Give the bird a fake egg to incubate.
Pigeons have a unique characteristic: after laying eggs, they must be incubated to produce crop milk for their chicks. Therefore, introducing egg incubators into pigeon farms deprives parent pigeons of their right to incubate the eggs, effectively destroying their natural milk-producing instinct. Chicks hatched in incubators will have no milk to eat and will die, resulting in financial losses.
To overcome this shortcoming, scientists have created artificial pigeon eggs that resemble real pigeon eggs in weight, color, and size. They also contain water inside, which heats up during incubation, tricking the parent pigeons into taking turns incubating the eggs normally, and later producing milk to feed their young.
The purpose of using plastic artificial eggs for pigeons is to allow breeders to replace birds with poultry incubators in large-scale breeding, thereby increasing productivity, improving the quality of birds ready for market, and boosting income.
Fake eggs are indistinguishable from real pigeon eggs. Photo: Hai Tien.
According to Mr. Hiep, pigeons are very intelligent animals. If they discover that a fake egg is very different from a real one, or that the chicks are not their own, they will abandon the egg (not incubate it) or the chick (not raise it). Therefore, during the breeding process, each egg must be monitored and numbered, and the laying date and the date it was placed in the incubator recorded. At the same time, when taking chicks from the incubator, a piece of eggshell covering the chick's body should be included so that after being placed in the nest, the parents can easily accept the chick, take it out, and feed it.
Breeders can pair 3 chicks with each pair of parent birds, meaning 2 pairs of parent birds have to raise 6 chicks (normally, these 6 chicks would be raised by 3 pairs of parent birds). As a result, for every 3 pairs of parent birds, 1 pair is freed (not having to raise chicks) and will lay eggs 3-5 days earlier than pairs that raise chicks, helping to increase laying frequency, productivity, and the number of birds ready for market.
Thanks to the above method, combined with the implementation of many other technical solutions in poultry farming, Mr. Hiep has increased the successful hatching rate of eggs from 60% to 75% per batch, the number of laying cycles of the farm from 9-10 cycles/year to 11-12 cycles/year, increased the output of birds for sale from 1,600 birds/month to 2,400 birds/month, increased profits from 24-36 million VND to 36-48 million VND depending on the month, in addition to improving the quality of meat birds, reducing labor and feed costs.
A nest containing 3 young pigeons for a single pair to raise by their mother. Photo: Hai Tien.
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Mr. Hiep previously had a long history of pig farming. From 2006 to 2019, his farm consistently had 7 sows and over 150 fattening pigs. However, due to the open-air farming conditions, making disease control difficult, he didn't make any profit after years of raising pigs, and was even wiped out by African swine fever at the end of 2019. Fortunately, he received government compensation for his losses. He used all the money to renovate his farm, buy French pigeons to raise, and has since earned a steady income of approximately 500 million VND per year.
Biosecure bird farming
According to Mr. Hiep, to increase productivity and the quality of breeding birds, strict adherence to biosecurity procedures in poultry farming is necessary. The poultry houses must be dry, well-ventilated, well-lit, quiet, free from drafts, and protected from damage by cats, rats, or snakes.
Regarding breeding stock, choose French pigeons that are well-proportioned, healthy, with small tails, split beaks, smooth feathers, bright eyes, and free from disease or deformities. The male should have a rough head, broad chest, narrow pelvic bone spacing, a larger body mass than the female, and a mature mating reflex. The female should have a slender head, a smaller body mass than the male, and a wider pelvic bone spacing. When keeping them in separate cages, each pair should have its own feeder, waterer, supplementary feeder (salt, gravel, mineral premix), nesting box for chicks, and nesting box for eggs.
Commercial pigeons ready for market. Photo: Hai Tien.
Breeding birds only need to be replaced after 5-7 years of breeding, but during the rearing process, it is still necessary to monitor and promptly replace birds that lay poorly, are incompetent at raising chicks, are sick, or are weak. Young breeding birds begin laying eggs at 4-5 months old, but consistent laying only begins from the 7th month onwards. Note that the first 3 clutches of eggs are for commercial use, but the birds must be allowed to incubate them for 4-5 days to acclimate them before eating them.
Pigeon feed consists of corn and industrial laying hen feed, each making up about 50% of the total weight. It must be fragrant, fresh, loose, dry, uniformly colored, free from insects and mold, without any unusual odors or colors, and within its expiration date.
Feed the birds twice a day at fixed times: 8-9 am and 2-3 pm. Adjust the amount of food according to the bird's growth stage; generally, the amount of food should be 1/10 of its body weight. Periodically supplement their diet with sprouted rice, mung beans, or soybeans to encourage egg laying.
Before placing eggs in the incubator, wipe them clean with a soft, dry cloth. Only select eggs with healthy fertilized eggs of uniform size. Do not select eggs older than 5 days, or eggs that are cracked or damaged.
The ideal temperature in the incubator is 37.3-37.5°C, with humidity between 40-60%. Eggs should be placed with the larger end facing upwards. The incubator should automatically turn the eggs every 1-2 hours. After 5-7 days of incubation, check the eggs to remove any infertile ones, ensuring even hatching and a high success rate. If the temperature or humidity is too low or too high compared to the above limits, the chicks will be weak or deformed. Carefully record the laying and incubation dates of each egg for easy monitoring and care.
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Pigeon egg incubator. Photo: Hai Tien.
To prevent disease outbreaks, it is necessary to ensure that the birds have clean food, water, and living conditions. Regularly clear drainage ditches and remove overgrown bushes around the cages. Periodically sprinkle lime around the breeding area and access roads to the farm, clean the bird cages daily, and use biological bedding under the rows of cages.
Replace the straw bedding in the nesting boxes every 2-3 days. Vaccinate poultry according to the veterinary schedule. Pay attention to common diseases such as Newcastle disease, E. coli, and Salmonella, especially during seasonal changes, warm and humid days, and high air humidity. In winter, feed the birds garlic yeast to prevent diarrhea.
"If left to nature, each pair of parent birds needs 42-45 days, or even longer, to raise 1-2 commercial chicks per clutch. This includes 18-20 days of incubation and 25-30 days of raising the chicks. However, after 15-18 days of raising the chicks, the mother bird will lay another egg, and the male bird is mainly responsible for raising the subsequent chicks. If using an incubator, artificial eggs must be placed in the nest for the birds to incubate. When the eggs hatch, three chicks are removed and placed in the nest for the parent birds to raise together. At the same time, the artificial eggs are removed, cleaned, dried, and placed in the nest for other pairs of birds to incubate," according to Mr. Hiep.
Source: https://nongnghiep.vn/cho-chim-cau-ap-trung-gia-tang-thu-nhap-that-d744192.html
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