# pigeons eating too much grit



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

hii parent pigeons are eating too much grit, i think reason is brown chick peas,its very hard for them to digest it , so i will soak it but after soaking they dont eat it till i cut it into half. i give them contruction grade sand[which is plenty of available with me] and broken pink brick and very little amount of contrict[its their fav] and as soon as contrict is over, they fly to neighbouring terrace and roam whole terrace and eat contrict[which is really annoying].they are really addicted to go their ,and seeing them even youngster go their , so i had tape their wings  .if their is no contrict left and they are not allowed to go out ,they will eat pebbles from sand. can anyone say me are they doing this due to peas or is there any other reason...??????..and do they even eat sand or i need to fliter it and only provide them pebbles of many sizes????


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

lack of calcium can make them seek more grit or sand, esp if they are laying eggs and feeding babies. usually what is provided is grit/rock for digestion and grit for minerals like calcium. example is red pigeon grit for digestion, crushed oystershell for calcium (it is more soluble) and they eat as they want and need it. when the red grit or granite grit gets worn down they pass it and there should be more in their loft to replace. some buy mineral blocks from pigeon supply and offer those for minerals.


----------



## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Hey Nare J,
Give them a mix of many grains,cereals,seeds,legumes to eat. Not just black chicken peas. They will harm their liver by putting a nitrogen overload on it. They aren't good for them in surplus quantities.
Your pigeons might be feeling deficient of vitamins and minerals that they will get from a mixed feed which they're trying to fill up by eating more and more grit. Also they might not be eating enough peas to satisfy their hunger completely.So they might be filling their crops up with grit.
They will keeping looking for vitamins and minerals by eating more and more grit and for me letting them eat unhygienic grit from here and there is an invitation to bacteria and worms to invade their bodies.
Give them good feedmix,grit and supplements.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

spirit wings said:


> lack of calcium can make them seek more grit or sand, esp if they are laying eggs and feeding babies. usually what is provided is grit/rock for digestion and grit for minerals like calcium. example is red pigeon grit for digestion, crushed oystershell for calcium (it is more soluble) and they eat as they want and need it. when the red grit or granite grit gets worn down they pass it and there should be more in their loft to replace. some buy mineral blocks from pigeon supply and offer those for minerals.


thanks for reply andi searched every petshop in my area for grit,mineral blocks, oyster shells but they dont have it. so i have to make my own and i only have lots of contruction grade sand and bricks and as calcium i provide them egg shells...
and what about my some other questions in this thread


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

It is normal for free flying pigeons to pick up pebbles or concrete.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

Jass SamOplay said:


> Hey Nare J,
> Give them a mix of many grains,cereals,seeds,legumes to eat. Not just black chicken peas. They will harm their liver by putting a nitrogen overload on it. They aren't good for them in surplus quantities.
> Your pigeons might be feeling deficient of vitamins and minerals that they will get from a mixed feed which they're trying to fill up by eating more and more grit. Also they might not be eating enough peas to satisfy their hunger completely.So they might be filling their crops up with grit.
> They will keeping looking for vitamins and minerals by eating more and more grit and for me letting them eat unhygienic grit from here and there is an invitation to bacteria and worms to invade their bodies.
> Give them good feedmix,grit and supplements.


i give them a good seed mix of wheat, rice,jowar, bajra,rape seeds, mung daal,chick peas and mung beans 
and give every pigeon 1 tablespoon in morning and evening 
problem is they like contrict and i have limited stock with me 
and should soak peas in water before give them will it reducing their intake of grit 
and i wanna say they have a 20 days old baby 
do they have salt defficieny?? i dont provide any salt in grit because construction grade sand comes from shore so it might have some salt in it


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

they crave calcium when they are laying and feeding babies. they have to have it as it gets drawn out of their bodys from laying eggs and producing crop milk for the squabs. seed and legume diets lack calcium, so they are trying to find it where they can. Im not sure what you don't understand about it. they need allot of calcium esp during breeding. a hen that gets depeleted of calcium stores from her body can die from egg binding and the squabs can be stunted and unthrifty. get a source of calcium for your pigeons. shop online if you have too.


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

spirit wings said:


> lack of calcium can make them seek more grit or sand, esp if they are laying eggs and feeding babies. usually what is provided is grit/rock for digestion and grit for minerals like calcium. example is red pigeon grit for digestion, crushed oystershell for calcium (it is more soluble) and they eat as they want and need it. when the red grit or granite grit gets worn down they pass it and there should be more in their loft to replace. some buy mineral blocks from pigeon supply and offer those for minerals.





spirit wings said:


> they crave calcium when they are laying and feeding babies. they have to have it as it gets drawn out of their bodys from laying eggs and producing crop milk for the squabs. seed and legume diets lack calcium, so they are trying to find it where they can. Im not sure what you don't understand about it. they need allot of calcium esp during breeding. a hen that gets depeleted of calcium stores from her body can die from egg binding and the squabs can be stunted and unthrifty. get a source of calcium for your pigeons. shop online if you have too.


