What are the breeding habits of pigeons?

Pigeons are also monogamous birds. Pigeons selectively choose their spouses after sexual maturity. Once they are successfully paired, they are single-minded and inseparable. If the number of males and females in the same flock is different, there may be two male or two female same-sex spouses. After pigeons are paired, both sexes will participate in activities such as nesting, hatching and feeding young pigeons. Pigeons are reluctant to pair up again for a long time after their widowhood. In production, in order to improve the quality of pigeon breeds, cultivate excellent breeds and avoid breed degradation caused by inbreeding, artificial selection can be carried out in a planned way. If the male and female pigeons are paired freely, it will take a lot of time and energy to disassemble and re-pair. Therefore, in breeding, it is necessary to master this characteristic of pigeons and make an artificial selection plan as soon as possible to prevent free pairing. In addition, adult pigeons may have promiscuous mating in estrus season after losing their spouses. In order not to disturb pigeons and keep quiet, pigeons in estrus should be paired or isolated in time.

Generally, pigeons will start to look for nesting materials and build nests after mating. Some male pigeons will recover the nest to lay eggs when the female pigeon leaves the nest. After the female pigeon lays eggs, the female pigeon and the male pigeon take turns to hatch eggs. Generally, every morning, the male pigeons hatch in the nest, and in the afternoon, the female pigeons hatch in the nest until the next morning. In this way, the male and female pigeons alternate day after day until the young pigeons hatch. After the young pigeons hatch, the male and female parents secrete pigeon milk to feed the young pigeons. The incubation period in pigeon eggs is generally around 17 days. If the young pigeons haven't hatched in about 17 days, parents will find a new nest to lay eggs and then hatch.

Wild pigeons can breed up to eight times a year and give birth to two babies at a time. The frequency of pigeon breeding depends on the adequacy of food. It takes about 18 ~ 19 days for pigeons to hatch and break their shells. Parents will feed these little guys with a special pigeon milk. The newly hatched pigeons will double their weight in one day, but their eyes will not open until four days later. Pigeons can leave their nests when they are two months old.