Pigeon obesity

[TitanicWreck]

When i feed the local feral pigeons, i try to give them food that is good for them..
Its easy to spot a feral pigeon that has had a poor diet- thier feathers are scruffy, they might be a bit oily, a bit listless when they walk, and perhaps have a case of bumblefoot....

Here in Boston , down by Faniel hall, a food marketpalce near the waterfront, there is always food on the ground, and the pigeons gorge themselves..some of the birds are actually obsese- in the shape of baseballs, and when the males do thier love dance, thier jowels undulate....The extra weight cannot be good for them (except in winter, as insulation)

I assume bread is fattening...Does bread have any nutritional value for pigeons? Th pigeons that loiter outside Burger King or dunkin Donuts look very unhealthy- as all they eat are doughnuts or french fries...

Ive tried mixing up the food i give to the feral pigeons. They ignore raisins, but like crumbled cashews. How about blueberries?
They like popcorn, but dislike pocorn kernals. They love shelled sunflower seeds...But shelled peanuts seem thier favorite..so much so fights will routinely break out if I spill a bag of peanuts in front of a group of pigeons...

3 blocks from my apt there is a highway bridge,, which is the permanant home of a large group of feral pigeons. ..There is another friend of the pigeons living nearby, because at least once a week i notce someone spilled open a 10 pound bag of birdseed under the bridge, and the pigeons gather there by the dozens to feast....

But many local pigeons are overweight, and id like to add some nutricous non fat foods to thier diets..any suggestions?



regards


tarn Stephanos

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi again TitanicWreck,

Yes, pigeons in the wild are left to scavenge any available food sources and most of which are bad for them.

Bread/pizza dough/baggels etc. have very little nutrional value for pigeons or any birds for that matter and it's not so different with humans. Whole wheat/grain breads aren't as bad but grains and seeds are their intended diet.

It's best if you're going to feed the ferals, to provide a seed diet and this can be either a wild birdseed or a mix designed specifically for pigeons and doves. This type of offering is what they really need and want.

Peanuts, sunflower, safflower and cashews are all very fatty seeds and nuts. Now, these are all readily accepted and eaten first by pigeons, but it's not necessary what is best for them over the long run. Pigeons are "athletes" of the bird world and need to have a balance of fat vs nutrition. In the wild, pigeons will eat practically anything they can to survive and that they can fit in their mouths of mostly a non animal diet.

Again, you'd be best off to provide them with a good quality pigeon mix of grains and seeds that they can eat, wild pigeons aren't quite as finicky as their domestic cousins simply because they don't usually have the options.

[feralpigeon]

Originally Posted by TitanicWreck

Here in Boston , down by Faniel hall, a food marketpalce near the waterfront, there is always food on the ground, and the pigeons gorge themselves..

How about blueberries?

regards

tarn Stephanos

I think the blueberries are supposed to come out the other end !

fp

Love that Faniel Hall area!

[rena paloma]

i have a feral flock, and i feed them a pigeon mix, i get it at my local pet food supply store, they order it in special for me and it is only 20 dollers for 55 pounds. it lasts three weeks and i feed up to 20 pigeons a day, and some sparrows.
they are looking so good, i hardly recognise them now, some when they started comming around, i was giving them whatever was inthe breadbox, but i realized that wasnt sufficent, and that they too need a balanced diet like us.
i leave water out for them too, they drink and bathe in it. pigeons love baths!
they are not really dirty birds like some say, they are actually quite pristeen, and i can bet that over time, more and more will hear about the golden grains on the queens lawn...and start comming over for three full chorus meals.

it works out cheeper than loaves of bread, and is better for the birds.

[Victor]

Fresh blueberries would be a nice treat. If you offer them peanuts, please be sure they are the unsalted raw variety, and not the processed salted kind.

As Paloma stated, A pigeon-dove mix would be great, and costs only cents more than the wild seed blend.