Physical characteristics of meat pigeon
The head shape is broad, the back of the head is full, the neck is straight, short and thick, the neck feathers are tight and shiny, the front chest is broad, the tail bundle is flat on the back, the keel is long and curved, the pubic bone is closed seamlessly, and the distance between them is short. Symmetrical fastening is better for nose type; Feathers cling to muscles, muscles tighten the skeleton, and the skeleton is solid and compact. The eyes are bright and transparent, the pupils need to be oval, such as ink-stained, contract regardless of sunlight, the pupil edge is wavy, and the periphery of the canthus is sawed.
streamlined body, flying life. The body surface is covered with feathers, the forelimbs become wings, and the pectoral muscles are developed; Short rectum, large appetite and fast digestion, that is, the digestive system is developed, which is helpful to lose weight and fly; The heart has two atria and two ventricles, and the number of heart beats is fast. Body temperature is constant. In addition to the lungs, the respiratory organs also have air sacs protruding from the lung walls to help the lungs to carry out double breathing. Oviposition The body temperature is high, usually 42℃. Pigeons have well-developed keel processes on their sternum, and their bones are hollow and inflated, which is the skeletal structural feature of pigeons to adapt to flying life.
Pigeons are bipedal, constant-temperature, egg-laying vertebrates with feathers. Pigeon feathers are divided into normal feathers (mainly used for flying) and down feathers (mainly used for heat preservation). The forelimbs evolved into wings with a hard beak (pigeon's mouth).
Pigeons like to eat stones, which is related to their special digestive system. Pigeons have no teeth, so food is swallowed directly into the esophagus and stored in the muscular stomach. Pigeon's muscular stomach is very tough, its stomach wall is muscular, and there is a horny membrane on the inner wall, and stones are stored in the stomach cavity. After the food enters the muscular stomach, the muscles of the stomach wall contract, and the horny membrane, stones and food rub against each other to grind the food. Therefore, stones are equivalent to teeth, so pigeons must constantly swallow stones in order to digest food. Pigeons generally can only digest 6% of food, and the rest are discharged with feces.
Reproductive performance
Pigeons lay eggs, hatch and brood all the year round. Sexual maturity is about 6 months old, the incubation period is 18 days, and the lactation period is 3 days. Usually, a pair of production pigeons breed 5-7 pairs of young pigeons every year. Pigeons breed in monogamy. The mother pigeon lays 2 eggs in each nest, that is, after laying one egg on the first day, she lays another egg the next day and then hatches. During the incubation process, the male and female pigeons take turns to nest, and the male pigeons are on day shift every day (9: to 16: ), while the female pigeons nest from 16: to 9: the next day. In the process of incubation, eggs should be picked up manually, and eggs without sperm and dead embryos should be checked and removed in time after 4 ~ 5 days of incubation. On the 1th day of incubation, the eggs are illuminated again, and the dead embryo eggs are removed. When a single pigeon egg hatches, it should be nested in time.
growth and reproduction
The pigeon has early sexual maturity, rapid reproduction and rapid growth. Pigeons can breed in pairs when they are 5-6 months old. Each pair of breeding pigeons can produce 8-12 pairs of young pigeons every year, and young pigeons can be sold after feeding for 25-3 days, and their weight can reach 5-75g. The pigeon breeding cycle is short, the turnover is fast, the investment is low, and the effect is quick. The premises and equipment required for raising meat pigeons are simple, the scale can be large or small, and the feed consumption is low. The daily food consumption of each pigeon is less than 1g, mainly based on raw grain such as corn, which is cheap without processing, and the feed raw materials are convenient and easy to obtain, and the feeding cost is low. You can see the benefits in the month when you buy breeding pigeons. Pigeons have good adaptability, few diseases, simple breeding management technology, high breeding income, stable income and low risk.
nutrition and feed
the daily drinking water of each pair of adult pigeons is 12 ~ 3ml. The feed contains crude protein, and it is appropriate to use 12% ~ 15% for young pigeons and aborted pigeons, and 15% ~ 18% for breeding period. The fat content is 3% ~ 5%, supplemented with multivitamins and minerals. Feed is fresh and high quality, and inferior and moldy feed is prohibited.
nutritional value
it is rich in nutrition and high in medicinal value, and it is an advanced nourishing nutrition. The meat is tender and delicious, and it is the first of its kind. According to the determination, squab contains more than 17 kinds of amino acids, the total amount of amino acids is as high as 53.9%, and it contains more than 1 kinds of trace elements and vitamins. Therefore, pigeon meat is an ideal food with high protein and low fat. Pigeon has good medicinal value, its bone and meat can be used as medicine, which can regulate the heart, nourish blood and invigorate qi, and has the effects of preventing diseases, eliminating fatigue and stimulating appetite.
living habits
1. The spousal nature of monogamy. Adult pigeons have a choice for their spouses. Once they are married, the male and female pigeons always live closely together, and bear the responsibilities of nesting, incubating eggs, feeding young pigeons and guarding nests. After pairing, if one is lost or killed, it will take a long time for the other to find a new spouse.
