# Feed Question



## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

Hey Everyone,
the pigeon and I are getting along GREAT!

I do have a question about its food. Ok, I bought my feed and grit from foyspigeons online. It looks like a really good feed to me and the same goes for the grit  . 

My pigeon however doesn't eat the big stuff (corn,peas,some other beans/peas). It won't even some of the sunflower like seeds if they're too big and it won't eat peanuts. Of course it tries to eat the big stuff, but doesn't  .

The same goes for the grit eats only the small pieces. Its does pick the bigger bits up, but soon drops it.

I've even done what its breeder told me to do, 2 tablespoons of feed a day, twice a day for 30-60 minutes. I've even tried giving a certain amount of feed for all day. My pigeon still won't eat the big stuff  .

Any advice would be great!
hilly


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Hilly, 

Patience and persistance will win the day You just have to keep offering these seeds in the quantities you are now. Eventually, your pigeon will get the hang of it and start eating these seeds. They can be fussy, finicky eaters and sometimes, just lack practice eating the larger seeds.


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## Gille (Sep 8, 2006)

*Feeding Pigeons larger feed*

We just got two, month old Rollers a month ago. So they are only 2 months old. They were unable to eat the saflower seed until just the last few days. Now they eat them first. I let them out to fly and the spent the night outside rather than comming when I called  but it did seem to make a difference in what they ate. Being hungry usually does. However the larger corn peices they still pick up and drop. By the way saflower seeds are great for hand training once they are able to eat them. For now you could pick out the smaller ones and offer them as rewards for eating out of your hand or landing on your hand 
I read alot but believe me I'm still learning. I hope this helps


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Hi Hillybean~

You have a very "normal" pigeon...a pampered pigeon like mine who choose to be particular, and some pigeons will be just that. 

I have one, Paris that just adores the large light brown ball seeds that are called Canadian peas, while most of the others will take them or leave them, while Tooter and Rosco will just stare at them.

Safflower seeds has always been part of my pigeon blend, but recently I found a local feed store, and bought a few pounds of safflower, and they all devored them...well, except Rosco. Gee he is so hard to please when it comes to a nutritional diet, but al least he likes his grit now. When I got him he ignored that too.

They all have their moments, as as long as they have a variety to pick from, and mine do, they will tend to be choicey.


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Hi Gille it is great to have you as a member.

You are so right about them (well most of them) reacting to it for training. 

My latest addition Paris was jumpy whenever someone would walk near him, but after having him getting used to his new home and surroundings since late Spring, he has now learned to jump on my hand during moering feedings.

Today for the first time, I allowed my 4 year old grandson Trent (Hawkmaster he calls himself) to feed him safflowers, and Paris gladly and willingly accepted his hand feeding. This is a real accomplishment...for the pigeon that is!


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

Hello and thank for the replies .

I'll keep trying with the seeds. Maybe it'll come around.. I hope! LOL.
If it doesn't eat the things like the peas, nutritional wise should I worry?? 

Yep, it's pretty tame already hand fed by the breeder. It's about 3 months old. It flies right to me when it's out, eats out of my hand, and loves spending time with me. Which is about 6 hrs or more a day. Yep, it's pampered pigeon. Which is fine with me .

I refer to it as ''it'' for now because I'm still deciding on names. Poor thing might never get a name. LOL. Thanks Again- Hilly

P.S. Any other ideas about the feed are more than welcome.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Gille, you mention that you have a Mookee - are they a toy breed? Depending on your seed mix, the larger peas and corn may be too big for them to eat comfortably. Are they are cleaning up most of the smaller seeds and leaving the big ones? If you think they aren't getting enough protein, you can grind up a small amount of dog kibble and add that to the feed.


