# Feeding pellets



## confederatemule (Jul 19, 2009)

I am trying to get away from feeding grain. There is only one feed supply store in my area that feeds Pigeon seeds. 50lb bag is $28.00 The pigeons will only eat certain seeds. I opted to buy corn, milo, and wheat seeds, each in 50lb bags. Total cost $23.00. They still tend to waste the wheat and milo. They fill up on corn.

I am thinking of going to pellets. I have tried game bird crumbled pellets as well as chicken layer pellets. The pigeons eat the pellets and crumbles like they were starving to death. 

I know the pigeons are getting a more balanced diet with the pellets. I think the chicken layer pellets are my preference. I think it is more of a completely nutritional diet.

BTW... the cost is important.

Would y'all share your knowledge with me?

Thanks for all the advice given.
Mule


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

You feed them to much cut back, when you put the feed in let them eat till the first one goes for water then take it out do this 2 times a day until you find out how much they eat.


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## jameswaller (Nov 4, 2008)

*pigeon food-seeds/grains*



confederatemule said:


> I am trying to get away from feeding grain. There is only one feed supply store in my area that feeds Pigeon seeds. 50lb bag is $28.00 The pigeons will only eat certain seeds. I opted to buy corn, milo, and wheat seeds, each in 50lb bags. Total cost $23.00. They still tend to waste the wheat and milo. They fill up on corn.
> 
> I am thinking of going to pellets. I have tried game bird crumbled pellets as well as chicken layer pellets. The pigeons eat the pellets and crumbles like they were starving to death.
> 
> ...


dear mule,-no mention of what the pellets are made of,??-pigeons are picky eaters,their beek is a very useful tool,-they don,t like it -cast it aside,..-I feed my pigeons seeds of::-red wheat,popcorn,milo,green peas,maple peas,yellow peas,safflower seed,austrian winter peas,millet,sunflowerseeds,cracked corn,and grit of crushed granite and oyster shells.-perhaps all this will help you,-I just found out they donot like yesterdays seeds,all must be fresh out of the bag,-labor of love,.sincerely james waller


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## confederatemule (Jul 19, 2009)

jameswaller said:


> dear mule,-no mention of what the pellets are made of,??-pigeons are picky eaters,their beek is a very useful tool,-they don,t like it -cast it aside,..-I feed my pigeons seeds of::-red wheat,popcorn,milo,green peas,maple peas,yellow peas,safflower seed,austrian winter peas,millet,sunflowerseeds,cracked corn,and grit of crushed granite and oyster shells.-perhaps all this will help you,-I just found out they donot like yesterdays seeds,all must be fresh out of the bag,-labor of love,.sincerely james waller


Almost all of that is not available locally. Actually, all I can get locally is Whole Corn (deer corn), cracked corn, Milo, and seed wheat, and black oil sunflower seed.

I can't afford to buy by mail order. Nor can I afford to pay $30.00 for pre-mixed pigeon feed at the only feed store around here that sells anything for pigeons.

I will post the ingredients of the layer pellets in a little while. I have to locate them. They are DuMor Layer Pellets from Tractor Supply Co.


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## confederatemule (Jul 19, 2009)

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-layer-pellet-16-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005

Ingredients:
Organic Corn, Organic Soybean Meal, Organic Wheat, Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Alfalfa, Calcium Carbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Diatomaceous Earth, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Sesquicarbonate, Organic Soybean Oil, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Methionine Supplement, Organic Wheat Middlings, Organic vegetable oil, dried Penicillium Funiculosum Fermentation Product, Choline Chloride, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min.) 16.0%
Crude Fat (min.) 4.0%
Crude Fiber (max.) 3.0%


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## jameswaller (Nov 4, 2008)

*dumar layer pellets*



confederatemule said:


> https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-layer-pellet-16-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005
> 
> Ingredients:
> Organic Corn, Organic Soybean Meal, Organic Wheat, Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Alfalfa, Calcium Carbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Diatomaceous Earth, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Sesquicarbonate, Organic Soybean Oil, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Methionine Supplement, Organic Wheat Middlings, Organic vegetable oil, dried Penicillium Funiculosum Fermentation Product, Choline Chloride, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product
> ...


dear confederate mule,by golly you did post[excellent]-at a glance looks good,even probotics,--and there is a tractor supply feed store here in kent,wa.-I,,ll check it out..-I might add this to my babies menu-thank you..-my dvm feeds his pigeons whole corn also,and I warned him of a chocking hazard,--he brushed it off.,i used to raise rabbits[pets]-and I could offset the cost of their purina rabbit pellets by running around the yard gather grasses and weeds,but with pigeons they are strictly grain/seed critters,-sincerely james waller


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## confederatemule (Jul 19, 2009)

James, my birds seem to love it. The only thing left behind is dust. I have a total of 60 birds. I fed them 80 tablespoons full of layer pellets this evening. Right quick the pellets were gone. If my counting os correct.

