Runt

The Runt is a giant utility pigeon, one of the heftiest breeds still kept today. Despite the name, which comes from old European terms for the bird rather than anything to do with size, the Runt is a big, solidly built pigeon. Mature birds typically weigh between 1,000 and 1,400 grams, several times the weight of an ordinary feral pigeon you would see hanging around town. The breed goes back to the Mediterranean and is strongly linked with Spain, where large table pigeons were raised for centuries.

The breed was developed mainly for the table. Its broad chest and long body produce a hefty squab, the young bird harvested for meat at around four weeks old. Over the years the Runt also found favour on the show bench, and exhibition lines are now judged mainly on size, frame, and carriage. It is not a flying or racing breed. Its bulk rules out sustained flight, so most birds spend their lives in lofts and aviaries rather than out on the wing.

Temperament-wise the Runt is gentle, calm, and self-assured. It puts up with handling well and is generally placid around people and other pigeons. That steady nature, paired with its sheer size, makes it one of the more recognisable birds at poultry and pigeon shows.

Who the Runt suits

The Runt suits keepers after a large, placid pigeon for the table or the show bench rather than flying or racing. Its size means it needs more loft space, bigger nest boxes, and sturdier perches than the smaller breeds. Because the birds are heavy and are not strong fliers, they do best in secure lofts where they are safe from predators. Anyone with a decent-sized section, solid housing, and time for regular handling will find the Runt an easygoing bird to keep.

The Runt is among the oldest documented pigeon breeds and one of the first described in European writing on domestic pigeons. Large table pigeons of this kind were kept around the Mediterranean in ancient times, and the breed is closely tied to Spain and the surrounding coastal regions, where keeping pigeons for food goes back a long way.

Early European writers on poultry and pigeons described very large birds under names now linked to the Runt. The breed turns up in pigeon literature well before the rise of the organised fancy, which sets it apart from the many show breeds developed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Its job throughout this history was a practical one: a big-bodied bird that produced a large, meaty squab.

As organised pigeon exhibition took hold in Europe and, later, North America, the Runt shifted from a purely utility bird to a recognised show breed. Breeders selected for greater size, a longer body, and a broad, deep frame, and regional and colour varieties developed along the way.

These days the Runt is kept mainly by fanciers who value its history and sheer scale. It is no longer a serious commercial squab producer, having been overtaken by faster-maturing utility breeds, but it remains the benchmark for just how big a pigeon can get, and it still turns up at the major pigeon shows.

The Runt has a heavy, powerful build that gives an immediate sense of size. The body is long and deep, the chest broad and full, and the back wide. The head is large and rounded for the size of the body, set on a thick, fairly short neck. The legs are short and strong to carry the bird's weight, and the stance is horizontal and steady rather than upright. The wings are long but held close, and the tail is broad.

Coat and colours

The Runt carries plain, tight plumage, with no crests, frills, or feathered feet. This smooth feathering keeps the focus on the bird's size and outline rather than on decoration. Colours run right across the range, including solid blue, black, red, yellow, dun, and white, plus pied and barred patterns. Colour takes a back seat to size and body type in the show standard, so judges weigh up frame, length, and breadth well ahead of markings. Plumage should be clean and in good condition, lying close to the body so the bird's bulk and proportions are easy to see.

The Runt has a quiet, steady temperament to match its heavy frame. The birds are calm and confident, settling into the loft quickly and showing little of the flightiness you would see in lighter breeds. They take being picked up and examined in their stride, which makes them straightforward to manage for health checks, ringing, and showing.

Around people the Runt is docile and tolerant, and birds that get regular handling become tame and easy to approach. They stay placid rather than panicky around strangers. With other pigeons the breed is generally peaceable and mixes well in a shared loft, though big cocks will defend a nest box during the breeding season, same as any pigeon. Outside of breeding the Runt is not strongly territorial.

The breed is not one for the air. Its weight limits flight to short, low hops, so most of its life plays out on the ground and on perches. The Runt is also fairly quiet, with soft cooing rather than constant racket. Keepers after a placid, low-stress bird that is easy to handle tend to rate these traits highly.

Looking after a Runt comes down to giving a large, heavy bird enough room and the right loft fittings. Because the breed is not much of a flier, its needs are different from those of racing or tumbling pigeons. Day-to-day care covers feather and foot condition, secure low perches, and a clean, dry loft.

Grooming

• Offer a shallow bath two or three times a week so birds can keep their feathers in good nick.
• Check feet and toes regularly for dirt, scaling, or splayed toes, which heavy birds are prone to.
• Watch for external parasites such as lice and feather mites and treat the loft as needed.
• Keep nails trimmed if perches and floors are not wearing them down naturally.
• Get the breed through its annual moult with steady feeding and a calm environment.