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## Gille (Sep 8, 2006)

*To TerryB*

Ammm are Mookies the same as Rollers? I have two young Roller pigeons. You can see their pictures here -> Gille's daughters pigeons
They are smaller than Homing pigeons and being so young the only ate the smaller seeds and gritt. I was just looking at them a few minutes ago and they do appear to have grown alot in the last few weeks. They eat everything except the larger pieces of corn for the time being. I figure they'll be handeling corn just fine soon and then I can spoil them all winter 

I always knew I liked birds but these guys are just so captivating! And to watch my daughter Shawnin beaming ever time she walk into the garage is just awesome! 

I'm thankful for the encouragements about continuing to hand train them. I figure if they are willing to peck me it's because they realy like me..lol Call me weird but if I realy didn't like someone I'd just totally ignore them


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

Hey TerriB,
I think you meant me .

I really don't know if it's the toy. I didn't even know Mookees came in different sizes.........
It's smaller than a Homer pigeon. 
Yep, eats all the small stuff, gobbles it up! It leaves all the big stuff (different peas and corn) though, even peanuts. Any certain kind of dog kibble (science diet,pedigree and so on) needed?

THanks!-hilly


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Gille said:


> Ammm are Mookies the same as Rollers? I have two young Roller pigeons...


Sorry, I got confused who owned which birds.  It took some time and treat seeds, but all six of the birds here will step up onto your hand or fly to it. Some days I have to be a bit of a traffic cop, to protect the bird in the hand from being landed on.


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## Gille (Sep 8, 2006)

*Treats work, persistance works too*

I got both Dove and Wisdom eating from my hand yesterday! Wisdom seems to like pecking soooo much that I challenge him now when he does. After serveral minutes of trying every part of my hand he can reach I start rubbing his neck and, talking soothingly. Even then he continues. Yesterday he decided to fly away from me when he'd had enough. I decided I wanted to get him on my hand.. and I won. Once he was tired out he settled down and just stood there. I gave him extra treats and put him back on his perch. I tried Dove and she started pecking also. More than ever before. But when I say her name, "Dove" and tell her, "your not like that.", she stops. She's a smart one. Her pecking has alot less malice in it. 
So evening came yesterday and I went through the whole process again. It whent better with Wisdom setteling down much faster and Dove hardly pecking at all. Both allowed me to run my finger down their chests when sitting upon their perches. Both took the saflower without trying to eat my fingers..lol. Wisdom sat on my shoulder but as my wife pointed out he was leaning away from me..lol I had noticed that as long as the avery was open they would hide out in there unless they heard me dropping feed. I started having a seat and being more patient. Sure enough they will come out and fly to the perch I have been feeding them from. I close the avery door when I enter now and training starts twice daily. The rest of the time, early morning and late evening they get a good helping of mixed seeds without my bothering them. 

I have a question.... I am thinking about installing a small wood stove in the garage where their coop is just so on weekends when the whole family is home we can continue to sit in the garage with the birds even *in winter*.They take my mind off everything and that in itself makes then a true blessing. I always come out of the coop totally destressed. My question is this... would it be bad for the birds to have the garage heated only a few times a week but not always? Can they handle that?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Gille,

Sounds like you are making very good progress in taming your lovely birds. I don't think the heat from a wood stove would be harmful, but if there is any smoke, then that is quite dangerous for the birds.

Terry


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hi Gille, Unless you have a chimney or something to vent the stove I would think there would be a risk of carbon monoxide hurting your family and the pigeons.

We sometimes have power outages here in the winter and have to use either the fireplace or a kerosene heater. We have several birds in the house and so far burning either of these has not hurt them. We do, however, always open a window or the storm door to allow air in when we burn the kerosene heater and keep a carbon monoxide detector in the room as well.

Maybe an electric heater would be the best way to go.


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## L.L. (Sep 12, 2006)

HI HILLYBEAN
I talked to a lady who raises cockatiels today she said she feeds them "living world tropican lifetime granules for cockatiels"she says they would be very healthy for pigeons.Just sprinkel them on there feed.I have bought some and added water and my baby loves them.hope this helps.
L.L.


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

Thank you so much, I'll look into getting it. -hilly


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