*This is the truth, they lack calcium!!!! Why don't you listen to the experts!
*


----------



## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Nare J said:


> i give them a good seed mix of wheat, rice,jowar, bajra,rape seeds, mung daal,chick peas and mung beans
> and give every pigeon 1 tablespoon in morning and evening
> problem is they like contrict and i have limited stock with me
> and should soak peas in water before give them will it reducing their intake of grit
> ...


If they're raising a baby its perfectly normal for them to eat more grit. Also,their growing body needs many trace elements which pigeons provide by eating various seeds,greens,soil,clay,pebbles etc. In this growing phase calcium is most important mineral that squabs need so supplement it.
Bricks already have salt in them when made. Pigeons need only 2-5% salt in their diet so that okay if they're eating red grit.
Also provide feed all day long to breeding pigeons.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

okay i m gonna give them egg shells |
and someone said me pepper[kali mirch] and yogurt[dahi] has calcium to give pigeons
and are their any other food stuffs for pigeons for calcium
i dont want to give any supplement bcoz i have never medicated pigeons, i become neverous about dosage and its effects so its good i give them something has feed for calcium


----------



## Ananth_Tvli (Jun 26, 2014)

Opt for hatch control. This will help preserve their calcium levels and your fast depleting reserves of concrete


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

Hey atlast after searching for long time,i got birds calicum name brand powder,incredients are calcium carbonate and vitamin d [feed grade]. pet store person gave me half packet of this bcoz i was not having enough money .this packet he was using for the birds in the store. mrp written on it is 120 rs[confusing], he said me 50 for a full packet but i had only 25 so he gave me half packet.
he said me to had a spoon[not sure tea or tablespoon] to a bowl of water.i dont know how much and when or everday??r so please reply so that i can start giving this to my pigeons plzzz reply anyone


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Why did you not ask him whether he meant a teaspoon or a tablespoon? Seems that would have been a lot easier than trying to figure it out later. Go back and ask him.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

Jay3 said:


> Why did you not ask him whether he meant a teaspoon or a tablespoon? Seems that would have been a lot easier than trying to figure it out later. Go back and ask him.


i went their back, according to him a spoon means a normal size spoon used for household works, he said to mix it in a bowl of water 
its just calcium carbonate with vitamin d in it
i dont wanna give them extra calcium so, whats the dosage and how many times a week should i give them this
plzz someone reply, i soon wanna try it


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

We can't know how much, if not knowing what it is you have. If they are getting calcium from other means, then just adding a small amount to their water would be adding some to their diet, which is probably what they need, a couple of times a week. Do they take the eggshell that you offer?


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

Jay3 said:


> We can't know how much, if not knowing what it is you have. If they are getting calcium from other means, then just adding a small amount to their water would be adding some to their diet, which is probably what they need, a couple of times a week. Do they take the eggshell that you offer?


early female used to eat much egg shells but now she nor other pigeons like egg shells, they eat very less amount. last time provide them shells was 1 month ago
okay i will add little amount to water tommorow


----------



## Ananth_Tvli (Jun 26, 2014)

How much quantity is a bowl of water? You should have asked him how many grams of this in how many litres of water? 

Be sure that the product is a genuine one. How can anyone offer a product at less than 50% of the listed price? What is it named?


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Ananth_Tvli said:


> How much quantity is a bowl of water? You should have asked him how many grams of this in how many litres of water?
> 
> Be sure that the product is a genuine one. How can anyone offer a product at less than 50% of the listed price? What is it named?


He didn't say 50%


----------



## Ananth_Tvli (Jun 26, 2014)

Nare J said:


> mrp written on it is 120 rs[confusing], he said me 50 for a full packet but i had only 25 so he gave me half packet.





Jay3 said:


> He didn't say 50%


MRP mentioned is Rs.120
Shopkeeper offered @ Rs.50 which is less than 50% of MRP. 
Nare J has mentioned that he was 'confused' and rightly so. I think this was because of the difference in the price. Better to be safe and get the product verified, it still could be a genuine one but it needs verification.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

Ananth_Tvli said:


> How much quantity is a bowl of water? You should have asked him how many grams of this in how many litres of water?
> 
> Be sure that the product is a genuine one. How can anyone offer a product at less than 50% of the listed price? What is it named?


it is name birds calcium


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

i saw he added it was add to different small bowls of budgie and parrots but bowl was not their in pigeons cage bcoz i think they would pour water so, today i will add a little amount to the water and wait for some more replys, and on the packet its written half grams in feed or water on daily basis


