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Peacock pigeons have long earned respect among pigeon breeders. Peacocks got their name from the chic tail plumage, which the dove holds vertically, like a peacock. The tips of the feathers resemble a fan that adorns a dove.
History of peacock pigeons
Today, few people remember that peacock pigeons have a different name – trumpet. This name did not take root, since the name “peacocks” fully reflects the features of the appearance of the dove.
This dove is native to India. For the first time, peacock doves were mentioned in the XNUMXth century. During this period of time, the tail of the bird was given more attention than the physique. Modern breeders are preoccupied with the posture and head position of peacock pigeons.
In Europe, peacock doves first appeared in England, since India was an English colony at that time. Accordingly, the breed was finally formed in England. At first, peacocks were divided into 2 types: Scottish and English. English peacocks had a wide tail, a somewhat rough build, as breeders prioritized tail feathers. Scottish peacocks, in addition to a rich tail, had royal posture and grace.
Domestic peacock pigeons have not lost their popularity and fascinate with the beauty of numerous fans of the breed.
Characteristics of peacock pigeons
Peacock pigeons are valued by breeders for their ease of maintenance and care. Even a novice amateur will cope with keeping a bird. In addition, peacocks get along well with other breeds of pigeons.
The Peacock Pigeon is a breed with certain standards that have not changed in over a century. The main characteristics of the breed:
- head thrown back almost to the rump, small in size, without forelock and tuft;
- curved dove neck shape;
- the peacock’s body is rounded;
- thin beak with a narrow cere, medium length;
- the shade of the beak and eyelids of peacocks is the same;
- the color of the pupil depends on the color of the plumage of the pigeon, the eye rings are thin;
- peacock breast in the form of a ball, directed upwards;
- the back is short;
- legs are devoid of plumage, widely spaced, paws are bright red;
- the plumage of peacocks is dense, hard;
- the wings are well pressed to the body, the flight feathers are in contact with the tips;
- the size of peacocks is different (miniature individuals are more valued);
- the tail part of the dove with dense plumage, located vertically, the lower feathers touch the ground, the shape is rounded;
- developed rump.
Feathers in the tail of representatives of the peacock pigeon breed up to 50 pieces. The quantity depends on their thickness and width. The standard of the breed is the white peacock pigeon, but a number of other colors are also allowed.
Peacocks with a thick or long neck, a large head, and an undeveloped body are culled.
Do peacocks fly
Like most ornamental pigeon breeds, peacocks fly poorly and are extremely reluctant. Today it is an aviary bird. But experienced pigeon breeders know that pigeons must fly daily. This keeps them in shape. The flight of the peacock dove is uneven and does not have the grace that flying pigeon breeds are endowed with. At the moment of climbing, they flap their wings noisily, they can make several somersaults over their heads, like their ancestors, the Tumblers.
It happens that peacocks are blown away by the air current. This is due to the windage of the tail section and flaps, as well as the small weight of the pigeon. The height to which peacocks are able to climb is 100 m. The flight duration reaches 90 minutes, and the maximum flight distance is 100 km.
Thus, peacock doves can circle over the dovecote, albeit very clumsily. They fly long distances only when necessary.
Varieties of peacock pigeons
There are several subspecies of peacock pigeons. All of them differ from each other only in plumage color, other characteristics of the breed are similar. The most common snow-white peacocks.
The color of peacocks is quite diverse: from pure white to caramel color. There are individuals of a bluish, gray hue, there are representatives of the breed with several colors in plumage. Peacock pigeons of black color look very solemn. There are several types of peacock pigeons: American, European, Indian, . Their main difference is the suit.
The colors of the plumage of peacock doves are diverse. The most common:
- white – without impurities, brown eyes, beak, beige claws;
- the black – with a greenish tint, orange eyes, eye rings, claws, black beak;
- blue – juicy, gray-blue color, iridescent tint on the neck and chest, black stripes on the wings and tail, the tail part should coincide with the scutes, eye rings, beak, black claws;
- silver – has light shades, a neck, a throat of an iridescent, silvery tint, stripes on the wings and tail of brown, orange or pearl eyes;
- red – red peacock pigeons, usually without impurities, neck and throat with a metallic sheen, pearl eyes, beak, claws, sand-colored eye rings;
- yellow – peacock dove golden yellow, with a silvery sheen on the neck and throat, orange eyes, beak, beige claws;
- almond – shimmers with gold, brown blotches pass through the plumage, flight feathers and tail in spots of white and black;
- brown – chocolate-colored peacocks, orange eyes, pink beak, claws;
- in the box – the plumage pattern consists of light and dark tones, the letter “t” is visible on the wing, the color of the eyes, rings, claws depends on the plumage.
