What pigeons can eat and what foods should be vetoed
Every poultry farmer knows that health largely depends on the quality of nutrition and the correctness of the selected diet. And in sports pigeons, not only the state of health depends on the diet, but also the success in competitions. Consider what pigeons can eat, and what to give to birds is strictly prohibited.
How to feed pigeons
We make a diet for birds
Pigeons, like humans, need a balanced and varied diet. The basis of the diet is oats rich in various microelements, and pigeons get vitamins from green feed. As for the size of the portion, it depends on the size of the birds. Meat breeds, for example, are much larger than sports breeds, respectively, they need more feed.
Diet and serving weight will vary depending on many factors. In winter and spring, birds, for example, are fed differently. The flyers preparing for the competition also have a specific diet. And, of course, when feeding poultry for meat, special feed is used. Let's take a closer look at how to organize meals at home, how the diet changes depending on the situation and what constitutes the basis of the diet in each case.
Permitted foods for pigeons
Since the bird eats almost everything with pleasure, before making a diet for birds, you should find out what you can and cannot feed the pigeons. The list of approved products includes:
- all cereals;
- legumes;
- stones;
- granulated food.
Let's consider each group of allowed products separately.
There are no restrictions on cereals. Feathered can be safely fed with any grain. Cereals should be alternated, which diversifies the diet of birds. In addition to cereals, seeds are given to birds. Buckwheat must be present in the diet, which cannot be replaced by anything. Feathered hemp is also pampered. But as for wheat, which pigeons eat with great pleasure, it should not be overused. With the excessive use of wheat in birds, obesity occurs, which has an extremely negative effect on health and flight performance.
Legumes are a delicacy for pigeons, but they are heavy food and should be given infrequently. On hot days, it is better to remove legumes from the diet altogether.
Sometimes the grain is partially replaced with stones, which act as a mineral supplement for birds. But not any stones are suitable, but mineral stones that can be purchased in specialized stores. Before giving stones to pigeons, grind them. You can also give the birds crushed red bricks.
Specialty stores sell pellet feed for pigeons, which must also be included in the bird's diet.No matter how you try to pick up food, they will not contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Granular feed will make up for the lack of certain microelements in the bird's body.
The amount of food consumed
It is very important not only what the pigeons eat, but also how much. Each poultry breeder, focusing on the behavior and condition of the birds, selects the optimal dose of feed on his own. But there are general points to be aware of.
When choosing grain crops, preference is given to barley. It should account for 40% of the daily value of cereals. According to the norms, a pigeon consumes from 30 to 50 g of feed per day. But do not feed the birds with one grain. This amount also includes green food that you can grow yourself at home. Barley is periodically replaced with barley. Millet is also included in the diet. But the share of this grain should account for no more than 10% of the daily value of grain crops. About 30% should come from wheat. The remaining 20% are seeds, peas, flax, rapeseed, sorghum.
During molting, the diet changes slightly. During this period, you need to strengthen nutrition. This is due to the fact that the body needs more nutrients than usual to form new feathers. This is especially true for protein. During this period, it is advisable to increase the amount of barley and oats in the diet. But the amount of wheat consumed should be reduced. Be sure to feed pigeons with rape seeds, and as a green food they give feathered cabbage, or rather its leaves. During this period, the pigeon eats more than usual. The daily norm during the molting period increases by 10-15 g.
Diet in the winter time
It is not possible to feed the pigeons in the same way as in the summer. This is due to the fact that it is extremely difficult to get green food in winter, and in some months it is completely impossible. You have to look for an alternative. It is also worth taking into account the fact that in winter the birds are preparing for breeding, which also leads to a change in the diet.
So, what do you need to feed pigeons in winter? High protein feeds are minimized first. This must be done in order to reduce the sexual activity of birds. Pigeons hatched in winter have little chance of survival. Legumes hold the record for protein content. Accordingly, they are excluded from the diet. The place of legumes in the diet is replaced by barley and oats. Also, in the winter period, potatoes are added, previously boiled in salted water.
Separately, it is worth making a reservation about feeding the carrier pigeons. Their diet should be more nutritious than the diet of other types of birds. The staple of a carrier pigeon's diet in winter is a home-made grain mixture. To do this, take 4 kg of oats and barley and 1 kg of lentils and pre-chopped corn. When the number of components changes, the proportional relationship is retained. This mixture should be given to birds at the rate of 35 g per adult.
To make the plumage soft in winter, rapeseed and flax, or rather, the seeds of these plants, are added to the diet of birds. The norm of flax and rapeseed per day is 4 g.
Summer diet
Pigeon food during this period should be more nutritious than in winter. This is due to the fact that in the spring and early summer, pigeons are engaged in feeding pigeons. Also, during this period, the birds spend much more time in the air, which spends a lot of energy and strength, and sports pigeons begin training and competition.
Feeding pigeons during this period involves the use of foods high in protein. Also, a large amount of vitamins must be supplied to the body. In addition to the fact that the feed should contain a lot of protein and vitamins, they must be nutritious, otherwise the pigeons will not be able to feed the young as it should, and this will have a negative impact on the health of the pigeons. And in order for the young to form a strong skeleton, vitamin complexes and feeding are additionally included in the diet.
The basis of the diet during this period is a mixture of vetch, peas, wheat, corn, millet, barley and oats. As for the percentage, barley, millet and peas are taken in equal parts. Their total mass in the finished mixture should be 60%.The rest of the ingredients are also taken in equal amounts. But they account for 40%. During this period, the daily feed rate for an adult is on average 50 g.
In addition to the grain mixture, the birds are given young greens. In this case, there are no restrictions, but you need to collect grass away from the roadway. The plants there are overflowing with toxins. Eating these plants can lead to eating disorders in pigeons.