2. Pigeons are late birds. The newly hatched squab (also known as young pigeon) is weak, can't open its eyes, and has only some newborn fluff, so it can't walk and feed. Parent pigeons feed their young pigeons with pigeon milk in the crop, and they need to feed them for one month before they can live independently.
3. Plant seeds are the staple food. Pigeons mainly eat corn, rice, wheat, peas, mung beans and sorghum, and generally have no habit of cooked food. Under the condition of artificial feeding, the feed can be made into complete compound feed according to its nutritional needs, with "health sand" (also known as nutritional mud) as additive and some vitamins added to make granular feed with a diameter of 3 ~ 5 mm. Pigeons can adapt to and make good use of this feed.
4. Pigeons are halophilic. Pigeons' ancestors lived by the sea for a long time and often drank seawater, so they formed a salt-loving habit. If the pigeon's food is short of salt for a long time, it will lead to physiological disorders such as pigeon laying. Each adult pigeon needs .2 grams of salt every day, and too much salt can also cause poisoning.
5. love cleanliness and high habitat habits. Pigeons don't like to touch feces and dirt, but like to perch on perches, windowsills and nests with a certain height. Pigeons like bathing very much, especially in hot weather.
6. Strong adaptability and alertness. Pigeons are distributed in the tropics, subtropics, temperate zones and cold zones, and can live in the temperature of 5℃, with particularly strong stress resistance and strong adaptability to the surrounding environment and living conditions. Pigeons have high alertness. If they are disturbed by natural enemies (eagles, cats, weasels, mice, snakes, etc.), they will be frightened and try their best to escape from the cage. After escaping, they will not return to the cage to live. At night, any abnormal noise in the pigeon house will also lead to panic and riots among the pigeons.
7. Have strong memory and homing ability. Pigeons have a strong memory, especially the ability to recognize each other's position, nest box and young pigeons. Even after years of separation, they can tell the direction, fly back to their original place and identify their partners among pigeons. Pigeons can also establish a certain conditioned reflex for the breeders who are in frequent contact, especially for the sound and tools used by the breeders in each feeding. After a period of time, pigeons can gather at the side of the feeder and wait for food. On the contrary, if the breeder is rude, after a period of time, pigeons will run away as soon as they see this breeder.
8. Have the habit of controlling his wife. After the pigeons build their nests, the male pigeons begin to force the female pigeons to lay eggs in the nests. If the female pigeons leave the nests, the male pigeons will chase them desperately, peck the female pigeons to return to their nests and never give up until they reach their goals. The strength of this kind of wife control behavior has a great correlation with its prolificacy.
Sex identification
Pigeon identification
(1) Anal identification method Pigeons hatch for 4-5 days, and the upper anal edge of male pigeons covers the lower anal edge, slightly protruding; The lower edge of the mother pigeon protrudes to cover the upper edge.
(2) Feeding identification method Among young pigeons in the same litter, most of them are male pigeons, and vice versa.
(3) Behavior recognition method: The male pigeon grows faster and bigger, while the female pigeon grows slower; When touching the head of the young pigeon, the male pigeon is sensitive, his feathers stand up and he is aggressive. On the contrary, most of them are female pigeons.
pigeon identification
(1) The male pigeon has a large head, a large and short mouth, a large and prominent nasal tumor and a large and thick tibia; The female pigeon has a compact figure, a round head, a small nose tumor, a long and narrow mouth, a thin and soft neck and a short and thin tibia.
(2) The male pigeon is good at resisting and can make a "goo goo" cry when grasping the pigeon; The mother pigeon is docile.
(3) Touching the abdomen and pelvis, the male pigeon keel process is thick and long, the distance between pubic bones is narrow and tight, and the tibia is thick and round; The distance between pubic bones of female pigeons is wide (about 4 ~ 5 cm), the keel process is slightly short, and the tibia is thin and flat.
(4) Anal examination: When the male pigeon's anus is closed, it protrudes outwards, and when it is opened, it is slightly hexagonal; The female pigeon's anus is concave inward when it is closed, and it is cauliflower-shaped when it is opened.
(5) The feathers of male pigeons are shiny and the tail end of main wing feathers is sharp. The gloss of the female pigeon feathers is poor, and the tail end of the main wing feathers is blunt.
Adult pigeon identification
(1) Male pigeons often chase female pigeons, and the air bag in the neck of the male pigeon inflates, the neck feathers and back feathers swell, and the tail feathers spread out like a fan. Female pigeons are more gentle and frequently accept courtship from male pigeons.
(2) Because of courtship and mating between male and female pigeons, the tail feathers of male pigeons are dirty, while the back feathers of female pigeons are dirty.
(3) When kissing, the male pigeon opens his mouth, and the female pigeon puts the howl into the male pigeon's mouth. After kissing, the female pigeon naturally squats down and accepts the mating of the male pigeon.
(4) The incubation time is different. The incubation time of male pigeons is mostly from 1 to 16 o'clock every day, and the other time is hatched by female pigeons.