Crop and Pigeon Milk

[Guest]

Been searching out some stuff about the contents of pigeon milk (basically best & most nutritious substance there is for a growing squab) misplaced or lost most of it, but reckoned bits & pieces I've got will be of interest.

 

CROP MILK

 

Growth Factor – Protein & Fat

 

The parents rear growing squabs to mature body weight at 28 days. Squabs have an extraordinary high rate of maturing (0.1466 to 0.1945 gram per day) in comparison to other domesticated avian species such as poultry (0.0450 gram per day) and quail (0.077 to 0.097 gram per day). This growth rate is achieved by regurgitation of crop milk by both parents, formed in response to prolactin secretion and triggered by brooding. Crop milk consists primarily of protein (11.0 to 18.8%) and fat (4.5 to 12.7%), and lacks significant levels of carbohydrates.

 

Growth Factor – carbohydrates & sugars

 

The carbohydrate content was in the range of 0.9-1.5%. Sugars of trichloroacetic acid soluble (TCA-S) fraction increased by 67% between day-1 and day-5 of secretion while those of TCA- insoluble (TCA-P) fraction remained fairly constant. Sialic acids constituted 5-9% of carbohydrates. The proportion of lipid- and protein-bound sialic acids was 51% and 31% respectively; the former increased from 41% to 68% between day-1 and day-5 whereas the latter decreased from 45% to 21% during the corresponding period. Some of the sugars of PM were fucose (40%), glucosamine (31%), galactose (12%), mannose (9%) and glucose (8%). The free sugars whose content was very low (0.05%) included fucose, mannose, glucose and some unidentified oligosaccharides. The proportion of lipid- and protein-bound sugars was 31% and 63% respectively; the former decreased by 7% from day-1 to day-5 while the latter increased by 11% during the same period. The presence of sialic acids and glucosamine was confirmed.

 

Immune System Antibodies

 

Young semi-domesticated pigeons captured or hatched from eggs gathered in Bratislava during 1989-1991 were examined for antibodies to Chlamydia psittaci. Antibodies to Ch. psittaci were present in 76% of birds younger than 24 h, in 47.7% between 1 and 10 days of age and in 12% of nestlings over 10 days old. Antibodies to Ch. psittaci were also detected in "crop milk" of 4.1% of 1 to 10 day old birds and in 4.5% of specimens older than 10 days.

 

CROP & MILK MICROFLORA

 

Lactobacilli, streptococci and coliforms of pigeon crop contents and those of first-day pigeon milk have been studied. Streptococci predominated in all the samples tested. Relatively higher counts of lactobacilli and streptococci suggested the adhesion of these bacteria to crop wall. Because of frequent occurrence in crop of partially digested fibrous food, its contents were tested for the presence of  bacteria capable of breaking down grain cellular structure. The results indicated that four isolates were capable of utilizing cellulose with the resultant production of reducing sugars. It is inferred that the crop microflora is involved in the degradation of dietary fibre in the pigeon.

 

 

[jimmy white]

best thing since sliced "breed ";D ;D     this is one of the wonders of the pigeon itself, reckoned to be one of natures most extraordinary milk produced by any bird

[pigeonscout]

A great read, could the crop microflora of the pigeon milk be cultured and give to the birds on a weekly basis?

[Roland]

Remember reading where they fed young chickens on pigeon milk and the results in speeded up results were astoanding. something like 6 to one if memory serves me corect;y. No I don't know how they got the milk and that amount lol.

[Guest]

Remember reading where they fed young chickens on pigeon milk and the results in speeded up results were astoanding. something like 6 to one if memory serves me corect;y. No I don't know how they got the milk and that amount lol.

 

Yes read that one too Roland.  

 

Was actually looking for papers on the antibody content of pigeon milk, in relation to Avian flu & PMV, but of course a search on pigeon milk throws up everything on pigeon milk!

 

After browsing 'everything' I came to conclusion that the parents were well equipped to give the youngster the very best start in life, and I honestly don't think we can improve on pigeon milk ... think it was the same paper you read that the researchers said it was the most nutritious 'animal' feed in the world? ... other than single rear, because pigeon milk is always produced in a batch for two, and if there's only one youngster in the nest, then it gets double benefit. So single rearing is , in my opinion, really the only way we can improve on nature.

[pigeonscout]

other than single rear, because pigeon milk is always produced in a batch for two, and if there's only one youngster in the nest, then it gets double benefit. So single rearing is , in my opinion, really the only way we can improve on nature.

 

How can we tell for sure that a single pigeon gets double the amount? Could be that they only get the amount they can digest. I think nature would have it that the parents produce all the milk the two young birds can digest. If there is only one young it will still only get all it can digest.

The crop of a young bird on milk never goes empty so it is always getting what in can digest no more no less. Do single reared pigeons become or best are they any better than its brothers and sister that where not single reared?

[Guest]

Pigeonscout, my post was basically my opinion on the 'best start in life' for a youngster. I single rear mine just to keep the numbers down and let every pair rear a youngster prior to racing (ie 8 youngsters among 8 pairs, 4 breeding pairs), so I can't really answer your question.  

