# Vegetables/fruit, anyone?!



## ippychick (Sep 19, 2007)

Hi there!

I have a question regarding vegetables/fruit for pigeons...

My pigeon eats her feed mix very well, but I haven't found anything fresh yet that she would just LOVE to eat!

I've tried to give her some spinach, broccoli, bell pepper, salad, apple, blueberries, grapes (etc), but she has had absolutely no desire to eat any of those things! The only fresh thing she has voluntarily eaten a few bites, is *cucumber*. 

She was also very interested in fresh parsley, but didn't eat it in the end.

I've also soaked some goji berries for her; she looooves to peck the seeds from inside of them, but doesn't eat the berry itself. I've put a tiny bit of berry in her beak though, which after she does eat it. 

So any ideas what I could (and should) try with her? 

I'm big in eating fresh myself, so I know the value of fresh food and there's always a lot of it in the house.......I just hope I could find something she would really want to eat!

So, please, give me your experiences and suggestions! I'm open to try anything! (and I hope she'll be as well) 

_THANK YOU!_

Ps. Her favorite treats are sunflower-, goji-, sesame- & poppy seeds, and millet. She's not into any nuts too much, not even peanuts... Also big things like unpopped popcorn and buckwheat are still too big for her to eat...


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi ippychick,




With Scissors, take a Collard Green Leaf, and make a bunch of paralell cuts, 1/8th inch apart...


Then, at a 45 degree angle, do the same again, so you will make many hundreds of 1/8th inch 'diamond' shaped bits.


Make a little pile of these, a Tablespoon full worth, and have a little pile of Seeds next to them.

Pretend to 'peck' either with your crook'd index finger, and see if your Bird(s) will join you...

Hamm it up about how yummy the 'green' little bites are, and you should soon have them pecking them, and or eating ALL of them.


Once that has become something they are familiar with, then just try holding out some tender Leafy sort, like say a Mustard Green Leaf or Beet top...and see if you can inspire someone to peck off a bite...you can take little Bites and make sure they see you do it, and if they do, they will amost certainly want to do it again and have more, and the others seeing this will want to try also.


Fruit wise, Goji Berrys are maybe best if used in formulas and for 'Seed-Pop' occasions, since the shape is not right for them to wish to peck it and eat it, usually...but if cut up into sixths or something, they might.

This is ironic, as many Wild or feral Pigeons would eat these if they were on low Weeds or Bushes, but it can be hard to get them to do so otherwise.


Small dried Berrys, such as Black or Red Currents, Elderberrys, or other small ones, are worth a try, and they might take to them well...


And, if no one eats them, they are still great for grinding in formula or for pre-soaking and using for 'Seed-Pops' ( ie: putting into the Beak of a convelesent or non self feeding Pigeon for them to eat).

But, we gotta try and find what works..!



Good luck..!


Phil
l v


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

You could try some Romaine lettuce sliced into smaller pieces, shredded carrots,
firm bannanas are always a hit, don't ask me why, but they are. Bean sprouts
are another they seem to like, they like Kale as well. You might want to check
the Resource section for the sticky about Poisonous/Toxic foods for birds
so you'll have an idea of what not to give them as well. Anyway, hope you
find some fresh food treats that your pijie will get into.

fp


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## ryannon (Jul 4, 2007)

Jo, for a starter, why not just give her a tiny portion of whatever you're having? 

First of all, she may be pleased that you're sharing, and second, what's good for you - particularly given your own choices of fresh/healty food - might correspond to her own needs and tastes.

I mean, why complicate things when the solution might already be on your own plate?

My own experience with The MOAP is that he (or she - haven't figured out which yet) gets _extremely interested _in what I'm eating - to the point of standing in front of the plate with that 'I'm going to make a move' expression in his eye. 

So far, waving my fork in front of him while pointedly mentioning some people's taste for roast pigeon has so far discouraged this incipient _move_, but it's clear that the time is fast approaching when I'll have to offer a little taste just to keep the peace around here.


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## ippychick (Sep 19, 2007)

feralpigeon said:


> You could try some Romaine lettuce sliced into smaller pieces, shredded carrots,
> firm bannanas are always a hit, don't ask me why, but they are........


Hi FP,

Thanks! 

That's a list of things I can easily try! (Sounds like stuff I like to eat, too!)

I saw a list of poisonous things for pigeons, and I remember avocado being there! Mainly other veggies and fruits were fine...


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## ippychick (Sep 19, 2007)

ryannon said:


> Jo, for a starter, why not just give her a tiny portion of whatever you're having?......................


Ryannon,

The grass is always greener on the OTHER SIDE of the fence, right?  

You're right~ and that's what I've pretty much done too, with all those fresh things at least... I haven't been too keen in giving any cooked stuff to her, just because it's not very natural... But I'm sure she knows what she wants, and with seeds she has a really good appetite~ like MOAP when you are eating!


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## Insomniac (Aug 21, 2007)

When my pijies were outside, they would actually pull up grass and weeds from the garden, including dandelions, and eat them themselves. I give them a bit of that and cut other greens in the long grass shaped pieces, and they love it!


