# Food now that winter weather is here??



## peter683 (Aug 14, 2009)

What should we feed snowball now that the cold weather is here? We have been feeding him wildbird seed and he loves that, I add a few black oil sunflower seeds to it as well but is there anythign else he should have??


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

whole corn, and safflower seed and dried green peas are nice.


----------



## doveone52 (Aug 3, 2009)

I'm curious to know what others feed in winter also. I've read about adding oil. What is good and is it really a good idea?


----------



## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

I feed the same thing year round. Pigeon mix (w/whole corn) and add safflower, peanut hearts, and sunflower hearts. They just eat a little more in the cold weather.


----------



## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

It depends on how far north you are, the colder it gets the more fat they need. If you add oil add corn or safflower do not add conolla oil. Some will say its good Cornell U did a study and they say its pioson.
Dave


----------



## peter683 (Aug 14, 2009)

Thanks for the replies.. It was so funny to see him show up this morning looking atthe window and then come to the backdoor.. He had a warm drink of water and then followed me to the garage door and waited for his seed.. I am going to see if I can pickup some pigeon mix or something to mix in with the wild bird seed he has been eating.


----------



## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Mine get whole corn starting in late October to fatten up for the winter. I put it in a separate dish and many of them go for that first even though their pigeon mix has about ten different seeds in it. Also provide a red grit for him to help digest if you're not already.


----------



## doveone52 (Aug 3, 2009)

Good to know about the canola oil!


----------



## peter683 (Aug 14, 2009)

red grit ok will add that to the list..


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They usually love unpopped popcorn.


----------



## peter683 (Aug 14, 2009)

Just a bit of an update. I went to Petsmart and happened to ask the right person for help regarding food. The girl I talked to kas pigeons and she told me exactly what food to give him. I told her he likes mixed bird seed but I have since replaced that with pigeon and dove mix and supplemented what looks like corn pieces into his food. I was told I am offering too much food but the windowsill he sits on all day is not big enough for a shallower bowl. He appears to be doing ok thorugh the winter and we make sure he has warm water to drink often.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

How can you offer too much food?


----------



## windyflat (Jul 19, 2007)

Feed good barley mixed with a quality pigeon mix. You don't want much fat on them it's not good for them. Your pigeons should be hungry (not starving) when you visit them daily. I may even skip a morning meal now and then this time of year and it does them no harm. Either way they get an ounce a day per bird


----------



## Guest (Dec 11, 2009)

windyflat said:


> Feed good barley mixed with a quality pigeon mix. You don't want much fat on them it's not good for them. Your pigeons should be hungry (not starving) when you visit them daily. I may even skip a morning meal now and then this time of year and it does them no harm. Either way they get an ounce a day per bird


 I definiately have to disagree with you on this , for one barley will not get your birds thru the winter months and you shouldnt skip any meals at this time of year either cuz it will surely hurt your birds and weaken them during the bitter cold of winter... this is the time for them to have some fat to carry them thru who are you kidding unless your loft is heated this is terrible advice!!


----------



## windyflat (Jul 19, 2007)

Really... Barley not a good winter feed? Thats the first I've heard of that. Barley is an excellant feed! Do you spend much time in your loft in the winter?


----------



## Guest (Dec 11, 2009)

windyflat said:


> Really... Barley not a good winter feed? Thats the first I've heard of that. Barley is an excellant feed! Do you spend much time in your loft in the winter?


I was going to ask you the same questionI am in my loft at least two times daily and feed them twice daily too ,this time of year they are alway egar for extra and I definiately give it to them to help them stay warm thru the 20 degree nights here ..starving them slightly or at all isnt going to help them in that department corn is the winter staple not barley .


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I have to agree that this is not the time of year to skip meals. And I would think a little fat on them for this time of year would be beneficial to their keeping warm. Their feed should probably be upped, if anything for the colder months.


----------



## windyflat (Jul 19, 2007)

They get corn in the pigeon mix... Did you not read my post?


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

A little extra corn is good for the winter months.


----------



## Guest (Dec 11, 2009)

windyflat said:


> They get corn in the pigeon mix... Did you not read my post?


my problem wasnt with the barley it was with the advice of skipping meals plus I do agree extra corn is a must in colder areas , barley to me is more an energy food used for flying not fattening them up ..just my 2 cents on winter feedings .


