CHARACTERIZATION OF THE LOCAL PIGEON IN SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

A study, covering two years and eight states, was carried out on local pigeons kept semi-indecisively with the aim of characterizing them. Quantitative trail measured were shank length, backbone length# wing length, beak length Eve wee, breast birth, breast length, bird height, annual egg number and eggs hatched p& pigeon. These traits were analyzed with respect to sex, feather color, shank color end rank feathering. Male and female birds as well as those with smooth and feathered shanks made alp! 92’% and 46% of the total number respectively. Birds with black, white, grey anti mottled feather color were 19%, 28'X, 16% and 33% respectively
while those with black, red and grey shanks were 15%, 78% and7% of the population respectively. The results of the alyssums wed that sex differences were significant (P<0.05) for shank length only, with male having longer shanks (3.92 + 0.61 me vs 3.74% 0.56 cm) Feather color and shank color, on the other hand, significantly affected most traits (P<0.4)01). The interaction between shank color and shank feathering was significant for beak length and breast girth (P4.001) and for bird height (P<0.05). Birds with grey and feathered shanks had biggest breast girth (2126cm) while those with red and feathered shanks had smallest breast girth (15.50 cm) The correlation coefficients among these traits were mostly low to medium and negative (0,002 for bird height and backbone length, to 0.49 for breast girth and live weight). Only that for eggs laid and eggs hatched was very high, (0.991, as expected. These results indicated that the traits are likely to be independent. However, feather and shank color could be used to characterize the birds.