Breeds distribution and management practices of pigeon farming in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Pigeon farming is one of the growing poultry industries in Sri Lanka as it is a source of income for youths. The study was conducted to assess Pigeon farming activities, distribution of breeds, farm management practices, and challenges of farming in the five main veterinary Pigeon raising divisions of the Gampaha district. The survey was carried out from January 2020 to April 2020. Responses of 110 Pigeon farmers were gathered from the snowball sampling technique. Results were revealed that more than half of the farmers (56.4 %) reared between 50-200 birds. Thirty timer-types, 27 racing-types, and 24 fancy-types breeds were identified, among them, timer-type Pigeons were the most popular rearing breeds (87.9%) in Sri Lanka. Most of the farmers (72.7 %) provided mixed feed twice a day by using trays. On average 35.31g of mixed feed was taken by a bird per day. Application of the leg ring was the main identification method (61.8%) and wing edge cutting was practiced to control the flying of the birds during training. Farmers in this region earned USD 49.89 to USD 498.88 from Pigeon rearing as their monthly income. Lack of extension service (43.6%), predators’ problem (32.7%), disease problem (29.1%) were the major constraints faced by the farmers. Demographic, institutional, and farm management factors significantly influenced the number of Pigeons on a farm. Practicing cross-breeding and higher mating frequency lead to more squabs’ production. Therefore, it can be concluded that there was a huge potential to encourage Pigeon rearing in the country using locally available materials through proper marketing channels, the introduction of improved breeds and varieties, awareness, training, and extension programs which will ensure better conditions for revenue and employment among the middle-aged population in Sri Lanka.