Modena

The Modena is a fancy pigeon breed from northern Italy, named after the city of Modena. It's a squat, cobby bird, meaning the body is short and rounded rather than long and sleek. Fanciers keep the breed mainly for showing and as a companion bird rather than for racing or the pot.

Two broad show types exist. Schietti birds are self-coloured in a single shade, while Gazzi birds carry a coloured head, wings and tail set against a white body. Across both types the breed turns up in a huge range of colours and patterns, which is a big part of why it has such a loyal following among pigeon fanciers.

Temperament-wise the Modena is gentle, calm and easygoing. It tends to settle well in a loft, puts up with handling without fuss, and is often recommended to keepers who are new to fancy pigeons. Adults reach medium size and, with decent care, live roughly 8 to 12 years.

Who it suits

The Modena suits keepers after an ornamental loft bird with a settled nature. Its placid temperament makes it easier to handle than flightier breeds, so it's a solid pick for first-time fancy-pigeon owners and for exhibitors who want a bird that'll hold still on the show pen. It's not the bird for anyone chasing a flying or homing performer, since the breed is bred for shape and colour rather than flight.

The breed's name comes from Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. Pigeon keeping goes back a long way there, and local birds were selected over generations for colour and a short, rounded body. The Italian forerunners were sometimes flown in a flock sport where birds were driven off and caught, which favoured a stout, active type.

Over time breeders turned their attention from flying ability to looks. Selection settled on the cobby build, the upright stance and the broad colour range that mark the breed out today. The two show divisions, Schietti for self-coloured birds and Gazzi for the white-bodied pattern with coloured markings, were established during this period.

The Modena spread beyond Italy into Germany, where breeders developed a somewhat larger, more refined exhibition type often called the German Modena. From there and from Italy it reached Britain and North America, where it became a regular entry at pigeon shows.

These days the Modena is one of the more common fancy pigeon breeds at exhibitions, kept right across Europe and North America. Breeding still focuses on type, stance and the wide colour and pattern range rather than any working use.

The Modena is unmistakably cobby. The body is short and deep, the chest broad and carried high, and the back short. The bird stands upright with the tail held clear of the ground and the wings resting on the tail rather than crossed beneath it. The head is rounded and the beak medium and stout. The whole outline is compact and rounded, which is the main point of the breed standard.

Coat and colours

The feathering is smooth and lies tight to the body. The Modena is bred in one of the widest colour and pattern ranges of any pigeon breed. Schietti birds are a single solid colour over the whole body. Gazzi birds are white over most of the body, with colour confined to the head, the wing shields and the tail. Within these types the breed turns up in bars, checks and self shades across blues, blacks, silvers, reds, yellows, duns and mealy tones, among others. Show judging weighs up both the shape and stance and the evenness and clarity of the colour markings.

The Modena has a quiet, even temper. It's good-natured and puts up with regular handling, which is part of why it's such a popular show bird and a common recommendation for new keepers. Birds usually settle in quickly and aren't as jumpy or flighty as some of the flying breeds.

Around people the breed stays calm and rarely panics when picked up, provided handling is gentle and consistent. With other pigeons it's sociable and lives well in a mixed loft, though pairs will defend their own nest box during breeding. The Modena isn't aggressive toward keepers and rarely struggles hard when held. As a flock bird it does best with company rather than kept on its own.

Day-to-day care comes down to a clean loft, good ventilation without draughts, and steady access to feed, fresh water and grit. The breed copes well as long as it's kept dry and out of the damp. In hot weather, good airflow through the loft matters just as much as keeping draughts out. Shade the loft through the middle of the day, add extra ventilation panels or fans if the shed heats up, and always leave water where birds can reach it, since pigeons can overheat fast in a stuffy loft on a scorching day.

Grooming

• Provide a shallow bath two or three times a week so birds can keep their feathers clean.
• Check the feet and toes for dirt, scale buildup and overgrown nails.
• Watch the smooth feathering for parasites and treat the loft if mites or lice turn up.
• Keep nest bowls and perches clean to avoid soiled plumage.

