Rooftop to farm: pigeon rearing as a source of income in Bangladesh

Pigeon rearing, once confined to village courtyards in Bangladesh, had moved onto city roofs, ledges and balconies and was becoming a source of income for small entrepreneurs, according to a feature by Khairul Bashar Ashik that Jagonews24 published on 5 May 2026. Known for generations as a hobby bird, the pigeon was now part of a story of income, nutrition and self-reliance in towns as well as villages, the writer said.

The feature linked the trend to rising unemployment, urbanisation and limited incomes. Because pigeons need little capital and little space and carry relatively low risk, it said, rearing them was increasingly seen as a promising enterprise in both town and countryside. This report sets out the feature's account and places it beside what Bangladeshi surveys, veterinary research and health authorities had published on pigeon keeping by that date.

Pigeon keeping was once simply a pastime, the feature said, but over the previous decade it had gradually become a workable source of income for small entrepreneurs, and thousands of people in Dhaka and other parts of the country were rearing pigeons commercially. Farmers told the writer that improved breeds and marketing on social media had widened the market. Many sold birds directly to buyers through online platforms, which had reduced the number of middlemen and raised their profits.

Earlier reporting described the same shift. A feature in The Business Standard on 11 June 2021 said there were thousands of pigeon farms across Bangladesh, that Pabna had once been called the capital of pigeons, and that Dhaka, Pabna, Natore, Mymensingh, Sylhet and Chittagong had most of the farms. It listed dedicated pigeon markets in Dhaka at Tongi, Mirpur-1, Mohammadpur Beribadh and Kaptan Bazar, the biggest of them, besides pet shops and the pet market at Katabon. Kaptan Bazar, the paper said, brought together thousands of buyers and sellers every Friday, selling not only pigeons, feed and nests but also accessories such as the small "jhumka" bells tied to a bird's legs.

Rooftop farms had also been reported before. The Daily Star wrote on 15 February 2021 about a man in Pirojpur town who, after closing his business in Dhaka, had set up a pigeon farm on the roof of his house six years earlier. He kept more than 400 Giribaz pigeons of varieties such as Chuina, Markchi, Jiragala, Sabujgala, Lalgala, Benaras and Pankhi, told the paper that a pair from his farm sold for Tk 3,000 to Tk 30,000, and said the income was enough to support his family. A local municipal councillor told the paper that rearing pigeons could help young people stay away from drugs while earning pocket money.

Prices of improved breeds ranged from a few thousand taka to several tens of thousands, the Jagonews24 feature said. Magpie, Siraji, Fantail and King pigeons, for example, were seen selling for Tk 5,000 to Tk 10,000 or more a pair, while local pigeons started at about Tk 200 and rose from there. These are the prices the feature reported; they vary with breed, colour, age and the seller.

The 2021 Business Standard report gave a similar spread from the market floor. A vendor told the paper he sold pigeons for Tk 200 to Tk 5,000 depending on breed and colour, and that fancy pigeons, then in high demand, could reach Tk 10,000 to Tk 15,000. Another vendor said birds that had sold for Tk 60,000 to Tk 70,000 two or three years earlier were fetching only Tk 15,000, and that demand from India, where many pigeons had been exported, had fallen. The paper said the growing popularity of pigeon breeding had raised production and lowered prices. It named the Gola as the most common and cheapest breed, and Chila, Lalchila, Giribaz, Garra, Fency, Pankhi and Racer among the popular ones.

Squabs, the young birds sold for meat, are priced on their own scale. A survey of 15 pigeon farmers in Charnelukhia village of Gouripur upazila, Mymensingh, published in the Bangladesh Journal of Animal Science in 2009, recorded a price of Tk 51 per squab and Tk 113.33 per pigeon. A later survey of ten farmers in Hakimpur upazila of Dinajpur, carried out from October to December 2019 and published in 2021, found squabs selling for Tk 150 to Tk 200 each.

Experts quoted in the feature called pigeon rearing a "low-investment, high-return" sector. A healthy pair can raise young several times a year, and a pigeon can usually produce up to 10 to 12 pairs of young a year, the feature said, which lets a farm grow quickly. Eggs hatch in only 17 to 18 days, squabs become saleable within four weeks of hatching, and new birds start laying at five to six months, creating a self-sustaining production cycle that the writer called the greatest economic strength of pigeon rearing.

