The pigeons (Columba Livia Domestica): a review [electronic resouce].

Includes references.

Despite that pigeons (Columba livia domestica) have been known since 2500 BC by man for meat production, ornamentals, sports and experimental animal (Sales and Janssens 2003), limited information is available about it. The young pigeons have been recognized as a delicious and nourishing food for many centuries (Levi, 1954). Young pigeon from one day old to about thirty day of age is called squab, which is distinguish with no feather under the wing (Levi, 1974). In nature female of pigeons lay only two eggs per clutch 44 hours interval. Both parents incubate the eggs for 17 to 18 day and rearing squabs when the eggs hatch. Normally an efficient of pigeons may raise 24 squabs per year if allowed to incubate their eggs. Removal of eggs from nests may induce the hen to lay up to 50 eggs per year (Romanoff and Romanoff, 1949). Squabs are fed crop milk that is derived from sloughed off epithelial lining of the crop for the three days of their live by both parents (Vandeputte-Poma, 1980). It is less well known that some birds fed their young on milk like secretion. In the pigeons this secretion is formed in the crop; it is known as crop milk and is regurgitated to feed the nestling. Curiously, the formation of crop milk is stimulated by the prolactin hormone, that is in mammals stimulates the mammary gland to produce milk (Nielsen and Duke, 1994).

1