Sports or carrier pigeons
Homing pigeons have been bred for several thousand years. The ability to orientate in space in this species of birds was noticed a long time ago. The first post breeds began to emerge immediately after the meat breeds. Pigeon mail was used in ancient times, both in Europe and Asia. It did not lose its relevance until the half of the twentieth century. Now these pigeons are considered sports and participate in competitions.
Carrier pigeons
General characteristics of breeds
Homing pigeons are highly prized. But this does not mean that by purchasing such a bird, you can immediately send it to the competition. Raising and training a real postman takes a lot of time. Not all individuals, even from purebred lines, are capable of performing their duties well. What are the features of carrier pigeons?
History reference
The history of the breeds goes back more than one hundred years. In the 19th century, pigeons were used to transmit information about stock quotes. The financial success and collapse of many financial companies depended on their speed. Birds were an essential feature of the troops in the First and Second World War. They even carried out aerial photography, becoming the forerunners of modern drones.
Orientation in space
How does a pigeon with a letter know where to fly from and where, how does it determine the way to its native dovecote? The instinct leads the birds home, because there a female or a male awaits them, warmth, protection and delicious food. They are strongly attached to the place. Until today, it is not known how the postmen pigeons orient themselves in space and can deliver mail to the addressee.
They tried to transport the birds in closed boxes, temporarily euthanized, twisted on the road on a merry-go-round, but they still found their way home. Some researchers believe that pochtari are guided by infrasound, which is transmitted over long distances and is not audible to the human ear. Others argue that the bird flies by feeling the earth's magnetic field. An internal compass helps you determine the correct direction of flight.
Characteristics of abilities
Here are the main characteristics and features of carrier pigeons:
- Large beak, sometimes with a pronounced hump
- Well-developed wax
- Many have a pronounced periocular ring
- The body is large, massive, with well-developed muscles
- Extended breast
- The wings are long and powerful
- Flight altitude - 100-150 meters
- Average flight speed 60-70 km / h
- Maximum speed - 100-120 km / h
- Maximum flight range - 1100 km, in rare cases more
- The dove can be sent with a letter weighing 80-90 grams (1/3 of the mass of the bird).
Pigeons develop the best flight characteristics by 3-4 years. Postmen serve up to 15 years old. The average lifespan of these breeds of pigeons is 20-25 years. How much does a feathered postman cost? Birds are sold at prices ranging from 1,500 to 10,000 rubles.A thoroughbred, well-trained pigeon competing in prestigious competitions can cost several thousand dollars.
Breeding pigeons
The dovecote should be populated with chicks at the age of 30-45 days. At this age, young animals define the concept of home for themselves and become attached to the place. The flock should have the same number of males and females. Pigeons begin to breed from 5 months. It is advisable to choose pairs that fully comply with breed standards. The pigeon with the dove is placed in a spacious closed box for several days. If, after leaving, they stick together, then the pair has developed.
The female begins to lay testicles approximately 14 days after mating. One clutch contains 1-3 pieces. Both parents hatch eggs in turn. It is important to identify the fertilized eggs. At first, all have a translucent shell, then it becomes milky white and gradually darkens. Unfertilized eggs remain translucent, the surface becomes rough.
Chicks hatch 16-19 days after laying. They are blind, covered with thin fluff. Parents feed them milk, which is formed in the goiter, for two weeks. Then a porridge of secretion and semi-digested grains is used. At the age of about a month, the chicks begin to give swollen grains, from 45 days they switch to adult food. It is best if the couple will feed one chick. To do this, the second is either put on the "childless" couple, or the weaker one is removed.
Care and feeding
Caring for and feeding carrier pigeons is the same as for other breeds. Dovecote is arranged in the attic or in the yard of the house. It should have nesting sites and perches. Flight windows are made with an area of 20-30 cm². It is important to ensure that the house is clean, light, and free of drafts.
In winter, it is not necessary to insulate it, the birds tolerate the cold well. On the other hand, at low temperatures their sexual instinct decreases. If you keep the pigeons warm, you can have offspring all year round. Some breeders use this principle. Others say that pigeons are depleted and chicks are born weaker and less responsive to training.
Feeding sports pigeons should be rational. Undernourished birds cannot cover long distances, and overfed birds are less oriented in space and become lazy. The optimal amount of feed per animal is 410 grams per week. During the period of reproduction and incubation of eggs, the portions are doubled.
They feed the birds three times a day. The first time is right after sunrise, the second time is about an hour before lunch, the third is before sunset. Feed should include:
- Yellow peas (green is contraindicated)
- Lentils
- Vick
- Bran
- Flaxseeds
- Rape
- Boiled potatoes.