----------



## windyflat (Jul 19, 2007)

Not alot of activity in the loft in the winter time. I don't see the point of feeding a ton of fat to the birds that spend most of their time on the perch.
If your birds were working hard flying 45-60 min a day that would be different.
Anyhow I won't bother with you Lokota. If I kept a few "homing doves" in a cockatiel cage in my house I would seek out your advice
until that day..... good day to you Sir or Maddam.


----------



## Guest (Dec 11, 2009)

windyflat said:


> Not alot of activity in the loft in the winter time. I don't see the point of feeding a ton of fat to the birds that spend most of their time on the perch.
> If your birds were working hard flying 45-60 min a day that would be different.
> Anyhow I won't bother with you Lokota. If I kept a few "homing doves" in a cockatiel cage in my house I would seek out your advice
> until that day..... good day to you Sir or Maddam.


windy.. you are just that and a very small minded man too.. I see you waited til morning to insult me further when you thought I wouldnt be around ..thankyou

p.s. my advice wasnt for you


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I do believe this is only one bird flying free the thread maker is feeding ... things can be different for racing homers or flyers with homers, how they feed is as different as how they train etc.... common sense tells me the birds need meat on their bones for the winter...plenty of time to fly it off in the spring... If one lives in a warm climate..not much of an issue then.


----------



## plumvalley (Nov 12, 2009)

I have to agree with spirit wings...Here at my house in Wi everything (including myself...lol..) gets extra feed to carry them through the winter. They need it!


----------



## peter683 (Aug 14, 2009)

*correct*

Spiritwings is correct, It is one male pigeon who leaves before dusk at night and comes to stay with us in the mornings. I have mixed corn into his pigeon mix and also throw in a few sunflower seeds as well. We give him not too warm water to drink and he loves it!


----------



## Mader631 (Sep 7, 2008)

I feed Barley & Whole corn + general seed mix. majority is Corn. I feed pigeon pellet 1-time a week. Has animal fat/protein in it.


----------



## yearsexperience (Nov 21, 2009)

I feed my rollers soy, so that they fatten up a little. I dont add oil to them


----------



## yearsexperience (Nov 21, 2009)

question about water. Cuz winter freezes up the water, i make sure i get the fresh water daily after school. But do i give them a little warm water or cold water?


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

This article is provided as a public service by the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, in cooperation with the UAF research community. Larry Gedney is a seismologist at the Institute.

Every year, there are some questions repeated by readers regarding the same subject. The most common of these has been: would a glass of hot water or a glass of cold water freeze first, if left outside in subzero temperatures?

Although the issue has been discussed before in this column, the interest generated merits repetition of the subject.

Almost any scientist would scoff at the question and state that it is frivolous--I did myself. Obviously, so the reasoning goes, the glass of hot water has many more calories of heat to dispose of before it can become frozen, and therefore must take the longer time to freeze.

"Not So!" say the proponents of the other side. "How come my hot water pipes always freeze up before my cold water pipes?" And "How come when I put out glasses of hot and cold water when it's - 40°F, the hot water freezes first?"

FOUND THIS ONLINE


I never put much credence into these claims until I started reading different accounts of the phenomenon. Most recently, the distinguished scientist and author, Isaac Asimov, in his Book of Facts (Red Dembner Enterprises Corp., 1981), flatly states in one of his "3000 facts," that "Water freezes faster if it is cooled rapidly from a relatively warm temperature than if it is cooled at the same rate from a lower temperature."

This may be true, but only under certain circumstance. Dr. T. Neil Davis (editor of this column from 1976 to 1981) performed his own experiments, and found that only when he used Styrofoam cups at temperatures near zero, did warm water freeze first.

Under almost any other circumstance, especially those which allowed heat to escape through the sides of the container, such as from a metal cup, the colder water froze first.

Insulation being taken into account, we can now attribute the hot water freezing first to the fact that, in hot water, circulation currents move faster, exposing more water to the air, and resultant evaporation (hence, cooling) occurs at a greater rate. Also, boiling the water before exposure to frigid temperatures removes the dissolved air which inhibits freezing in the colder water.

