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<strong>EEP</strong> STUDBOOK CROWNED PIGEONS<br />
6.2 Nutrition of crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s in captivity and in the wild<br />
Introduction<br />
One of the explanations for the negative natural growth of the population of crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s<br />
in captivity might be a difference between nutrition of crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s in captivity and in the<br />
wild. Therefore, in 1995, Anneke Hallebeek, who is now working at the University of<br />
Utrecht, compared the nutrition of a lot of European zoos (Hallebeek, 1995). In 1997, a<br />
research project was carried out in Papua New Guinea by Marc Damen to study the ecology<br />
of crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s in the wild. He also sampled some crop and stomach contents from<br />
crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s for analysing. This article summarises and compares the results of both<br />
investigations.<br />
Literature<br />
Because of their size and ecology and because there are only a few notes about feeding in the<br />
wild, the diet of turkeys is used as a guideline to determine the need of crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s.<br />
According to Robbins from the University of San Diego, the daily need for energy for nonmigratory<br />
non-productive birds in general, kept under a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius is<br />
330.1xG 0.75 (Klasing, 1998), which should mean for a mature crowned <strong>pigeon</strong> of 2.5 kg a total<br />
of 2,7 MJ metabolizable energy per day (Griminger, 1983). The need for protein based on<br />
data for non-productive laying hens and turkeys should be approximately 25 grams per day<br />
and of course higher in the reproductive season, when they have to produce one or more eggs<br />
(National Research Institute, 1984). Because of the short caeca of crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s, the<br />
vitamin B synthesis might be insufficient and therefore in comparison with poultry the food<br />
has to be supplemented with at least vitamin B6 and B12 (Hallebeek, 1995). Some institutions<br />
also add vitamin C, because it became evident that birds, when stressed, are unable to produce<br />
enough vitamin C (Van Gennip, 1988). Research showed that birds, which are being kept<br />
indoors, have a higher demand for vitamins (National Research Institute, 1984).<br />
Practice in zoos and birdparks<br />
In 1995 a questionnaire was sent out to all participants in the crowned <strong>pigeon</strong> <strong>EEP</strong>. Apart<br />
from questions about nutrition, a lot of other factors were studied, like the size of the<br />
enclosure, other species kept in the same enclosure, <strong>number</strong> and sex ratio of the crowned<br />
<strong>pigeon</strong>s in the enclosure and of course breeding results, because the aim of the questionnaire<br />
was to determine an optimal diet for crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s. The following data have been derived<br />
from the results from the questionnaires.<br />
The daily need for energy seems to be 1.5 MJ metabolizable energy per day. Because 55-60%<br />
of the gross energy should be metabolizable, the gross energy intake should be 2.5 MJ per<br />
day, which is only 10% lower than Robbins advised for a turkey of the same weight. The<br />
average food intake of adult crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s is about 250 grams with 40% dry matter. The<br />
best results were achieved in institutions that supply the crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s with a diet<br />
consisting of 9-11 g crude protein per MJ metabolizable energy for maintenance (approx. 15<br />
grams per day) and 11-14 grams for production (20 grams per day) (Hallebeek, 1995).<br />
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