Exercise

• Give the bird room to walk and make short flights inside a roomy loft or covered aviary.
• Use low, wide perches and shelves, since heavy birds struggle on anything high or narrow.
• Do not force free flight. The breed is too heavy for sustained flying and is an easy target for predators.
• Provide ground space so the bird can walk and forage naturally.

Environment

The loft needs to be dry, well ventilated, and free of draughts, and New Zealand weather can turn quickly, so do not rely on today's forecast staying put. Give more floor space per bird than the smaller breeds need, with large nest boxes and wide entrances to suit the bird's bulk. Keep bedding clean and dry to protect the feet and head off disease. Solid construction and secure mesh matter here, because a bird this heavy cannot fly to safety.

The Runt does well on a standard pigeon diet built around a mix of grains and legumes, such as maize, wheat, sorghum, peas, and vetch. Because the breed is large and not especially active, portions need watching to keep condition without piling on fat. Constant access to clean water and grit matters, since pigeons need grit to grind food in the gizzard and do better with added minerals for shell quality and bone strength. Breeding pairs and growing squabs need more protein than birds at rest.

Treats and supplements

Small amounts of safe greens, small seeds, and legumes make fine treats, but they should not replace the balanced grain ration. Provide a separate dish of pigeon grit with oyster shell or limestone for calcium, and offer a mineral or pickstone block. A vitamin and electrolyte supplement in the water can help during the moult, breeding, or a hot spell, used according to the product directions rather than all the time.

The Runt is a solid, robust pigeon and, with good husbandry, typically lives 8 to 12 years. Its main breed-linked risks come down to size and weight: heavy birds are more prone to foot, leg, and keel injuries, and to putting on excess weight if exercise is limited and feeding is not controlled. Beyond that, the Runt is open to the same infectious and parasitic conditions as any other pigeon, so loft hygiene and keeping a close eye on the birds matter just as much.

Preventive care

• Keep the loft clean, dry, and well ventilated to cut down on respiratory and parasitic disease.
• Quarantine new or returning birds before they join the main loft.
• Provide grit, calcium, and a balanced diet to support bone and feather health.
• Deworm and treat for canker on a schedule that suits your area.
• Use vaccination programmes for pigeons, such as for paramyxovirus, where an avian vet recommends it.
• Weigh and handle birds now and then to pick up weight and foot problems early.

The Runt is not bred for flight performance or homing, so there is a lot less training involved than with racing or high-flying breeds. Its calm nature makes it easy to tame and handle, and most of the effort goes into getting birds used to people, to loft routine, and to the handling that comes with showing. Patient, repeated contact produces a steady, confident bird that is happy to be lifted and looked over.

Basics

1. Spend short, calm sessions near the loft so the birds get used to you being around.
2. Offer favourite grains by hand to build trust and a positive association.
3. Practise gentle, supported lifting so the bird is comfortable being held.
4. Keep a consistent feeding time and routine to settle the flock.
5. For show birds, get them used to a show cage, lighting, and a brief examination before any exhibition.

Housing for the Runt has to allow for its size, weight, and limited flight, and it pays to check your local council's rules on keeping pigeons before you commit to a loft. The breed is kept in lofts or covered aviaries where it can walk about, make short flights, and roost safely on low perches. It needs more floor space per bird than smaller pigeons, and the fittings have to be sturdy enough to take the weight. Because a grounded bird cannot fly clear of a predator, secure construction is essential.

Setup checklist

• Build or convert a loft with extra floor area for a big, ground-dwelling bird.
• Fit low, wide perches and shelves rather than high or narrow ones.
• Provide oversized nest boxes with easy, low access.
• Add a feeding station, a separate grit and mineral dish, and a clean water supply.
• Include a shallow bathing area that is easy to fill and empty.
• Predator-proof every opening with strong mesh and secure latches.

Like other pigeons, the Runt usually lays two eggs per clutch, with both parents sharing incubation duties. Eggs hatch after roughly 17 to 19 days. Because Runts are big, heavy birds, some breeders use smaller foster pigeons to incubate and feed the squabs, or turn to an incubator followed by hand-rearing, when a pair proves unreliable or clumsy on the nest. Where the parents do raise their own young, the squabs are fed crop milk for the first few days and grow fast on parent-fed grain after that.

Hatching steps

1. Collect and lightly mark eggs if you are managing clutches, then set fertile eggs under the parents, under fosters, or in an incubator.
2. Keep temperature and humidity steady, and turn the eggs regularly if you are using an incubator.
3. Candle the eggs around days 5 to 7 to check development, and remove any clear or dead eggs.
4. Stop turning two to three days before the expected hatch and lift the humidity slightly.
5. Let squabs hatch without help, then make sure they are warm and being fed crop milk.