Calcium preparations, chalk, table salt are added to the diet. There should always be clean water in the dovecote, the pochari drink a lot.
Training
Proper training is an important part of raising carrier pigeons. Without this, they will not get to sports competitions, their price on the market will decrease, and breeding will become unprofitable. Doves begin to train at the age of 6 weeks. At first, they can only be allowed to circle over the dovecote. When they learn this lesson, after 1.5 months, they begin to take them some distance from home. In addition, training can only be started with birds that have lived at least 3 days in the new dovecote.
First, pigeons are trained on sunny warm days. The ideal period is from the second half of April to the first ten days of October. First, they are trained at a distance of 20-30 km from the house, it is constantly increased. Birds should be released no later than noon (12 noon), and best of all in the early morning. In the first year, they work at a distance of up to 320 km.
Before transporting the pigeons, they should be well tamed so that they themselves go into the hands, do not be afraid of moving into the cages.At night, birds are more malleable, therefore it is better to take them out of the house before dawn. You need to transport postmen quickly so that the stay in the cage is minimal. Birds are released in open areas. In a forest or valley, they can become disoriented, especially at the beginning of training.
You can fully train a bird by 3-4 years. At this time, they learn to develop their maximum speed, they can return home from a distance of about 1000 km. It is from this age that birds are allowed to compete. In a lifetime, a postman flies hundreds of thousands of kilometers.
Breeds of carrier pigeons
The ancestor of all modern postal breeds is the Belgian postal pigeon. At first, the breed was divided into three:
- Antwerp
- Luttikhskaya
- Brussels
Now all the Belgian pigeons have been united. In Asia, the Syrian, Damascus, Baghdad pigeons are conventionally referred to as postmen.
The carrier pigeons in the photo do not look very attractive, because they were not bred for beauty. Their colors are very different, this does not affect sports qualities. The opinion that carrier pigeons are always white is fundamentally wrong. As pigeon mail is a thing of the past, some older breeds have become decorative or meat breeds. Today, postal services are:
- German postmen
- Russian carrier pigeons
- English careers
- English dragons
- Belgian carrier pigeons
- Czech postmen.
German postmen
German carrier pigeons were obtained from crossing Antwerp and English. The main goal was to obtain small birds at high speed. Externally, the German pochari are more like decorative birds. They have a small, beautifully contoured and compact body, an elongated neck and a small head with large eyes. The beak is short, but thick, with a pronounced bend, plumage can be of any shade. Sometimes this breed is also called the German show breed. It is very often presented as decorative rather than sporty.
Russian carrier pigeons
Russian postmen descended from German ones, but now these birds differ significantly from each other. The beak of pigeons is rather long, pointed and slightly curved at the tip. The neck is long, the head is beautifully outlined, the eyes are orange, the legs are high, without feathers, the body is compact. The wings of the Russian postmen are powerful and elongated, with the tips bent upwards, tightly pressed against the body. Russian pochtari are more often white, although motley individuals also come across.
English careers
English carrier pigeons are an ancient breed that carries the blood of birds from the east and west. They are rather large birds with a well-developed muscular body. Their head is small, the eyes are mediocre, they are covered by the third eyelid. The beak is straight, with specific growths resembling warts. Feathers can be of any shade. English careers are capable of developing great speeds.
Belgian postmen
The Belgian Postman is the standard for modern sporting breeds. It was bred a long time ago, but improved in the century before last. The body shape of the Belgian pigeons is rounded. The chest is very well developed, broad and muscular. The neck is elongated, the legs are short, the head is round, with brown eyes, covered with a light eyelid. Feathers on the wings and tail are shortened. The wings are tightly pressed to the body. The color of pigeons can be of any color.
English dragons
Another ancient breed with excellent speed and spatial orientation. The body of birds is compact and dense. The head is large, expanding at the base of the short neck. The eyes are very large, red-orange in color. The beak is tightly closed, elongated, with outgrowths at the base. The chest is rounded and slightly raised, the wings are long, the tips reach the edge of the tail. The colors are varied, white, black, variegated, gray. The breed is very unpretentious in keeping, birds at any age remain highly active.
Pigeons Czechs
The Czech pigeon is a representative of the breed of modern carrier pigeons, it is perfectly trainable. Bohemians have a well-built body, an elongated neck, and a small head. The birds' eyes are huge and very beautiful. The beak is long, with pronounced growths at the base. The wings have a large span, the tail is shortened, the plumage is smooth and snug against the body. The colors are different, but more often the pigeons are white. The disadvantage of the Czech breed is low endurance, they are more often used for short-distance flights.