Characteristics of pigeons:
Pigeons are of medium size among birds, and their whole bodies are slate gray. The neck and chest feathers have a pleasing metallic luster, which often changes from green to blue-purple with the change of observation angle. There are black stripes on the wings and tail, the black stripes on the tail are wider, and the tail is covered with white feathers. Generally speaking, group activities and hovering flight are its behavioral characteristics, but according to the research of 1928, the primitive pigeons living in Himalayan area fly very fast, often fly in a straight line, and generally do not fly very high off the ground.
Pigeons are streamlined and covered with feathers. The forelimbs of domestic pigeons become wings, which are their flying organs. Some of the bones of domestic pigeons are very thin, some are healed together, and most of the longer bones are hollow. This kind of skeleton is light and strong, which is good for flying.
Pigeons have many air sacs in their bodies, which communicate with their lungs. Pigeons breathe in during the flight, and the air enters the lungs for gas exchange, while part of the air enters the airbag for temporary storage; When exhaling, the gas in the airbag enters the lungs again and exchanges gas in the lungs twice. In this way, every time the pigeon breathes, the gas passes through the lungs twice and exchanges gas in the lungs twice. This way of breathing is called double breathing. Double breathing is a unique breathing mode of birds, which improves the efficiency of gas exchange.
The digestive system of domestic pigeons also has the characteristics of adapting to flying life. Pigeons have no teeth in their mouths and peck with hard horny beaks. The eaten food enters the crops through the pharynx and esophagus for temporary storage and softening, then enters the muscular stomach for full grinding and preliminary digestion, and finally is thoroughly digested in the small intestine. Undigested food residues form feces in the large intestine. The rectum is very short, and the feces quickly enter the cloaca and are excreted, which helps to reduce the weight of the pigeon itself.
How to raise pigeons:
1-6 days old: milk is mixed with glucose, vitamins, egg yolk powder, calcium and yeast powder, and fed with a large syringe.
7- 10 days old: add glucose, vitamins, egg yolk powder, milk powder, kidney bean powder, calcium and yeast powder into porridge, stir well, and feed with a large syringe.
1 1- 14 days old: rice porridge, pea powder, glucose, vitamins, cereal, milk powder, yeast powder.
Age 15-20 days: soak corn, sorghum, wheat, peas, mung beans, peanuts, etc. Water, supplemented by appropriate vitamins and yeast. You can also knead flour, pea powder, egg yolk powder, glucose, vitamins, grains, milk powder, yeast powder and sanitary sand into soybean size and feed them.
After 2 1 day, the young pigeons can almost peck by themselves.
Pigeons, like other poultry, should be raised together. In other words, there must be both excellent varieties and scientific breeding methods. The nutrition of homing pigeons comes from feed and drinks. Feed and beverage (including ingredients mixed in water) are the material basis for raising pigeons. Pigeon feed is mainly divided into four categories: first, plant concentrated feed and green feed; The second is animal feed, such as fish meal, shrimp meal, blood meal and bone meal. The third is mineral feed; Fourth, special feeds, such as antibiotics, enzyme preparations and additives. Among these four kinds of feed, plant feed is the main one. Pigeons' drinks are mainly water or substances mixed in water. Good water quality, non-toxic, impurity-free and parasite-free, which can ensure the health of pigeons.
Pigeon feed mainly includes the following:
(1) Peas: Pigeons like beans best, because they are smooth and easy to swallow. Beans are the feed containing the most protein; Protein is the main component of muscle, blood, viscera and cartilage. Eating more beans can promote the development of young pigeons, make up for their consumption or accelerate the growth of new meat of adult pigeons; It can keep the temperature of pigeons and stimulate appetite. Peas are the best legume feed. However, some areas do not produce peas, so Mi Dou, mung beans, soybeans or broad beans (which must be broken) can be used instead. Mung beans are cold and should not be eaten more. When it is hot in summer, you can feed them properly.
(2) Corn: Corn is a feed containing carbohydrates, in which sugar accounts for 85%, protein accounts for 10% and fat accounts for 5%. Corn is one of the indispensable staple foods of pigeons, and it must be added every time the compound feed is prepared. Its function is to provide heat and energy for pigeons. What is not absorbed after eating is stored in case it becomes energy when needed. The appropriate proportion is 30%, otherwise the pigeon is too fat to fly or affect its reproduction. Sorghum and brown rice can be used instead of corn.
(3) Sorghum: Sorghum is rich in nutritional value and its function is similar to that of corn. However, because pigeons hate the red appearance of sorghum, they prefer corn to sorghum. As long as it is quantified regularly, you will get used to it after a long time.
(4) Wheat: The sugar content of wheat is 96%, and that of protein is 2.5%. Wheat is easy to digest and absorb, which is very suitable for pigeons who have a lot of training or participate in long-distance communication. However, wheat is prone to mildew and deterioration, so attention should be paid to dry preservation.
(5) Sesame: Sesame is rich in fat. Pigeons with a large amount of training or molting can be fed more appropriately. It can promote old feathers to fall off as soon as possible and new feathers to grow ahead of time. Flaxseed, rape or peanuts can be used instead of sesame.