# What to add to dove's diet



## Seijun (Apr 14, 2010)

My dove won't touch her grit. I know this because in a separate dish I put red pigeon grit with a layer of "Kaytee high-cal grit supplement for small birds" over the top, and the two layers are still perfectly preserved.

For food I give her:
2 tbs "Wild Delight dove & quail feed"
3 tsps "Healthy Select canary & finch diet"
1-2 tsps "Fiesta fruit & veggie treat"

Here are links to these items with their ingredients. 
http://www.petsr4u.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BD38841
http://www.petco.com/product/110118...nary-and-Finch-Diet.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch
http://www.petco.com/product/6271/K...gie-Parakeet-Treats.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

She typically eats about 2/3 - 3/4 of this mix, leaving behind the corn, any larger seeds, most oval-shaped seeds, and the really tiny seeds from the fiesta and healthy select brand food (which is most of what the fiesta and healthy select is made of, so I think I'm going to be making another trip to petco to try out something else--any recommendations?).

Anyway, what I really wanted to know is, what vitamin/mineral supplements should I be adding to her diet (something that can be added directly to her food)? I have human-grade vitamin and mineral tablets here if any of those would be safe.

Also, should I still be adding probiotics to her diet? She is under 6 months old and has never been exposed to another bird, ever. I stopped giving her p/b's at around the start of June (three months into her life). 

She seems to be fine as is and I don't want to go overboard with supplements, but at the same time I don't want her to run into major problems in 6 months because of lack of something important.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

You could take scissors, and cut up into tiny bite-sized pieces, some fresh Greens, like Cilantro, Kale, Chard, Spinach, make a little pile of this next to her Seeds, see if she will try them.

Wild Doves and Pigeons eat and brouse various live Greens, but domestic ones rarely get to have them.

Sometimes young Birds are not interested in Grit, but this changes as they get older.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Seijun said:


> My dove won't touch her grit. I know this because in a separate dish I put red pigeon grit with a layer of "Kaytee high-cal grit supplement for small birds" over the top, and the two layers are still perfectly preserved.
> 
> For food I give her:
> 2 tbs "Wild Delight dove & quail feed"
> ...



If you slowly change her over to harrison's high potency fine feed, you won't have to worry about any thing missing.. all you will want to do is give cut greens and a bit of safflower or other favorite seed just for a treat as the feed is complete and so very good for them, they really eat more grit when they are going to lay eggs, so perhaps she knows her body does not need it, and she must have enough for digestion and some pebbles last for awhile in the gizzard to do their job so really they don not always seek grit everyday. here is the link to the harrison's bird food..I have three hen doves on this feed and they eat it and are very healthy. here is a link, but they may have it for sale at petsmart or your local Vet. 
http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/products/hpf.html


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