Nikolaev pigeons: bird species and breed characteristics, care and breeding

One of the most popular high-flying breeds is the Nikolaev breed. Birds soar up in a non-circular way, stay in flight for a long time, performing breathtaking stunts. The breed of Nikolaev pigeons was largely formed under the influence of the Black Sea climate - warm, arid, with constant light winds and a predominantly ascending air current. Birds are distinguished by their active behavior, endurance, non-capriciousness in care, fertility.

History of Appearance

Nikolaevskaya is a Ukrainian breed that appeared in the settlement of the same name in the 19th century.Presumably, Ukrainian breeders crossed local pigeons with foreign breeds brought by sea. In the process of selection, pigeons were selected, distinguished by a circleless take-off. The current characteristics of the breed were influenced by the climatic conditions of the Black Sea region. The flight of birds depends on rising air masses and warm, fairly strong winds blowing in the area.

The cultivation of Nikolaev pigeons is carried out not only by ordinary Ukrainians, but by authoritative residents of the country. Thanks to unpretentiousness, Nikolaev pigeons have gained popularity in the CIS and throughout Russia. Breeders can be found from Yakutia and the Far East region to the Rostov region. The main purpose of breeding the Nikolaev breed is participation in pigeon competitions.

Description and characteristics of Nikolaev pigeons

Nikolaev pigeons have a specific anatomy that distinguishes them from ordinary relatives, making them wonderful flyers. High-flying Nikolaev residents are distinguished by an elongated "fluid" physique, mobility of wing joints, dense plumage with a wide plane of elastic feathers, and a large tail.This anatomy provides more resistance to airflow. And developed muscles allow birds to stay in flight for a long time.

The length of the body of the Nicholas pigeon is about 40 cm. When the bird stands on a horizontal surface, its body is tilted at an angle of 45 °C.

External description of the Nikolaev breed is given in the table. , with a dry and narrow cranium, slightly pronounced occiput, smoothly covered with feathers, flattened forehead, smoothly turning into the parietal part

eyessmall, thin eyelids, single row, milky color, iris of different shades of red (from golden yellow to reddish brown) beakmedium, closer to large, thin, slightly curved at the end, tightly closed, dense horn tissue, the angle between the lines of the forehead and beak is blunt, the cere (base) is light, small, tightly adjacent to the beak, the beak part smoothly passes into the neck wide, the neck is not long, rather thick, magnificently feathered, smoothly expanding to the shoulders, the vertebral line is almost straight, the shoulder girdle is widewings long, loosely lying on the body, close, flight feathers are even and wide, brought together on the tail, but do not reach its edgelimbs tail large, densely feathered, tightly compressed at rest, fan-shaped on takeoff, with even and elastic tail feathers (up to 16 pieces)color diverse - there are individuals black, red, white, marble, with colored sides and spots on the back

short, naked, deep red skin, claws, depending on the main color, beige or gray

Nikolaev pigeons are divided into several types according to their flight style:

1. Lark. A flying dove opens its wings perpendicular to its body. At the same time, the flapping of wings resembles the flight of a lark. Birds are able to freeze in the air.
2. Butterflies. This is the name of the Nikolaev pigeons, making frequent and uniform flapping of their wings. At the same time, the wings protrude significantly forward, forming an angle of 30 ° with the plane of the body. Birds move without fading.
3. Sickles. Pigeons fly gently. At the same time, the wings are twisted so much that they take on a crescent shape.
4. Cut. Soaring Nikolaev pigeons immediately raise their wings above their heads at a right angle. This provides soaring up almost vertically. The body of the bird is directed towards the air flow.

Flying Styles

Nikolaev dove is also called "cloud-clear".The bird rises above the clouds. The unique ability of the Nikolaev breed is a vertical uplift without circular movements. In this case, the tail is open, flapping wings are made at an angle of 45 ° to the vertical surface. This ability is due to the ability of the Nikolaev pigeons to interact with the ascending coastal air current.

Nikolaev citizens prefer a single flight. Even with a joint departure from the dovecotes, they scatter around.

The bird quickly gains altitude, disappearing from sight in the sky. With good care and regular training, pets are able to stay in flight for up to 8-10 hours. Nikolaevskie - exclusively "wind" birds, for the correct tricks in the sky, a wind of 8-10 m / s is required. Larks and butterflies are the most common among Nikolaev residents. The rarest representatives of the breed are butt.

Bird training

In whatever style the Nikolaev pigeons fly, you need to drive them from 1.5 months of age. Sitting birds are hard to get to train. Training should be regular, as neglected birds gradually lose the skills gained through training. First, training takes place in an aviary, then the birds are released from the dovecote. Pets do not need to be overworked, training should not last more than 6 hours, pauses must be made during training.

The first training sorties take place in the company of an adult bird, which the young are equal to. After 4-6 training sessions, young pigeons are ready for independent learning.