Diet for "athletes"
Feeding pigeons taking part in competitions is significantly different from feeding at any other time.
During long flights, birds spend a lot of energy, which they need to replenish upon returning home, so feeding sports pigeons at home requires the presence of carbohydrate-rich foods in the menu. Many carbohydrates are found in barley, corn, rice and wheat. In order for the bird to show the maximum result during sports, it is pampered with sugar. After the end of sports competitions, the pigeon needs to be given the seeds of oil plants (rape, for example).
The cereal mixture for pigeons taking part in the competition should be 35% peas, 20% barley, 40% vetch, corn, oats and millet, and 5% wheat. The pigeon eats less in winter than in summer. The daily intake of the mixture, which can be prepared at home, is 45 g.
Transporting pigeons
Separately, you need to think about the feeding of pigeons during transportation, because decorative, for example, pigeons sometimes spend a long period of time on the road. Care should be taken to make the birds feel as comfortable as possible at this time.
When transporting pigeons, feed them that do not induce thirst. Accordingly, exclude legumes, after which you want to drink. If you neglect this advice, then the pigeon during the competition, in order to quench its thirst, can sit by the reservoir, and the stops for the athletes are very expensive.
During transportation, as well as the day before, the birds are fed with a mixture consisting of 50% wheat, 30% from vetch and 20% from corn.
Food during the breeding period
Feeding domestic pigeons during the breeding period requires considerable costs, since birds need vitamins, especially group B. During this period, females form eggs, respectively, the body spends a lot of effort on this process. With an insufficient amount of trace elements and vitamins in the body of the dove, the eggs will have low incubation qualities, which will negatively affect the hatchability of the chicks.
In addition to the feed mixture, which is prepared from cereals and legumes, pigeons are given green feed and supplements containing minerals. It is advisable to give the doves vitamin complexes. Especially during this period, birds need vitamins A, D and B2. With a lack of at least one of them, the egg production of the dove will decrease. And laid eggs will have a thin shell, and the embryo may not be viable.
It is very important that the pigeon receives all the necessary trace elements, especially during the breeding season. If you notice that the bird is looking for pebbles, eating clay or chalk, then there is a lack of certain nutrients in the body. Accordingly, it is necessary to give the wards mineral baits, which are sold in specialized stores, where a specialist will help you to choose the right food.
Street birds
We figured out how to feed pigeons. No pigeon breeder advises giving bread to domestic pigeons. Accordingly, such food is not healthy for street pigeons either. But most often in parks, people give feathered baked goods to feast on. As a result, due to the negligence of people, the life expectancy of birds is reduced by almost 3 times. It is better to pamper wild pigeons with millet - this is a favorite food of birds. If there is no millet at hand, then you can take any cereal with you.You can feed wild pigeons with rice or buckwheat, which are in every home. Reduces the lifespan of street pigeons and improper diet.
Feeding pigeons
Sometimes the pigeon refuses to feed the chick (especially gull pigeons sin with this), and the question arises as to how the pigeon can be fed. If the parents refused to feed the newborn chick, then the chances of its survival are minimal. This is due to the fact that at first the dove gives the cubs goiter milk. Currently, no mixture has been invented that would be similar in composition to this product. The value of goiter milk is that it is rich in bacteria necessary for normal digestion. It is real to feed the piglet, which the parents left at the age of one week.
How to feed a little pigeon depends on age. A week-old chick is given a boiled and pre-chopped egg. As the pigeon grows up, a grain mixture is introduced into the diet. It is made from the same grains used to feed pigeons. Since a growing body needs a lot of energy, it is very important for food to be nutritious.
In addition to grains, the diet includes beans, lentils, sesame seeds, flax and canola, oats (peeled), unpolished rice. White rice is not recommended for birds.
You can give pigeons food intended for feeding parrots. But before buying such a feed, you need to familiarize yourself with the composition and opt for feed without oats. If, nevertheless, oats are present, you must first peel them off. You cannot feed the chicks with bread.
Diet
Novice pigeon breeders often have questions about whether it is possible to feed domestic pigeons at different times of the day and whether the feeding regime changes when daylight hours change.
The birds need to be fed at a strictly defined time. In summer, feeding is carried out 3 times a day, in winter - 2. You should start feeding poultry with 3 meals a day early in the morning, especially if they have offspring. The first feed should be between 4 am and 5 am. The second meal falls at 13.00. The birds have dinner from 19 to 20.
In winter, birds begin and finish feeding later. This is due to the fact that it is darker early outside and the sun rises late. The first meal takes place from 8 to 9 am, the second - around 4 pm.
You can give food to the birds both in the dovecote and on the street. At the same time, do not forget about observing the drinking regime. The birds drink plain water.
Foods that should not be given to pigeons
If the pigeon stops eating, it is quite possible that the diet was not drawn up correctly, which led to problems with the digestive tract.
It is strictly forbidden to feed birds with black bread: this leads to disruption of the digestive system, and it is not recommended to feed birds with white bread. Also, do not feed pigeons with meat. The body of birds is designed in such a way that they simply cannot digest meat, like all other animal products. Dairy products are also taboo.
All of the above prohibitions apply to street pigeons.
Conclusion
The digestive system of birds and humans is structured differently. This must be taken into account when drawing up a diet. Despite the fact that the bird eats almost everything, food must be selected carefully. If you have any doubts about whether it is possible to feed domestic pigeons with this or that product, you should consult an experienced pigeon breeder. During the breeding season, nutrition is increased, in winter, high-calorie foods are removed. As for urban birds, they need to be fed with grain, not baked goods. As a last resort, opt for white buns. If we talk about seeds, then an overabundance of them can harm birds. Subject to the rules of feeding, the pigeon lives up to 20 years.