Exercise

• Allow daily access to a roomy aviary or loft so birds can move about and stretch their wings.
• Give space for short flights and wing flapping even though the breed isn't flown competitively.
• Avoid crowding, which raises stress and the risk of disease.

Environment

House the Modena in a dry, well-ventilated loft with secure walls against predators and rodents. Provide individual perches and nest boxes so pairs can claim their own patch. Keep the floor litter dry and swap it out before it turns damp or soiled. The breed copes with a range of climates as long as it's sheltered from wet, cold draughts and from direct heat and full sun during summer.

The Modena eats a standard pigeon diet of mixed grains and seeds, such as maize, wheat, peas, sorghum and other legumes. Protein needs go up during breeding and the moult and drop back during rest periods. Constant access to clean water and hard grit is needed, since pigeons use grit to grind food in the gizzard. A separate source of crushed oyster shell or a mineral mix supplies the calcium that breeding hens draw on for eggshells.

Treats and supplements

Small amounts of greens and safe seeds can be offered as treats but shouldn't replace the main grain mix. A vitamin and mineral supplement in the water or feed is useful during breeding and moult. Probiotics are sometimes added after stress or a course of medication. Keep all supplements within label rates, since over-supplementing can do as much harm as a shortfall.

The Modena is a robust breed and stays healthy under clean, dry, uncrowded conditions. Typical lifespan is about 8 to 12 years. Most illness in the breed isn't specific to it but is shared across pigeons generally, driven by parasites, respiratory bugs and protozoa that spread in damp or crowded lofts. In humid or tropical parts of Australia, keep a close eye on ventilation and dampness, since warm, sticky conditions let parasites and fungal spores build up fast.

Preventive care

• Keep the loft dry, clean and well ventilated to cut down parasite and protozoa numbers.
• Quarantine new or returning birds before adding them to the flock.
• Follow a regular schedule for worming and parasite control.
• Use pigeon vaccination, such as against paramyxovirus, where it's available and recommended.
• Watch droppings and weight as early warning signs of illness.

Because the Modena is bred for shape and colour rather than flight, training centres on calm handling and show preparation rather than racing or homing. The breed's easygoing nature makes it cooperative, and birds handled often from a young age get used to being lifted, posed and judged. Patience and routine count for more than any special technique.

Basics

1. Handle young birds gently and regularly so they accept being picked up.
2. Get them used to a show cage or training coop well before any event.
3. Practise posing the bird so it stands upright and holds the breed's stance.
4. Pair each handling session with a small food reward to build a positive link.
5. Keep sessions short and calm so as not to stress the bird.

The Modena is a loft bird and is housed like other fancy pigeons. The loft should be dry, free of draughts but well ventilated, and secure against cats, rats and birds of prey. Each pair needs its own nest box and perch, and the loft should give enough floor and air space to avoid crowding, which is the main driver of disease. An attached aviary lets birds get air, light and room to move while staying safe. In the warmer parts of Australia, shade cloth over part of the run and extra roof ventilation help stop the loft cooking on a stinking hot day.

Setup checklist

• Individual nest boxes and perches for each pair.
• Feeders and waterers kept clean and off the floor.
• A grit and mineral container always available.
• A shallow bath pan offered on a schedule.
• Predator and rodent proofing on doors, vents and gaps.
• A dry, easily cleaned floor.

Modena pairs usually rear their own young. A hen lays two eggs a couple of days apart, and both parents take turns sitting. The eggs hatch after roughly 17 to 19 days. Newly hatched squabs are fed crop milk, a secretion both parents produce in the first few days, before moving on to softened, regurgitated grain. Most keepers leave incubation to the parents, since pigeons are reliable sitters, but an incubator can be used for foster or rescue cases with the right settings.

Hatching steps

1. Let the pair settle and allow the hen to lay her clutch of two eggs.
2. Leave incubation to the parents where possible, or set an incubator to the values above.
3. Keep the nest area calm, clean and undisturbed while they're sitting.
4. Check that squabs are being fed and have full crops in the first few days.
5. Give the parents extra high-protein feed and calcium while they're rearing young.