Decoration of any dovecote: unusual beautiful breeds. What is the difference between a dove pout? pigeons puffin content

An important feature of puffers is the innate ability to inflate their goiter, which is much more elastic and voluminous than that of other breeds. Most often, males demonstrate the beauty and size of the goiter during the mating period.

Long-term selection of birds allowed pigeon breeders to breed breeds with pear-shaped, goblet-shaped and spherical goiter of various sizes. It is believed that for the first time pouts were bred in Belgium, Holland.

Birds have common features that distinguish them from other individuals:

the presence of a slender body (up to 40 cm long);
long wings, tight to the body;
narrow crest;
proud posture;
long tail;
strong beak;
strong neck;
high forehead.

Pigeons are very demanding and love to be given a lot of attention. Males often show aggression. Always ready to join the fight. Representatives of the breed are not very prolific. The body of birds is covered with unusual patterns. They can be seen upon close inspection.

Puffins are distinguished by a variety of colors - from light, bright shades to dark, saturated tones. Breeders bred 26 breeds. Work is underway in many countries - this is reflected in the emergence of interesting varieties:

English;
Saxon;
old German;
Norwegian;
Thuringian;
Hungarian, and others.

The beauty of plumage, unusual exterior made these birds very popular. They are rarely released to fly free, kept in comfortable enclosures. For reproduction, individuals need a room aviary or a large cage. Decorative birds are famous for their color - black, gray, fawn, coffee, white, etc. The legs are long and not very long, with thick plumage, and completely bare, smooth. According to the size of the puffers are divided into:

large individuals with long and short legs;
dwarf representatives - long-legged and short-legged.

The oldest breed is the Spanish puffers (Marchenero). Birds have a small weight and a small body, beautiful plumage. The head is round and adorned with a rich set of feathers. In this small individual, the goiter inflates well, straightening to a large size. It has an unusual, vertical fold.

The most popular in our country are representatives of the breed of puffers:

Big English.
Brno.
Saddle Czech.
Pomeranian.

English big pout

These varieties are similar to each other, but have their own standards and differences. There are breeds in which the goiter is much larger in size. There is a feeling that the head is located somewhere behind. Goiter, strongly protruding forward, is most characteristic of males.

The large English puffin is considered the most sought after among pigeon breeders. It differs from other representatives (primarily) in the purity of the breed:

Quirky appearance.
Body dimensions (length from 40 to 50 cm).
Vertical stand.
A large goiter, in a swollen form having the shape of a ball.
18 cm long (from the hip), slender legs.
Small, neat head, bulging forehead.

An important difference is the color of the individual's eyes. White doves have dark eyes, and colored doves have yellow, reddish hues. Birds have a strong, long beak.

It is believed that the breed has perfect lines. Therefore, it is used to ennoble other pigeons. The back and tail of this bird are arranged in such a way that a straight line is formed. It seems that the individual "wears a tailcoat." Representatives of this breed do not fly.

The Czech saddle-shaped puffin is distinguished by a body length of 33-37 cm. The stately appearance of this decorative bird liked by many breeders. She became a permanent participant of all exhibitions. The breed is characterized by a small, rounded head with a short beak, a plain back and abdomen, multi-colored wings, legs:

Black.
Dove.
Yellow.
Red.

The dense plumage of the legs gives the impression of trousers worn on the individual. The pigeon was named saddle for a slightly curved back. The goiter is pear-shaped. Representatives of this species practically do not fly.

The sizes of individuals even within the breed can vary greatly. An example is the English pout, whose legs reach 15 cm, while the total height varies from 45 to 50 cm. In addition to large representatives, many pigeon breeders prefer to breed a dwarf species.

The Brno species is distinguished by an elongated, narrow body, long legs. In birds, the stomach is slightly inflated, and also has a spherical goiter. The breast is shaped like a figure eight. A strongly curved beak becomes invisible in plumage when the bird inflates its crop. These doves don't fly.

