Pigeon (Columba livia domestica) has been raised for meat for thousands of years, making it one of the oldest domesticated poultry species. Young pigeons, known as squab, are typically harvested at around four weeks of age before they fledge, when the meat is at its most tender.
Pigeon meat is dark, rich, and more intensely flavoured than chicken, with a texture and taste sometimes compared to duck or game birds. It is considered a delicacy in French, Chinese, Egyptian, and Moroccan cuisines, among others. In Australia, squab is a niche product found primarily in fine dining restaurants and specialty butchers.
Both wild and domesticated pigeons exist worldwide, but commercial meat production uses specific breeds raised in controlled environments. Wild pigeon (including wood pigeon) is hunted in some countries but is not a significant commercial product.
How it's produced
Squab production uses breeding pairs of pigeons housed in lofts or aviaries. Pigeons are monogamous and a mated pair will typically produce two squabs per clutch, with multiple clutches per year. The parent birds feed their young “crop milk” — a protein-rich secretion — for the first days of life, followed by regurgitated grain.
Squabs are harvested at around 25 to 30 days old, just before they are able to fly, when they have reached full size but the meat is still tender. Commercial operations maintain breeding flocks and manage nesting boxes, feeding the adult birds a diet of grains and seeds. Production scale is small compared to chicken or duck, and the labour-intensive nature of squab farming keeps it a specialty product.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for poultry, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
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