Feeding Pigeons: How, What, and When?

Pigeons belong to the Dove family, and they are birds that spread in most regions around the world, concentrated in South America, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. The length of the pigeon ranges between 15-75 cm, and its weight is 30-2000 grams. It has short legs and small heads with beaks. It has the ability to fly well because its bodies contain 44% of the muscles that help to fly, and pigeons can live alone or in groups that move as flocks.

Pigeon food

Best food for pigeons

Here are the best food for pigeons:

Pigeons feed mainly on grains and seeds.

The grains that pigeons feed on include; Corn, barley, wheat, sorghum, and some commercially prepared feeds used to improve the diet of pets.

It feeds on legumes, peas, peanuts, and soybeans.

Unsuitable foods

The following are some foods that are not suitable for pigeons:

You should avoid feeding pigeons dried foods, and very salty foods, especially in the breeding season.

Human food is very dangerous to the health of pigeons, especially meat.

How to feed pigeons

The following are ways to feed pigeons according to age:

Newly hatched up to 4 weeks old

It is fed in the following ways:

pigeon milk:

Two crops develop in the parents’ body after the seventh day of laying on the eggs.

The cells of the lobes produce thrombus-like fat bodies, which are yellowish-white in color and contain many amino acids and proteins.

Zaghloul feeds for a maximum of four days, and with the start of the fourth day of Zaghloul’s life, the father gives him a small percentage of digested grains, such as beans, lentils, and wheat, which are mixed with milk until seven days of the Zaghloul’s hatching.

Hatching the Zaghalil: This feeding is based on the hand, as the grain is soaked before feeding it to the Zaghalil. This stage of feeding begins ten days after the Zaghloul has passed, and it is fed three times every day until it reaches the age of four weeks.

During the growing period 4-20 weeks

The young pigeon begins to search for its food after a month has passed since its hatching, due to the busyness of the parents in preparing for the second round of eggs, and the young pigeons eat under the supervision of the parents, and in the event that their numbers are few, it is recommended to leave them with the parents after four weeks have passed since their hatching, but if they are many, it is advised to put them In their own barns and equipped with food.

Big pigeons

It is fed in the following ways:

Feeding by hand twice a day on the ground: Scattering grains on the ground near the pigeons is a traditional way to feed large pigeons, and it must be taken into account that the amount of grains scattered must be commensurate with the number of birds, to be sufficient for them.

Feeding by hand in covered feeders: This method of feeding can be followed when the number of pigeons is large, as the owner distributes food in prepared feeders and placed in the middle of the place, and the pigeons can eat food from the holes in the feeders, and the feeders are in the form of pairs on top of each other.

Feeding with the cafeteria system: Food is placed in boxes made of any solid material, so that it can accommodate about 70 grams of feed. It must be noted that these boxes are divided into sections, and each section contains a specific type of food.

At the end of each section there is a small hole that allows the feed to pass through. This method is one of the easiest ways, as it saves time and effort, and allows birds the freedom to choose their favorite type of grain.

The best time to feed pigeons

Food is offered to pigeons twice a day, and the best time to serve food to pigeons is in the morning.

Pigeon feeding tips

Here are some tips for feeding pigeons:

Food should be placed in a place that is easy for the pigeon to reach, in addition to placing it in clean basins or trays.

It is not preferable to put food on the upper floor, so that it does not mix with droppings and other waste.

Pigeons, like other animals, need to drink water, and the pigeon drinking bowl must be cleaned daily, in addition to the need to provide water in basins 10 cm deep, 60 cm wide, and one meter long. During pigeon breeding, 2.5 cm should be provided for each pair of pigeons.

Green materials should be included in the diet of pigeons, because these materials help in egg production and increase the production of eggs.