# food/grit



## jenb416 (Oct 6, 2012)

I cannot find red grit anywhere here within 1 1/2 hours of keyser, wv and I'd really like to be able to feed my pigeon food that I can get at a store here. We have no petsmart or petco and the only feed store is southern states which does not have dove/pigeon food or the red grit. Right now I've been feeding pennington classic bird food with split peas, lintils and brown rice mixed in. No grit yet. Would it be ok to give this universal blend food from walmart: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Universal-...-3-lb/10804874 and then get this chicken grit from tractor supply http://www.tractorsupply.com/manna-p...-5-lb--1003027 and mix this oyster shell in with the grit: http://www.tractorsupply.com/manna-p...-5-lb--1003035

would this diet be sufficient without any add-ins or if not what would be better? I asked if southern states or tractor supply could order me pigeon food or red grit and they both said no.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Do you have a feed store that carries 'Agway' or 'Blue Seal'? Both of those make a pigeon mix.


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## jenb416 (Oct 6, 2012)

Nope none of the above. All we have is a southern states and a tractor supply which I went to both and asked at and the people looked at me like I was crazy.


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## jenb416 (Oct 6, 2012)

The tractor supply carries blue seal but I couldnt find any pigeon mix, when I asked about it the guy said he didn't think they could order any. What is the name of the blue seal one?


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## jenb416 (Oct 6, 2012)

I just called the tractor supply and spoke with the manager, he said he can order blue seal pigeon or Purina Pigeon. The blue seal is $36.99 for a 50# bag and the Purina Pigeon is $21.99 for a 50# bag. I asked if it's the purina nutriblend or what, and he said his sheet just says "purina pigeon". And they cannot get red grit. Would one of these be better than the mix I spoke of in the original post here? I only have the one pigeon so 50# is a lot.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

It's just called Blue Seal Pigeon Feed. That's what I get now that the Purgrain isn't sold around here now, but I liked that one better. I still add some things to it. Get it at a True Value hardware and grain place.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Haven't used the Purina so can't tell you anything about that. Maybe if you look each one up online, you could compare them.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Blue Seal Pigeon Feed

An ideal diet for fancy birds and as a general maintenance feed. Pigeon Feed contains red milo, graded popcorn, flint corn, whole wheat, Canadian pea, white milo, Austrian pea, maple pea, vetch seed, and whole buckwheat.

I think it would depend on which one you can get from Purina, what is in it.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I feed purina pigeon grains, they do have a pellet called pigeon checkers, so make sure you get the grain feed. You can then add a few things to it if you want, it is a decent seed/grain mix.

I would not feed the hookbill mix, if you have to mix your own because you do not want 50lbs, I would go with a wild bird seed mix geared to doves and add more goodies, like popcorn and dried peas, lentles, brown rice, for example. The grit, I would order pick pots from pigeon supply online.


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## jenb416 (Oct 6, 2012)

That's the thing, I don't know if it's grains or pellets he said it only says "purina pigeon". The only dove seeds they have is this: http://www.tractorsupply.com/morning-song-dove-food-7-lb--6805709 it contains milo white millet black oil sunflower and thats it. The only reason I asked about the other is because I thought the universal from walmart would be better because it has more in it. 

Is this the pick pots you were talking about? http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/pigeon-grit-feed-grains/6025-vanhee-red-picking-stones-3 
Shipping alone is $15.00


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

You could order from Foy's.......
http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/pigeon-grit-feed-grains?Page=1&Items=12


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

jenb416 said:


> That's the thing, I don't know if it's grains or pellets he said it only says "purina pigeon". The only dove seeds they have is this: http://www.tractorsupply.com/morning-song-dove-food-7-lb--6805709 it contains milo white millet black oil sunflower and thats it. The only reason I asked about the other is because I thought the universal from walmart would be better because it has more in it.
> 
> Is this the pick pots you were talking about? http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/pigeon-grit-feed-grains/6025-vanhee-red-picking-stones-3
> Shipping alone is $15.00


Any of those grits are fine, I like mineral ones because of the calcium. But the natural grit is good too, the cost is really not bad if you know these would last your bird for a year...lol... For someone with many birds then it would be cheaper to get it from a feed store . Pigeons eat larger seeds and grains than caged hookbills, southern states may be better for looking for a good wild bird food mix for a base to add to.


