Wild Bird Pellets

got some wild bird mealworm / suet pellets ........says on packet full of energy, would it be safe to add a few to the grit and mineral mix i give them daily ?

David, if your pigeons are fit and healthy ???????.

Regards.

try them and their droppings will tell you the answer David......

sorry not for me too much fat content for idle pigeons

The only time pigeons will over eat and the wrong stuff is if there is no consistency in the feeding programme and chopping and changing does not help.

Regards.

If they do not like them will not eat them. Cannot see any harm.

You know, a simple fact is pigeons will tell you what 'Feed' they want, or are lacking. Spread a small mix before them and watch.  
First gone. ... replenish just that.. Done each day, one sees the different preferences.
Agreed they don't know what we have in store for them the coming week or so, granted.

i, can't personally, see the sense in starving a bird to get it to eat what it doesn't want. The birds is saying 'No'! can't be any good for it surely!
May well eat it a day or two later etc.

Can see that method needing a lot of peanuts Daz, what they like best may not always be in their best interests.

Think common sense is the answer to most situations.

Regards.

Well Peanuts are widely over used and shouldn't be given much. Just a selective 2- 3 every so often.

Daz, would suggest you just look up peanuts for pigeons.

I did long ago and based my opinions on the results of doing so.

Peanuts are the best feed in many cases, some fanciers feed all peanuts before going to a race etc;

Mine had peanuts every day in their feed, about 5% and given a treat they are the best source of giving a pigeon the energy for daily living and in particular distance racing.

The experts ??? also recommend not chopping and changing the pigeons feed which I also took on board.

Many roads to Rome I like the shortest way.


Regards.

Birds a bird small or big can't see any problems with them July st the fat part of it as Darren said

barnie wrote:

try them and their droppings will tell you the answer David......

That's my way of thinking etc Barnie learn nothing as such thinking & wondering if you should do something come the end. Have a thing here for the garden, called Charlie Carp pellets & if I was desperate & still racing I could maybe imagine myself giving them a go for the knowledge/interest factor for myself & also the birds    .
*****

Think one of the main problems is the manner you keep your pigeons.

With an open loft and the pigeons fed a good solid diet as much as they want will fly maybe 300 or 400 miles a day around the loft.

When I had pigeons on Olivers Mount fed them in the morning and some were still .flying several hours afterwards.

They fly any excess off at there leisure and become accostomed to flying for hours not a couple and then fastened up and kept RESTING for most of their life.

When transfered to garden they were up and down all day long would take off for a couple of hours come back and up and down from loft to garden never still for long.

These pigeons bodies get used to eating and flying off any excess weight, they know what is best for them by natural instinct.

You cannot compare pigeons kept in that manner with ROBOTS in any way shape or form.

THe more artificial you go the more problems you have, Mother Nature will win every time.

Regards.

oldstrain wrote:

sorry not for me too much fat content for idle pigeons

I agree with Oldstrain on this one, Pigeons confined during winter dont need them, on the other hand wild birds out trying to survive the winter / cold would benefit from them . JMO

What a nice change to hear from you littlehen, the more involved with dfferent opinions the better.

Regards.

yes, good to see you posting a few replies little hen, havnt seen you on the forum for quite a while........

Daz, would suggest you just look up peanuts for pigeons.

Had- have some and many times.
Not least Wild Bird peanuts.
Beside thought shop bought were more safe, and then too

Had several good flyers tell me... just the odd one.
At a moot with 2 Vets of renown, and other 'Names' consensus was Not many many. Have read as such too.
and yet, many say they excel via them.

Add wild bird mix to my feed. Peanuts, a few. Gets so cold here it helps them.

used to feed peanuts then reverted to sunflower hearts ,mind you they be yer best freind for a peanut eh

Have no idea what goes off now in harvesting corn etc: Hal, but I
used to get the seeds etc; from when the combine came to thrash the corn, left it for the pigeons to decide the good from the bad, but that was 70 odd years ago when things were sligtly different, but could not get a better mix of wild birdfood but only available when combine came and that could be anytime.

Slightly different now.

Regards.

used to give my birds a few peanuts at one time, made them very tame .....i heard too many isnt good for them, and they go mouldy tretty quickly ....???