Pigeons

[TpKe]

Someone had some white doves for sale round here for £8 each, but i heard that doves homing instinct wasn't great and aren't as hardy as pigeons. They are now sold.
I've heard that king pigeons and runts and such are the best for meat but no one around here raises them for meat although lots of people race them and breed racers.
So would a pair of racing pigeons be okay, if i was to breed them for squab.I know i could probably find some meat pigeons somewhere, but there are non near by and also i can buy racers/ex racers for less than £5 and they would be nimble enough to out manoeuvre the hundreds of red kites out here.So would racers be okay for home production, or wouldn't they be as prolific as meat breeds?

 

[jak2002003]

Someone had some white doves for sale round here for £8 each, but i heard that doves homing instinct wasn't great and aren't as hardy as pigeons. They are now sold.
I've heard that king pigeons and runts and such are the best for meat but no one around here raises them for meat although lots of people race them and breed racers.
So would a pair of racing pigeons be okay, if i was to breed them for squab.I know i could probably find some meat pigeons somewhere, but there are non near by and also i can buy racers/ex racers for less than £5 and they would be nimble enough to out manoeuvre the hundreds of red kites out here.So would racers be okay for home production, or wouldn't they be as prolific as meat breeds?

Not enough meet on racers... and more hard muscles and darker meat.

The white king pigeons have light meat, lots of meat and very tender.

They are also more productive than homers.

I don't understand why hawks will be a problem... as you will be keeping the meat birds penned up or in flights.. because they are not good flyers and tend to just walk about on the ground. Also its wasting their energy (which is better used to raise the squabs) to have birds flying around outside.. and chance of predator eating them.. so the squabs back on the nest will die.

And you need to start off with more than one pair... or you are going to not have much squab to eat!

 

[laughingdog]

Homers work good to start and can foster for kings etc later when you can get them. I prefer meat taste etc of homers/racers to squab had from local meat pigeons. Kings in some countries left free flying n easy keepers, but cage farmed needs much more food n water and care all around to do good, than homers ferals etc that can mainly care after self when free flown.