# Overweight Pigeons?



## BHenderson (Sep 8, 2011)

Hi All,

I thought I better put this in a separate thread so it gets more attention. I have 2 male pigeons that are getting over PMV. They both came to me about 3 months ago and had full PMV at the time. Although their PMV symptoms are much reduced(still some head throwing when picking up seed) they are much improved. They have both taken up with a female and are both on their second batch of eggs. Unfortunately they have not managed to fertilize either set of eggs as both birds still lack the coordination to mate properly.

I have another female who also had PMV, but she has started flying again already and spends all day flying around the main room and hall. She did not have the coordination to fly when she first arrived either, but she was keen to get back on the wing and kept trying and practicing. The two males, on the other hand, do not seem to be bothered with flying. They spend most of the day either canoodling with their mate or squabbling with each other. The problem is, I have noticed they have started to look a little on the podgy side! They are all on a normal pigeon diet, with little additions like mixed seed and occasionally hemp seed. I often leave a little bowl of hemp seed hidden in one corner of the room for them to find, but they always seem to find it these days and they may be getting a little too much hemp seed?

What do people think? Need I not worry? Will they lose the weight as they start to get better. I make sure they have vitamins and probiotics to help their diet allong, but maybe I am being a little over generous with the food? In fact I always make sure the food bowls are full, I have not had to control their intake before. I have found in the past that pigeons are normally quite good at maintaining their own weight, but I think where these two are not flying, they are not burning enough energy off?

Any suggestions?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I agree that if they are not flying, they don't get enough exercise, and therefore will more easily put on the weight. That will only make it harder for them to fly if the time comes when they can. I'd be more careful about keeping the dish full all the time. I'd cut back a little, and hemp seed should only be given in small amounts.


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