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## ippychick (Sep 19, 2007)

pdpbison said:


> With Scissors, take a Collard Green Leaf, and make a bunch of paralell cuts, 1/8th inch apart.........



Hi Phil,

THANKS for the awesome info! I'll definitely have a go!

I haven't tried to 'peck' the fresh food in front of her so much, but it helped with teaching her to eat seeds, so I'll try it! 

The goji berries I cut into MANY small bits, so it was nothing too big for her... She absolutely adored the seeds inside of those berries, which is funny as they are the smallest seeds I've ever seen! (They are Chinese berries, so are they really what many Wild or feral Pigeons would eat?)

All this time I've tried to keep her (the pigeon) on as natural diet as possible, so I have not given her anything cooked~ I read somewhere about people giving some cooked veggies for their birds, but I haven't even tried it myself.

But yeah, gotta keep trying! I'm sure she'll get the hang of it sooner or later!

Jo


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## ippychick (Sep 19, 2007)

Insomniac said:


> When my pijies were outside, they would actually pull up grass and weeds from the garden, including dandelions, and eat them themselves. I give them a bit of that and cut other greens in the long grass shaped pieces, and they love it!


Insomniac, 

Nice idea! I'll try that, too! (Now when it's still possible to get some grass outside, before the snow arrives!)


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi ippychick, 




The Goji Berrys are just such excellent small Berrys, that it does not matter that they do not grow here Wild, or at least not that I know of anyway.


Most places have various small Nutritious Berrys of some kind, on Trees, Bushes, Vines or low Plants, but these are often hard to find or are not easy to get for our Birds.


One can get Mulberrys, Loganberrys, Johanisberrys, Lingonberrys, and endless luscous nutritious else of small to tiny Berrys, in places where they grow, or, dried, and via Mail Order...


I am certain Pigeons would love Sprouted Barley also, and one can make that pretty easy, so it is a Sprout, and a very Nutritious one too, as pretty much all Sprouts are.


I used to sprout Bird Seed but I somehow got out of the habit...but when a Seed 'Sprouts' it makes Sugars and the whole Chemistry of the Seed changes, having then different nutritional propertys.

Sprouted Barley is where 'Malt' flavor comes from...and I found in making formula for orphan Babys, that a little Malt is very much enjoued by them, and will help win over even the most finicky Baby Dove or Pigeon. so I always have Malt powder on hand.


Many Pigeons and Doves also like some Anise Seeds now and then, crushed between roling palms, and sprinkled on top of their Seeds...and sometimes this can inspire one to get back into eating if for some reason they had not felt much appetite.



Phil
l v


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*Stick To Grain*

Iwish you all would remember that pigeons are grain eaters yes they will and do eat other things ferals will eat all most any thing to survive after all pigeons are survivors if that were not so then we would not see the large flocks of feral pigeons so stick to feeding them good grain and grit and a bit of greens from time to time. .GEORGE


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

George, if there were no urban centers for ferals to congregate around 
and they were strictly found in 'natural' settings, don't you think they would
also eat berries and greens? I know their main diet is seeds, grains, beans/peas.....but if that nutritional aspect of their diet is being met, surely
it can do no harm to offer them other healthy foods as well?

fp


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

ippychick said:


> Insomniac,
> 
> Nice idea! I'll try that, too! (Now when it's still possible to get some grass outside, before the snow arrives!)


Just make sure the greens from outside haven't been sprayed with any harmful chemicals like fertilizer or insecticides.


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## ippychick (Sep 19, 2007)

pdpbison said:


> The Goji Berrys are just such excellent small Berrys, that it does not matter that they do not grow here Wild, or at least not that I know of anyway............


Hi Phil,

Wow, the anise seeds! I have some of them in the house, so I'll try if she'd be interested! They are extremely good for the digestive system (try chewing them after a dinner), so I'm sure it would have the same effect for a pigeon, too. Very healthy... 

Yes, the magic of berries! I lived most of my childhood in Finland, where they have always relied on wild berries~ I'm sure this saved them, as the winter over there is very long and hard, and summers very short. Many berries picked during the summer were saved for the winter. They are truly magical in nutrition! (As long as they are not cooked..)

Thanks for the great sprouting tips! I have some alfalfa sprouting, so I can try that first.

Do you ever give any seaweed to your birds? I saw one website was selling this for pigeons~ how is it given to them?

Jo


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## ippychick (Sep 19, 2007)

george simon said:


> I wish you all would remember that pigeons are grain eaters......


Hi George!

Yes, I agree with you. But like Feral Pigeon said, what harm can it do? I also think these birds in the wilderness would find berries and other greens to eat~ as an addition to their main diet.

Some people talk about giving their pigeons pasta and bread (etc), which I'm sure are not any better than fresh berries/fruit/greens! Even pigeon pellets that are cooked have already lost much of its nutritional value, so I'd say also that would be less natural for a pigeon to eat, than occasional fresh berries etc. 

Of course the main diet for a pigeon is what it is, but as an addition all these fresh things can only benefit the bird!


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