 

The information does comes from various sources, one of them the article at the address below. There are also two further links at the bottom of the page, to Standford Uni, a short article which gives the same reference for Roland's post, and Mourning Dove, which is a longish scientific paper describing e.g. experiments with nests containing, 1, 2 & 3 youngsters. (Doves) The Mourning Dove link is 'temperamental' sometimes it works, other times not.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_milk

 

 

[pigeonscout]

Pigeonscout, my post was basically my opinion on the 'best start in life' for a youngster. I single rear mine just to keep the numbers down and let every pair rear a youngster prior to racing (ie 8 youngsters among 8 pairs, 4 breeding pairs), so I can't really answer your question.  

 

I was not knocking single reared young birds as when it comes to feeding solid food then the single will be the best looked after. It will also be easer for the parents to cover and keep warm a single that is why you never get fret marks on the 3rd flight of the single reared young bird. There comes a time when the young birds are to big to cover but they do not yet have enough feather to keep themselves warm and it is at this time they get stressed and it shows with fret marks on the 3rd flight. You will never get this with summer reared, in lofts that have heating or single reared.

 

 

 

 

[pigeonscout]

Bruno when you say, single rearing is , in your opinion, is really the only way we can improve on nature. I would say when we breed in winter we are going against nature. So I would agree with you and say the single reared in a cold loft without heating is getting the best start in life.

[Guest]

 

I was not knocking single reared young birds as when it comes to feeding solid food then the single will be the best looked after. It will also be easer for the parents to cover and keep warm a single that is why you never get fret marks on the 3rd flight of the single reared young bird. There comes a time when the young birds are to big to cover but they do not yet have enough feather to keep themselves warm and it is at this time they get stressed and it shows with fret marks on the 3rd flight. You will never get this with summer reared, in lofts that have heating or single reared.

 

 

Wasn't taking it as a knock, more an 'are you sure?' question.  

 

Prior to reading the stuff I would not have been able to say I was sure about anything about pigeon milk, but I can now say that I am truly amazed at its qualities. Think Jimmy coined it: a true wonder of Nature -    milk that is, not me.  

[Guest]

Bruno when you say, single rearing is , in your opinion, is really the only way we can improve on nature. I would say when we breed in winter we are going against nature. So I would agree with you and say the single reared in a cold loft without heating is getting the best start in life.

 

I have bred youngsters only once in winter, when I paired them up on January 1st 2003. In February we had really hard frosts, ground & air temps well below freezing. I remember well two big youngsters in the nest, dark chequers, fully feathered which the parents wouldn't cover at night (they perched up away from the box) which had frets on every primary & secondary nest flight. Never again. Mid February pairing up is time enough for me, and single rearing my norm.

 

The other thought I had on what I'd said about best start in life for a youngster was that it formed only one element in raising a youngster. In 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 I now realise I did not winter my pigeons properly. I am now of the opinion that if you do not feed the parents properly given the winter weather conditions, you cannot hope to be giving the youngster a good start in life. Life after all starts in the egg.

 

 

[Guest]

A great read, could the crop microflora of the pigeon milk be cultured and give to the birds on a weekly basis?

 

I was hoping someone else would pick up on your question.  

 

Because Crop 'Good Bacteria' is a totally new concept to me - never ever come across anything in 40 years that led me to believe that the crop was anything other than just a place where hard grain was held to be softened by water action alone before being passed via the glandular stomach' to the gizzard for grinding, then (eventually) to the gut for digestion.

 

Wim Peter's book for example 'pigeons that are fed but not given water with which to 'soak' the grains and soften them enough for grinding in the gizzard .... may even vomit the 'dry' grains. (p263) gives me the same impression, tho his use of ' ' could imply there's more, but hasn't explained.

 

But there's definitely more to it, there's the same friendly bacteria sticking to the crop wall that we know are sticking to the gut wall further down the bird's digestive tract.

 

So if we go back to the beginning and have a stab at working things out, how does the newly hatched youngster get these bacteria into its gut? Because I'm pretty sure it can't make bacteria. The most plausable explanation .... my opinion remember ... is that the parents thro crop milk which comes from cells lining the crop - where all these bacteria are ... seeds its own youngster's digestive tract with friendly bacteria, a probiotic, which colonises first the crop then moves on down the digestive tract until a full colony is established.

 

So, again in my opinion, crop microflora and gut microflora are one & and the same. So the answer to your question is of course 'yes' because we already have probiotics for pigeons.

 

The crop microflora takes us forward to Probiotics and if my reasoning is correct, then we know for sure that in the pigeon anyway, a probiotic will survive the journey thro the gut, because the microflora that we are trying to boost starts in the crop and starts digestion by breaking down tough fibrous cellular walls of the grain, so its on and in the grain, and travels with the grain thro the gut.

 

The other bit takes us forward to Prebiotics, and you will see that 'reduction sugars' are produced as a byproduct ... these are the same ogilywhatnots (sacharides ) that the likes of Gemthepax and other Pigeon Prebiotics Products contain ...  which feed the friendly bacteria.

 

So .. again my opinion ... my ideal daily feed supplement,   ;D   ;D  G1000 ;D  ;D would be made up of the following highly scientific formula :

 

Gems G10 pellets (minus) Gemthepax (plus) Strike2 = Rocket fuel

 

Because that would be feeding a daily supplement containing at least a prebiotic, a probiotic, and a rottweiler of a herb, that natural-born-killer called garlic.