# Other names for ingredients in pigeon food?



## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Well, I'm going to be buying some new pigeon food, but my main problem is the names, especially for the peas. Canada peas, Maple peas, Austrian peas, Vetch peas, all from purgrain.com make no sense to me. I am going to get my ingredients from a health food store as there are no pigeon feeds around here. What are other, maybe more common, names for these peas? (ex. yellow peas, red peas, split peas, etc?)


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, I'm not sure that it's quite that important--I doubt that there's a great deal of nutritional difference in the various peas. There are several different kinds in the feed I buy but all of the peas in it would only make up 20% or so. Otherwise, it's corn, sunflower seeds (black), safflower seeds (not a lot of either of those last two), milo, wheat, barley, hemp seeds (not the good stuff!) and other things.

Pidgey


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Okay, thanks! It's good to know I don't have to be that specific.  So the basic idea would be to include a few seeds, some different peas, and different types of grains?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Yeah, it works that way. The worst part about it is that your pigeon (especially if spoiled--you wouldn't do that, wouldja'?) may throw out 70% of the seeds and only eat what he wants. It's kinda' like kids & cookies, sometimes. You gotta' stay firm, though.

Pidgey


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

LOL. Of course I wouldn't spoil them.  Right now all they like is their seeds, and a bit of their corn (I think it's cracked corn?). They like their sunflower seeds though. I don't know what kind they are, but they're black and smaller than the ones we usually buy to eat. So maybe I'll just put in a little bit of food, enough for both pigeons for a day, and make sure they eat almost everything before giving them more. How much does a pigeon need in a day, exactly?


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

Vasp said:


> They like their sunflower seeds though. I don't know what kind they are, but they're black and smaller than the ones we usually buy to eat.


They call those "black oil" sunflower seeds in these parts


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

From what I read there is some nutritional differences in peas, and therefore there is such a variety in a pigeon mix.

Here are a few:

Pigeon peas contain a high proportion of digestible protein, the calcium/phospherous content is fairly high also.

Green peas are the most suitable protein rich legumes for our pigeons.
While it's protein content is lower then pigeon peas, they are more nutritious and easily digested, and somewhat better represneted with various vitamins than other legumes. They have a good B content and contain vitamin E and carotene.

Vetch peas has a good mineral content and stimulate the sex drive.

Maple peas are a good average legume, fair in mineral content and poor in vitamins.


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

I'm going to call around and look around to see if anyone has these peas. I'll remember to make a mix of different types. What are the most crucial items from each ingredient category (peas, grains, seeds)?


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Vasp said:


> LOL. Of course I wouldn't spoil them.  Right now all they like is their seeds, and a bit of their corn (I think it's cracked corn?). They like their sunflower seeds though. I don't know what kind they are, but they're black and smaller than the ones we usually buy to eat. So maybe I'll just put in a little bit of food, enough for both pigeons for a day, and make sure they eat almost everything before giving them more. How much does a pigeon need in a day, exactly?



Cracked corn is not good to give to them. Feed them the whole corn seed.Personally, I quit offering my pigeon the black sunflower seeds, and occasionally mix in the shelled unsalted raw sunflower seeds. I have heard too many stories of the black seeds getting stuck in their crop or tearing them up.

I do mix in split green peas and dry lentil seeds in their mix and most of them love the added supplement to their meal.


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## Jiggs (Apr 1, 2005)

I give mine around 25g / 1oz of prepared racing seed per day, a pet I supose can get slightly more. I also only feed small amounts of sunflower seeds. Unfortuanatly am not close to home so cannot give you the names of all of them.

however search some of the older threads there have been many on nutrition. I think I have posted on it before with my full "range"


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