Pigeons sports: maintenance, care

In Europe, sport pigeons appeared in the 15th century, after they were brought from eastern countries. They gained popularity among the pigeons, who selected the offspring in accordance with certain characteristics.

Selection

Birds that have a high rate of return home are considered to be among the most valuable, and to receive more chicks they are not sent on flights. Here the characteristics of the fecundity of the selected pairs play a special role. It is more influenced by genetic factors and environmental conditions. For the cultivation of good chicks requires a spacious room, a normal level of humidity, mineral top dressing with the addition of special vitamins, the selection of young parental pairs. It is believed that the best breeding birds are removed after the competition of sports pigeons from the distinguished flyers is completed.

Among the main selection criteria are the time of the growing of chicks and their development. Selection starts from the moment of egg laying. Only eggs of medium size, regular shape, without damage to the shell, divorce and roughness are left. Inspection of the light allows you to identify eggs with an air chamber located in an unsuitable place, and also having two yolks or dark spots - they are also rejected. Training sports pigeons should provide for any nuances, as well as any sports, because in many situations every second counts.

Winter Care

According to novice breeders of pigeons, winter is a period of rest in nurseries. But in fact it is not, the best position in the competition is easier to take with careful preparation long before the start of the season. Birds retain their athletic form during training since the beginning of autumn. So, in the spring they begin to fly faster and travel home.

In addition, do not forget about the prevention of diseases such as trichomoniasis and ornithosis. Particular importance is food in the cold season. The best option is a mixture of sunflower, flaxseed, barley, oats, corn and wheat.

It is undesirable to feed the birds late in the evening, as they need to drink water several times. Also in the autumn-winter period, you can train young pigeons to call sign and give them a grain mixture from the hands. Thus the norm of a forage in the winter should be a little increased.

The room should be dry, clean and suitable for the birds living there, as overpopulation results in fights due to the nests and the place at the feeder. Because of this, the immunity and general characteristics of the fly are reduced.

Selection

Birds can possess breeding value, having also certain drawbacks, therefore they should not be rejected at a related mating. For breeding, chicks with a tendency to degeneration and marked physical defects are also used.

Offspring in most cases have positive characteristics, such as flight speed, provided that the best flyers pair. There are several methods for increasing the probability of inheritance of necessary properties. Among them it is worth noting interlinear and intralinear crossing, outbreeding.

Eyes

It is believed that the eyes of sports pigeons Have important functions, many of which have not yet been studied and are of particular importance in breeding work. According to some breeders, this body reflects emotional and energy opportunities.

A healthy strong individual should have expressive, rather large eyes, located with a slight bias towards the beak, which can be seen in the photo of sports pigeons. Sexual affiliation is also revealed by the expression of the eyes. The penetrating expression is in the pigeon, and the dove has a softer look. The eye is considered "closed" in the event that the eyeball is completely covered with a grayish eyelid. Shields are a thickening, located on the eyelid. Some sports pigeons, whose breeds may be different, have specific protrusions that are located above the eyes.

Inspection of the eyes is made from the periphery, with sufficient electrical or natural light. Birds are divided into dark-eyed and light-eyed, their iris with a granular structure can have different shades, ranging from black and ending with white porcelain.

Some flyers can see a dentate or round outline of the pupil of a light shade. Also, special attention is paid to the pupillary girdle, it should have a dark purple, greenish or blue hue, a round or dentate shape. The pupil should have a purely black color and be located with a slight offset to the beak.

The pigeon's retina has a large number of photosensitive cells that affect the visual acuity. To ensure a better perception of the image during the flight, it has a more developed upper part. Therefore, it can be noted that sport pigeons tilt their head when they notice anything in the sky.

Birds with dark and light eyes react differently to an identical source of illumination. Dark pupils are characterized by a large narrowing. Also, the amount of light passing through them varies. Despite the high light reflection characteristics of pigeons with light eyes, more rays pass through the large pupil, which makes the behavior of birds more active, and the nervous system works more intensively. It is believed that light-eyed pigeons of the Belgian breed and English quarryers feel better with a noticeable cloudiness.

Due to the large pupils and the light tint of the eyes in the chicks, bioenergetic processes occur more actively because of the greater degree of light transmission. On average, the formation of eyes is completed at the age of one and a half years, while the overall health of the bird affects the speed of this process.

Eyes and health

The depth of the shade and its intensity depend on the physical form and age of the pigeon. Characteristics are reduced when reaching 10 years of age (in particular, in female individuals), during illness and during long stay in the enclosure. The reverse situation can be noticed with the improvement of the physical form.

Health problems primarily affect the shade of the beak and legs, the glitter of plumage and eyes. Only healthy birds can take part in breeding and flying.

The type of eye and its characteristics are inherited from ancestors and reflect belonging to a particular line or family. Accordingly, the number of valuable individuals can be increased by careful selection of breeding pairs, among which there may also be pigeons - sports champions.

