# My birds are picky



## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

My birds won't eat their peas. Is there any way to get them to eat them. I leave them in there and they still don't eat them. I feel like I am wasting a lot of good feed. I feed Purgrain European with small corn. Their worse than my kids were. This is what they leave.


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## Callum Young (Oct 29, 2012)

Is their any other food you could give them?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

don't fill the feeder untill it is all gone.. then feed them when it is gone..when hungry enough they will eat it.. I think you may be feeding too much..so lessen the amount so they eat all what they get in a days time or in one feeding if you feed twice a day. they do tend to eat more carbs in the winter when not breeding.when raising young they eat more of the peas. but what ever time of year it is what ever seed or legume is not being eaten the above way will remedy that.


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## Zippy (Nov 20, 2011)

Same with my birds, all the peas are left over everyday. When I remove the feeder after the evening feeding and replace it in the morning when they are really hungry I have noticed the peas being eaten.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I keep feed to them all the time. I work second shift so its hard to feed twice a day I will try to feed less. I have left them in there for a couple days but there was so much t couldn't tell if they ate any. I have 10 birds in one loft and 8 in the other how much should I give them in each loft? I will be breading soon.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

free feed and then only add more when there are only a few seeds left, they still may leave the peas for last. I have seen your set up so I know there are not mice in it...lol..


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

spirit wings said:


> free feed and then only add more when there are only a few seeds left, they still may leave the peas for last. I have seen your set up so I know there are not mice in it...lol..


OK, I will let it till its almost all. I guess they will eat it if they get hungry enough. I did put less in today I don't have mice, I keep traps in the hallway of the loft just in case, but never caught one. I have caught one in the little quarentine pen but its all open with 1" wire all around, so I know their there. I know a guy that his friend says his loft is so full of mice that he wins a lot of shows because the birds feathers are so slick, because of the mice sliding down the birds backs.True story.


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## Ross Howard (Nov 26, 2009)

Shadybug Lofts said:


> My birds won't eat their peas. Is there any way to get them to eat them. I leave them in there and they still don't eat them. I feel like I am wasting a lot of good feed. I feed Purgrain European with small corn. Their worse than my kids were. This is what they leave.





Looks like red & white milo left over in bowl to me on my iPhone. No matter what it is if left over your feeding too much. Feed once a day & take the amount you see in the blue bowl away from what you feed . If feeding mixed grain put in front of them for 10 minutes then pull away15 minutes feeding young . Good Luck


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## scott.peets (Dec 1, 2012)

I say listen to the birds and try feeding a mix with less peas right now. They know what they want and need and why force them to eat something they might not need right now. Maybe I been watching a lot of Secrets of Champions and DVDs featuring the older champions. But they mostly all preach the same stuff. I get from it to observe the birds and make adjustments accordingly. As humans we think we know whats best for the birds cause its the way we would like it but most often that is a lot different then what the birds actually want or need. Make them happy!


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

scott.peets said:


> I say listen to the birds and try feeding a mix with less peas right now. They know what they want and need and why force them to eat something they might not need right now. Maybe I been watching a lot of Secrets of Champions and DVDs featuring the older champions. But they mostly all preach the same stuff. I get from it to observe the birds and make adjustments accordingly. As humans we think we know whats best for the birds cause its the way we would like it but most often that is a lot different then what the birds actually want or need. Make them happy!


I know what you are saying and it may be true. I know now I was feeding to much feed. I measured out 2 tablespoons per bird and I was feeding 10 times that much feed. There was a little left this morning so I left it till tomorrow. If its not enough they should be hungry in the morning. When I was feeding the large amount they never came to the feeder when I filled it. it just didn't matter that I was feeding them. That may change now. I thought I was making them happy just wasting a lot of seeds doing it. I have used a lot of different feeds and it seams like every bag has something in it they won't eat, but then it was probubly the way I was feeding, time will tell.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Well if you measure the amount you want to feed them, and just get a can that holds that much, you can just fill it each day. If they have eaten it all by afternoon, you may want to add a bit more. They will eat just about everything that way. What they don't eat, use that as part of the measure for the next day. They will learn to eat it. Let us know how it goes.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Jay3 said:


> Well if you measure the amount you want to feed them, and just get a can that holds that much, you can just fill it each day. If they have eaten it all by afternoon, you may want to add a bit more. They will eat just about everything that way. What they don't eat, use that as part of the measure for the next day. They will learn to eat it. Let us know how it goes.


