Feeding & Safety For Feral Pigeons

[Trees Gray]

SAFE FEEDING LOCATIONS

Providing safe feeding sites for feral pigeons has become an issue, as it can endanger them depending on the location, so I will encourage anyone who wants to help our ferals find a safe location.

Avoid private property such as apt. buildings, unless it is yours. Not everybody loves feral pigeons (I don't see why not) but it could end up a death sentence for the pigeons if the neighbors start complaining. Eventually the manager may call an extermination co. that will poison the flock as has happened many times. You may want to feed a pigeon to rescue it because it is sick or wounded, but only leave out enough seed to catch the bird. Don't leave out any extra seed as that will encourage more numbers to come. If you feed directly from inside your apt. and no one sees the pigeons coming and going, that is okay, but use your own discrimination. If they start to linger outside that could be a problem


If you live in the big city an obvious place to feed would be a large park where it is legal. If you can't find a park find a safe place anywhere away from traffic, buildings and people, unless it is already an established "pigeon friendly" feeding sight, and no one is complaining or trying to issue ordinances against them. DO NOT FEED in areas where cars are, like parking lots or near roads, or on a hill that sloaps down to a road. The seeds can roll out into the street where the pigeons will try to pick it up. Drivers will not swerve or stop to avoid hitting a pigeon, it is a FACT.

I recommend people to feed flocks that live in their own homes, far away from the city in rural areas. You can feed in your own yard if you do have immediate neighbors,that is up to you, but if you gather a lot of pigeons in your yard, and the pigeons start sitting on the neighbors houses, telephone poles, and then the complaints will start about the poop and then the noise . It may not be a problem if they only come to eat.

If you find a flock of pigeons already established in an area, but it is unsafe, do not feed. Snowbird has moved a feeding site, by slowly moving the site by 20 feet everyday until he has reached a more desirable location. (This may be next to near impossible in some cities)


http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpo...73&postcount=8

I may be getting a little over cautious , but better safe then sorry.


Here are some suggestions from Snowbird who has several flocks of ferals:

My morning flock is on a baseball field at the local junior high-nice dirt and grass is a bonus. I leave the seed the night before and the birdies clean it early the next morning-before the humans come out.

My afternoon flock meets on an island on one of the busiest intersections in Berkeley, but it is in the center of the street not of interest to landowners. Fortunately they are street smart and know their limits, but sometimes when they are in groups of a 100 and get fidgety it can be dangerous. I don't recommend starting a feeding site at a location like this but this was an established site and the only place for these inner city birds to eat

Some places can be okay to feed, if you go very early, especially in the summer. If the flock is located on your feeding site, they will come on the clock and, as you are all aware,will feed in 10 minutes and leave. No feeding during the day.

If you find a good spot you may have a slow start but once a few come, others will come, especially in the spring when there are a lot of unattached, hungry young birds. They don't "spread the word" they just know what feeding looks like even by distant flying style.


Here is a link on how to keep the bully's from hogging all the food:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=16609


Here is a link on one tragic feeding:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=16625

Two pigeon facts:

Pigeons can and do scratch their heads during flight-flight...really.. not just when gliding. Many birds have to drop their shoulder to scratch the head, but as everyone has noted, pigeons just reach up under the wing. (Ah, such coordination..., some people can't even drive a car and scratch their heads at the same time. LOL)

When they all take off to avoid danger it has been said that they are so quick and sensitive that they really take the cue from the first bird to startle and it just appears that they move as one. While this is possible and may occur, I know they make a sound and all birds obey the red alert sound and fly..no questions. I can prove this without any doubt.

FEEDING AND NUTRITION

written by Snowbird

My ferals don't get many tricks because it is too expensive or impossible to administer. For example they go through 60 lbs. per week of the 15% protein mixture that the prestigious Bay Cities Combine racing clubs use. It is a real pigeon seed mix by traditional standards. I throw a handfull (per 4 lbs of feed) of Newman's Own organics Dog Food- for seniors-all year long. I use it because it is small enough for most pigeons to eat and the first four ingredients are organic barley, organic rice, organic milo, and organic oats. It also has organic flax seed and for shame) organic chicken, plus a really extensive vitamin package. (18% pro; 8% fat) I worry about deficiencies with ferals and this product should eliminate that. However, many birds will not eat this-even starving birds don't recognize it as food. A few go for it and it is cleaned up with the seed.

HAND REARING REHABS OR BABIES AT 4 TO 5 DAYS OF AGE:

The staple for hand feeding rehabs or babies who have made the transition to carbohydrates at about 4 to 5 days, is a product called The Ultimate Meal. This seems to be the perfect meal for pigeons because it is vegan. Not only is it organic, but the ingredients are selected from all over the world and prepared in the smartest way for freshness and cleanliness. It not only has peas, brocolli, quinoa, millet, brown rice, flax seed, and spirulina, it is right into the homeopathic with the finest quality horsetail herb, nettles, ginko, and milk thistle. I usally add some dog food to supplement the vitamin package and introduce a bit of animal protein but not much. I also add a pinch of the following (but not always): powderized Australian Pigeon Co. grit, probiotics like Total Flora and Primal Defense (homeostatic soil organisms), a drop of vitamin E, & a drop of fish oil.

The Ultimate Meal is the deal after 4 days old, dilute to suit your needs mixed in warm water. This product is expensive and only available at Whole Foods or from the company Ultimate Life.

Once a month I put on the seed a very light touch of either olive, salmon, or cod liver oil-you can barely tell it's there-and sprinkle this with Hagan's Prime or Nekton's and stir. Here in Berkeley they have ample gardens to get greens and dirt, but inner-city birds have a problem getting greens. The grit for my outside birds is mostly OK but inner-city birds probably die from this more than anything else-cadmium, mercury and lead from cars contaminates the grit and this is why hens have a shorter life span. And I have to say I haven't confirmed an outside bird over 2 years old yet. They only survive as a species because they breed like crazy and they can get by on anything.(sad)

I haven't been medicating them for canker-haven't seen any canker, PMV, or Pox. I use no preventive medication at this time. If a bird gets sick, I isolate him and run them on Baytril-6mg. -(as specified by Dr. Speer) twice a day for both my hens that had oviducts removed.

Siimply providing clean drinking water for outside birds is a plus, but is hard to do. If you can carry a gallon or two with the seed and pour it out for them, that is great. It is easy on home turf but at different feeding stations it is hard.


NOTE: If you are feeding a feral flock, please use a good pigeon mix or wild bird seed. Do not feed straight sunflower seeds, as young pigeons have a hard time digesting them. Sunflower seeds have been known to contribute to crop statis in youngsters, as well as complicate other problematic diseases, like canker, that our ferals encounter.
Treesa