Pigeon farming helps a poor student

There are many hobbies among people where a student’s hobby is pigeon farming.

The student maintains expenditure of his study, even the student is supposed to provide expenditure by his guardian.

Not only he, but also his younger brother is taking financial support to him.

Minhajul Islam, 17, son of Mostafa Kamal of Sanwashi village of Halokhana union under Kurigram Sadar upazila and HSC First year student of Kanthalbari Degree College under the upazila.

He took the hobby observing pigeon rearing in his maternal grandfather house in the union while he was in class seven (in 2014). In the year he took one pair of pigeon of local variety from his maternal grandfather.

One of them died as Minhajul had no idea on pigeon farming. Next he bought another one pair of pigeon from nearest Kanthalbari Bazar. But he could not be extending number of pigeon properly.

He went to Kanthalbari Bazar to sell some pigeons. There he found pigeon of Shiraji variety and bought its one pair with Tk 900.

Then he gathered primary knowledge on pigeon farming to his neighbour while he was in class nine (in 2016).

Then he began farming of Shiraji and local varieties in his house. First time, Shiraji variety gave eggs after five months. From then, he begins to get profit properly from the farming.

Now Minhajul is rearing 30 pairs of various varieties including local, Shiraji, Ghia Chunni, Lal Chunni, Shoa Chandan, Red Bombai, Mukkhi, Kagzi and Greebaj. Now he is rearing local variety in cages outside of house and good varieties in cages inside house.

“I give different feeds to them in dusk and drawn every day. Elements of the feeds are wheat, maize dust, china, Gandi pulse, mustard, paddy, rice and Greets (mixes of brick dust, egg skin, snail dust, oyster dust etc.),” Minhajul said.

“My father is a small trader. He is not interested to provide me with study expenditure. Every month I earn around Tk 7,000 through pigeon farming while I expend only Tk 50 per day for their feeds. The pigeon farming does not hamper to my study. With the income, I maintain my study expenditure including my college and private tuition fees and buy my dresses,” Minhajul said.

He sells each pair of pigeon chicken of upper varieties with Tk 1,000 to Tk 2,400 according to variety while he sells each pair of local variety with Tk 300. Last year, he bought one cow with Tk 26,000 with profits.

“The pigeons live in pairs and each pair gives two eggs every month. For this, two joint chambers are provided to each pairs of pigeons. I am pleasured while they call with their melodious voice ‘Bak Bakum ........’ at dawn and dusk and give money (through eggs and chicken),” he added.

“There is no need large space for pigeon farming. I think – pigeon farming is a good hobby for poor students who could earn easily for maintaining their study expenditure from it,” Minhajul said.