Thats the plan. I will let you know in a couple days.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Well the plan worked. The one loft all the feed is gone each day and the other there is only a couple peas left.The birds come to the feeder now when I feed. Big improvement and a big drop in my feed bill. Thanks for all your help everyone, I apreciate it.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

where do u get your feed i just buy wild bird seed from wal mart whats your feed called?


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I feed purgrain


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Glad it worked. I like Purgrain.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I love it but I will have to drive 2 hours when I have to get it again. I have been buying it at the shows all summer, there over so if I want to contiue to use it I will have to make the trip. I just got a notice in the mail that the price has gone up but they didn't say how high.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They don't sell it around here now either. We have to travel a couple hours if we want it too.


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

where do you get purgain?


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

http://www.purgrain.com/products.htm


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## thepigeonguy (Aug 23, 2012)

can the stuff be shipped


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I guess but it would be costly to Canada


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

What I do in the off season is lighten up the feed. I add milo and more corn in the winter. It is cheap and makes the feed go further. Peas are protein and the birds need less when they are not feeding youngsters. They will also change what they eat during the season. I feed once a day. A bit more in the winter because of the temperature demands. But the feed is still light around 12% protein. The feed has too much milo, but they eat it last. I mix 50lbs excello breeder, 50lbs excello premium, 50lbs corn, 50lbs milo. This drops the pea % in the offseason. I have not tried this mix as a race mix, but it would probably work. In the breeding season I mix 100lbs of excello breeder with 50lbs premium, 25lbs corn, and about 15lbs safflower. 
I would look for something lighter in the offseason, or just dilute the feed you are buying down with lighter grains. I was buying purina wild bird feed without cracked corn until they quit putting milo in it. It has millet, milo, wheat, oils and sunflower seeds. It was perfect for lighting up the pigeon feed.


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

Looking at the Purgrain page, I would probably feed the economy in the offseason. When peas are the second and third things on the menu, I would think that you are feeding too much protein. 
Excello breeder is also 16%. Ok for breeding time, too much for off season. I would also think their race blends are way to high in protein. In the champions video on feed Tasker uses a base breeding mixture of say 16%. He then mixes with light racing mixture for the racers, and a light mixture for the off season. Keeps it simple. He also hates peas except for breeding. 
I start with the breeder $26 as my 16% mix. I then add corn, milo, and excello premium at 14% when needed. Corn at $8, milo at $12 and premium at $22 brings the cost per pound down. My offseason mix comes to .34 a lb or $17 for 50lbs. It is cheap, light, low in protein and has about every grain you could want.


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

http://www.teurlings.nl/en/products/pigeons/products.html
http://www.thone.be (thone special)
http://www.beyersbelgium.be/productcat.asp?lt=4&pc=4
Some mixes to look at. Studying what some of the greats feed their birds is why I started adding more corn and lighter grains to the feed to the feed and cutting down on the peas.


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

With the purigrain mixes, peas is second on almost every list. The Europeans have peas down the list except Thone. But he adds more grains at different times. Corn, wheat, dari, milo, safflower etc before the peas. I would love to find a milo, millet, safflower, wheat, sunflower mixture etc to thin out the pea heavy feeds. The purina wild bird feed less corn used to be the ticket. But now it is only millet and Sunflower seeds. And is $20 a bag.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I forgot to say I mix in some safflower. I am going to start pairing the birds this week so I don't want to cut back the protein


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

Tasker also states that you do not need the high protein until the eggs hatch. I also in the past started the breeder when I paired the birds. This year I am going to stick with my mix until about a week before the first eggs hatch. A bunch of theories on this subject.


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