Do you have a pigeon in your home and wonder, what do these pigeons eat?
In this article, you are going to see a long list of food for pigeons that they can easily digest.
Usually, pigeons eat seeds and do not eat insects in large quantities. Pigeons eat corn, wheat, cereals, and other seeds as part of their diet. Pigeons consume fruit and greens like lettuce, spinach, sprouted seeds, grapes, and apples.
Around the world, pigeons and doves are common birds. They are related and live together. The pigeon is larger and the dove is smaller and paler. Squabs are young doves or pigeons. Pigeons have 40 taste buds, whereas humans have thousands. Pigeons eat the food even when it may not taste good to them. Adapted to human environments, pigeons will live on buildings and in hollowed out structures. Pigeons also consume human leftovers. Their appearance is characterized by a short neck and a stout body. They also have a slender bill.
Keeping pigeons and a pigeon's diet.
Pigeons are scavenger birds and will find food wherever they can find it. After all, it is a bird, so it will have its favorite food. Pigeons love leftovers, so you can give them leftovers and they will come back for more. However, this is not a pigeons' normal diet. Pigeons need proper nutrition, so you should provide a better diet if you keep them.
Pigeons are granivorous birds. Thus, their favorite foods are seeds and cereal grains, such as Cracked Corn, Sunflower, Wheat, Barley, Millet, Pigeon & Dove Seeds, and Peas. They will eat all of those seeds at any time of year, but some are more preferred at different times of year. Winter is a time when more oil-based seeds are desired to keep them warm. Pigeons' diet changes when the molting season begins. The same is true for reproduction and raising young. It is best to feed pigeons with a mix of all seeds so he will get all that he needs. Pigeon parents who have a baby will need to feed the young a more diversified diet. Babies need lots of nutrition to grow.
CRACKED CORN
Pigeons need a balanced diet that contains 50% grain crops and 10% oil seed (sunflower) to remain healthy. Pigeons of average size can eat about 30 grams of food per day to stay healthy. You can find out what to feed a baby pigeon by checking what to feed a baby pigeon. Racing pigeons follow the same rules, but you may have to adapt the needs for a particular pigeon. What do pigeons eat in the wild if you want to feed them? Pigeons will find food in other places and come to your feeder just to supplement their diet, so you don't have to worry too much.
Best Pigeon Foods that you can give to your pigeon
Cereals
Pigeons eat cereals as their main diet. A typical serving of this food contains 70% carbohydrates, 10% protein, and 5-7% fat and minerals. Despite lacking vitamin A, these elements are rich in vitamins B and E. Corn, on the other hand, contains vitamin A.
Wheat
Wheat is high in carbohydrates and must be given in smaller amounts. Otherwise, your pigeon will become fat. You should give it smaller doses.
Corn
Corn is very good for pigeons and must be part of their diet if you keep them. Cracked corn has high energy value, lots of proteins, and is digestible by pigeons. As it is high in calories, it can also cause weight gain if given in excessive amounts.
Oats
Pigeons don't like oats, but they are good for their feathers. Oats keep them warm in cold weather and help build their muscles. It is good for the pigeon's blood and nervous system. If the pigeons are laying eggs, it is not recommended. so good for egg shells. Pigeons don’t like oats so much, but it is good for them.
Barley
Pigeon & Dove Seeds provide a balanced diet for pigeons.
In the winter months of January and February, barley is good for pigeons. Pigeons are not able to eat this food and it is not good for their digestive system, so give it only to the adults. Adult birds will benefit from it, too, because it calms the bird's stomach and reduces diarrhea. Put it in the pigeon's diet as it has many benefits.
Rye
Rye has less nutritional value for the pigeons than wheat or corn, and as such should not be fed to them, but it can be given to them.
Pulse
Protein (22-40%) and fat (1-5%) are high in pulses. Since they contain phosphorus and calcium salts, they are particularly beneficial for birds. They contain beneficial amounts of B vitamins, particularly vitamin B1, but less carotene.
peas
In peas, you will find 22-26% protein, 50-52% no-nitrate substances, 0.1 to 2% fat, and 4-5% cellulose. It is a good source of protein. Birds can digest it easily. Pigeon food can be mixed with it in a ratio of 15-20%. Pigeons, as well as corn, will benefit from its mineral content. Pigeons' organism development is improved, their resistance to sickness is increased, and their fatigue is reduced.
Vetch
Vetch is an excellent source of nutrition for pigeons. You can introduce it in small amounts (about 15%) to the pigeon diet. It can cause gastrointestinal problems if given in large quantities. For this reason, it is not recommended for young pigeons and must only be administered to adults. A gradual introduction is recommended.
Owners of birds, such as pigeons or doves, often do not know how to feed them properly. As a result, birds can suffer health problems. Pigeons can find other food sources in nature to supplement what they don't get from you if they are fed in the wild. But if you keep pet pigeons, you should learn what they eat. It's simple. Buy ready pigeon and dove seed mix so you know the bird is getting what it needs to live a long and healthy life.
Pigeon & Doves seed mix is a great all-in-one pigeon food!
Besides seeds, what else do pigeons eat? Bugs, fruit?
Pigeons and doves don't eat insects in large quantities, so don't include them in their diet. You should stick to seed grain, fruit, and other greens if you raise pigeons or just feed them on the feeder. Pigeons need some fruit and some greens. You can do this from time to time, perhaps once or twice a week. Pigeons and doves are best fed on platform feeders, as these birds can land easily due to the larger surfaces. Pigeons cannot land on normal bird feeders and will not eat from them.