Colors are also popular among breeders: blue with powder, silver with powder, dark blue and marble peacock pigeons.
All suits of peacock doves can be seen in the photo.
american peacock pigeons
The “Americans” have a ball-shaped breast, a small head. From the side it may seem that they have no back and neck. The head is located between the chest and tail. The plumage is one-color: brown, yellow, white.
Indian peacock pigeons
The smallest species of all peacocks. This is its main difference from other standards. The breast does not stand out too much. The color is monochromatic. The most impressive is the color of the bird with beige plumage.
Doves peacocks European type
“Europeans” are not so bloated, more elegant than American peacocks. The neck is clearly visible, has a strong bend, a small back. Plumage color, most often dark, variegated.
peacock pigeons
As for peacocks, they differ from other standards in their larger physique. They have a well-defined neck, a massive chest. The plumage color is varied.
Ribbon pigeons peacocks
They are characterized by a border of a contrasting shade at the end of the tail or in the middle. The color of the hull and wings is one-color.
shaggy pigeons peacocks
The “highlight” of these peacocks are thick feathers on rather short limbs. The length of the feathers can be more than 10 cm. Sometimes there are spurs on the legs of birds (up to 5 cm).
Chubaty doves peacocks
There are small raised feathers on the backs of the heads of forelock peacocks. The most valuable birds with a large, fluffy forelock.
Red-tailed peacock pigeons
Beautiful birds with a solid color of the body and wings. The color of the tail is always red, cherry or brick.
Black-tailed peacock pigeons
The color of the body and wings is often white, shiny. The color of the tail is black, saturated color.
Peacock pigeon breeding
True connoisseurs of the breed are well aware that breeding peacock pigeons at home is a rather troublesome job. The peacock dove is a fertile bird. Parents carefully incubate and feed all their offspring. The breeder needs to cut off a little 5 feathers on each side of the female’s tail at the beginning of the mating season. Otherwise, it will become an obstacle to successful mating.
Usually sexual maturity occurs from 5 months of age. Wanting to get a dove with certain data, pairs need to be formed. Individuals with the correct characteristics of the body and tail, as well as strong immunity, participate in the selection work. The physique of the female peacock should be of medium fatness. Too fattened individuals most often bring unfertilized eggs. Thin female pigeons are not conscientious mother hens. They prefer to leave the nest in search of food. You should pay attention to the color of plumage. It is better to pick up peacock pigeons of the same suit. If this is not possible, then a white dove should be chosen. In the end, the dark color will dominate. In the process of work, constantly picking up pairs, it will be possible to get a white peacock dove with a gray or black wing. Thus, when forming pairs, you need to understand what result you want to achieve.
Next, the selected individuals are placed in spacious, pre-disinfected cages. The desired cage length is 70 cm, height and depth are 50 * 50 cm. Hay is laid inside each, from which the parent pair of pigeons will make a nest. A few days after mating, the female peacock pigeon begins to lay eggs. Usually the clutch consists of 2-3 eggs. Egg maturation takes 19-20 days.
Recommendations when buying pigeons-producers
When buying manufacturers, you need to study and check the pedigree of peacock pigeons. Selection should be made in the spring-autumn period, when the bird has an exhibition appearance. It is imperative to check the health of the pigeon: pay attention to the plumage, the eyes of the bird. You can lightly knock on the cage – a healthy pigeon will immediately react. Video of peacock doves can be seen below.
The incubation period
After the eggs appear in the nest, the incubation process begins. A young female peacock pigeon may have only one egg in her clutch. This is considered the norm. The main task of the pigeon breeder at this time is not to disturb the couple in the nest once again. However, on the 10-12th day, you need to check the eggs in the clutch for fertility. To do this, each egg is carefully viewed into the light. The embryo by this time is formed and will be clearly visible. The procedure can also be carried out using a special device – an ovoscope.
Feeding chicks
Peacock pigeons are considered perfect, caring parents, but the breeder needs to be prepared for anything. Therefore, the parental couple must be put under control, because a peacock dove chick can live without food for only a few hours. Initially, the female pigeon feeds the chicks with goiter milk, and if she does not do this within 2 hours, then the chicks will have to be artificially fed. To prepare the mixture, you need to mix warm milk with mashed boiled yolk. You can feed with a pipette. More complex feeds begin to be given from the age of one month.
