# home made seed mix recipe?



## Altair (Nov 25, 2015)

I searched the old threads but I couldn't find an answer so I'll ask again.
I can't find a good seed mix for my pigeon: the only pigeon food I could find was in 20kg bags and that's way too much for just one pigeon.
The 5 kg bag is for doves and it's mostly cracked corn, and my pigeon hates cracked corn, so if I give him that stuff his diet will be really poor.
For what I could see, he refuses to eat cracked or splitted seeds and seeds that are too large (the size of pop corn for example is too big for him)

Since I buy my food on health stores, they have a lot of cereals and legumes that might be good for a pigeon.
At the moment I'm feeding him with a mix containing the following seeds:

From the health store (seeds for human consumption):
- wheat
- oat
- barley
- split green peas (doesn't like them too much)
- green adzuki beans (doesn't like them too much)
- pop corn (doesn't like them too much)
- small lentils

then the following seeds from a cockatiel mix:
- red and yellow millet
- hemp
- white thistle
- buckwheat
- linseeds
- sunflower seeds (I make sure he doesn't eat more than 3-4 seeds per day, but he doesn't like them too much anyway)

and from the dove mix:
- vetch
- yellow peas (Vicia faba minor)
- crushed corn (not eating it)
- wheat

He doesn't eat nuts in general (peanut, almond etc).

I can add some whole rice to the mix, maybe?
Any advice on how to make a balanced mix out of the aforementioned seeds?


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## faerielady (Dec 6, 2015)

I am new (less than a week) to pigeons, but did a bit of research before getting them. Here is my feed mix:

I mix all my birds feed myself. Organic, non-GMO ingredients. The local feed mill buys corn from local farmers, & makes a good "base."
The Pigeon feed consists of:
1.5 oz. Lentils
2 oz. White Quinoa
2 oz. Farro
3 oz. Rolled Oats
1 oz. Hemp
.25 oz. Spirulina
1 oz. Red Quinoa
1 oz. Amaranth
2 oz. Chia
2 oz. Millet
.25 oz. Brewers Yeast
1 lb. _cracked grain_, 18% chicken feed
(my feed store blends their own, this is not a commercial chicken feed, it has a cracked corn base)
Grit and oyster shell available at all times.

I get my seed here:
http://thrv.me/2G1T9k


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## LeeLu (Sep 23, 2012)

Thanks for this thread! i may have to mix my own feed soon, if Jones Seed doesn't change their mixture.

They put way to many safflower seed in this mix and causes my homing doves to have dirreah ...i have to pick out the safflower seeds...there are so many and my doves LOVE them...theyfill up on those seed first and leave the rest for later...

It's the "conditioner" pigeon racing food called "Go-Get-UM" i had to switch because purina stopped making their racing food. After the first two feedings of the "conditioner" my doves had more strength, their flying was faster/stronger, i noticed the difference right away. This is the ingredients in this food:

-whole red milo
-canadian peas
-wheat
-pigeon corn
-safflower* way too many in one handful of seeds, after picking these out there was a 2" square, which is way too many. 
-maple peas
-popcorn
-Austrian winter peas
-white proso millet
-oat groats
-buckwheat
-canary grass seed-red proso millet

i add:
mustard seed
dried crushed garlic
oyster shell (grey flakes)
oyster grit (small white calcium chips/small pebbles)


i contacted jones seed 580-248-0051. Quality control person told me this blend was put together by a dietician...the safflower seed has an oil in it that is good for the feathers of the dove/pigeon. i told her that my homers love the safflower seed and that's all they eat, leaving the rest of the seeds for later...eventually the eat the rest of the seeds. They asked me to send them pictures of the safflower seeds after i pick them out; since i was complaining of too many. They are suppose to get back to me in a few days, they are going to do the same thing i did to see if they are adding too much safflower.

i also asked if they would sell me all the above seeds, less the safflower separately and i'd make my own mix...i have not heard back. i imagine i would have to buy in bulk or have my feed store buy the seeds separately....


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They don't usually put enough safflower seeds in any mix that your birds could fill up on. Any pigeons or doves would pick them out first, but there shouldn't be enough to bother them.
Can you post a pic of say a cup of seed that you pull out randomly?

Also, you can order a different mix from them. They have many.


