can really race, and only a handful of other 'performers' really do well "let out" and honestly it just feels safer to me to keep them 'contained'. We have a family of bald eagles and a family or two of hawks who live IN my neighborhood so I couldn't race or fly if I wanted to :') The racing mentor for my old 4H group would always say to not name a bird you were going to fly, and if it was one you wanted to breed, don't fly it. I think he said to expect to lose about half of all birds you fly? I can't remember, I've never flown so I can't speak to it, but my birds seem fairly content : D

Extra tips... hmm... build double the space you think you'll need. even if you plan on getting say TEN pigeons, make room for TWENTY. Trust me, one of them is gonna have a baby you want to keep, or you'll find a colour you like and OH what if you bred the baby and the one with the cool color together!! Pigeons really are addicting...

I wonder how many photos it takes to break BYC... Here's some of my birds and some of my favorite birds from a pigeon show I went to in 2019 : D

 

[Aaron nassery]

I use 50% protein. The higher the better. The parents crop milk is 65-70%. To low of protein and fat will cause a very very slow growth. Sorry I’m late btw

 

[Old_Strain_Lover]

I use 50% protein. The higher the better. The parents crop milk is 65-70%. To low of protein and fat will cause a very very slow growth. Sorry I’m late btw

I sure hope you aren't feeding 50% protein to your old birds... that would be bad and come to think of it very difficult without the use of something like whey protein powder. And strictly speaking of crop milk, it's protein percentage would fall in the mid to upper 50's as an average, with the fat percentage being in the 30's, and carbohydrates basically being 0.

 

[backyard pigeons]

I use 50% protein. The higher the better. The parents crop milk is 65-70%. To low of protein and fat will cause a very very slow growth. Sorry I’m late btw

Do you feed this to all your birds?? I am surprised they are still alive!

Native pigeons, no, not street\feral pigeons, eat a protein content of 10-14% depending on the season. The same goes for ferals in the US. when you pick up a wild pigeon, that bird is about the healthiest feeling bird as far as weight. Yes, they may not be healthy as far as parasites, but they are hitting the mark on weight. And there only getting 10-14% protein!

I feed my birds 13% protein in the winter, and about 15% protein during breeding season. My babies grow fine with the 15% protein content. there is no need to feed 5× the amount of protein they get in the wild, where they thrive.

I sure hope you aren't feeding 50% protein to your old birds... that would be bad and come to think of it very difficult without the use of something like whey protein powder. And strictly speaking of crop milk, it's protein percentage would fall in the mid to upper 50's as an average, with the fat percentage being in the 30's, and carbohydrates basically being 0.

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

I don't know much about the whole protein stuff, but how do you feed 50% protein? :0 I've never seen bird feed that high, although I guess I've never looked much

 

[Old_Strain_Lover]

I don't know much about the whole protein stuff, but how do you feed 50% protein? :0 I've never seen bird feed that high, although I guess I've never looked much

I'm guessing that he is talking about some formula for the babies. One would need to use something like whey protein powder (like many bodybuilders use), or soy protein concentrate to obtain high protein levels like that. The highest protein level found in legumes is in the soybeans, and they only top out around 36% I believe. So through a normal grain/seed/legume mix it's not possible to reach such high protein levels (nor would it ever be desirable). Trying to match the nutritional profile of pigeon crop milk would also be extremely difficult... 50+% protein, 30+% fat, and zero carbohydrates? Not to mention calcium, phosphorous, sodium, potassium etc levels... and also amino acids and immunoglobulin factors... good luck with that haha. A lot of people use kaytee exact handfeeding formula, but that doesn't even come close to the composition of real crop milk. If you ever want to read up on it, this is a link to a very good paper on crop milk (it's very old but still very valuable information)... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1264463/pdf/biochemj01024-0049.pdf

P.S. sorry for taking this thread a bit off course haha

 

[backyard pigeons]

(it's very old but still very valuable information)...

The older the better. Old articles don't over complicate things, but give good sound advice in a straightforward manner.

 

[casportpony]

Locked per the OP's request.