The Pomeranian species has a body length of 50-52 cm. It is distinguished by the posture of a swan, a wide chest. Its smooth head has a regular shape with a long, strong beak. Eye color varied. The color of the birds is fire, white with a colored tail, blue, black. A characteristic difference is a dark belt.

Puffin pigeons require increased attention. Caring for them has certain difficulties. For the maintenance of each type of puffers, it is necessary to invest a lot of work and attention. Males are endowed with a quarrelsome character, prone to constant fights. In order to prevent the puncture of the goiter, and to avoid the death of the feathered one, it is necessary to separate the puffins from individuals of other breeds.

Czech pout

Poultries are characterized by a weakened immune system and are not able to resist most diseases. It is necessary to monitor the absence of drafts and dampness in the dovecote or aviary. The air temperature should be comfortable: in the cold season - more than +5°C, in the hot season - not to exceed 20°C.

Birds should have constant access to water poured into a ceramic or glass drinker. Water must be fresh and clean. Dishes that are intended for drinking and feeding pouts must be washed regularly with disinfectants (for example, chloramine). Baths are constantly cleaned. The entire dovecote is disinfected at least 2 times a year.

For many thousands of years, birds have surrounded mankind. Prehistoric dove was domesticated by man about 4 thousand years ago. Since then, people have been able to breed more than 850 breeds of poultry, which differ from each other in shape, color and purpose.

This article will describe in detail such breeds of pigeons:

Jacobins;
Nicobar;
short-beaked Armavir pigeons;
Nikolaev breed of pigeons, or butterflies;
puffers.

What are Doves Butterflies

Such birds are the cherished dream of every pigeon lover. Main peculiarities of this breed are:

This breed was bred in Ukraine in the city of Nikolaev. That is why such birds are often called Nicholas butterflies. the main task selection specialists was to create a breed for long flights. The result of the work is truly unique. The Nicholas breed can fly in the sky for up to 7 hours a day and amaze people with its amazing flight style.

What are Dutysh

These pigeons appeared at the end of the 18th century in the province of Westphalia and immediately attracted bird lovers. Experts consider it the most unusual breed. Such interesting name they got because of the unique ability to inflate the goiter in the form of a ball. As well as main feature This breed of pigeons is considered to be the presence in most species of an interesting pattern on the body. Their coloring can be different colors. Basically, Puffers are red, silver, black, yellow and blue, and on their body there are small spots that look like a crescent moon. A similar pattern begins near the tuft, and ends in the middle of the goiter.

Puffers have a fairly average build. The body length reaches 40 centimeters. The bird has very strong beak, rather long neck and large goiter. The bird has a narrow crest and a large tail, to which very wide wings adjoin.

Gallery: puffin pigeons (25 photos)

What are Armavir short-beaked pigeons

This breed of domestic pigeons was bred in Armavir in the last century. In addition to the fact that these Crimean birds have a short beak, it is worth noting their other features:

Such Crimean short-beaked birds are able to boast of unique flight characteristics and great endurance. Birds can reach enormous heights and stay in the air for a very long time. The Armavir short-beaked breed is quite undemanding to the conditions of detention and is able to withstand long training flights.

What are Jacobin pigeons

This breed is often called a wig breed because of the plumage, which has an interesting structure in the neck area. The body of the bird is of rather medium size, and it has a slightly elongated shape. The beak of a poultry is very short and slightly curved at the end. This breed is able to surprise its owner with a very thick machine in the chest area, which gives them a special appeal. The color of the feathers is different, but the most popular are white birds.

It should be noted that such pigeons require careful care and are often susceptible to various diseases. They need a very spacious home and high quality food. Birds should be treated with extreme care, because they are quickly frightened.

Jacobins do not fly very well, however, due to their appearance, this is not so important for most pigeon fanciers. Due to the presence of the interesting headgear that this breed possesses, the birds are easy prey for various kinds predators. That is why it is necessary to take into account this danger and protect the birds from all kinds of attacks in advance. This breed was brought to our territory 70 years ago and since that time it has been very popular among pigeon breeders.

