Neil Pratt's 5 Golden Rules for Beginners:

1. keep twice as many feeders as bokharas

2. keep away from fancy breeds as feeders

3. keep away from crossing bokharas

4. keep on enjoying them

5. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

The Basics

• Pigeon eggs take 18 to 20 days to hatch

• Pigeons feed their young "pigeon milk" for the first 6 or 7 days.

• Pigeon milk is the shedding of the inside of the crop lining, this is very high protein.

• Pigeon young start on seed at around 6 days old.

• Pigeons produce "pigeon milk" at around the 16th day of egg incubation.

Loft Info

• 10x15 will hold 8 pairs of Boks comfortably another 10x15 will hold the 10 pairs of feeders.

• "Crowded" kills pigeons. One of your biggest enemies.

• In pens that are too big, bokharas have problems finding food and water when in feather.

• The birds will relish all the direct sun they can get but the whole loft doesn’t have to be in sun. A southeren exposure should afford them maximum sunlight.

Feeding

• You should feed only as much food as the birds will eat in around 20 minutes. If there is food left after 20 minutes, you are feeding them too much.

• Pigeons drink water by plunging their beak in water and sucking. Make sure your waterers are made for pigeons. (large paint buckets with 1 inch holes cut in the sides work great)

Breeding

• In order to produce show-quality bokharas, you will need other pigeons to raise them.

• Most bokhara breeders use homers as "feeders". Although other types of pigeons can do just as good a job (some say even better).

• Always keep twice as many pairs of feeders as bokharas.

• Before breeding season, trim the rose (so the bird can see), the boots and the vent.

Lifespan

• A productive bokhara can live for about 7 years. Homers (feeders) can live for about 15 - 20 years (note, A homer is a rugged bird. Their heart is 5 times the size of any other pigeon).

Why is it called a "trumpeter"?

• The bokhara is called a trumpeter (or a "drummer" in Europe) because of the unique sound it makes.