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

and sorry for the confusion about prize, i think the packet which he showed for 50 was small packet and the half packet which he gave me is large packet of 120[but not sure or maybe that guy dont know the actual prize because he works as a part time job in that pet store]. and do this calcium carbonate packet has expiry date but their nothing written on it about packing.
and by the way i gave them a half teaspoon of this in their water and feed and they really like it they are drinking a lot of water...and taking a long time sunbath today... please reply


----------



## Ananth_Tvli (Jun 26, 2014)

Nare J said:


> and sorry for the confusion about prize, i think the packet which he showed for 50 was small packet and the half packet which he gave me is large packet of 120[but not sure or maybe that guy dont know the actual prize because he works as a part time job in that pet store]. and do this calcium carbonate packet has expiry date but their nothing written on it about packing.
> and by the way i gave them a half teaspoon of this in their water and feed and they really like it they are drinking a lot of water...and taking a long time sunbath today... please reply


At least part of the puzzle is now solved and for the balance hope someone who knows better about this product can help you out. Glad that your birds liked them. Why not get it verified from someone in your locality (if such a someone is known to you)?


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

Ananth_Tvli said:


> At least part of the puzzle is now solved and for the balance hope someone who knows better about this product can help you out. Glad that your birds liked them. Why not get it verified from someone in your locality (if such a someone is known to you)?


i will go with pet shop person he knows better than the people who rear pigeons in my region ,they only feed millets to the pigeons and only once a day and dont use any grit or supplements ,one person use medicines of calcium he got form poultry medicine shop, but he dont know the dosage so he just add a tablet to water once every month, so its better i should beleive the pet shop person and even i was his reguar costumer once for fish food and i will use 1 teaspoon to a litre of water every week.i think that will be okay,what u say.....and jass might be knowing about it something,waiting for his reply


----------



## Ananth_Tvli (Jun 26, 2014)

That is a good idea, give it a try.


----------



## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

If the product you have has calcium carbonate with vitaminD3 in it,its the right product to use. Since its strength is not known,half a teaspoon to a litre of water will be the dosage at which similar products to it are given to pigeons.
You can give this dissolved in their drinking water once or twice per week at a dosage of half a teaspoon to a litre of drinking water. If you're giving it via water then no need to mix it in their feed because excess of calcium can also cause many problems.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

Jass SamOplay said:


> If the product you have has calcium carbonate with vitaminD3 in it,its the right product to use. Since its strength is not known,half a teaspoon to a litre of water will be the dosage at which similar products to it are given to pigeons.
> You can give this dissolved in their drinking water once or twice per week at a dosage of half a teaspoon to a litre of drinking water. If you're giving it via water then no need to mix it in their feed because excess of calcium can also cause many problems.


thankss a lot jass,and yes its incredients are only calcium carbonate and vitamin d yesterday i gave them only quarter teaspon in water , so today again i gave them half teapoon in litre of water ,is it okay?? and can i store this supplement in a air tight container??


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

There are different dosages depending on what you have. Calciboost for example, is used at 1 or 2 Tablespoons to a quart of water, and if you are in a hard water area, you can use the lower dose. A couple of times a week.
Also, once mixed, it doesn't keep so long, so you only mix the amount you will be using in a few days or so.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

Jay3 said:


> There are different dosages depending on what you have. Calciboost for example, is used at 1 or 2 Tablespoons to a quart of water, and if you are in a hard water area, you can use the lower dose. A couple of times a week.
> Also, once mixed, it doesn't keep so long, so you only mix the amount you will be using in a few days or so.


i use purified water and i think i should use half teaspoon in a litre of water once a week this will be right bcoz i will also provide them sesame seeds, egg shells etc...


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

and jass should i use this birds calcium every week ??bcoz as u said excess calcium cause many problems........


----------



## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Nare J said:


> thankss a lot jass,and yes its incredients are only calcium carbonate and vitamin d yesterday i gave them only quarter teaspon in water , so today again i gave them half teapoon in litre of water ,is it okay?? and can i store this supplement in a air tight container??





Nare J said:


> and jass should i use this birds calcium every week ??bcoz as u said excess calcium cause many problems........


Yes, storing it in an air tight container will be necessary. That way it won't get moist.
You can give this powder once a week or you can give them this medicated water thrice in every two weeks time. That's gonna be best.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

thanks a lot jass and the main problem of this thread was about grit, parent pair are crazy for contrict, as soon as contrict in my grit is over they run towards the building terrace and return after some hours, i cant understand what they do their for hours. so i tied only parent pigeons wings not youngster bcoz they are not much interested in going to the terrace unless parents go....but today i by mistake kept a stool near the wall of my terrace and male climb it and then jumb on the wall and when i tried to catch it it tried to fly and fall on our neighbours roof. and i had a lot of difficuilty in bringing it back,after chasing it a lot on roofs....... so i have to untie them ..... and u said that they are not getting enough feed so they are filling their crop with grit ,then how much should we feed breeding pairs ???please jass give me some solution to it so that they just dont go on neighbouring terrace just for grit