What are Nicobar pigeons

Such a breed can be called with great confidence the most beautiful and unique among pigeons. Its main feature is the likeness of a feather necklace with emerald and azure tints. When exposed to direct sunlight, the feathers acquire a rather unique and rich color. However, this is not the only feature of this breed. Unlike common domestic pigeons, these birds live in the jungle and are the only surviving members of the maned species.

This species has a mass of about 650 grams, and its length is no more than 45 centimeters. This breed cannot fly high. She almost always lives on the ground and looks for food. For this purpose, nature endowed the bird with powerful and large paws. Only the presence of danger can force a dove to leave the surface of the earth in order to find a safe haven on the branches of a tree.

Except very bright plumage, which this breed possesses, the pigeon is famous for its family ties with big bird Dodo, completely extinct at the end of the 18th century. This fact was established by famous scientists from the London Institute. The main proof of this was the results of studies conducted in 2005.

Attention, only TODAY!

Almost all pigeon breeders dream of having such a breed as the Pouty pigeon in their live collection. These pigeons have a rather memorable and striking appearance. By their nature, these birds are not aggressive, calm and cautious disposition makes them easily vulnerable.

Every self-respecting bird breeder wants to have a dove of the Dutysh breed in his collection.

Some experts do not recommend settling pouters with other types of pigeons; quite often there have been cases of injury to the goiter of these pigeons. After all, the main feature of this breed is precisely the ability to inflate its goiter to such a size that sometimes even a beak is not visible behind it. This breed was bred in Belgium and Holland. To date, the most common and popular varieties of puffers are:

Big English.
Brno.
Saddle Czech.
Pomeranian.

In general, all these types of birds are very similar, but at the same time they have their own standards and specific differences. Common to all these birds is the difficulty of breeding and caring for them. Pigeon pigeons are very whimsical in content, they require a lot of attention and care from their breeder. In order to maintain the purity of the species, it is necessary to carry out a careful and strict selection of chicks, which is not so easy, because these pigeons are infertile and have weak genetics. For example, it may take too much time to draw a line with a certain color of feathers on the head, often it takes more than 1 year.

Each species has its own standards and requires strict frames; culling in the breed is quite common. Too short or close-set legs in a bird, as well as a short torso or goiter inseparable from the torso, are unacceptable in this breed. For selective breeding of this breed, it is necessary to carefully and strictly select young animals for keeping a pure breed.

Main criteria and standards

In their appearance, these birds give the impression of small proud people who inflate their breasts and majestically walk on their shaggy legs. Puffers have a fairly large body with an almost vertical arrangement. With a large body, they have a small rounded head with a slightly convex forehead. The plumage has a different color from pure white or black, to gray, colored and silver. The neck of this breed is long, smoothly turning into a goiter, spherical in shape and it tapers slightly at the chest.

You can recognize a pigeon of this breed by its characteristic fluffy breast.

Corresponding to their size, puffin pigeons have large wings that are located along the entire body and, without crossing, lie on the tail of the bird. Their legs are covered with light feathers, forming the so-called pants. For all its important and strong appearance, this variety is weak and little mobile. Pouters fly reluctantly and rarely.

The sizes of each breed can be quite different, for example, in an English pout, legs can reach a height of up to 15 cm, and the total height can exceed 45-50 cm. In addition to large representatives of this species, many pigeon breeders prefer a dwarf species.

The breed is considered very whimsical and requires a lot of attention and work in care. Outwardly strong birds have a weak immune system. They are susceptible to many diseases. The dovecote should be dry and without drafts, if the pigeons are kept in a cage, then it is also worth making sure that there are no drafts for them. The appearance of dampness in the dovecote is unacceptable, the temperature in the cold season should not be lower than 5-6 ° C, and in the hot season no more than 20 ° C.

Birds must have access to water at all times. The drinking bowl is best placed from ceramic or glass. Pigeons feed mainly on dry food, these are cereals and plant seeds, so their body needs to consume a large amount of fluid.

Pigeons must be kept in clean cages or aviaries, where there are no drafts.