How to feed peacock pigeons
Peacock pigeons should be fed according to their functional needs, season and age. Since the digestive system of pigeons is weak, and besides, they have a small beak, it is rather difficult for them to eat large foods (corn, legumes). Therefore, it is recommended to give grain mixtures in crushed form.
In winter, pigeons should receive food enriched with high-calorie foods. It is not recommended to add a large amount of protein feed. Legumes for this period are excluded from the diet completely. The best proportions are 60% barley and 40% wheat. Fast-digesting feed poses a threat to the health and life of pigeons, since peacocks that are inactive during the cold season can die, especially in unheated rooms. Therefore, in winter it is necessary to feed the birds to their fullest.
The summer feeding ration should consist of easily digestible products at the rate of 30-40 g per bird. Be sure to include green succulent food.
From mid-February, the mating season of peacocks begins. It is necessary to enrich the diet of pigeons with protein feed. They should be no more than 20% of the total diet. At the same time, it is important to introduce up to 10% of oilseeds (flax, sunflower, hempseed). This will provide a good fit.
The breeding ration begins in March. Vitamins, minerals, amino acids are added to the feeding mixture. Such a feeding ration will ensure good reproductive properties and successful rearing of chicks. Feed mixtures should consist of wheat, flax seeds, sunflower, yeast, millet and oats. Experienced breeders add vitamin E and potassium iodide.
For those amateurs who train peacocks for circular years, it is necessary to consider the feeding ration. Starting in April, when the pigeon breeders release the birds to fly, carbohydrates are added to the feed mixtures for energy. But at the same time, the components should not make the flight heavier. Usually pigeons are fed legumes, wheat, millet and oats during the rut.
The molting period in peacock pigeons is a complex biochemical process, and not just a feather change. It falls at the end of summer – the beginning of autumn and requires the addition of protein components to the diet. Otherwise, the quality of the plumage deteriorates significantly, the bird’s immunity decreases, and the feather change will stretch until winter.
Rules for feeding pigeons peacocks
Recommendations for proper feeding from experienced pigeon breeders:
- feed should be given in such an amount that the bird eats it completely, without a trace;
- if you need to understand if the dove is eating, you can touch its goiter – it should be full of food, but not stuffed;
- pigeons are usually fed in summer 3 times a day in small doses, in winter – twice;
- when food appears, peacock pigeons fly up, opening their wings – this indicates that they are not overfed;
- every day without fail all drinking bowls, feeders, bathing rooms are cleaned of food and washed.
It should be remembered that peacock pigeons are birds with weak muscles and a digestive system. The feed rate should be no more than 45%.
How to care for peacock pigeons
The main care for peacock pigeons at home is the daily cleaning of the aviary: it is necessary to remove the droppings, clean the feeders from food debris, and thoroughly wash the drinkers. A complete disinfection of the enclosure is usually carried out once a year before mating. To do this, the birds are removed from the aviary for the time of cleaning, the walls and floor are treated with a cleaning agent with the addition of chlorine. After cleaning, it is necessary to ventilate the room.
Requirements for the aviary and dovecote
It is better to keep peacock pigeons in a spacious aviary, fenced with a net, with a sufficient number of perches, free access to water, and a bathing container. When arranging a room for birds, one must proceed from the number of individuals: a pair of pigeons should account for at least 1 sq. m. It is desirable that the aviary is collapsible. This will allow you to quickly and timely carry out cleaning and disinfection.
A place for installing an aviary is chosen in the open. You can install it in the barn, especially in winter. But peacock pigeons feel much better under the open sky and the sun. Under adverse weather conditions, the enclosure is covered with slate or other material. For the winter, peacocks are moved to warmer conditions. A spacious shed may well be suitable. To build cages in a barn, you can use plywood or a thin board.
The main requirements for keeping peacocks relate to humidity in the aviary and temperature conditions. In winter, the temperature should not be lower than +10 degrees, in the warm season no higher than +25 degrees. In the autumn-winter period, IR lamps should be installed. They warm the room well, while not overdrying the air. In addition, the warm red color has a positive effect on the nervous system of birds. As for the humidity level, its indicator should not be higher than 70%. Otherwise, fungal diseases begin to actively develop in pigeons.
Conclusion
Peacock pigeons are unique, beautiful birds with an interesting history. This is one of the very first breeds of pigeons tamed by man. It is this breed that shares the most important moments in people’s lives: they participate in wedding ceremonies and are a wonderful personification of the world.