# Young pigeon does not eat corn or peas by itself



## Saganneke (Aug 27, 2018)

Hello there! I am new to this forum and glad i found it. So if my post is in the wrong section, my apoligies.

I have a pigeon which is one month and a few days old. He or she does peck little seeds on its own, but not enough, so he lost weight.
Because of that, i've been handfeeding him/her corn and peas and he gained weight again.
He tries to peck corn and peas but he cannot seem to get them in his throat.
Am i doing something wrong? Maybe he gets used to be feeded by me and becomes lazy?
Or maybe he is just to young to eat them?

I have him for a week and a few days now and i really love him!

Thanks in advance for your answer.


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## Friend John (Jun 10, 2018)

I hope more experienced posters than me will chime in soon, but from my brief experience, corn-sized food is still difficult for pigeons at that age to swallow if they are not force-fed. On their own, they'll try and pick up the corn and swallow it but will drop it because it is too big. So I think what you see is normal. Maybe try to give him small lentils instead? Pigeons seem to like them and they are more manageable in size.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

He's the right age to start eating seeds. Only feed him the peas for now. Feed him a couple, then drop some in front of him or tease him by holding the pea in front of his beak. If he is really hungry, he will peck the pea from your fingers. Always leave a bowl of peas with him, he will eat them. Peas are soft and easy for them to pick up. If you just keep on filling him up, then he won't eat by himself. Once he starts eating the peas, add small seeds of all shapes and sizes and eventually he will start eating those. You can teach him drinking water by gently dipping the tip of the beak (not over the nostrils) in a small bowl of water.


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## Saganneke (Aug 27, 2018)

Thank you so much for your advice! Tonight I did not handfeed him any peas or corn. I did give some small sunflower seeds because he would not be too hungry before bedtime 😉. 
I selected only peas from the pigeon food, so now he has a bowl of peas for the next days. I also put some grit and vitaminerals in the bowl. 
Apparantly he is crazy about grit now.
At the moment he's on my shoulder snuggling and almost asleep (adorable).


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I wouldn't force him to eat the hard peas from the pigeon mix. I believe Marina was talking about the soft frozen peas that you defrost and warm. Not the hard dry peas from the pigeon mix. He is a bit young yet. They always start eating what they like and can handle. He will probably eventually eat them, but forcing him by giving just hard peas isn't a good idea. He will just end up with a crop full of very hard peas, and will likely have trouble digesting them and passing them. Let him eat what he wants and eventually he will get used to the different things.
It is normal for them to lose some weight when they are first learning to eat seed on their own.


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## Saganneke (Aug 27, 2018)

Oh! Allright!! I'll change it again tomorrow. Thanks!


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Sorry for the misunderstanding!


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## Saganneke (Aug 27, 2018)

No problem at all 🙂.


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## Saganneke (Aug 27, 2018)

Here he/she is:
<a href="https://ibb.co/gbkd3U"><img src="https://thumb.ibb.co/gbkd3U/20180821_153009.jpg" alt="20180821_153009" border="0"></a>


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

There's no photo?


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## Saganneke (Aug 27, 2018)

https://ibb.co/gbkd3U


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Gorgeous pigeon! She looks happy and content. I hope she will soon start eating all her peas and corn.


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## Saganneke (Aug 27, 2018)

Thank you Marina!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Yes, a very pretty bird.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Agree, lovely bird!


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## Saganneke (Aug 27, 2018)

Thank you very much!
Today he/she went for its first fly around his home, the garden and the neighbours gardens 🙂. His/hers weight is ok now, thanks to your advice and what i read elsewhere here. I spend many hours with him every day.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

He should not be flown outside loose. He is a domestic bird, not a feral. He is hawk bait. He's young, so unaware of predators, and white, so he stands out like a neon sign. Also if he does get chased by a predator, and gets lost, he will die out there as he has no idea of how to survive in the wild. You will lose him for sure. He needs to be flown only indoors. 
Pigeons don't survive outside alone. They are only safe in flocks, which is why they live that way. More eyes to watch for danger, and more birds in a group to confuse a bird of prey. They like to single out just one bird and go for him, but with many birds together, it makes it more difficult for them to do that. With a white bird, they will see him right away and go after him.


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## Saganneke (Aug 27, 2018)

Thank you for the info.


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