How to feed pigeons on the street and at home: what they eat and can be given

Table Of Contents

What do pigeons eat
Feeding frequency
Rules for making a diet at home
What can you give street birds?
Features of drinking
What not to give?

Feeding pigeons directly affects their lifespan. On the street, birds live for about 5 years. When grown at home, this period increases to 15-20 years. In order for birds to be he althy and not get sick, they need to provide the right diet. In this case, it is worth focusing on the breed characteristics and the degree of activity of birds. So, what is the best food for pigeons?

What do pigeons eat

Wild birds living in natural conditions eat grass, seeds, insects. However, it is impossible to find a sufficient amount of such food in the city. It is difficult to find a large amount of grass in parks or on lawns.Usually it is mowed, which creates certain difficulties in finding food. Since birds are considered quite unpretentious, they can eat anything. Most often, the diet of birds consists of food leftovers near garbage cans and food that people give them.

If there is a desire to feed birds, it is important to do it right. Giving bread to pigeons is not recommended. This product gives the birds a feeling of satiety, but at the same time it negatively affects the state of the body. With the systematic use of bread and other pastries, birds die from pathologies of the digestive tract.

Because it is recommended to feed pigeons with special food. It can be bought at a pet store. It is also permissible to make the composition yourself. To do this, mix different types of cereals - millet, barley, millet, oats. In addition, buckwheat and rice can be given to birds. When growing birds in a dovecote, it is permissible to use similar types of food.

Feeding frequency

Feeding poultry is recommended in accordance with a specific schedule. At the same time, the breeder can set the proportions and volume of food on his own. In this case, it is important to focus on the breed and he alth of birds.

How many grains a bird eats per day depends on the season:

In the summer, pigeons need 3 meals a day. When keeping birds in open dovecotes, they move in space and can independently get their own food. At home, they should only be fed a little.
It is recommended to feed the birds twice in winter. Useful substances should be introduced into the second serving of food. At the same time, the composition of this supplement should be more saturated than in summer. In winter, birds do not get fresh greens, and therefore it is required to compensate for this with vitamins.

When keeping pigeons of different breeds, it is recommended to feed them separately. Large birds eat food faster than short-beaked ones. If you feed them at the same time, some of the individuals will remain hungry. In addition, small birds require crushed cereals.

Rules for making a diet at home

There are many factors to consider in order to formulate the right diet for pigeons.

Summer and winter menu

The basis of the diet of birds is cereals. Oats and barley are best for birds. In addition, they can additionally be given sunflower seeds, millet, wheat, sorghum. The proportions of cereals in mixtures differ according to the seasonal factor. In summer, birds are considered the most active. Therefore, the menu should be more nutritious. Birds are allowed to feed with millet, peas, buckwheat.It is also worth including green peas and greens in the diet of pigeons.

In winter, protein types of food should be replaced with oats and barley. In this case, it is important to adhere to a certain scheme. So, it is worth giving birds 40% oats and barley, as well as 10% lentils and corn. The last 2 ingredients are used in crushed form. As vitamin supplements in winter, you can use herbal flour, grated carrots. Dried dill and parsley are of great benefit to pigeons.

In winter, one of the feedings should be replaced with chopped boiled potatoes. It is recommended to mix it with wheat bran. Also, at any time of the year, up to a third of wheat can be included in the cereal mixture. You can buy a mineral supplement or make your own. In the second case, it is worth mixing crushed red brick, eggshell, old plaster, sand and meat and bone meal in a ratio of 4: 1: 2: 1: 1. The resulting composition is recommended to be filled with a saline solution with a concentration of 2%.

Feeding during mating and breeding season

At this time, pigeons need top dressing, which contains a lot of protein components and minerals. Deficiency of these elements negatively affects reproductive capabilities and provokes a deterioration in the he alth of chicks.

So, vitamin A is required for laying eggs. With its deficiency, the productivity of birds is markedly reduced. With an insufficient amount of vitamin B2, there is a risk of deviations in the formation of the embryo.

All the important elements that pigeons need for reproduction are present in legumes. Birds love this food, as it quickly saturates. The daily amount of food should be 50-60 grams.

During breeding, it is recommended to give fish oil to birds, periodically introducing it into the feed. It is also acceptable to mix multivitamins into food.

Feeding during shedding season

The stage of plumage change is accompanied by significant energy costs. It lasts from July to October. At the same time, birds need nutritious food. A sufficient amount of protein food should be present in the diet of pigeons. However, it is important to remember the sense of proportion so as not to provoke mating.

For the growth of feathers, birds are recommended to give linseed or sunflower seeds. You can also use hemp seeds at this time.

During the molt, pigeons often face a deterioration in appetite. In such a situation, 1-2 peppercorns should be added to food. The daily food intake during this period is 50 grams.

What can you give street birds?

Many people try to feed pigeons living on the street. These birds are characterized by unpretentiousness and eat almost everything. In order not to harm the birds, it is important to focus on the characteristics of their nutrition. To feed the birds, you should consider the following:

it is forbidden to overfeed or force feed pigeons;
wild pigeons have a small stomach, so they are only allowed to be fed in small portions;
birds need to be given food they can grind with their beaks;
if possible, it is worth using vitamin-mineral complexes.

It is best to buy specialized compound feed from a pet store for street birds. It includes all important substances. Be sure to wash your hands after feeding as pigeons often spread infections.

Features of drinking

Pigeons should, on average, receive up to 60 milliliters of water per day. Birds that are training or feeding chicks need 80 milliliters of fluid. Water demand may decrease or increase.

It all depends on temperature, air humidity parameters, nutrition quality, training intensity.

Lack of drinking water affects the he alth of pigeons more than a lack of food. Dehydration in birds occurs literally on the 2nd day. Therefore, birds need to provide constant access to clean water. In summer, its temperature should be +14 degrees, and in winter - +8.

What not to give?

The following types of food should not be given to pigeons:

Spoiled food. Birds should not be fed moldy or expired food.
Baked goods. They have a bad effect on the body of birds, because they are difficult to digest by the stomach and provoke appetite suppression. However, this food has no energy value. Black bread brings great harm to pigeons.It swells in the intestines and can cause blockage. In addition, the product contains a lot of acid and can provoke dysbacteriosis.
Meat and fish. The organism of birds cannot absorb such food. Its use causes the death of birds.
Too much s alt. The excretory organs of birds are not able to process a large volume of this product. Because it accumulates in the body. As a result, the bird will die.
Starch. This product is difficult to digest.
Roasted sunflower seeds. They provoke liver diseases in pigeons. Birds are allowed to give only raw seeds.
Dairy products. Such food provokes the development of dysbacteriosis.

Feeding pigeons has a number of features. In order for birds to develop normally, they need to be given quality food. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the diet of birds is balanced.