----------



## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Breeding pairs are not allowed to go out of the loft for many obvious reasons. They must be kept in the loft until their squabs wean.
Feed,water and grit must be made available to breeding pairs all day long so that they can eat and feed their babies whenever they need. Pigeons may consume more than thrice the amonut of feed they usually eat when breeding because they have mouths with growing bodies to feed who beg for feed when they grow up. Leaving feed within all day also helps squabs to wean early as they learn from their parents to how to pick up feed on their own.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Breeding pairs should have feed and water available 24/7. As was mentioned, the babies will watch the parents eating and learn how to eat sooner.


----------



## louisepogi (Oct 17, 2014)

Why is my pigeon dont want to fly for a long time . They always fly no more than 5 minutes


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

Jass SamOplay said:


> Breeding pairs are not allowed to go out of the loft for many obvious reasons. They must be kept in the loft until their squabs wean.
> Feed,water and grit must be made available to breeding pairs all day long so that they can eat and feed their babies whenever they need. Pigeons may consume more than thrice the amonut of feed they usually eat when breeding because they have mouths with growing bodies to feed who beg for feed when they grow up. Leaving feed within all day also helps squabs to wean early as they learn from their parents to how to pick up feed on their own.


yah this baby has even started eating and drinking by his own


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

and jass will my pigeons eat pebbles from contruction grade sand??, i have filtered pebbles for them but still parent pigeons[specially male] prefer brick, why so??


----------



## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Bricks are better than pebbles for breeding pigeons as they feed it to squabs. Pebbles may be hammered to tiny pieces.
Recently one of my hens swallowed a big pebble. I came to know when she vommited it out the next day. Squabs won't be able to that.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

Jass SamOplay said:


> Bricks are better than pebbles for breeding pigeons as they feed it to squabs. Pebbles may be hammered to tiny pieces.
> Recently one of my hens swallowed a big pebble. I came to know when she vommited it out the next day. Squabs won't be able to that.


yah and 1 give them pebbles of millet size[hen eat this tiny pebbles]with even some big pebbles, will they eat pebbles when they are not breeding[means while incubating eggs]??and how can we hammer small stones,they will not break although i have never tried.....
and if they just kept eating brick then pebbles will remain...!!!


----------



## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Millet sized pebbles are fine. They won't cause any sort of blockage. You can give them those.
One of reasons for which pigeons eat grit is to digest their feed. They must be given grit all year around whether they're breeding or not. They will eat it when they require it.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Millette size won't help much with digesting seed. I would think they would just pass it out like they do with other grit when it wears down.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

okay then i think it should be a bit more bigger than the millet may be jowar size??


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

and thanks a lot everyone for ur help


----------



## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

I was talking about flint stones and marbel chips. Cuz I give them millet sized and they're passed out as they are. For such hard things smaller is better. They do help with the grinding action I believe.
Red bricks,oyster shells,bones,charcoal and stuff shall be of wheat grain size to be used as grit.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

All I'm saying is that it isn't going to help much to grind up feed when that small. It should just be passed through, so why bother.


----------



## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

A very mixed size of Grit is most important in my opinion. even if small sizes are passed they will still do the job, the Birds will most likely eat a little more Grit is all. 
I prefer the red Grit, with the Anise Oil added. (I have used it for as long as I can remember) Their Eggs seem well formed all the time.
I also will add more Oyster Shell when breeding, but not always. In the 60's and 70's there was some evidence oyster shell held and passed on contaminants eaten by the Oysters (filter feeders) I think the risk is less now, but there are other, better sources of calcium. 
Grit is VERY important for your birds, soluble as well as insoluble (Oyster Shell I.E.) 
I do believe giving only as much as they will eat in a day or two is important, they relish dry Grit more, and it does tend to absorbt moisture, and organics is if it is sitting in the Bowl a long Time.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

thank you evryone for ur replys, i always get something new to learn here


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

hiii, i think the first clutch babies were both male because they started cooing and fighting with each other at the age of 2 months, even they both live in different boxes, but yesterday i saw them mating, mating was not perfect because both were trying to mount the other but atlast one sat and other mounted,they are even fighting today, i m confused are they just practising to mate??? [they are now about 4 months old]


----------



## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Nothing can be said about their gender for sure until they become sexually mature at 5-7 months of age. At this age they may assume roles of opposite gender and confuse even the experienced fanciers.


----------



## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

Jass SamOplay said:


> Nothing can be said about their gender for sure until they become sexually mature at 5-7 months of age. At this age they may assume roles of opposite gender and confuse even the experienced fanciers.


okay i thought 4 months was enough to mature for pigeons


----------