Can I give bread to the birds?
When feeding wild backyard birds, one question often arises: Can we feed bread to birds? Considering all the data collected over the years, we can say that it works the same way as it does for humans. Bread will not harm you and can provide a good source of carbohydrates to your diet. Our diet becomes unbalanced when we rely on bread daily and do not diversify.
Birds are no different. You can feed them bread occasionally and leave it at that. Make sure that the bread you feed your birds is fresh and not moldy, as this can harm them. Put just the right amount out so the birds will eat it in a few hours or the food will go bad and mold can grow on it. As with humans, it is not the best diet for pigeons.
Birds need a balanced diet, so keep most of your backyard food on bird seed. Don't give your birds more than 10% bread. Pigeons and ducks have good memories, and if they find food, they will return daily if they find it. It is problematic when this food source is bread and not normal bird seed. To keep your pigeons and other wild birds healthy, offer bread occasionally. If the weather conditions are right, you should never mix bread with water, since this can cause the bread to mold quickly.
You can even offer leftover bread every day to pigeons as long as you also offer other foods they like. Pigeons love corn, wheat, green peas, and other vegetables. In most pet stores you can get pigeon and dove mix that is well balanced and will provide the best nutritional value for wild pigeons. What you feed the pigeon in the long run, must be balanced and healthy.
Pigeon are smart birds and will know their human feeders. If they see you feed them all the time, they will follow your voice and face and come every day. That's why you can see pigeons in the park landing in the hands of several people. This pigeon has learned how to recognize people who feed them and tend to be afraid of them. Some are even so brave to land on their feeder head or shoulders.
How much water?
Pigeon will get water from natural sources if in the wild. If you look after pigeons, give them fresh water at any time, never old and stale, remember that water must always be there so birds can drink.
VITAMINS and PIGEON
Pigeons need some vitamins and amino acids in their diet to maintain a healthy metabolism. Vitamins are essential for maintaining a balanced diet for pigeons. Pigeons require six types of vitamins: Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Vitamin K. Each of these six vitamins is further subdivided. Pigeons need each of these nutritional vitamins to function properly, so when they eat a deficient diet, they exhibit typical signs and symptoms of deficiency. If the deficiency is mild, the signs and symptoms are non-specific and vague, including poor health and functioning.
Vitamins are usually not produced in sufficient quantities by the pigeon's internal system, so they must be obtained from external sources of nutrition. This is why it's so important to know what pigeons eat and supplement their diet.
A Vitamin
This vitamin is extremely important for healthy mucous membranes and skin, like for lining within the mouth, cloaca and sinus, etc.
B complex Vitamin
This vitamin is the collection of 12 or more compounds, such as riboflavin (B2), thiamine (B1), choline (B4), niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), pantothenic acid (B5) etc. These vitamins and minerals are responsible for many vital functions of pigeons. Because it is water-soluble, deficiency rapidly grows when the birds are not consuming these vitamins.
Ascorbic Acid
It is a metabolic controller. Generally in seed consuming birds, such as pigeons, C vitamin is synthesized within their liver and there is no significant benefit unless the pigeon is debilitated and is not capable of making sufficient ascorbic acid. This happens specifically if the liver is not working or is damaged
D Vitamin
This vitamin is important for absorbing calcium minerals into the body of a pigeon. Birds will make their vitamin D when they are exposed to the sunlight.
E Vitamin as Antioxidant
This vitamin controls most of the regular metabolic functions within the cell.
K Vitamin
Coagulation of the blood is a function of this vitamin. This group of nutritional vitamins is found in green vegetables and is also produced by the digestive tract of pigeons. It is rare to have a K vitamin deficiency unless antibiotics are overused, which kill each of these bacteria in the bowel. It also occurs when birds are prevented from consuming specific probiotics or droppings.
If you keep pigeons as pets, vitamins and amino acids supplements are a great way to keep them healthy.
A pigeon’s nest
Pigeons and doves build nests from ticks and small pieces of debris. Pigeons will build nests in all kinds of places, so it is best to let them alone. Monogamous pairs often breed consecutively for as long as both birds of a pair are alive. Their nests are built on building ledges, rafters, beams, human bridges or inside barns. They often raise several broods at once. season. There can be 3 to 4 in a year. The female usually sits in the nest for a few days. She then lays her first egg. Pigeons usually lay one or two eggs.
pigeon-sitting-on-eggs.jpg (700×525) (pigeonpedia.com)
The couple will take turns in the incubation period as they go to feed. After about 18 days, baby pigeons will be born. After 29 days of hatching, birds will be ready to leave the nest.
Merpati comes in various colors and types. More than 20 can be found in the wild and in captivity. Pigeon neck feathers are the most common tilapia and called "hackle". If you keep men and women, they will often look the same, but men have neck feathers a little more dangerous.
Pigeon Homing.
It is a bird that is like a pet and has been trained to leave home for a trip, but always "go back to the road to perch". Many people like to keep Homing's pigeon as a hobby and breed them. However, you must have good conditions for keeping these birds as "pigeon houses" must be cleaned. What is a pigeon edible if it's a Homing Merpati? The same diet must be given to him like a normal pigeon.
If you decide to keep Merpati Homing make sure you educate yourself on how to keep pigeons as a pet. Merpati makes a large pet but requires a lot of care and love from the owner. Good housing is needed and also medical assistance for birds. I hope you like the article 'What Makes Merpati'.