Does anyone know where i might be able to but some pairs of utility doves in the uk? I am interested in raising a small number of squabs for my table. I have a Dovecote which has provision for a maximum of six pairs. There seems to be thousands of advertisements online for all manner of birds for pets, racing, entertainment etc but nothing that i can find which is geared toward the production of meat. I am based in Northwest Scotland & would appreciate any information.....
utility Pigeons/Doves
- Thread starter Nellie
- Start date
Nearly
Member
- Location
- North of York
Father used to catch woody's for the pot during the war. It involved tying the chick to the nest and letting the parents fatten it.
Probably frowned upon now.
Probably frowned upon now.
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
a large racing strain would be your most practical route
scottish forum 'pigeon basics ' may be of help....show strain 'giant runt' might be good if you could source them....oh and scots call pigeons 'doos'
scottish forum 'pigeon basics ' may be of help....show strain 'giant runt' might be good if you could source them....oh and scots call pigeons 'doos'
I would be concerned about it homing. I plan to free range them. i understand that if they are kept in barracks for at least one lunar cycle they should then see the cote as home but i guess the homing instinct is bred into the racers?
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
big show pigeons are out then.....now if you buy ex racers they'll need to be kept in longer than 28 days to break to a new home....you'll need an aviary out front of loft so they can have a good look around and ideally have young in the nest before you let them out to roam
why would the large show pigeons be out?
i guess because they won't go out & forage?
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
not strong fliers....be easy targets for predators.....if you want something that'll go out and forage they'll need to able to fly a few miles and have a bit of speed....got many peregrines?
not much in the way of falcons here.
There are a few families of rock doves nesting not far away. i don't know what if any options that might present?
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
rock doves are protected....plenty of scottish fanciers will be 'reducing' their lofts of less able racers that'll suit your purpose
Thank you for that advice. Are pigeon racing people ok with the idea of their surplus birds going for that purpose?
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
good point
a mix of the best ppl and absolute nutters....then add in the fact they're scottish
....no offencesimilar to most walks of life then.. None takengood point
a mix of the best ppl and absolute nutters....then add in the fact they're scottish
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
If you want to breed squabs for the table, maybe you should go for something that is good at breeding rather than good at producing size, or speed, or some fancy characteristic for the show bench?
The good old feral/town pigeon seems to do all right in the breeding stakes. I'd be approaching pest control companies offering cash for what they capture. Maybe you won't get big squabs but I suspect they'd be easy to breed and produce more weight of meat at the end of the day on cheap feed than more specialised breeds. They also seem quite good at foraging and evading predators.
The good old feral/town pigeon seems to do all right in the breeding stakes. I'd be approaching pest control companies offering cash for what they capture. Maybe you won't get big squabs but I suspect they'd be easy to breed and produce more weight of meat at the end of the day on cheap feed than more specialised breeds. They also seem quite good at foraging and evading predators.
Thank you 'Dry rot' That would seem like a reasonable plan. I like your logic. They may have lost many of the original specialised characteristics the originals once has but what they've lost in that they have probably gained in all round resilience & street savvy. i would give them thorough medical going over while they were being confined so hopefully by the time they were free to roam they would be in good nick.
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
I used to trap a regular supply of feral pigeons at a grain processors for dog training. I did keep them confined as if they are kept short of food for a day or so, they will disappear to find their own. But there's no reason why you couldn't cross them with a more desirable variety. Home bred birds would probably stick around like homing pigeons unless given a reason to move.
Incidentally, doo cots were once common around the country and probably where the original doos came from. (a) to supply fresh meat (as you want), but also (b) to provide dung which I think is an essential ingredient of gunpowder (?). Also for shooting (precourser to 'clay pigeons') and food for hawks kept for killing wild game.
The going rate is about £2 per live bird.
- Location
- Near Beeston Castle
I was talking to a chap in Oz a few years back and he reared loads of meat pigeons for the Chinese market in Sydney.
So meat breeds are out there somewhere.
So meat breeds are out there somewhere.