Mule


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## bubba man (Nov 10, 2017)

too bad your not in N.C. cause i`ve got a whole bag of pigeon pellets i`m trying to give away free


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## confederatemule (Jul 19, 2009)

bubba man said:


> too bad your not in N.C. cause i`ve got a whole bag of pigeon pellets i`m trying to give away free


Yes it is too bad.

Mule


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## confederatemule (Jul 19, 2009)

Thanks for all of the responses.

I don't know if the birds are hungry or just simply love the pellets. I feed more than I did with grain and they left some grain behind.

I got my Tumblers from a neighbor, he fed 50# of layer pellets and then 50# of Hen Scratch. He did not ration it out. He poured it in a large feed container.

I got my Homers from a man 50 miles away, he fed the same way as the other feller.

I ration the feed.

Mule


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## White Homers (Sep 22, 2016)

If you ever want to race or train homers you have to adjust their feed so they are neither too fat or too hungry. Feeding all they want and training and racing will become a problem.


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## jameswaller (Nov 4, 2008)

*pigeon pellets*



confederatemule said:


> Thanks for all of the responses.
> 
> I don't know if the birds are hungry or just simply love the pellets. I feed more than I did with grain and they left some grain behind.
> 
> ...


dear confederate mule,-just visited my tractor supply store,bought usual wild bird food-35#bags[milo,white millet,cracked corn,wheat,black oil sunflower seed]-$9.49per bag..-this is what I mix with the pigeon fanciers choice #50 bag/$25..-the dumar poultry-layer pellets 50#bag was $14.79,--so I am in the expreriment phase--fed all my pigeons[ferrals incl.]-no results yet...I guess it comes down to waste verus what you expect to do with your pigeons,the thread above expresses a concern for that....my homers are just that[homers]--oh!here we go-one pigeon a pmv survivor[-never to be released],-just gave me a [what the h is that,look]-this may take longer than I thought ,introduce slowly-I guess...not as a replacement,but as a treat...the people I talked to at the tractor supply store,said people do feed pigeons the dumar layer pellets..thanks for this info ,I,ll let you know how it goes...sincerely james waller


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## confederatemule (Jul 19, 2009)

I just bought two 50lb bags of layer pellets today. Price was $12.79 each. A total of $25.58. Also, feed chickens. I guess the price is not the same all over the U.S, I'm in the Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana corner of Texas, about 20 miles West of Texarkana.
I may try some wild bird seed.

Please let me know what you think.

Mule


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

I tried the same route, and the only thing I didn’t like was the looser stool it gave the pigeons, I ended up using wild bird seed and adding popcorn and some pellets, and not over feeding. The stools hardend up. If breeding just make sure the bag of chicken pellet or mash is not medicated.


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## White Homers (Sep 22, 2016)

I add to my pigeon mix (I use Purgrain European formula) I add wild bird seed,whole corn,black sunflower seeds, peanuts,chicken scratch seeds. When they are molting I also add chicken molting pellets and when they have babies extra peas. With the straight pellets you will notice the stool will be very wet,messy and smelly. I use 75% pigeon feed to 25% the added feed.


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## jameswaller (Nov 4, 2008)

*pigeon feed/seeds*



confederatemule said:


> I just bought two 50lb bags of layer pellets today. Price was $12.79 each. A total of $25.58. Also, feed chickens. I guess the price is not the same all over the U.S, I'm in the Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana corner of Texas, about 20 miles West of Texarkana.
> I may try some wild bird seed.
> 
> Please let me know what you think.
> ...


dear confederate mule,--thank you for your response,-pricing does change,and that can definitely change ones habits..your original post has sure brought out the diffences on what people feed their pigeons,.very interesting and with others to feed[chickens]-having one feed makes sense..-my nephew lives in Louisiana-just across from cass county texas..sincerely james waller


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## confederatemule (Jul 19, 2009)

I'm not far from where hwy8 enters Cass county at Sulphur River.


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## confederatemule (Jul 19, 2009)

My thanks to everyone for responding. 

Mule


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