Water should be changed in the drinker daily and should not be given too cold. It is the dishes from which the pigeons drink and eat that should be given a lot of attention, namely, it should be washed regularly with special disinfectants, such as chloramine. Feeders, drinkers and baths lend themselves to regular cleaning. General disinfection in the dovecote is carried out 2 times a year according to the requirements of the veterinary service.

Each breed requires care not only a lot of time and attention, and most importantly, love for birds. Pigeons are distinguished by their affection and devotion to loving owners.

Dutysh is a bright and memorable breed of pigeons that most breeders dream of. A slender body, a proud posture, a calm disposition make birds popular for breeding, despite the fact that the pigeons of the puffin breed require special attention, care. The flight qualities of birds are far from ideal; they are turned on, as a rule, for decorative purposes.

Origin story

Most poultry farmers consider Western Europe to be the homeland of pouts: the Netherlands or Belgium. In the 16th century, this variety was on the wave of popularity in these countries. However, the history of the old breed is controversial. Written information, dated 1345, mentions Spanish pigeons, inflating the goiter. It is this feature that distinguishes pouts from. There is an assumption that it was from Spain, which in the 16th century was under the rule of the Habsburg dynasty, that the pouts came to Europe.

For several centuries, poulters have been bred and crossed with other species; after selection work, more than 20 varieties of the breed have appeared. But even today, poultry farmers do not stop there and continue to breed new subspecies of these pigeons. Since breeding is carried out in many countries and regions, the most popular varieties of this breed come from different places Europe: England, Norway, Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic, etc.

Characteristics and features of the Dutysh

Some types of pouts are strikingly different from their counterparts - in terms of exterior, height, color, the presence or absence of such elements as shaggy legs, etc. The standards for each variety are their own and strict, pigeons are often culled. But puffers still have generalizing signs. These include:

Amazing Ability inflate your air bag to an incredible size: even the beak is lost behind it.
The neck is spherical, turning into a goiter. Narrows at the chest.
Average build. Breast with fluff. An elongated large body, the location of which is almost vertical.
A long tail.
The head is rounded, small with a high forehead.
Narrow wings. When they lie on the tail, they do not cross.
Legs in "pants" (not all individuals).
Plumage color varies from pure white or black to colored, silver, gray.

Only puffers that meet world standards are invited to the exhibitions. The video will tell you more about how thoroughbred birds look:

Breed varieties

For breeding birds, you can choose from two dozen varieties of this breed one or more - at will. The joint maintenance of pouts is possible, with other pigeon representatives this is problematic.

Dove from Moravia, namely the city of Brno. This is one of the oldest breeds of Czechoslovakia. Birds are rather big (length up to 45 cm) with a medium-sized head that does not have a crest. The body is harmonious, and the tail continues the back, the chest and shoulders are wide. Wings of medium length, as expected, close together and lie on the body. Legs are located in the posterior third of the body, long - 15-17 cm - densely feathered. The saddle pigeon's eyes are black or some other dark shade, but are sometimes tinted with red. Eyelids flesh or red.

The goiter is large and wide, reminiscent of a pear. The beak is strong, wedge-shaped and slightly curved at the end. A small light cere fits snugly against it. The color of the beak corresponds to the color of the plumage, which is two-tone. It comes in yellow, black, blue or red. At the same time, other parts of the body remain white, for example, the belly, paws, wings, etc. There is a colored stripe on the head that covers the crown and forehead. This is the main feature of the saddle pigeon.

Brno

These pigeons also come from the Czech Republic - Brno and Prague, but do not look like their predecessors in size. The dwarf variety of puffins has a body length of only 32-35 cm (males and females). The feathered stance is straight, but the tail does not touch the ground. The wings are crossed, and if the back is narrow, they lag behind the body. The legs are long. The figure is slim. When the Brno pigeon straightens up, it seems that its body below the goiter is tied with a belt. The goiter itself is of the correct spherical shape.

