Breeding pigeons with such a utilitarian purpose as getting meat is still a rather exotic area of poultry farming on the territory of the former USSR.
Nevertheless, there are meat breeds of pigeons, and farms specializing in their cultivation. One of such breeds, pigeons king, is dedicated to this material.
External features
This breed was bred at the beginning of the last century by US breeders on the basis of three breeds: Romans, Maltese and postal. It is bred not only for the sake of meat, but also as a decorative bird.
Did you know? Birmingham scooter is famous for the fact that its representatives are capable of performing a series of flips during the flight. Golubovody still not figured out what caused the commitment of roller skaters to acrobatic tricks. While the theory prevails that they just like it.
Its distinguishing features are:
- coloring - dominant is white, less common are silver, red and black;
- head - relatively large, strong beak, medium-sized, yellow or black eyes;
- neck - not long, thick;
- torso - massive, short and wide;
- chest - very wide, convex, rounded;
- tail - short, raised upwards;
- lower limbs - medium length, strong, without feathers;
- wings - short, noticeably widened in front, the bird flies with difficulty;
- behavior - active, males can show aggression towards each other.
Productive qualities
The live weight of a young pigeon is 650-800 g, an older bird can weigh up to 1 kg, the mass of exhibition specimens sometimes reaches 1.5 kg. Young pigeons usually go for slaughter. On average, the weight of a gut carcass is 400 g.
Breed King is included in the ranking of the most productive meat breeds of pigeons. Read also about the features of breeding meat breeds.
Conditions of detention
Since pigeons are king - the birds are rather unpretentious, there are no special requirements for their place of detention. When equipping such a place, several points should be taken into account, namely:
- the room must be protected from drafts and insulated;
- it is necessary to provide protection against predators - cats, rats, ferrets, martens, etc .;
- Dovecote must be equipped with ventilation;
- in the winter, artificial lighting will be needed, the light day should last about 12-14 hours;
- it is necessary to equip boxes for nesting (one box for each pigeon pair; their number should be excessive), a feeding trough, a drinking bowl, perches;
- for normal development of birds, an open-air cage protected from predators is highly desirable, although representatives of this breed can be kept in cages;
- no more than four pigeons per square meter can be kept indoors;
- straw or sawdust is used as litter; litter should be changed periodically.
Important! Heating of the pigeon room king may be needed only in regions with severe winters. This bird feels great at 0°With inside dovecote. In addition, if the dovecote is equipped with an automatic feeder and an auto-drinker, then visit her daily not required.
What to feed
For pigeon king feeding, mainly cereals and legumes are used, most often in the form of mixtures. This may be wheat, peas, corn, barley, oats, etc. Here is a well-proven version of the feed mixture:
- millet - 30%;
- wheat - 20%;
- barley - 20%;
- peas - 15%;
- corn - 15%.
During the period of active growth of young stock, it is recommended to add a little fish oil, salt, as well as chalk or shell rock to this mixture. 
For birds of any age, it is advisable to add juicy green food at the rate of 10 g per day per pigeon; in winter, greens are replaced by hay or grass meal. In addition, boiled potatoes can be added to the feed. Vitamin supplements (Chiktonik, Trivit, etc.) are usually used when feeding, as well: during the breeding period, for the prevention of beriberi, during the growth of the young. They are used according to the instructions.
Food is usually given twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. Some poultry farmers, 3-5 days before slaughter, in order to give pigeon meat a special taste, begin to feed the bird with spices: seeds of cumin, dill, anise, juniper berries. The day before slaughter, any feeding stops — this improves the quality of the meat and makes it easier to gut the carcass.
Read about the nutrition of adults and pigeons.
The following products are contraindicated for pigeons:
- meat in any form and fish;
- milk and dairy products (low-fat cottage cheese is allowed in small quantities);
- sunflower seeds in large quantities;
- bakery products.
Disease prevention
Pigeons King are very resistant to various diseases, but still they can become infected with any disease characteristic of this bird: knuckle, smallpox pigeons, ornithosis, paratyphoid fever, salmonellosis, etc. Preventive measures of a general nature include such actions:
- creating comfortable conditions for birds;
- periodic cleaning of the pigeon house (including feeders and drinkers), twice a year it is necessary to carry out its general cleaning with disinfection;
- at least a weekly quarantine for new pigeons;
- exclusion of contacts with wild pigeons, sparrows and in general with any wild bird;
- periodic inspection of birds in order to identify symptoms of disease.
It is useful to find out which diseases of pigeons are dangerous to humans, as well as which medications are necessary for pigeons to treat diseases.
In addition, for prophylactic purposes using various drugs. So, deworming (getting rid of worms) is carried out a month before the breeding season with garlic or special preparations, such as "Levavet" or "Tetramizol". 
For the general strengthening of immunity apply "Fospril". At high risk of spreading the infection, birds are given antibiotics, Enroflon or Enroflox. The dosage and duration of use of the above funds is prescribed in the instructions for their use.
Breeding
When breeding pigeons, one should take into account that these birds are monogamous - already established couples mate. With the loss of a female or male, a new pair may not be formed. In addition, they have a well-developed incubation instinct, so the incubator for breeding chicks, as a rule, is not used.
Did you know? Some pigeon breeds doves can lay eggs only in the presence of males. However, in the nurseries they figured out how to do in such cases without the presence of the second half of the pigeon family - they cheat females with the help of a mirror, placing it in front of them.
For mating pigeons king become ready at the age of 7-8 months. The best egg production is observed in doves aged from one to two years of life. Under adequate housing conditions, females make several egg laying (usually 2 eggs per laying) per year, and on average, 16-18 chicks are bred during this period. The process of reproduction is not interrupted even in winter, provided artificial light is used to compensate for a short day of light, and at a temperature not lower than 0 ° C indoors. 
For the King breed, nest boxes are placed on the floor of the dovecote or at a small elevation, as far as possible from each other. In addition, they should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Before the mating period, these crates are covered with hay or straw.
Read about breeding pigeons at home.
Hatching chicks are fully wary of their parents. As mentioned above, they initially feed them the so-called "bird's milk." From two weeks of age, chicks are able to eat crushed grain. From about 6 weeks of age, the chicks completely switch to independent feeding. 
So, we can conclude that the breeding of king pigeons does not present any particular difficulties. In some aspects, it is even simpler than breeding chickens, not to mention more capricious poultry. At the same time, pigeon meat has long been considered a delicacy and can pleasantly diversify home cooking or bring a good income when it is sold.
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