You should not release Nicholas pigeons on a rainy day, with a sharply blowing wind or standing fog, since there is a high risk that long and high flying pigeons will get lost, they will be blown away by a strong air current.Lost pigeons are either lost forever, or find their way to the house for 2-3 days. The optimal time for departure is early morning. Night flights are also possible, but in this case, a powerful light source must be turned on in the dovecote so that the pigeons in the dark can see where the house is.

Main pros and cons

Non-capricious, easy to breed, the Nikolaev breed is suitable for beginner breeders.

Pros and conshigh decorativeness;unique flight technique;endurance in flight, the ability to spend many hours in the air;intimidating attitude towards a person;picky eating habits;owner recognition;strong, hardy body;developed parental instinct.sensitivity to temperature in the dovecote;hectic, pugnacious nature of males.

Nuances of maintenance and care

Nikolaev pigeons quickly adapt to environmental conditions and climate, are not capricious when feeding, are distinguished by lively and active behavior.

The dovecote should be spacious, ventilated, protected from drafts and direct sunlight. The maximum summer temperature inside is +25 °C, the minimum winter temperature is +5 °C. Daylight hours should last at least 12 hours, so in winter they turn on artificial light sources. The dovecote is regularly cleaned and disinfected. A spacious mesh aviary is attached to it, in which birds are prepared for departures.

During the winter months, males and females are kept separately. Connect the birds in February to get chicks in the spring. Before the mating season, nests are built for females: wooden boxes are installed, filled with sawdust, fluff, hay.

What to feed the birds?

The basis of the diet of Nikolaev pigeons is plant food. Ready-made feed mixtures for pigeons are expensive, so many breeders prefer to prepare their own feed. The composition of the feed is determined by the period of life of the bird and the state of the body. What percentage of a product a pigeon should receive (%) is indicated in the table.

Mating seasonChick developmentMoultingWinter monthsraw grass535-herbal granules-5 -10wheatbarley 202010 30oatmeal 20-2030corn kernel 10101010millet 152010- peas 1510 - 15 - -

Feed
-	20	10	-
	10	-		lentils
-	10	10		vika
10	10	10		flaxseed
-	2	-		chalk, sand
2	3	-

During the mating season, the daily portion of food is divided into three doses. Birds are fed at approximately equal time intervals. During the molting period, pigeons are fed 4 times a day. The rest of the time, birds are given food 2 times a day.

Specific breeding

Nikolaev pigeons have a highly developed parental instinct. Chicks are born strong, immediately behave actively. You can breed the Nikolaev breed by natural and incubatory methods.

The natural way

Nikolaev pigeons usually form a pair themselves. But if chicks with certain genetic characteristics are required, then the owner chooses a male and a female, places them in a separate cage. The most prolific are one-year-old and two-year-old females.The first clutch usually contains 1-2 eggs. Male and female sit on the masonry in turn. In the first days of life, the chicks feed on milk secreted from the parents' goiter.

Hatchery

Nikolaev pigeons are rarely bred in an incubator, because representatives of this breed are wonderful parents. But if such a need arose, then they do the following:

1. Choose eggs without cracks or dents.
2. Put in a box lined with cotton and kept at 12-15°C. Eggs are harvested for a maximum of 12 days.
3. The collected eggs are laid out in an incubator. Set the temperature to 37.5 °C.
4. Eggs are regularly turned.

Chicks will hatch after 18 days. They are fed 6 times a day from a pipette. Replacement for goiter milk is a mixture of ground chicken yolk and cow's milk. To teach a chick to drink from a drinker, its beak is carefully immersed in water, making sure that it does not choke.Up to a month, hatchery chicks are in a separate warm room, where there are no drafts. They are then paired with the pack.

Possible diseases

Pigeons are prone to infectious and parasitic diseases. Most common:

• epilepsy (swivel), accompanied by rotation and tilting of the head;
• salmonellosis - the bird twitches its limbs and wings, the droppings are bloody slimy, the skin is covered with knots;
• ornithosis - lacrimation, photophobia, sticking of the eyelids are noted;
• coccidiosis - the bird does not eat well, is lethargic, she has diarrhea, convulsions are observed;
• trichomoniasis - the pigeon looks weak, does not fly, yellow coating is visible in the depths of the oral cavity;
• helminthiasis - the bird does not eat, loses weight;
• candidiasis - the pigeon is lethargic, it has diarrhea;
• anemia is accompanied by lethargy, decreased muscle tone.

If suspicious symptoms occur, the pigeon must be separated from the flock, immediately shown to the veterinarian so that he can prescribe treatment. It is unacceptable to treat a bird on your own. To keep the pigeons from getting sick, you need to keep the dovecote clean and dry, regularly disinfect the walls and inventory. Birds need to be vaccinated in a timely manner, give them vitamin supplements.

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