The color of this species of birds is distinguished by a wide variety of patterns. Among the Brno there are single-colored and belted individuals, stork and speckled. Poultry belts come in white and black, and one color (it is always very bright) is found in individuals of such colors as:

yellow;
Red;
the black;
pale yellow;
blue;
silver, etc.

Pigeons are interesting for their temperament, graceful constitution. The cooing of the Brno pouts is not as deep and loud as that of its relatives. The voice is higher. When a male takes care of a female, he not only coos, but jumps, stepping only on his toes. At the same time, it does not bend at an angle of 45 °, but keeps the vertical position of the body. This variety flies well, so birds can be trained.

Pomeranian

Pomeranian puffers were bred in the 19th century in Vorpommern on the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. The breeders took birds from Holland, England and Belgium as a basis. In 1869, the variety received an official name. Pomeranian is a powerful, large representative of the breed (reaches 50-52 cm). His body is slender, his posture is beautiful, his head is without tufts. The wings are close to the body. The tail is slightly tucked up. On the legs there are shags with long (up to 14 cm) feathers. Goiter is huge, pear-shaped. The peculiarity of the species is in throwing the head back when the goiter is inflated.

The beak of pouts from Pomerania is small, similar in color to plumage: beige for light ones, for the rest it is dark brown. Eye color also depends on the color of the bird. Common types of plumage are:

pure white without the addition of other shades;
white with a colored tail, such as blue and black;
colored - red, black, yellow, gray, having dark belts on the shields or a white heart on the goiter;
multicolored with white legs, tail, belly and wingtips.

Greater English

Purebred representative of the species. Like the Pomeranian, these pigeons are large representatives of the puffins. Breeders brought them in the 17th century from the Dutch and Roman breeds. They had a huge impact on pigeon breeding, being used to breed other varieties of pigeons and improve the pouter. The exterior of the British is as follows:

Individuals grow up to 40-50 cm in length.
They have an oval smooth head, a slightly convex forehead.
Almost vertical stance with elastic, well-developed goiter.
Next to the strong beak is a small cere, the color of which is the color of plumage and as if powdered.
The waist is thin, with a vest (as its front part is called).
The back is in line with the tail. A clear depression between the shoulders.
The wings are tightly closed and lie evenly on the tail rounded at the end.
The legs are set close together, their length is about 18 cm from the thigh to the middle toe. The plumage on the paws is short, the feathers on the fingers form the so-called "plate".

The plumage of English pouts varies from white to black (eg, reddish, yellow, gray, silver). There are birds without a pattern - that is, pure white without impurities. Colored individuals have a white abdomen, flight feathers, chest (crescent). And on the wing flaps there are “epaulettes” of small feathers, which can be from 5 to 12. Birds are valued around the world for their beautiful appearance. Despite their large size, pigeons are mobile and love to rise and soar in the sky.

Dwarf

Some varieties of puffers are dwarf. But this dwarfism is only in comparison with other, larger representatives of the breed. For example, English dwarfs reach a length of 32-34 cm versus 50 cm ( the average size English). Brno are also considered miniature. Both of these varieties have long legs. And the puffers bred in Amsterdam - Amsterdam (Dutch) spherical - short-legged.

Usually, under the characteristic "dwarf" they mean English pouts. For the first time, miniature individuals became known in the 80s of the 19th century, they were the result of crossing Brno and English pigeons. Outwardly, they completely repeat the British progenitor, the differences are only in size. The peculiarity of the breed is a completely open-air cage, these birds are extremely thermophilic. You can even start them in the apartment.

Short-legged Dutch birds are popular in their homeland, the Netherlands. Their size is average, no more than 35 cm. The goiter has a traditional ball shape, the body is even, the paws are of medium length, the head is without a forefoot. The beak is thin and short, and the eyes are combined with the color of the bird: in light individuals they are brown, in the rest they are shades of yellow and red. The plumage of pygmy short-legged pouts can be of different colors: silver, with blue, black or white. There are individuals with a speckled pattern and a belt on the body.

