There are so many different breeds of pigeon all of which have their own markings and unique look. Fancy pigeons have been bred for their looks. A few examples of fancy pigeons are the Indian Fantail, Modena and the amazing Pomeranian Pouter pigeons. You will find that pigeon fanciers are extremely serious about their hobby and will breed their birds for show, to sell and enjoy themselves. If you love pigeons then you might be considering breeding pigeons as pets or for show. This article will discuss pigeon breedsand how to get involved in breeding pigeons. %%AFC-ADVERT%%
Breeding Pigeons – Where to Start
• The best place to begin is joining a national pigeon club. You can then attend shows and meetings which will teach you what you need to know about the standards of different breeds of pigeon.
• The next step is to choose a couple of pigeon breeds which interest you. It is best to just start with one or two before expanding into other breeds.
• You will then need to design an aviary which will suit all of the needs of your pigeons. You should make it easy to clean, large enough and make sure there is shelter against the elements.
• You must provide your pigeons with a healthy and balanced diet to avoid any preventable health issues. If the diet you give your breeding pigeons is not correct then you might encounter problems such as egg binding when breeding. You can feed pigeons a selection of seeds, commercial feeds, vegetables and fruit.
• You will need to make sure that there are places for your pigeons to nest within the enclosure. A good way of doing this is by providing platforms and putting straw and sticks inside the aviary so they can make their nests.
• You will need to buy your pigeons for breeding from esteemed breeders whose birds meet the standards of the breed consistently.
• Once you have your pigeon breeds then you must take them to the avian veterinarian as they must be healthy before they breed.
• The next thing you need to do is choose your method of breeding. The most common two choices are bull breeding and paired breeding. In bull breeding it involves one male and many female birds. Of you choose paired breeding then a one female and one male will be paired together.