How Long To Raise Pigeons

How Long To Raise Pigeons

Some years ago I read a book called The Millionaire Next Door. It said most millionaires are not investment bankers or CEOs. Most work in "humble" professions like running the local diner, or the hardware store.

The book made me think about how to get rich. I decided I'd try to make my hobby my job: writing software. And if that didn't work out, I'd have a trade to fall back on: raising pigeons for food.

The advantage of raising pigeons is that they require almost no space and look after themselves, and so can be run from a small urban apartment. Pigeon meat is very nutritious, with more protein than chicken or beef, and no carbs or cholesterol. Half the world's population eats pigeon meat; it's just that in Western countries pigeons are treated as pests rather than food animals.

So how long would it take to raise enough pigeons to live off? What would it cost? How much would you need to invest?

I've been raising pigeons for thirty years. My neighbors call me Pigeon Man. I don't consider myself an expert, but I know a lot more than when I started.

I have a pigeon coop that holds eight hundred birds. It's an old colonial house with three wings and a cupola, and it's painted blue. There used to be a sign above the door that said "John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co," but it fell down in the last windstorm and I haven't had time to put it back up yet.

My name is not John Hancock, by the way. But there's a story about how in 1775, during the battle of Lexington, Paul Revere rode through the town warning everyone: "The British are coming! The British are coming!" And John Hancock was like, "What do we do?" And Paul Revere said, "Don't worry; my pigeons will tell us when they get here." That's why he had his insurance company named after him.