Requirements for the premises

Breeding pigeons is a troublesome business, because this type of bird is very whimsical in keeping. Here are a few things homeowners should be aware of:

Males are pugnacious. Their character is not easy.
It is not recommended to keep pouters together with other breeds of pigeons. There are cases when such a neighborhood became the cause of a goiter puncture.
Despite a strong physique, birds have a weak immune system, they are prone to various diseases.

Without exposing the pouts to the risk of getting sick, they must be kept dry and clean. There should be no drafts in the room. If the birds live in an open cage, they should be protected from the wind as much as possible. For pouts, a comfortable temperature is 20 degrees in the warm season and not lower than 5-6 degrees in winter.

This breed is the dream of any pigeon breeder. The bird is very beautiful: it has a strong physique, low landing, a wide tail, long wings and a beautiful chest. Butterfly pigeons were bred in Ukraine, namely in the city of Nikolaev, hence their second name follows - Nikolaev butterflies. The main task of breeders was to create birds for long flight. These pigeons turned out to be really hardy: they are able to stay in the sky for up to 6 hours a day and at the same time amaze with all kinds of flight styles.

Majestic Puffins

For the first time, the Dutysh appeared in the 18th century in Westphalia and immediately fell in love with poultry farmers. This is one of the most unusual breeds. These birds got their unusual name due to the unusual ability to inflate their goiter in the form of a ball. Also one of distinctive features Poultry is the presence of a peculiar pattern on the body in many species. Their color can be absolutely anything: black, blue, red, yellow, silver, and large spots resembling a crescent moon can be present on the body. This pattern originates near the tuft and extends to the middle of the goiter.

The puffin itself is not very large - on average, about 41 cm in length. It has a strong beak, long neck, large, spherical goiter. The puffin has a narrow crest and a long tail, to which wide wings adjoin.

Armavir short-beaked

This breed of birds was created in Armavir at the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to the fact that Armavir pigeons are short-beaked, their other characteristic features should be noted:

rounded head;
an impressive body of oblong shape;
dense plumage;
beak bent down;
raised wide chest;
long wings adjacent to the body;
dense plumage of the limbs;
yellow or red shields;
a long tail.

These short-billed pigeons boast excellent flying qualities and decent endurance. Birds are able to reach great heights and stay in the sky quite long time. Armavir short-beaked pigeons are undemanding in care, and also withstand a long training process. The author of the video MPalich1964 offers to appreciate the beauty of this breed.

Birds in wigs - Jacobins

This pigeon is called a wig pigeon due to plumage, which has a peculiar structure on the neck. The body of the bird itself is of medium size, while it has a slightly elongated shape. Its beak is short, slightly curved at the end. Jacobins boast a thick shirt-front on the chest, which makes them unusually attractive. The color of the plumage is different, but white is especially popular, as in the photo below.

It is worth noting that the Jacobins need special care and are incredibly pampered. They require spacious housing as well as high quality food. They must be treated with care, as they are very shy.

The flying ability of these birds is not good enough, but with their beauty, this is no longer so important for many poultry farmers.

Due to the presence of the "headdress" that the Jacobins have, they are easy prey for predators. Therefore, you need to take this moment into account and protect the birds from possible attacks. Jacobins were brought to Russia in the middle of the 20th century and since then they have been especially popular among pigeon breeders. In this video, the author Vyacheslav Shkolnikov offers to observe the behavior.

Unique Maned or Nicobar

This bird can be full confidence call one of the most beautiful and unusual among pigeon representatives. Her calling card is a necklace of feathers with azure and emerald tints. Under the sun's rays, the plumage acquires a richer and more interesting color. But this is not the only thing unusual about this bird. Unlike the pigeons we are used to, the Nicobar pigeon lives in the jungle and is the only one of all the maned species that still exists today.

In addition to the bright plumage that the Maned Pigeon possesses, it is also famous for its relationship with the Dodo land bird, which became extinct in the 17th century. This fact was confirmed by scientists from Oxford University. The basis for this was the results of DNA analysis, which was carried out in 2004. The next video from the author of Audio Media Reviews will provide an opportunity to learn more about such an unusual bird.