The Ultimate Guide To Pigeon Farming

Pigeon farming is something that can make a good profit, and a small number of great breeding pigeon pairs can be turned into a good business.

Interestingly, even if you only had 5 original breeding pairs, you would be able to create an additional 400 pigeons in just 2 years.

So, if you are able to feed and accommodate these pigeons, then there isn’t much else that is stopping you from starting this business venture.

If you don’t want to turn pigeon farming into a business, then you will need to keep trying to keep everything small scale, which is often easier said than done.

Pigeon farming is a practice that is hundreds of years old, and there is even evidence that these farms were around as far back as 200 BC.

Even today pigeon farming is still more popular than you might have thought.

In this article, we are going to tell you everything that you need to know about pigeon farming, so you can understand why people do it, and what you need to know about it before you get started.

We are also going to tell you everything that you need to know about setting up your own pigeon farm. 

Why Should I Start a Pigeon Farm?

There are lots of reasons that can explain why you might want to start your own pigeon farm, and we are going to explain some of these things below.

It Doesn’t Cost Much to Get Started

Starting your own pigeon farm does not have to cost lots of money.

One of the most important things that you will need is a pigeon loft that can house your desired number of pigeons.

This is most likely going to be the biggest purchase when it comes to startup costs. You can buy lofts that are prefabricated, but they can be really expensive.

If you want to build your pigeon loft yourself, then you don’t really need to spend that much, so this is the most cost effective option.

As well as this, you will need to think about things like nesting materials and pigeon food. On average, a pigeon will need around 30 grams of food a day. 

So, if you are starting with 5 breeding pairs, then you will need around 300 grams of feed a day.

The overall costs of pigeon feed will depend on where you are purchasing it from, but you should be able to find 20 kg bags for around $25.

Ultimately, this is going to cost you around $10 per month for food. Although, you should keep in mind that this figure will keep growing as the number of pigeons you have increases.

If your pigeons are going to be flying freely, then you don’t have to feed them much at all as they will get food for themselves in the wild. However, this will all depend on the area you live in.

It is definitely beneficial if you live in a rural location, but not so much if you live in an urban area.

It isn’t recommended to do this because the birds will gather dirty food from the streets, and this can negatively impact the pigeon meat that you produce.

When you’re just getting started, you should be able to source things from nature, like twigs and leaves.

So, in total, if you want to be a pigeon farmer, you can expect your first month’s starting costs to be pretty cheap.

Although, this does not include the costs of the pigeons themselves.

Although, it can be as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be, depending on what you are willing to spend. 

You Can Make a Decent Profit

$8.00 is the average price for a wood pigeon, and they can be raised from as low as $1 from start to finish.

Exactly how profitable your pigeon will be will depend on how well your farm is doing and where you choose to sell your meat. 

If everything is working well and you  do the hard work yourself, then you should be able to make a good profit that is around 8 times what you invested.

There is good money to be made in pigeon farming.

However, you should be aware of the fact that the exact profit that you can make will vary.

It will all depend on the size and quality of your pigeons, as well as who is buying your meat, and where you are selling it.

For example, if you were to sell your meat to a larger store, you are more likely to get less money for them than if you were to sell them directly to customers.

However, the difficult part with this is trying to find the right customers for your target market.

You will need to work hard to make your business known to all potential customers.

It is much easier to find connections when it comes to larger stores and selling at wholesale prices. As your business grows, these connections will come much more easily. 

Easy To Breed

Pigeons are also excellent breeders as long as they are kept comfortable when they are nesting and they have access to quality food and plenty of water.

They will produce plenty of offspring and just one breeding pair will be able to produce a maximum of 16 squabs a year.

As long as you have enough space for the new additions, scaling up is something that you can do quite quickly.

There Are a Few Different Ways To Make Money

One of the best ways that pigeon farms are able to make money is to sell their baby pigeons for meat.

Although, there are also other ways that you can monetize this type of business. You can sell the bird feathers or even sell the bird droppings as fertilizer. 

There is also a great market for breeding pigeons for racing purposes, and all of these things can help you to make some extra money on the side.

They might not be the big earners like pigeon farming itself, but they can be a great way to make some extra cash.

Pigeon petting is an activity that is also often popular with schools for school trips. 

Something that you might not have known is that racing pigeons that are great quality can actually sell for good money.

So, if this is something that you have time for, then it is definitely worth doing.

How Do I Start A Pigeon Farming Business?

If you want to start your own pigeon farming business, then there are some things that you are going to need.

One of these things is a good amount of space to house and breed them in.

You will also need a shelter, food for the birds, and obviously, the pigeons themselves. Find out exactly what you need below.

