# Do doves need salt?



## WhiteFeathers (May 15, 2007)

I was very surprised this morning to find my two doves actually underneath my car pecking at the tyres!! The only explanation I can think of is that they were pecking at the salt on the tyres picked up from the roads. [I don't know if roads are salted in America in icy weather, but here in the south of England we have had much more ice and snow than usual and the roads have been very liberally spread with salt.] Can anyone tell me whether salt is a dietary requirement for doves? My two doves have recently hatched their first brood of the season. Could it be that the young babies are in need of salt?? I would be most grateful to hear from anyone who knows about this.

Elisabeth


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

are these wild doves? or domestic?, here is a link to info on salt/minerals for domestic ringnecks.
http://www.ringneckdove.com/Wilmer's WebPage/minerals_ringneck.htm


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## Grimaldy (Feb 25, 2007)

Every living creature needs salt and will die if they are unable to get enough.


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## WhiteFeathers (May 15, 2007)

Grimaldy said:


> Every living creature needs salt and will die if they are unable to get enough.


Yes, that is very interesting. But what surprises me is that my doves could be mineral deficient even though they are free flying. We live in the countryside and I would have thought they would find all the minerals they need in the fields and the soil around here, as do all the wild birds. I haven't seen any wild pigeons searching for salt under my car nor seen any birds picking up salt from the road. But I have looked at the website suggested by the previous correspondent about minerals for ringneck doves - very interesting if rather complicated - and on Monday I will contact a pet shop and see if they have anything suitable for doves. But I am really concerned as to why they have become mineral deficient. Could it be anything to do with having their first brood so early in the year?

Elisabeth


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

Maybe you should lick your tires. Might discover some epicurean surprise. Get rich selling it. Sneak out at night and scrape tires in public parking lots.

Well, if we hear about your getting suddenly rich and famous, the new "J.K. Rowling" success story of snack food offerings, we'll have to recall that we knew you back when you were a mere pigeon keeper asking strange questions about strange bird habits.

I have observed my pigeons nibbling at the bottoms of the blackish wood frame of the door to the steel-plate balcony, where it is silicone-sealed, the past few months. Plenty of birdseed and oyster-shell grit nearby.

Why do people smoke. Stuff snuff up their noses? Use lipstick (made of dried, pulverized spiders)? Questions you will find in the _Pigeon Guide to Human Mysteries and Idiosyncrasies_. 

If you have insufficient sodium chloride, common table salt, in your system, you will experience painful muscle cramps. (So I've read). 

LOL

Larry


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## WhiteFeathers (May 15, 2007)

Hallo Larry, Congratulations on your excellent business idea. Perhaps we could team up and launch two brand new dove food products - "Salted Tyre Treats For Doves" and "Silicone Dove Licks". I trust you will feel able to design some bird eye catching designs for the packaging. In the meantime I still plan to set off in my car on Monday morning (having made sure that there are no doves hiding underneath it) to try and find some existing mineral product in the local pet shop that will keep them happy until we go into production. I will report back as to whether they are satisfied with what I manage to find. 

Elisabeth


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## Grimaldy (Feb 25, 2007)

Hi WF,

Inthe wild, animals go to great lengths to find salt deposits. Those that can not, do not live very long. One of the reasons for the salinity of the ocean is the salt run off from inland rivers and a certain amount crystallizes along the banks.

A common method of baiting deer and elk used to be leaving a cattle salt block out somewhere. Illegal now in almost all states.


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## Queen (Aug 24, 2008)

My husband has several saltwater fish tanks and in the filter he put medium shell grit. We also use this for our birds. Recently he changed the glass filter tank and place the old one outside with the shell grit still in it and my pigeons go wild pecking the salty shell grit. My birds always have grit available to them 24/7 but they seem to like the salty one in the old fish tank the best. We cleaned out the tank an took it away form them but theystill go and search from it when let out. So they must like to get salt.


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## jameswaller (Nov 4, 2008)

*oh,dear now what!!*



WhiteFeathers said:


> I was very surprised this morning to find my two doves actually underneath my car pecking at the tyres!! The only explanation I can think of is that they were pecking at the salt on the tyres picked up from the roads. [I don't know if roads are salted in America in icy weather, but here in the south of England we have had much more ice and snow than usual and the roads have been very liberally spread with salt.] Can anyone tell me whether salt is a dietary requirement for doves? My two doves have recently hatched their first brood of the season. Could it be that the young babies are in need of salt?? I would be most grateful to hear from anyone who knows about this.
> 
> Elisabeth


i do not believe this,.wild animals will do seemingly odd things at times trying to survive,.man puts things into the environment that is harmful/deadly to animals,plant life./that given,ask your d.o.t. what is dumped on the road for ice condition,my guess is a sodium based phosphate(not rock salt),..there are laws against this in seattle wash.usa,but they had to relent for/to restricted useage,/.pigeon grit is mineralized(limestone) with added charcoal(manufacture i buy from is:seed factory,inc.ceres,calif.95307-209-643-8522,.-i donot know how animals survive in the wild,many species go extinct every year,our turn is coming/.,sincerely james waller


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## tuxedobaby (Sep 9, 2008)

in my local pet store one can buy special mineral/salt blocks espec for pigeons,i bought one recently,,and they didnt look at it(fussy lot lol!)


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## windyflat (Jul 19, 2007)

I found that the mineral/salt in bulk for cattle at tractor supply to work wonderful in the loft. The birds love it! Vitally important when young are in the nest. My racing homers in individual breeding cages get a tsp every other day.


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## WhiteFeathers (May 15, 2007)

Two very sad doves!! In case whatever they have been pecking at was not pure salt and might be harmful to them, we washed the car very thoroughly this morning, paying particular attention to the wheels and wheel arches. An hour or so later we went out to find Danny and Mildred (for that is what they are called) standing motionless just looking at the car. It was a pathetic sight and I felt really mean. Poor little salt addicts. I will go out tomorrow to look in the shops for the mineral/salt block that "tuxedobaby" has suggested and hope that they will think it is a suitable substitute. It is curious that our very close neighbour has up to twenty white doves who are fed on the same food as ours and none of them have shown any interest at all in our car, even though they are often over our place helping themselves to the food we put out for our doves. It is a mystery. I was fascinated to hear that people used to bait deer and elk with a salt lick. Salt is obviously quite an addictive substance. My mother could not eat anything without a liberal sprinkling of salt on it! I stopped on my run this morning to talk to some horses who came up and eagerly licked my hands, presumably for the salt on my skin. I have never thought about salt before and now I find myself getting quite addictively interested in it! Has anyone any more thoughts on the matter???

Elisabeth


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## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

My pigeons always have grit, clay mineral blocks and Kirkpatricks black minerals in the loft. They always pick a little at these BUT, when they are rearing young, they go absolutely mad for them. You should be able to get them at any pigeon supply shop.


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