# won't eat the oats?



## Pigeonfriends (Jan 19, 2012)

my pigeon would eat everything and leave the oats, why?

it's impossible to get them to eat the oats.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

What kind of oats?

i tried to give my birds some kind of oat once, and they refused it, pretty much stuck to their pigeon mix-that is their diet.


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Pigeons can take a while to learn to take new foods, Or maybe there is something wrong with the oats or the type of oats. I don''t imagine it would be impossible to get them to eat them,


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## whytwings (Feb 12, 2011)

I put out rolled oats for my chooks .......just for something different , but I keep it located close to my back porch because Crested Pigeons , Noisy Miner birds keep stealing it ........as an experiment I will see what happens when i place it on the back lawn this morning with my regular chooks scraps and see what my pigeons think of it - currently they are loving going thru the scraps eating the lettuce & bread .

will let you know


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## nycpigeonlady (Jan 22, 2012)

You're probably feeding them rolled oats. They will eat those eventually, but are taken aback by their disk-like shape which doesn't look like a typical grain, so it takes them a while to try them. Steel cut oats on the other hand, look like cracked wheat, so the pigeons recognize and eat them immediately.


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## whytwings (Feb 12, 2011)

I have to admit , the rolled oats weren't a great hit , but they certainly did show a bit of interest initially ......maybe I'll try again


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## thepigeonkey (Oct 12, 2011)

There are oats which are sharp and still in thier hulls/husks which the pigeons don't like and can get scratches in thier throats which can cause canker. Hulled oats are fine, my pigeons love them.


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Pigeonfriends said:


> my pigeon would eat everything and leave the oats, why?
> 
> it's impossible to get them to eat the oats.


pigeonfriends - I am not making fun and please don't take this the wrong way but I just noticed this was in the pigeon and dove stories section... ? It brings a new meaning to short stories.


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## billgarb (Aug 26, 2011)

You might be overfeeding your pigeons. They tend to eat the choice seeds first and leave the red wheat, possibly oats last. Cut back on your feed until they finish it all. Otherwise you may wind up with wasted feed on the floor that may get contaminated and cause sickness among your birds.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

You have to feed them just enough to satisfy them so they will eat everything. Mine always leave the wheat and barley last. Especially my breeders because I give them more than they can eat at a time


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