Nikolaev pigeons were first mentioned in the works of professor of agriculture M.G. Livanov in 1799. There is no exact information on how this breed originated. It is assumed that sailors sailing to the shores of the Black Sea brought foreign pigeons that crossed with local birds. The coastal climate had a huge impact on rock formation. In 1910, pigeons of the Nikolaev breed were registered.
Breed description
Nikolaev pigeons have an elongated and small body with a low landing. The total length of the bird is from 38 to 40 centimeters. The color of the feathers is yellow, blue, red, white, black and ashen. Usually it is bright and uniform. The metallic tint has the color of the chest and neck. White-tailed pigeons are distinguished; one or two extreme feathers of the tail are sometimes colored. Birds that have flanks and a cockade on the forehead of the same color were called colorectal.
The bird's head is smooth, dry, rounded elongated. The eyes are small, dark brown, if the plumage is white, or golden-straw when colored. The eyelids are thin, and in color resemble baked milk. The beak is usually thin, long, light, proportional. There is a small wax, tightly fitting to the beak, its color is white. These pigeons have a thick, short, convex and strong neck. The muscles in birds are well developed, the chest is strong, convex, raised by 40-45 degrees.
The back is a little elongated, wide, straight. The wings are long enough, do not fit snugly on the hull, their ends in a closed state are on the tail. There are blue or ashy shields. Black or tan belts. Pigeons possess reddish-brown short limbs without feathers and light claws. On the tail from 12 to 16 feathers, he himself is long and wide.
Characteristic features of the Nikolaev pigeons
- Streamlined body.
- Thick abundant plumage, which fits snugly to the body.
- The feather of the tail and wings is elastic and wide, forming a large supporting surface.
- Movable tail and wings.
- Endurance in flight gives a strong skeleton, well-developed muscles.
Nikolaev pigeons possess excellent flying qualities. They can soar up without circles, for a relatively short time to rise and stay in flight for a long time. If you properly care for the birds and conduct regular training, then they can fly up to nine hours in a row.
Pigeons seem to soar in the ascending air. It happens that during the flight they are helped evenly by a headwind. Birds prefer to fly alone and not depend on each other. Quite often, flying deeper than this breed is compared to flying a lark or butterfly. However, at present, some of these fauna representatives have lost their flying capabilities. Specialists have identified two main types of pigeons of the Nikolaev breed - these are sickle and front.
Face Nikolaev pigeons
These birds usually take off and fall vertically, the wings are kept in front of themselves above their heads all the time from rise to landing. The housing takes a vertical position and faces the air flow. Pigeons need 7 to 10 meters per second wind to fly.
Sick-headed Nikolaev pigeons
Have a horizontal flight. Differ in the smooth movement in air. In this case, there are small biases to the left or to the right. They hold the body parallel to the flow of air or earth, the wings are above the head and bent in the form of a sickle. Therefore, the described birds have received such a name.
We can say that the Nikolaev pigeons of 2014 are mostly sickly. At present, it is rather rare to find butt representatives of the breed.
Breeding Features
Pigeons of the Nikolaev breed are appreciated not only by professional breeders, but also by amateurs. Birds have a lively temperament, are able to easily adapt to different climates, they are unpretentious about the conditions of food and feed. Nikolaev pigeons breed well, are quite prolific.
Birds of this breed are widespread and popular not only in our country, but also abroad. But it should be noted that they can show their best flying qualities only in conditions close to the conditions of their native land. Also required are systematic training, adherence to feeding and maintenance. You can practice from the age of 1.5 months, when young birds are just beginning to go on the roof. They need to be trained to fly with a reliable leader. The latter becomes a kind of instructor for them. After four to five such flights, it is recommended that young growth be taught to fly independently.
The best time to practice is early morning, although night flights are also practiced. During them, the birds rise when the sun sets, and fall only in the morning. But such flights are dangerous, since Nikolaev pigeons have a weak ability for orientation. They can easily get lost and return only after a few days.