Banglapedia, the national encyclopedia of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, notes that pigeons normally lay two eggs and that both parents incubate them and care for the young. A 2019 study in the peer-reviewed journal Animals, by researchers working on pigeons reared in towers in Egypt, describes the cycle in more detail: females reach sexual maturity at about seven months, eggs are laid 8 to 12 days after mating, they hatch after 18 days of incubation, and the squabs leave the nest within 25 to 32 days. The breeding cycle takes about two months, and another begins as soon as one ends. Pigeons build two nests and use them alternately, one for incubating eggs and one for rearing hatched squabs.

Bangladeshi farm surveys give local figures. In the Gouripur survey the squabs were marketed at an average of 26.66 days, weighed 258 grams, and a pair produced 19.53 squabs a year, with a mortality of 6.67 percent. In Hakimpur a pair produced nine to ten pairs of squabs a year, squabs weighed about 350 to 400 grams at a marketing age of 30 days, and average mortality was 6 percent. Both surveys found that most farmers kept pigeons in a small-scale scavenging system, letting the birds forage and adding supplementary feed.

Feeding is fairly simple, the feature said. Paddy, wheat, maize, millet, mustard and pulses are the main foods, and each adult bird eats about 30 to 50 grams a day. The surveys recorded figures inside that range: an average of 34.50 grams per pigeon per day in Gouripur and 37 grams per bird per day in Hakimpur.

The feature also pointed to a remarkable trait: pigeons feed their young "pigeon milk", a special secretion produced in the crop, so squabs need no separate feed in their first days. Banglapedia describes the same crop secretion as the nestlings' first food. A 2023 study in PLOS Genetics notes that pigeons are among a select few bird species in which the parents produce a milk in the crop to feed newborn squabs, and identifies a set of genes involved in lipid and protein metabolism that switch on in the crop lining during this "lactation".

According to the 2019 Animals study, newly hatched squabs feed on crop milk for their first five to seven days, and both parents produce it in similar quantities. Its secretion is stimulated by the hormones prolactin and insulin, it contains about 50 percent crude protein and 25 to 29 percent lipids on a dry matter basis, and it continues until about 14 to 25 days after hatching. The same paper says information on the exact dietary needs of pigeons is limited, as most breeders rely on whatever grain mixture is available, and that a diet of 15 to 18 percent crude protein improves productivity and reproductive performance.

Pigeon meat is tasty and nutritious, the feature said, and rural families can meet their own needs and sell the surplus, so that pigeons support both nutrition and household income. The Gouripur survey likewise found a lot of demand for squab meat in the market because of its delicacy and taste. The feature also reported experts as saying that pigeon meat contains more protein than other poultry; the published research available on the date gives a more measured picture.

A 2021 study in the journal Meat Research compared quail and pigeons available in Bangladesh. It found that moisture and fat content of the meat differed between the two birds, but crude protein and ash did not, and concluded that farmers can easily rear both quail and pigeon for meat while calling for more detailed study. In China, a 2023 study in Animals analysed 150 squabs aged 28 days from five breeds. The protein content of the Taihu, Tarim and Shiqi squabs was significantly higher than that of the White King, the breed most commonly used in China, and the Taihu had the highest at 22.72 percent. The local breeds also had a lower share of saturated fatty acids.

Readers who want to add pigeon meat to the diet of someone who is ill, very young or elderly should ask a doctor first; this report gives no health advice beyond the published research.

The feature said there were 200 species of pigeon in the world and about 30 commonly seen in Bangladesh. Banglapedia gives different figures: the family Columbidae, pigeons and doves together, has 289 species worldwide, 30 of them in the Indian subcontinent, and 17 in Bangladesh, of which two are migratory. The wild rock pigeon, Columba livia, is known in Bangla as the Jalali kobutor, and Banglapedia says the rock dove was domesticated some 5,000 years ago. The many kinds of pigeon kept on Bangladeshi roofs are breeds of that one species, not separate species. A 2013 genome study in Science says breeders have established more than 350 breeds since the rock pigeon was first domesticated in Neolithic times, and found evidence that the major breed groups originated in the Middle East.

How the pigeon came to be the household bird of so many Bengalis is not known exactly, the feature said. The Giribaz is popular everywhere, in villages and towns, and a number of foreign breeds are now seen under local names, among them Gola, Goli, Mayurpankhi, Fantail, Tumbler, Lotan, Lahori, King, Jacobin, Muki, Siraji, Gribaz and Chandan. Breeds are not fixed: they are defined by traits such as build, colour and eye colour, and new ones are created by cross-breeding.

