How To Raise Utility Pigeons

How To Raise Utility Pigeons

My grandfather, who grew up in the countryside near Beijing, once told me that as a child he had kept a pigeon as a pet.

I was so surprised by this that I nearly dropped my pet pigeon--a utility pigeon, raised for squab. The only pigeons I had ever heard of were city pigeons and carrier pigeons. Never having seen either of these, I knew them only as objects of derision or pity. City pigeons were just rats with wings; and carrier pigeons, trained to return home from great distances and deliver messages, were treated like slaves.

"Don't look so shocked," my grandfather said. "People in the countryside are poor; they can't afford dogs and cats."

"Couldn't you have had a dog?" I asked.

"No," he said emphatically. "Pigeons are much better pets than dogs."

"Do they attack strangers?"

"They don't have to attack strangers; they're watchers."

"What do you mean?"

"You know how hard it is for anyone to get past our guard dog at night? All you have to do is throw stones at him, or even just make loud noises and he runs

This is how to raise utility pigeons, the kind that can carry messages or do other useful things.

First you will need a pair of pigeons (cock and hen). You should get them young, preferably squabs, because they are easier to tame. Otherwise, get them from a reliable breeder and make sure they are related only as siblings or cousins. If they are more closely related than that, they might not mate.