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## jenb416 (Oct 6, 2012)

ok which mix is best from foy's, the foy's 10 grain, european supreme with corn or european supreme with popcorn? Also if I feed one of these, with the red grit then that should be all he needs with no add-ins besides maybe a vitamin supplement right?

Also I just found the Kaytee Dove & pigeon mix from Drs. Foster & smith website with much cheaper shipping, heres the ingredients: Ingredients
White Millet, Milo, Wheat, Canadian Field Peas, Red Millet, Canary Grass Seed, Popcorn, Safflower, Oat Groats, Ground yellow Corn, Ground Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Middling, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Beet Pulp, Soy Oil, Salt, Fish Meal, DL-Methionine, Brewers Dried yeast, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Carbonate, Zinc Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Oxide, Vitamin A Supplement, Cholecalciferol (Source of Vitamin D3), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Sodium Selenite.
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein
11.0% min.
Crude Fat
3.0% min.
Crude Fiber
6.0 max.
Moisture
12.0% max.


But I would still need grit. So is the poultry grit: http://www.tractorsupply.com/poultry-feed/manna-pro-reg-poultry-grit-5-lb--1003027 mixed with oyster shell: http://www.tractorsupply.com/manna-pro-reg-oyster-shell-5-lb--1003035 a good substitute for the red pigeon grit or no?


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## Ross Howard (Nov 26, 2009)

jenb416 said:


> I just called the tractor supply and spoke with the manager, he said he can order blue seal pigeon or Purina Pigeon. The blue seal is $36.99 for a 50# bag and the Purina Pigeon is $21.99 for a 50# bag. I asked if it's the purina nutriblend or what, and he said his sheet just says "purina pigeon". And they cannot get red grit. Would one of these be better than the mix I spoke of in the original post here? I only have the one pigeon so 50# is a lot.


You say only one pigeon then get a small bag of wild bird seed with or without corn. small blk sunflower seed in mix is ok but not large stripped. Works fine easy to get most anywhere .


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## jenb416 (Oct 6, 2012)

How about the grit? Do I really need to order red grit or pick pots or would the poultry grit mixed with oyster shell be just as good?


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## Ross Howard (Nov 26, 2009)

jenb416 said:


> How about the grit? Do I really need to order red grit or pick pots or would the poultry grit mixed with oyster shell be just as good?


Just fine.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

jenb416 said:


> How about the grit? Do I really need to order red grit or pick pots or would the poultry grit mixed with oyster shell be just as good?


I use grey grit, this one...
http://nepigeonsupplies.com/images/cart/0542.jpg
They also have red and it comes in smaller sizes....
http://nepigeonsupplies.com/feed_seed_grit.htm
I buy mine at the local feed store, but they don't carry red grit.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

jenb416 said:


> ok which mix is best from foy's, the foy's 10 grain, european supreme with corn or european supreme with popcorn? Also if I feed one of these, with the red grit then that should be all he needs with no add-ins besides maybe a vitamin supplement right?
> 
> Also I just found the Kaytee Dove & pigeon mix from Drs. Foster & smith website with much cheaper shipping, heres the ingredients: Ingredients
> White Millet, Milo, Wheat, Canadian Field Peas, Red Millet, Canary Grass Seed, Popcorn, Safflower, Oat Groats, Ground yellow Corn, Ground Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Middling, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Beet Pulp, Soy Oil, Salt, Fish Meal, DL-Methionine, Brewers Dried yeast, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Carbonate, Zinc Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Oxide, Vitamin A Supplement, Cholecalciferol (Source of Vitamin D3), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Sodium Selenite.
> ...



Drs Foster and Smith are usually higher priced.

The Manna-Pro is just oyster shell, without grit. They should have that too, but you still need regular grit to help them break down the seeds for digestion. Grit is harder Oyster shell doesn't do that. It breaks down in their system to give them calcium.
Also, poultry grit is usually larger than pigeon grit. I would get pigeon grit.


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