A study in the Bangladesh Journal of Veterinary Medicine, published in 2017, measured about 15 breeds on 30 farms in Rajshahi, Natore and Pabna districts, each with more than 20 pairs. The heaviest adult birds were Strassers, at an average of 748.20 grams, and the lightest were Giribaz, at 265.10 grams. The Jacobin had the widest wingspan, at 81 centimetres, and the Homer the longest shank. The authors said such measurements could help breed improvement and conservation of these birds as a genetic resource. The feature described the main breeds as follows.

The word Homer, from homing pigeon, has spread in Bangladesh. Because it flies very fast it is used in flying competitions; two birds released side by side race each other and then return to where they started. The Business Standard reported in 2021 that Homers were a recent introduction for racing, that their owners ran clubs, and that each racing Homer wore a band with a serial number and club registration.

The Gola originated in the Indian subcontinent and is the most common pigeon in Bangladesh, popular for its meat. If a coop is built near a house, Golas often move in by themselves. They can be white, black, grey or any other colour.

The Goli differs somewhat from the Gola. It is popular in Lahore in Pakistan and in Kolkata in India, has thick, full feathers under the tail and a short beak, and is mostly white.

Among Kings, the White King and the Silver King are especially popular in America and in Europe. Kings are used for exhibition and for squab production, and there are also Blue, Red and Yellow Kings, mainly kept for shows.

The Fantail spreads its tail like a peacock and can open its tail feathers like a fan, hence the name. It is kept mostly as a hobby bird and is believed to have originated in India. It is mainly white, though black, blue and yellow Fantails are also seen; its feet are covered with feathers, and it is shown at exhibitions.

The Lahori takes its name from Lahore, where it originated, and in Bangladesh it is also known as the Siraji or Shirazi. The feathers from around the eyes down the front of the neck, breast, belly, rump, legs and tail are pure white, while the head, the back of the neck and the wings are coloured, usually black, red, yellow, blue or silver.

The Tumbler is famous for its flying and is so called because it somersaults in the air; in Bangladesh it is known as the Giribaz. It originated in the Pakistan-India subcontinent and is much valued for entertainment. The Business Standard described traditional Giribaz races in which competitors travel some 25 to 50 kilometres from home and each releases the same number of birds; the winner is the one who has the most pigeons back home by sunset.

The Lotan is a white pigeon with a crest, deep hazel eyes and fully feathered legs.

The Jacobin's head feathers spread down to the neck like a hood. Its origin is unknown, though it may have come from India. It is usually white, red, yellow or blue, with a long body and pearl-white eyes.

The Muki's neck curves back like a swan's, and three of the flight feathers on each wing are white, a feature the feature said is seen in no other pigeon. These white, black and blue birds are very handsome.

Easy management is one of the main advantages of pigeon rearing, according to the feature. A pair can be kept in only 2 by 2 feet of space, and coops can easily be made of wood, bamboo or tin on a roof, a balcony or in a yard. Protection from cold in winter and keeping the loft dry are very important, as is protecting the birds from dogs, cats, snakes and mongooses.

The village surveys give some housing figures. The Gouripur survey recorded an average house height of 3.50 metres and a house life of five years, and the Hakimpur survey an average height of 3.6 metres and an average housing cost of Tk 46 per bird.

A well-run rooftop loft in Old Dhaka was described by The Business Standard in 2021. Its owner kept the birds in wrought-iron cages, stored seed mixes in buckets and kept separate buckets of water for drinking and for bathing; the cages had built-in waste removal. Parent pigeons raised their squabs in separate breeding cages, and sick pigeons rested and recovered in another cage, apart from the flock.

Pigeons fall ill less often than other poultry, the feature said, but some common diseases occur, such as coccidiosis, Ranikhet (the local name for Newcastle disease), worms and pox. A clean environment, regular changes of drinking water and vaccination keep them under control, it said.

Bangladeshi studies show which illnesses matter most. At the veterinary hospital in Khulna, researchers examined 502 sick pigeons from Khulna Sadar and surrounding farms between March 2013 and February 2014. Parasitic infestation was the most common problem, at 31.67 percent; salmonellosis accounted for 20.32 percent of cases, pigeon pox for 18.92 percent and canker for 11.95 percent. Disease was most frequent in summer, pox peaked in June and July, and young birds were the most susceptible to salmonellosis and pox, according to the study in the Bangladesh Journal of Veterinary Medicine.