The color and shape of the eyes are of great importance in breeding. It is desirable that the chicks have a uniform circular or dentate outline, and the color of the iris of the parents is not identical. The time of greatest brightness of the eyes is also taken into account when choosing the mating period. According to pigeons, individuals at this time have more vitality. The result of such a parish is the offspring, which is characterized by high characteristics.

Features of care

Pigeons in a stuffy nursery are characterized by poor appetite and low mobility, and the content in a crowded room increases the danger of disease development. Attachment to the owner increases due to the habit of taking food from the hands.

The national championship of sports pigeons ends in July. Birds can search for food, even with full feeders, they can fly after him several times a day. At the end of the summer, moulting begins, some individuals require supplementation due to a decrease in flight quality.

Old pairs in September bring offspring. Nestlings after reaching four months are first released to overcome 10-15 km with good weather conditions, then the opportunity to fly for 150-200 km.

After the onset of frosts, it is necessary to follow the pigeon's crabs, in particular for their contents. If after palpation it turns out that there is not enough food in them, the feeding of the birds should occur once a day, while the remaining grain is removed from the feeders.

Sports pigeons should have constant access to water and mineral additives, which include food salt, crushed brick, small pebbles and sand. The composition of top dressing varies depending on the season, as at different times birds need different substances.

Return from the race

Biological rhythms of birds are adjusted under conditions of natural illumination in a place of their constant finding. Accordingly, when calculating the distance over a zone with identical illumination, higher results can be obtained.

During the return of the pigeon from a long journey, much depends on the breeder. The most important is the timely training of a quick entry into the nursery. This skill is sharpened during the year with the greatest intensity in the winter. This will save such precious seconds in the competition. Often the method of accustoming birds to the call sign is used. After the pigeon returns from the competition, regardless of his location, he flies to the owner, as soon as he hears his call. Arrival is fixed after removing the control ring. The entrance to the room must not be too low or high. Due to the fact that pigeons sports postal after a long flight are frightened by unfamiliar sounds and sudden movements, the breeder must exercise extreme caution.

Preparation for competitions

Clubs of sports pigeons usually conduct standard competitions, starting from a distance of 200 km. Passage of the given distance does not bear special difficulties for the experienced individuals. Thus one-year-old birds can return to the nursery only after a few days. But often such pigeons after show the leading indicators. Females, who have long overcome the distance and are out of the rhythm of common nesting, are placed in cages or in a separate nursery and are there until the next championship. The day before the start of the competition, they are allowed to partner for some time. Gradually, depending on the growing of chicks, all females switch to this mode.

Feeding the ceded individuals is done once a day. Males and young birds have the opportunity of free-range walking. At the same time, it is necessary to release the males and females at the same time and after a certain period of time, not letting them into the nursery at the same time. Thanks to this technique, during the competition pigeons sports later go to bed.

The day before the release at the distance the birds begin to feed a grain mixture of wheat, peas and sunflower with the addition of vitamin C, used to reduce excitability. Upon returning from the competition pigeons are given sunflower seeds and soft feed, and some breeders use special mixtures for quick recovery.

Sports pigeons returned from the race

The best option is to enter the room in the form of a tap with pendants. Returned to the bird should open a large part of the space, so she would rather go into the nursery. Care must be taken when catching a pigeon to remove the ring. Otherwise, next time the registration of the arrival will take place with a significant delay, as the bird will be afraid to enter the room.

After fixing the arrival time, pigeons are placed in nests, next to which bowls with food and water should stand. The composition of the feed mixture must include rapidly digestible cereals, such as millet, sunflower, flaxseed, wheat.

It is desirable that the interior is not used bright paint, as this can aggravate the nervous, excited state of the returned pigeon. Also it is necessary to consider the possibility of arrival at night. Fear of lighted premises can be avoided by preliminary training throughout the year.

What should be the kennel

When breeding birds, special attention should be given to the nursery. It is desirable that it is located at a high place in the distance from trees and large buildings.

The room should be free of drafts and high humidity, while the roof should be easily visible to birds. Increase in illumination is achieved by creating windows facing south-east or south. The number of pigeons affects the size of the nursery. For one pair should be allocated at least 0.5 m ^{2 of} the floor surface. For the convenience of catching, the height of the room should be within 2.5-3 meters.

For flooring, a wooden covering is used, covered with large cleaned sand, which is cleaned daily. For the rest of the pigeons, roosts along the walls are arranged - they are at least 3 cm wide.

The number of nests must correspond to the available pairs of birds. Also, pigeons should have easy access to a bathing bath, a watering bowl and a grain trough.

The treatment of the premises is carried out twice a year in the off-season. In this case, it is extremely undesirable to catch pigeons with a net, since you can damage the feathers.