# Gluten-Free Feed



## ChavaSara613 (Nov 19, 2017)

Hi! I have Celiac disease, so I'm gluten-free, and my doctor tells me that I really shouldn't have any gluten in the house at all (because even the smallest contamination can cause illness if you have Celiac). So I'm looking to put my pigeons on a gluten-free diet as well, if possible, to avoid cross-contamination. I have just two, and they live in a cage in my bedroom.

A gluten-free diet means no:
Wheat
Barley
Oats
Rye
Spelt
Pellets (probably)

Some of the things I could include in a gluten-free seed mix are:
Millet
Quinoa
Rice
Buckwheat
Amaranth
Split peas
Cracked corn
Sunflower seed
Safflower seed
Peanuts
Pine nuts
etc, etc, etc

For vitamins, I would supplement with fruits like apples and carrots.

But I'm not sure what sort of proportions the above should go in. I'm assuming that I would make up the bulk of the seed with millet, quinoa, rice and other grains, and just have a sprinkling of split peas, corn, sunflower seeds and other fatty stuff. Does anyone have experience with this? Which of the above grains are best? Am I leaving out some essential nutrient? I don't want to end up like those crazy ladies who try to keep their cats on a vegan diet.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I think worrying about cross contamination from the pigeon mix is a bit over cautious.
Don't see how that could possibly contaminate anything if you are not going to eat it.
Too much fatty things in a pigeons diet is very unhealthy, as is too much protein. You would be much better off just using a good pigeon mix.

Does sound a little like the crazy cat lady.


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## ChavaSara613 (Nov 19, 2017)

The problem is that the pigeons are in my apartment, and their seed gets in all two rooms. With Celiac disease, even one grain of wheat (or even PART of a grain) every once in a while is enough to cause chronic symptoms, intestinal damage and a greatly increased risk of cancer. This is because the presence of wheat gluten in the small intestine triggers the immune system to attack and attempt to destroy the intestinal lining. It's like Crohn's Disease or Lupus, only (thank G-d!) there's an effective treatment. The standard practice is to make the entire house gluten-free.

Are there standard fat and protein levels to aim for in a mix?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I know what Celiac disease is. But having the seed end up in your food would be pretty unlikely. Off and on I have birds in my house, and can't imagine how that would happen. But each to his own.


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## ChavaSara613 (Nov 19, 2017)

Yeah, I'll be going with my doctor on this one...

In case anyone else ever has a similar question, I called Foy's and someone there recommended the following mix:
25% millet
20% rice
20% peas
15% popcorn
10% buckwheat
10% sunflower seeds
It's worth noting that this mix is also kosher for the holiday of Pesach/Passover.


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## MontyGue (Apr 13, 2018)

Wonderful! Thank you for this. I have Celiac and was worried about the same, plus my pigeon ignores all the gluten already in her mix.


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## ChavaSara613 (Nov 19, 2017)

MontyGue said:


> Wonderful! Thank you for this. I have Celiac and was worried about the same, plus my pigeon ignores all the gluten already in her mix.


You're welcome!


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