Description
Lifespan: 10-20 years
Popular fancy pigeon breed is the Fantail. A fan-shaped tail with 30 to 40 feathers, which is considerably greater than the typical 12 to 14 tail feathers found in most dove and pigeon family members distinguishes it. The Silky feather mutation provides the tail feathers of Fantails an intriguing lace look. Silky or Lace Fantails are the common names for fantails with this mutation.
Origin/ Habitat
It is believed that the breed was first domesticated in Pakistan, India, China, Japan, or Spain. There are numerous subvarieties, including the Thai, Indian, and English fantails.
Behavior
The Indian Fantail pigeon has a very serene and kind disposition. It is docile and confiding by nature. In addition, training these birds is simple. Because they struggle to fly, keep them away from cats and other predators.
As Pet
Although fantail pigeons kept as pets don’t need a lot of room, grander displays can be created when they have larger living spaces. Given their size, a pet pigeon can be kept in a cage without worrying about getting hurt. For the bird to be able to flap its wings fully, the cage must be at least 30 by 30 by 30 inches in size. The same fundamental necessities—two perches, food bowls, cuttlebones, and preferably litter rather than paper—must be offered.
Pigeons fling food around and make a mess when eating. The distribution of seeds can be halted by the use of hooded food plates. Safflower, millet, wheat and even maize can be fed to pigeons because they are grain eaters. Avoid eating only seeds. To determine which blends your bird prefers, you may need to experiment with a variety of them over the course of several months.
Pigeons enjoy taking baths and need a big, shallow dish for it. Similar to Ringneck doves, the dish should be offered at least once every week and then taken away to prevent fouling the living space. To drink, you’ll need a deep dish of water since, like all doves and pigeons, fantails immerse their heads.
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