A successful breeding, where the young pigeons outshine the others in quality, is a real challenge. Your pigeons need to be in peak condition, like widowers eagerly waiting to be paired. But how can you ensure they are in such peak form and that the pairing process goes smoothly? Here are some practical tips to guide you.
1. Start with pigeons that are ready to breed and in good condition.
Stop breeding early enough in the autumn so that the pigeons are separated long enough and can moult optimally. A perfect moult is a prerequisite for good condition. Letting the pigeons rest for a few months in an open, well-ventilated aviary is also a valuable tip.
2. Treatment and vaccinations
The breeding process begins about six weeks before the actual pairing. Have your pigeons examined to ensure they are free of all diseases. A preventive treatment against paratyphoid, followed by a vaccination is certainly not an unnecessary luxury for breeding pigeons. This treatment and vaccination should be administered about six weeks before the actual pairing. Approximately three weeks before pairing, we recommend vaccinating the pigeons against paramyxo so that they can pass on some antibodies to the youngsters during the first weeks of their lives.
Environ trois semaines avant l'accouplement, nous recommandons de vacciner les pigeons contre la paramyxo afin qu'ils puissent transmettre des anticorps aux jeunes pendant les premières semaines de leur vie.
3. Timely Placement in the lofts
About three weeks before pairing, we put the cocks back in the lofts after they have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Each cock is given its own box and care is taken to avoid unnecessary fighting. Initially, you can release the cocks from their boxes, each in turn. One hour before dark, we lock all cocks in their future box until the next morning.
With the breeders (not with the racing pigeons, due to moulting) we also start lengthening the days by additional lighting at the same time, in other words: we keep the lights on from 7 a.m. until 9 to 10 p.m. The pigeons are then released the next day. This way, we get the pigeons out of winter mode and, when pairing, their libido will be much higher and they will be less likely to fight with their hens.
4. Pre-pairing Breeders and Racing Pigeons
About three weeks before the real pairing, we place all hens in their future nest box for half a day; the next day, we put them with their cocks. We repeat this process the following week so that all pairs can get to know each other a little.
If some pairs really do not get along, I would recommend pairing them with another partner, as experience shows that fighting partners rarely produce good offspring. When the pigeons are actually paired, everything will go smoothly and there will be no more fighting. About three weeks before the actual mating, we put all the females in their future nesting box for half a day, and the next day we put them with their male. We repeat this operation the following week so that the pairs already know each other a little.
If some pairs really don't get on, I would be inclined to change them and mate them with another partner, as experience shows that partners who fight rarely produce good offspring. When the pigeons are actually paired, everything will go smoothly and there will be no more fighting.
5. Preparation for Pigeon Pairing
About eight days before pairing, we start by moistening the feed with Ferti-Oil. This wheat germ oil is rich in vitamin E. This wheat germ oil is rich in vitamin E and stimulates the cocks’ libido, ensuring better fertilisation and more regular egg-laying by the females.
This product is added to the feed mixed with Form-Mix Plus, a mixture of vitamins and amino acids in powder form. We continue this until the second egg is laid. Once the pigeons start breeding, we recommend administering a 6-day treatment against trichomonas, so the parents can start feeding the youngsters without hindrance.
6. How to Feed Pigeons Before, During and After Pairing?
It is important to ensure that the pigeons are not overfed after moulting, as fat pigeons do not fertilise / lay eggs easily. We therefore recommend feeding half Gerry Plus and half Winter Plus after moulting, but not too much. There is no problem in skipping this, even one day a week (e.g. Sunday = the day off for pigeon fanciers). About 5 days before the actual pairing, we switch to a breeding mixture such as Start Plus until the pigeons start breeding. During breeding, you can give them a light mixture of half Gerry Plus and half Winter Plus. A few days before hatching, we switch back to the Start Plus breeding mixture.
An essential part of the diet is also a small portion of fresh grit mixture per day, such as All-in-one or grit + redstone. This is indispensable for the hen to lay eggs and for the pigeons in general for a good digestion.
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