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## LeeLu (Sep 23, 2012)

Jay3 said:


> They don't usually put enough safflower seeds in any mix that your birds could fill up on. Any pigeons or doves would pick them out first, but there shouldn't be enough to bother them.
> Can you post a pic of say a cup of seed that you pull out randomly?
> 
> Also, you can order a different mix from them. They have many.


this is the picture i sent to Jones seed...it is sorted, one handfull of seeds..to the side of the bowl are the safflower seeds. That is way to many for my doves...and yes they do pick them out first. I use these small bowls and feed them 2 times a day, i use 6 bowls for feeding area outside, and 4 bowls for the moms setting on eggs, inside. That means, lots of safflower seeds they are eating....that's all they want to eat, so i pick them out.


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## Altair (Nov 25, 2015)

thanks for the replies, they're helpful. I think I'm doing right so far, maybe I'll add more cereals to the mix in the future because there might be too many legumes.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If you spread the safflower between all your birds, then they aren't each getting all that many. Not enough to eat just the safflower and not eat the other seeds. Don't know how many birds you have.
I buy 2 different mixes and put them together, 2 scoops of one, and 1 scoop of the other. You could try that. Mine love safflower too, they all do. But even though they grab those first, they eat the other seed as well.


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## LeeLu (Sep 23, 2012)

Jay3 said:


> If you spread the safflower between all your birds, then they aren't each getting all that many. Not enough to eat just the safflower and not eat the other seeds. Don't know how many birds you have.
> I buy 2 different mixes and put them together, 2 scoops of one, and 1 scoop of the other. You could try that. Mine love safflower too, they all do. But even though they grab those first, they eat the other seed as well.


i feed 10 adult homers and 1 squab in the morning and around 4pm in the afternoon. The amount i feed them is in the bowl above twice a day. A brand new bag of "conditioner" i have gone through probably 10 lbs of it. Sorting the safflower, i saved it in a 1 lb 30 oz net wt container...it's 3/4 full, so i believe that is too many; and the reason why they only eat the safflower and very little of the other seeds.. (

i save the leftover seeds they don't eat, when both my 1lb 30oz containers are fulll i take to a nearby park and feed the ferral pigeions.

So jay 3, what are the mixes you buy and where do you get them? i'll try your method!.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

How much do you feed daily? Doesn't look like enough in the dish.
I use Browns, but don't know what you have there. Jones does have the different mixes on their sight, and you can look at them, and read what amounts of what they contain.
Check them out and see what you like. Or just order one that doesn't contain the safflower if you don't like it.


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## LeeLu (Sep 23, 2012)

Jay3 said:


> How much do you feed daily? Doesn't look like enough in the dish.
> I use Browns, but don't know what you have there. Jones does have the different mixes on their sight, and you can look at them, and read what amounts of what they contain.
> Check them out and see what you like. Or just order one that doesn't contain the safflower if you don't like it.


Ok, thanks i'll look at Jones and see what they have. The amount, i have 5 pair...i put 6 bowl with that amount in the am....the setting mons at the moment is 4...i give each one their own bowl of food in their nest box with a fresh cup of water am and again around 4 pm... They don't eat all of the food i put out at once...they grace over the day...by 4 pm the 6 bowls are just about empty...their feeding area has seeds spread all over it...in the am i vaccum up the seeds and start with clean area each morning, so i know what they are eating and what they aren't eating. They get enough food since they don't eat all in the bowl in the am at once. the moms bowls are usually almost full at 4pm...they get up at 12 noon and eat in the general area, the dad's eat most of the food in the nest boxes. My pmv squab is eating separately. Today she is not hanging her head most of the time when she is awake...i think she is just about over the pmv!

thanks for your help jay!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If you feed them by putting a dish in each box, then that is probably why they are picky. 
They have no competition. If they were given a feeder to share and eat from, then they would probably eat better, as they would worry about the others getting it. And use a feeder that they can't easily throw the seed from.

My birds of course do share a feeder. But a couple of the disabled ones get fed in their box, and the ones that get fed in the box are very picky and toss seed all over in search of their favorites. The other do much better. They will of course still pick out their favorite seeds first, but by the end of the day, they finish it. If not I pick it up. If you keep giving them more and they haven't finished what they have been given, then they get picky. Competition makes a big difference.


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## pigeonraiser (Mar 23, 2001)

Thats good advice Jay3.I feed my flock about the same way.Never no waste.Good luck with your birds.


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