THE LOVING BOND BETWEEN MAN AND PIGEONS
In history, pigeons are said to be the first birds that the man ever domesticated. This is partly due to their cool nature and beauty. They have been used to due various functional tasks for man due to their great skills such as relaying messages and symbolizing a covenant. Today, they are considered as ornamental birds. They come in different colors and sizes.
Why they are loved by man
Adaptability to the environment
These are hardy birds that easily adapt to their new environment. They can be moved from both the extremes and just cope. Be it cold or hot climates, pigeons have a way of effortlessly fitting in their new homes
- They are clean and less noisy
Pigeons do not smell. They do not scratch the ground for food like other birds. This makes them to remain ever clean. They are well groomed and love to spend their time admiring themselves on the mirror. Pigeons do not produce much noise and can therefore be kept in the neighborhood without disturbing the peace of other dwellers
- They are monogamous birds
Interestingly, pigeons mate for life. They identify their mates early in live and form a bond that can never be separated. They live in pairs. They sit for their eggs in pairs, feed their squabs in pairs and build the nests together. If one pair dies, the other undergoes a painful mourning period and becomes visibly depressed. Later, the remaining one may decide to mate with another one that that is also single.
- Homing instinct
These fancy possess unrivaled navigation skills. They can trace their homes from more than 1000 miles. This special skill made them the easiest to relay messages during periods of war in ancient days. Even when transported in closed boxes, they will still be able to trace their homes once they are released.
- Early maturity
Pigeons reach sexual maturity at 6 months. Some varieties may begin to lay eggs at 4 months but eh best bet is at 6 months. They lay 2 small, white eggs and then sit on these eggs for 18 days. This is a vary short incubation period compared to other birds.
At Vatikan Ornamental Birds, we keep all types of pigeons such as rocks pigeons, fantails, short beaks, capuchins among others