# Can you feed pigeons chicken feed?



## Owlskeeper

Hello i'm new here and just have a question?
I was told when i started with pigeons year and a half ago that i wasn't susposed to feed them chicken feed.
I now have someone telling me i'm wrong what about it is chicken feed bad for chickens?


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## re lee

Well YES you can feed pigeons chicken feed. Many do this. And many use a reg pigeon mix. I do not feed chicken feed BUT like I said you can It will not hurt them. Most people who raise race birds show birs and such do not. It is your choice.


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## Owlskeeper

Thank you i thought it was something nutritional as in the chicken feed didn't have what they needed.


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## spirit wings

it sure is cheaper that pigeon seed mix.... you may want to check the protein level as you may not want too much.


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## Owlskeeper

How much is too much protein and yes it will be cheaper??


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## spirit wings

Owlskeeper said:


> How much is too much protein and yes it will be cheaper??


well, Im not an expert but form what I have learned is 13 to 17 % is good for homers, feeding for racing is an individual thing and an art, but in simple terms the higher protein is good for breeders and ybs...and when moulting..


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## maryjane

I think if you want to use chicken feed, it's best to also use a pigeon seed mix with it, to make sure they get all the nutrition they need. I'm not positive, it just seems like they make seed for pigeons so there must be something in it that's beneficial.  It definitely is cheaper to get the chicken feed!  When I had my chicken in with my pigeons (not recommended lol), they ate her feed as well as their own.


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## jbangelfish

*It's usually pretty high in protein*

Most chicken feed is usually 16% to 18% protein or higher, depending on what purpose it serves. Pigeon feed for breeding and general feeding is usually around 13%. Most of these manufactured feeds number one ingredient is usually corn and soybeans will be added to up the protein level. These are both acceptable feeds for pigeons but they don't need as much corn or soybeans as what are in these feeds. There are other grains and additives as well that will fluctuate according to the grain market, or price.

I tried feeding a pelleted feed to pigeons, on the advice of some other breeders, that was made specifically for pigeons. My birds took awhile to get used to it, seemed not to care for it and it made their stools very loose. I decided that they were better off on whole grains. I think it's better for their systems to process whole grain. I suppose you could say the same about chickens and game birds and I raised them on chicken feed but always supplemented with corn, oats and other grains.

No, it probably won't hurt them and people do use manufactured feeds to feed their pigeons. I would rather spend alittle more and give them whole grains even though they do cost alittle more.

Bill


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## Owlskeeper

I have been feeding mine a bird seed mix with added safflower i posted because i just heard from someone that you could feed then chicken pellets.
So i wanted to investigate to see if it was true because i was told when i started to never feed them chicken feed.
I don't know if i will try this or not they are doing very well with the seed mix.
I would hate to upset their stomachs or just have them about starve not wanting to eat it


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## RodSD

I feed mine with chicken pellets. I mix it with chicken scratch, wild bird seeds and peas. It took my birds 3 months before they actually eat those pellets. If you feed them pellets alone, their stool gets loose (watery?).

What is unusual is that babies grow pretty fast with pellets compared to seeds alone. But there seems to be a catch. My birds feel hungry all the time, yet they look fat.


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## spirit wings

RodSD said:


> I feed mine with chicken pellets. I mix it with chicken scratch, wild bird seeds and peas. It took my birds 3 months before they actually eat those pellets. If you feed them pellets alone, their stool gets loose (watery?).
> 
> What is unusual is that babies grow pretty fast with pellets compared to seeds alone. But there seems to be a catch. My birds feel hungry all the time, yet they look fat.


I wonder if one used pellets for pigeons if they would have the same reaction...


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## RodSD

I've never tried pigeon pellets so I don't know. It took my young birds getting used to the look of the pellets before they tried eating it. It only took 1 adventurous bird to try it and the rest followed. I think the shape of the pellets makes the bird hesitant of eating it.

My birds are crazy with peas and sunflower seeds. The pellets are their least favorite. What I did to make pellets appetizing is to crumble them so they look smaller. In the end pellets are good for them. It includes vitamins and minerals so I don't add those anymore. That was my goal--to provide a balance feed. I've heard that different seeds from different place contains different concentration of nutrients. Some corn contains more protein depending where it was planted for example.

If you don't want to provide pellets, just use pigeon mix with lots of different seeds. Pigeons love them because they are grain eaters.


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## spirit wings

RodSD said:


> I've never tried pigeon pellets so I don't know. It took my young birds getting used to the look of the pellets before they tried eating it. It only took 1 adventurous bird to try it and the rest followed. I think the shape of the pellets makes the bird hesitant of eating it.
> 
> My birds are crazy with peas and sunflower seeds. The pellets are their least favorite. What I did to make pellets appetizing is to crumble them so they look smaller. In the end pellets are good for them. It includes vitamins and minerals so I don't add those anymore. That was my goal--to provide a balance feed. I've heard that different seeds from different place contains different concentration of nutrients. Some corn contains more protein depending where it was planted for example.
> 
> If you don't want to provide pellets, just use pigeon mix with lots of different seeds. Pigeons love them because they are grain eaters.


one of the good things about pellets for pigeon is that it is a complete food and they get what they need consistantly...but i
I don't know if I could live with the sloppy poops..


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## george simon

*I make a mix of PIGEON PELLETS and PIGEON FEED.I mix 10 scoops of pigeon feed and 1 scoop pellets my birds clean it all up at feeding time.Normaley I use 16% pigeon feed and 16% pellets I can control the the protein by either going to a higher or lower percent of feed or pellets as I can get 22% pellets. I never use chicken feed many chicken feeds use cracked corn which can get a mold or fungus growing on it and this can lead to sickness (ASPERGILLOSIS)*GEORGE


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## spirit wings

george simon said:


> *I make a mix of PIGEON PELLETS and PIGEON FEED.I mix 10 scoops of pigeon feed and 1 scoop pellets my birds clean it all up at feeding time.Normaley I use 16% pigeon feed and 16% pellets I can control the the protein by either going to a higher or lower percent of feed or pellets as I can get 22% pellets.*GEORGE


Nice info George, I have been thinking of mixing to save money and give them benifit of the pellets...I have been adding harrison's fine to the mix but it is expensive even with my discount here at the vet. we have a purina dealer open up local and I plan on stopping in and ordering some, purina has a few to pick from...


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## george simon

*I have used PURNIA pellets before two types gold and green I liked them but I have to speical order them and they are costly.The reason I liked them was they are round about the size of milo and easy for the birds to handle. * GEORGE SPIRIT WINGS GO BACK TO MY LAST POST I HAVE ADD TO IT.


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