Are you concerned about making pigeon pairing mistakes? If you’re skeptical about your pigeon pairing or pigeon breeding techniques, then this blog post could be a lightning rod for you.
In case, you’re new to pigeons and have no idea what pigeon pairing is, then let me shed some light on that first.
Pigeon pairing is exactly what it sounds like. When pigeon fanciers and pigeon breeders pair up two pigeons for breeding, that’s called pigeon pairing. However, it isn’t that easy, especially if you’re a beginner pigeon enthusiast.
This is why I decided to shed some light on this. I have been seeing pigeon pairing for the last two decades or so. I grew up with pet pigeons in the household. So I know a bit about pigeons, but I often talk to my Uncle who is a pro when it comes to pigeons.
The pigeon pairing mistakes I’m about to share with you are very common among rookies. And, I have seen this thing over and over again. However, you’d come across different solutions and ideas if you talk to different pigeon experts. I’ve seen my Uncle doing the pairing, and that’s my source of learning how to take care of the pigeons.
Please be advised that I’m no pigeon expert. You should consult your pigeon breeder or expert for this. Don’t take my blog post as an expert opinion; I could be wrong about this.
Here are common pigeon pairing mistakes that new pigeon owners make:
1. Expecting them to Pair Up Themselves
The biggest and the most naive pigeon pairing mistake a pigeon guy can make is to let them mate and pair up naturally. It could happen, but the chances are rare. The reason is that there might be more pigeons in the cage. So you can’t be sure that the pigeons you’re trying to pair up are actually going to become a pair.
If you’re serious about pigeon breeding or want to increase the number of pigeons at home, then don’t expect them to pair up naturally. Instead, try to pair up pigeons through popular methods that pigeon breeders use. One of the downsides of letting them pair up on their own is that sometimes multiple pigeons mate to a female pigeon, and it could affect the breed of the baby pigeons. The problem is the ambiguity — you’d have no idea what kind of pigeons such baby pigeons would turn out to be.
It’s recommended to pair up pigeons before you set them free in the cage or in their new home. One of the benefits of pairing up pigeons is that they never bail on you. Instead, they come back because of their partner or baby pigeons. Furthermore, some pigeon breeds are naturally sharp and talented, they never forget their home and fly-high all day and come back straight to their home.
2. Locking them Up in a Large Cage
First things first, locking up pigeons doesn’t mean you’re punishing or hurting them whatsoever. It’s a technique that pigeon breeders use to provide privacy to the male and female pigeons. When you lock up the pair in a cage, they might fight for a while, then they’d pay close attention to each other. Eventually, the majority of the pigeons you’d lock up for a night would pair up. Some may take two to three nights. It’s highly recommended to lock up the pigeons for pairing at night.
The mistake some new pigeon fanciers make is that they lock up their pigeons in a large cage. What happens is that they get enough space to stay away from each other. And that’s how you fail to pair up pigeons. What you should do is put them in a slightly smaller cage or close them in their box/compartment in the cage. Not only would they pair up, but would also take over the box and make it their room.
3. Frequently Pairing Up with Different Pigeons
One of the common pigeon pairing mistakes rookie pigeon fanciers make is that they keep on switching the partners of the pigeons. What happens is that they frequently pair up a pigeon with different pigeons, they don’t seem to be comfortable in the pairing up and mating.
This could happen if you sell one of the pigeons from the pigeon pair to someone who pairs up that pigeon to one of his pigeons and then decides to pair up with a different one, or worst, sell it to a third-person who likes to pair up that pigeon with his pigeon. So within a short period, this pigeon may be forced to pair up with multiple pigeons, which isn’t an ideal way of pigeon breeding.
On the contrary, My Uncle never did this. He always pairs up pigeons for long term as well as brainstorm properly so that they don’t have to break-up the pigeon pair.
Conclusion
Pigeon pairing isn’t that easy. However, if you learn the art of pigeon breeding, you’d clearly understand the mistakes most pigeon buyers and rookies make every day.
The best part about learning how to take care of the pigeon is that you get to understand how you can treat your pigeons well.
Pigeon breeding and pairing up are essential parts of the pigeons’ lives. So the better you understand the right way to do pigeon pairing and breeding, the higher the chances of your pigeons’ growth.
FAQs about Pigeon Pairing and Breeding
How do you pair a pigeon?
There are a few ways to do so. The basic idea is to provide them a space to mingle. It could happen in one of the enclosed boxes/compartments in the pigeon cage or a separate pigeon cage. Read this guide on how to pair up pigeons.
How long does it take for pigeons to pair up?
It mostly takes one night to pair up the pigeons. However, it could take up to three nights before they pair up. It depends on the mood, behavior, and environment, but usually, one night does the job. All you should know is that you’re providing them some space, meaning, you should know how to pair up pigeons.
Why do pigeons put their beaks together?
Pigeons like to mingle, and they often do this right before mating. This is quite a common behavior in many birds, for instance, sparrows and parrots do the same thing.
Why do pigeons have different colors?
Pigeons have different colors because of the two main reasons. First is genetics; they inherit feather colors, size, and body shapes from their parents. The second reason is the breed, meaning, the type of pigeon. There are over 800 different pigeons breeds all across the globe. So different colors, sizes, and body shapes give them distinction.
