Sickle pigeons: description of the eversion breed, pros and cons, breeding

Breeding pigeons is an exciting activity with a long history and tradition. Over the centuries of breeding, numerous varieties of birds have been bred, surprising with their properties and unique external data. One of the most unusual and spectacular are pigeons of the eversion sickle breed, which are distinguished by an extraordinary type of movement and a special structure of wings.

History of the breed

In the early twentieth century, the progenitors of the breed were brought to Nikolaev in the south of the country. Presumably, the origins of sickle pigeons are in Asia Minor. Through the efforts of local lovers, the breed quickly became popular, several new varieties of sickle appeared:

1. Kalachovsky.
2. Garkushinsky.
3. Music.

Since the selection and breeding of the breed was actively engaged in Ochakovo, a city not far from Nikolaev, sickles are often called Ochakov or Ochakov reversible. There are also other lines - Donetsk, Tula and so on.

Description and characteristics of sickle pigeons

Specific features of the breed are small size, correct proportions, good physique. Sickle-reversible pigeons have a light skeleton. Feather colors available:

1. Solid.
2. Motley, with white wings and tail, a bluish tint to the body, stripes on the wings, which can be gray, yellow or red.
3. Piebald, with spots on the sides and wings.

The wings of birds are narrow, pointed at the ends, folding on the tail. It consists of 12-14 feathers 2 cm longer than the wings. When opening the tail, there are no gaps between the feathers. The main feature that gave the breed its name is the fourth, extreme wing joint.

It is convex, thanks to which the birds manage to form a sickle. The flight of sickles is impressive and unique. They love to fly alone. Chick training starts at two months of age, preferably in the mornings and evenings.

Pros and cons

Pros and consUnique flying style.Unique appearance.The relative rarity of representatives of different directions of the breed.Easy breeding.Disadvantages of education and training, which are manifested in violation of the correctness of the flight, changing its pattern, as well as systematic approaches to the circle.Manifestations of external defects in case of problems with crossing and breeding: pockmarked tail, split feathers in it, defects in plumage pattern, noticeable deviations from size standards.A meager amount of purebred sickles as a result of selection.

For lovers and enthusiasts of breeding and keeping domestic pigeons, sickle pigeons have more pluses than minuses, and difficulties do not frighten them.

Can a bird be kept in captivity?

Sickle pigeons are freedom-loving birds, so they need spacious premises to keep them in captivity. They are of the following types:

1. Volnitsa - a room with narrow windows and small holes through which birds could fly out into the street.
2. Aviary is an outdoor space created from mesh materials. In it, the pigeons are "under the open sky", but they cannot fly away.
3. A dovecote with feeding is an extension in the form of an aviary, located near the freemen. In such a place, pigeons can walk, stretch.

It is important for the he alth of the birds that the premises are clean and dry and regularly cleaned and disinfected.Sickle reversibles tolerate cold well, it is only important to provide them with protection from precipitation. They should have perches, nests, feeders and drinkers. Dry and succulent food should be placed in separate feeders.

Directional Breeding

Sickle pigeons are bred because of the beauty and unusual flight. The best representatives of the breed are sent to the insertion, where they are judged on the following qualities:

1. Flying ability.
2. Constitution.
3. The shape of the wings, the presence of a specific characteristic - "sickle".
4. The ability to navigate in space.
5. Quality and flight style.

According to the results of the competition, birds can receive the following categories:

1. Elite.
2. First class.
3. Second class.
4. Third class.
5. Culling.

Breeders and fanciers strive to get their pets into the highest rating categories.

Sickle Care

These pigeons are considered unpretentious, undemanding. For the success of keeping and breeding, it is important to maintain cleanliness in the room, regularly clean and clean feeders and drinkers, monitor the availability of drinking water, and select a balanced diet.

Birds should not be overfed, because obese sickles fly reluctantly, and spectacular flight is their main value. In addition, overfed birds can get sick.

You cannot keep more than 15 pairs in one room - pigeons love freedom very much and require space to live. Inside the dovecote, you need to maintain a moderate temperature - within 20 degrees Celsius in summer and not lower than 10 degrees Celsius in the cold season.Adult birds are not afraid of short-term drops in temperature, but it can kill chicks.

What to feed the breed

For feeding sickle pigeons, a mixture of wheat, millet and legumes is made. The composition should be enriched with vitamins and mineral supplements. Food is given at 40 grams per adult bird.

Also, pigeons need to be given wet mash with greens, special feed. To facilitate the grinding of coarse food, there should be containers with fine gravel, sand in the room.

Bird breeding

Sickle pigeons are monogamous birds, that is, they create a couple once for all. Males tend to the female, as members of the species do. In the first oviposition, one egg, then the dove lays a pair with an interval of up to 45 hours. In order for the chicks to hatch at the same time and be equally strong, the first egg is taken before the second one appears, and so that the parents do not abandon the nest, a dummy is placed in it.

Females incubate offspring for 16-19 days. The hatched chicks are helpless. At first, pigeons eat semi-digested food in the form of "milk", which is produced in the crops of adult birds.

The offspring are separated at 25-28 days. Pigeons are transferred to finely crushed grain. It is important to teach them to drink clean water, in which vitamins must be added. Pigeons begin to learn the specifics of flight from the age of two months.

Possible diseases

Sickle - strong and robust pigeons, but prone to infectious diseases. The risk increases with crowded housing, improper feeding and unsanitary conditions in the house and nests.

You need to monitor the balance of feed, avoid deficiency and excess of vitamins, give fresh herbs and mineral supplements. This will help prevent the appearance of beriberi and hypervitaminosis, as well as diseases of the stomach and goiter.

Infections in the bird environment spread quickly - from each other, through eggs and offspring, through contaminated water and food, through the air, so a bird with signs of illness should be immediately separated from the flock and placed in quarantine. Pigeons suffer from dangerous infectious diseases - salmonellosis, coccidiosis, psittacosis and other diseases that can be transmitted to people. After caring for birds, people need to take care of their personal hygiene.

1. Pyocyanosis - caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, transmitted through infected eggs and leads to the death of chicks aged from a couple of days to several weeks. Pigeons can be protected by regular disinfection of the premises, feeders, drinkers and nests.
2. Ornithosis - penetrates through the respiratory tract. Chlamydia affects most of the internal organs, leading to inflammation and intoxication. It is treated with antibiotics of the tetracycline group. Prevention - cleanliness of the premises, limiting contact with wild birds.
3. Salmonellosis - caused by the pathogen - salmonella, leads to the death of up to 40% of all birds. It proceeds in several forms, is treated with the use of drugs such as "Koli-stop", "Amoxiclav", "Para-stop" and so on, requires vaccination of pigeons and sanitary measures.
4. Coccidiosis - provoked by coccidia that affect the intestines and liver. It enters with infected feed, is treated with Coccidine, Furagin, Zoalen, Sulfaquinoxolone and the mandatory addition of vitamins.
5. Poultry pox - has 3 forms: skin, diphtheria and mixed, with the last two options leads to the death of half of the livestock. Requires vaccination, and sick and he althy pigeons are watered with Afluron solution for 3 days. Premises and equipment are being disinfected.

The expressive manner of flight, the original shape of the wings, the rare coloration made sickle pigeons the decoration of the dovecote of a true connoisseur.

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