Canker is caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas gallinae. A study in the Journal of Advanced Veterinary and Animal Research in 2019 tested 60 pigeons from 12 smallholder farms in Abhaynagar and Monirampur upazilas of Jashore between November 2017 and February 2018 and found the parasite in 60 percent of them, and in 75 percent of squabs. The authors explain that it spreads directly, including from parent to squab through crop milk, and indirectly through water and food, and that it causes yellowish cheesy lesions in the mouth and throat. They urged owners to ensure proper housing, feeding and disease management. The same paper noted that pigeon farming was gaining popularity in Bangladesh but that published data on the pigeon population and its diseases were scarce.

Newcastle disease, called Ranikhet in Bangladesh, is caused by virulent strains of avian paramyxovirus type 1, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). It spreads mostly by direct contact with sick or carrier birds and through droppings, contaminated feed, water, equipment and clothing, and birds of the pigeon family can shed the virus intermittently for a year or more. Researchers at Bangladesh Agricultural University reported in 2021 that a virus isolated from pigeons in Bangladesh in 2010 was highly virulent for chickens, and in 2023 that a related pigeon virus had been circulating in Bangladesh since the 1990s; in their experiment it caused 70 percent illness and 60 percent deaths in pigeons, while infected chickens showed few signs but still carried the virus.

Vaccination is far from universal. In the Hakimpur survey the common diseases were pox, Newcastle disease, salmonellosis and mineral deficiency, and only about a quarter of the farms had vaccinated their birds, with BCRDV and pox vaccines. The Gouripur farmers had no idea about disease prevention, that survey found. Which vaccine to use, when and at what dose, and any medicine for a sick bird, should be decided with the upazila livestock officer of the Department of Livestock Services or a registered veterinarian; this report gives no doses.

Keeping birds also carries a small risk for people. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says psittacosis is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia psittaci, which infects many types of birds, and that bird owners, poultry farmers and pet shop workers are at increased risk. People usually catch it by breathing in dust from dried droppings or secretions; it is generally a mild illness with fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and a dry cough, but it can cause pneumonia, and it is treated with antibiotics. The CDC advises care when handling and cleaning birds and cages, and tells anyone who falls ill after handling birds to see a healthcare provider.

MedlinePlus, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's health service, lists bird fancier's lung as the most common type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, a lung inflammation caused by breathing in proteins found in the feathers or droppings of many species of birds. Symptoms such as cough, fever and breathlessness often appear four to eight hours after exposure, and long exposure can damage the lungs permanently. Newcastle disease, WOAH says, is only a minor zoonosis in people, causing a mild, self-limiting eye infection. A pigeon keeper with a lasting cough or breathing trouble should see a doctor and mention the birds.

Pigeon rearing is simple, the feature said, but it faces several challenges:

• the high price of improved breeds
• too little knowledge of diseases
• limitations in how the market is organised
• a lack of training and government support

If these challenges are met, the feature argued, pigeon rearing can be a sustainable small enterprise. Agricultural economists it cited believe pigeons can play an important part in the rural economy, offering women and young entrepreneurs an accessible source of income and letting people in towns earn from limited space. With training, easy credit and market links from the government and the private sector, the writer said, the sector could expand further.

The researchers who surveyed farmers reached similar conclusions. The Gouripur authors in 2009 said pigeon farming could grow with government training and loans, and that meat breeds, good flock sizes and balanced feed were needed to improve income and employment; the Hakimpur authors in 2021 also called for training and loans. The feature ended on the bird's old symbolism: the pigeon, known as a symbol of peace, was becoming a symbol of financial relief for many, and a journey begun with a small coop could, with planning and good management, become a real path to self-reliance.

Photo: Kritzolina / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources: Jagonews24; Banglapedia (Asiatic Society of Bangladesh); The Business Standard; The Daily Star; M. Asaduzzaman and colleagues, Bangladesh Journal of Animal Science (2009); Hoque and colleagues, ICRRD Quality Index Research Journal (2021); Bangladesh Journal of Veterinary Medicine (Khulna disease study; northern Bangladesh breed study, 2017); S. Arfin and colleagues, Journal of Advanced Veterinary and Animal Research (2019); Animals (2019, squab rearing study; 2023, Chinese squab meat study); Y. Wang and colleagues, PLOS Genetics (2023); M. D. Shapiro and colleagues, Science (2013); Rubayet Bostami and colleagues, Meat Research (2021); M. Nooruzzaman and colleagues, Viruses (2021); I. Hossain and colleagues, Microbial Pathogenesis (2023); World Organisation for Animal Health; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine).