High productivity from raising French pigeons

From raising chickens to French pigeons

In Bac Ninh Province, in Giap Son hamlet, Cam Ly commune, the French pigeon-farming model of the husband-and-wife team Nguyen Duc Son (born 1976) and Vu Thi Lien (born 1983) is considered a new direction in local household economic development.

Having previously been engaged in chicken farming, Mr. Son made a bold shift to raising French pigeons and adopted automatic feeding systems, egg incubators, and modern husbandry techniques to improve productivity and reduce labor costs.

Mr. Son said that before starting French pigeon farming, his family carefully studied the growth and reproductive characteristics of this breed. In addition to learning from friends who had successfully raised French pigeons, he also attended training courses organized by the former Luc Nam District (formerly Bac Giang Province). Through the knowledge gained from these training sessions, the family gradually changed their farming mindset, shifting from traditional methods to more scientific herd management, becoming more proactive in breeding, disease prevention, and product marketing.

In 2019, Mr. Son began raising French pigeons with 1,000 breeding pairs. At that time, each pair of 2-month-old breeding pigeons cost around VND 300,000. After a period of trial and experience accumulation, the family’s farm has now expanded to about 3,000 breeding pairs. Compared to local pigeons, French pigeons are larger, with commercial birds weighing around 450–500 grams each, meeting market demand.

A key feature of his model is that it is not entirely based on manual farming. Mr. Son invested in an automatic feeding system costing about VND 60 million for two barns. This system helps distribute feed evenly, reduces waste, and significantly saves labor costs. According to his calculations, hiring regular workers could cost up to around VND 80 million per year. Thanks to partial automation, the couple can manage a much larger flock while still maintaining good control over feed intake, hygiene, and animal health.

In addition to automated feeding, the family also uses an egg incubator to improve hatch rates and shorten the reproductive cycle. Instead of letting breeding pigeons incubate eggs naturally, Mr. Son collects real eggs and places them in an incubator, while replacing them with dummy eggs in the nest so the parent birds continue brooding behavior. Once the eggs hatch in the incubator, the chicks are returned to be raised by the parent pigeons. This method allows breeding birds to lay the next batch sooner, if eggs are collected in time, they can lay again after about 10 days. This is a key factor helping the model achieve higher productivity compared to traditional farming methods.

Easy to raise, but not suitable for following trends

According to Mr. Son’s experience, the most demanding technical steps include egg candling, chick fostering, and caring for young pigeons. After 3-4 days in the incubator, eggs are candled to check embryo development. When chicks hatch, depending on the parenting ability of each breeding pair, 3-4 chicks can be assigned per pair. Young pigeons are raised for about 22-25 days before being sold as commercial products. The main feed consists of corn and wheat, while bran makes up only a small portion of the diet. The family also carries out monthly vaccination to prevent diseases in the flock.

Currently, the farm sells more than 3,000 commercial pigeons per month. With a selling price of around VND 70,000 per bird, monthly revenue reaches approximately VND 210 million. After deducting feed costs of over VND 100 million, the family earns a profit of about VND 100 million per month. This is a relatively high income compared to many small-scale livestock models in rural areas, especially as the system is operated on a modest housing area. According to Mr. Son, about 200 m² can accommodate 1,000 breeding pairs, while his family currently operates barns ranging from 250 m² to over 300 m² each.

To farm French pigeons effectively, farmers should not follow trends blindly. Mr. Son noted that although this breed is relatively docile and easier to raise than chickens, farmers must be patient, closely observe the flock, and master technical procedures. In particular, it is important to prevent rodents and keep young pigeons warm during winter, as newly hatched chicks are very vulnerable and may die if not properly brooded by parent birds or if the barn temperature is not adequately maintained.

Mr. Dang Dinh Tiep, Director of the Public Service Delivery Center of Cam Ly Commune, said that the French pigeon farming model of Nguyen Duc Son’s family is a clear example of household economic development based on technical learning and the application of science and technology in production.

Given its effectiveness, the locality now has a stronger basis for encouraging residents to innovate in their livestock farming mindset, select models suited to their household conditions, and link production to cost reduction and income improvement.

*1$ = 26,393 VND (source: Vietcombank).