Hatchability and nestling viability in an extremely short-beaked pigeon breed

The selection of hobby animals for breeding by enthusiasts is often based on aesthetic considerations, which can have a negative impact on the animals’ biology. Furthermore, “extreme traits” that deviate from ancestral norms, such as short beaks in pigeons, can be detrimental to the animal’s welfare. Beaks perform many essential functions, such as facilitating feed intake and eggshell breaking. The present study investigates possible hatching problems and the nestling viability of short-beak pigeons through a study of the breeding records of Mısıri (short beak), Baska (medium beak), and Turkish Dönek (normal beak) pigeons, as well as data from one breeding season of Mısıri pigeons (e.g. records of unfertilized eggs, embryo losses, deaths in shell, and nestling losses before and after ringing). The hatching rates and nestling viabilities of Baska, Turkish Dönek, and Mısıri breeds were 74.34%, 84.62%, and 60.05%, and 76.99%, 89.39%, and 77.82%, respectively, and the effect of breed on both traits was significant (p = 0.0238). The hatching probability of Mısıri eggs was lower than that of Baska or Dönek eggs. The probability of Turkish Dönek nestlings reaching fledgling age was 2.94 times greater than that of Mısıri nestlings (p = 0.0226). During the incubation period of Mısıri eggs, the lowest was embryo loss (2.78%) and the highest was “dead in shell” (20.00%). In Mısıri nestlings, nestling mortality was highest in the ≤10-day period (26.79%). It can be concluded that the hatching outcomes and nestling viability of Mısıri pigeons are suboptimal when compared to normal beaked Turkish Dönek pigeons.