Pigeons

While this might seem like an obvious thing that you will need, it is really important to select the right pigeons for your pigeon farm, as this is something that can affect the profit that you will be able to make.

The bigger the pigeon is, the more meat they have and the more they can be sold for.

As well as this, baby pigeons, or squabs, will typically go for a good price because their meat is really soft.

They should ideally be sold when they are around 3 or 4 weeks of age.

If this is something that you want to do, then you will need to choose a breed that can produce the biggest squabs possible for meat production for you to get the highest price possible for them.

Food

Selecting a pigeon feed that is high quality is  important for ensuring that your pigeons are healthy. It also means that they will grow properly.

All of these things will ensure that you can sell them at the best possible price.

The food that you choose should contain at least a good amount of protein, and the majority of good quality premixed foods should.

This will ensure that you are providing them with a well balanced diet. If you are only buying premixed seed, then you will spend around $10 a month per 10 pigeons.

So, if you have 50 pigeons, you will pay around $50.

As we have already mentioned, pigeons will require around 30 grams of food per day, but the bigger your pigeons, the more they will need to eat.

Smaller pigeons will require less food, so they will cost less to feed.

You can use a pigeon feeder to feed your pigeons, and these are really convenient as they will eat the food directly from the tray, and the tray will be refilled automatically once all of the seed is gone.

If you were to buy the ingredients and make the food yourself, you can lower the overall costs even further.

Pigeon feed is usually made up of things like oats, millet, peas, barley, corn, flaxseed popcorn and more.

You can also choose to add other ingredients like lime and green vegetables into the feed if you want to.

When you purchase these ingredients individually and in bulk, you will be able to lower costs over time.

Space

You don’t need to have lots of space available to you to start a pigeon farming business. You can set up space on the roof, in your backyard, or even on a balcony.

The bigger the space you have the better though, as this will allow you to increase the size of your pigeon farm as you breed more pigeons.

The less space you have, the harder it will be to increase your business production in the future.

It is recommended that you have at least 4 square feet of space available to utilize for your pigeon farm for each pair of breeding pigeons that you have.

Smaller breeds won’t need to have as much room, but bigger breeds might need more space than this.

As well as this, you should be able to reach all of your pigeons, which is why they should not be more than 6 feet off the ground. The more that your pigeons reproduce, the more space you will need to farm them.

Housing Your Pigeons

One of the most important things for you to do is to ensure that your pigeons are comfortable and safe at all times.

This is the essential ingredient to running a pigeon farm.

It doesn’t matter if you purchase a pigeon loft or you decide to build one yourself, but there are a few essential things that you will need to include.

First of all, you should always ensure that the area is well ventilated, which is why mesh windows are ideal to include.

This will allow for air to flow freely in and out of the area, ensuring that your pigeons are being kept healthy. 

The loft should face the sun, as this will help make sure the loft is kept dry and it will also kill off any harmful bacteria.

The loft should always be kept sheltered away from rain, and if you do get mesh windows for your loft, you should place an awning over them, so the rain isn’t able to come in through it.

It is also beneficial for the loft to be slightly elevated off the ground to stop any water from causing damage to the bottom during the wetter months of the year.

Arguably the most important thing to remember is to clean the loft and keep it clean. If it gets too dirty,  it can cause your pigeons to get various diseases that can make them unwell.

This can become expensive when it comes to treatment, and it can easily kill younger pigeons.

You should always ensure that your loft is being kept as clean as you can make it, so your pigeons remain healthy.

This will also mean that you will get the best possible price for your pigeons. If you want your new business to be profitable, then you should be prepared to get your hands dirty.

Some people will conduct a thorough clean around once a week, but others will opt to do this once a month.

This is something that is completely up to you to decide, but the more often you can clean up your loft, the better.

What You Need To Know About Breeding Pigeons

Ultimately, how successful your pigeon farming business is will depend on whether you can sell and produce high quality pigeons.

Firstly, you will need to make sure that you are giving your birds privacy. This helps them to feel more safe and secure, which makes them more likely to start breeding sooner rather than later.

As well as this, make sure that you are providing  sufficient nesting materials to ensure maximum levels of comfort. They also need to be fed well.

Pigeon feed is probably going to be your biggest outgoing, so you might as well treat your birds to premium food mixes rather than low cost options that aren’t good for them.

Cheaper foods are going to be lower in quality, and your pigeons will not get all of the nutrients they need.

This can negatively impact their health, which also makes them less willing to reproduce, and rear the babies.

If you are looking for a low cost solution to this problem, you should make your own food.