The stubbornness sometimes exhibited by scientists in accepting observations of laymen in favor of accepted scientific dogma sometimes leads to such comments such as those appearing in a recent Ann Landers column. An expert scientist was consulted and asked to reply on this same question--could warm water sometimes freeze before cold, given the same conditions. He said absolutely not. I would have said the same thing.

We were both wrong. 

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF6/650.html


----------



## Guest (Dec 12, 2009)

I think as long as you give fresh water when you feed them warm water surely wouldnt hurt them in this cold as its usually right after they feed they will go for that big drink to satisfy their thirst needs


----------



## Peg 'n Peter (Mar 6, 2009)

I'm sure this is individual pidgie-preference, but I did a mini-experiment on Peggy this morning. She was squawking for her breakfast and I gave her a big scoop of mix, then two separate cups of water, one warm and one cold. She preferred the warm!

*Does anyone use those suet balls for extra feed?* It has been -32 celsius here lately and the pidgies are literally shivering. I wish I could warm them up somehow.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Peg 'n Peter said:


> I'm sure this is individual pidgie-preference, but I did a mini-experiment on Peggy this morning. She was squawking for her breakfast and I gave her a big scoop of mix, then two separate cups of water, one warm and one cold. She preferred the warm!
> 
> *Does anyone use those suet balls for extra feed?* It has been -32 celsius here lately and the pidgies are literally shivering. I wish I could warm them up somehow.


She isn't dumb. Warm is better. What are you asking? Suet balls for pigeons? For the songbirds yes, suet is good.And chopped up peanuts (salt free). For the pigeons, put out seed that has extra fat, like safflower or black oil sunflower seed mixed with their seed. Add extra corn. I always feel badly for them when I see them out in the harsh weather.


----------



## peter683 (Aug 14, 2009)

Snowball was late this afternoon.. He showed up and looked in the window as if to say wheres the food?? I went out with his dish and held my arm out in front of him wih the dish in my other hand and he perched onto my arm and ate for the first time!!


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

Barley is used as a "bulk" feed,AND IS NOT a good winter feed...... Fact, COLD = need for more fuel... BARLEY ain't got it! Lakota is DEAD ON. 
I never feed corn... EXCEPT.. in winter, than they get all they want.. (it produces heat!) Like coal in the furnace. BARLEY, by some ,is used to give the bird the feeling of being full, with out the high energy content, so they fly better, not keep warmer................. Go back to nutrition 101, and [email protected]! Dave


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

And on the subject of water in winter.... if it ain't warm you are causing the bird more energy to warm it!!! My heaters keep the water warm to my touch, even in sub zero temps. NOT even a a topic worth discussing! Dave


----------



## Guest (Dec 31, 2009)

LUCKYT said:


> Barley is used as a "bulk" feed,AND IS NOT a good winter feed...... Fact, COLD = need for more fuel... BARLEY ain't got it! Lakota is DEAD ON.
> I never feed corn... EXCEPT.. in winter, than they get all they want.. (it produces heat!) Like coal in the furnace. BARLEY, by some ,is used to give the bird the feeling of being full, with out the high energy content, so the fly better, not keep warmer................. Go back to nutrition 101, and [email protected]! Dave


lol thanks for your support


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

The truth is the truth. being concerned about Med. to large pigeons in the winter, is like being concerned about pigs in mud!


----------



## jandkds (Aug 25, 2009)

Our birds have access to food all the time, is that not a good thing? They do not seem to overeat and we do not fly them. Two are outside and one is inside....


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

Unless you are training, NO problem. Dave


----------



## jandkds (Aug 25, 2009)

Thank you Dave.
The two outside birds hatched a squab yesterday...a new years eve baby! Should we be feeding them anything special? They get pigeon mix, popcorn, lentils, split peas, and some sunflower seed.


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

Nothing special, just keep food in front of them at all times. I would, if it were me leave out the sunflower for a while, unless it is shelled. Dave


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You could add safflower to the mix. They normally love that. And yes, unless it is hulled, I wouldn't give them sunflower. Too large. I use hulled for mine, and then they get very little. Are you using something to keep them warm? Not really a great time of year to hatch babies outside.


----------

