Basic Needs for a Pet Pigeon

[maryco]

Pigeons make wonderful pets and are pretty easy to care for, here are some basic things that pigeons need:

Water:
1. Fresh water (change it twice a day if it gets dirty quickly)

Feed:
2. A good pigeon mix either from a feed supply or pigeon supply store is best. Bulk stores often carry some grains which can be mixed to make a pigeon mix, make sure they are good quality and not infested with bugs (Wheat weevils are a common problem in the wheat that I have bought from a bulk store)
A good mix with quality grain should contain most of these seeds: Wheat, barley, whole corn/unpopped pop corn, white/green peas, maple peas, buckwheat, flax, milo, millet, safflower, vetch and others..

There are many mixes out there, here is a good site:
http://purgrain.com/ingredients.htm
http://purgrain.com/products.htm

Grit:
Grit (Not gravel from a pet shop) aids in the digestion of seed and pigeons enjoy picking at it for minerals and other benefits. Red cross grit is most often found at a feed supply store, it contains crushed oyster shells and is a good source of calcium.
Also offering chopped cuttle bone to your pigeon is another good calcium source, this is especially good for hens who are about to lay.

Supplements:
4. Pigeons kept indoors will need a vitamin supplement because they are not exposed to direct sunlight to produce their own vitamin D3. A good Avian Supplement can be found at a pet shop or from a pigeon supply store. Make sure it contains vitamin D3 (Prime, by Hagens is a good product that I recommend)

Snacks:
Some snacks that pigeons enjoy occassionally are, Raw unsalted peanuts (NOT roasted), safflower, sunflower hearts, hemp, sesame seeds (raw) and others..

Fruits and Veggies:
5. Some pigeons enjoy eating veggies and some fruits.
Vegetables to try are fresh spinach leaves, garlic greens, kale, lettuce (Romaine is best and not iceberg) grated carrots, thawed peas and corn from the freezer bags. Sprouts are also very nutritious, you can grow your own as that's safer. Lentil sprouts and mung bean sprouts grow very quickly and pigeons LOVE them!
**Avoid Veggies like Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

Fruits: So far I've only tried fresh papaya fruit with my own pigeons, papaya contains enzymes which aid in the digestion. Only small amounts should be given though.
**Avoid Avocado as it's toxic to all birds.

Additional benefits:
- Adding ACV (Apple cider vinegar) to the water once a week, this helps keeps add some acidity to the system which keeps diseases like coccidiosis, canker and crop candida away.
The dose is 1 tbsp per gallon of fresh water.
- Probiotic powder mixed into the seed (moistened with afew drops of sunflower oil, garlic oil, or corn oil) or adding the probiotics to the water once a week as well will help replace the good gut bacteria. If this is not convenient then an alternative is giving a probiotic capsule every 2 weeks or month down the pij's throat.
Probiotic capsules can be bought from a health food store, the same kind that humans can take.
Probiotic powder can also be found at a health food store.
The product in the following link is designed for pigeons specifically and is available at Jedds and Siegel:
http://www.siegelpigeons.com/catalog-dia.html

- Five medium cloves of garlic can be put in a gallon of water or a tiny bit of grated garlic in the water bowls, garlic is healthy and keeps the feathers looking nice and keeps internal parasites away.
- A brewer's yeast tablet (avaiable at pet shops, mostly for dogs) and cod liver oil capsule (for vitamin A and Omega 3 which keeps the feathers shiny) can be given once every 2 months or so..
**Be careful not to overdose on the Cod liver oil as Vitamin A can be toxic if given too much.


Housing:

A nice cage will do for overnight roosting, the pigeon should be able to stretch out both wings and still have some room. Pigeons don't really like round perches so you can get a flat perch.
The droppings should be cleaned once a day to keep the cage clean and the pigeon healthy.
If the pet pigeon is to be kept in the cage most of the day then he needs a big indoor cage (Of course still needs some flying time outside the cage as well, building a cage is much more convenient as many of our members have. Cages that big are hard to find and expensive)
If the pigeon can be kept free in a seperate room even just in the day time then that's much better.

Bathing:
Once or twice a week putting out a tub with water will help keep the pigeons clean, pigeons LOVE baths but will splash around quite a bit so an old shower curtain on the floor will make it easier to clean up.

[Victor]

Thank you passing the information.I wish I knew about PIGEON TALK last March when we found our wouded pigeon.We pretty much resourced our information we needed through the vet,the folks at PETCO, AND eventually my daughters friend supplied us with the link to Pigeon talk last summer, though I NEVER REALLY JOINED UNTIL RECENTLY.I printed a copy of your tips and will apply somethings I have not tried.Thanks!!

[maryco]

You're welcome, I hope this post will be beneficial to everyone.

[KIPPY]

How about some links for pigeons products?

http://www.jedds.com

http://www.siegelpigeons.com

http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com

http://www.globalpigeon.com

Not sure if one is better then the other when it comes down to poduct, price and shipping and handling.

I like Jedds because they also go through USPS. They also seem to give more of a detailed description of product. That's just my opinion.

[maryco]

Thank you Kippy, good idea.

[vinny_wills]

Lot of helpfull info ..

Thanks.

Originally Posted by maryco

Pigeons make wonderful pets and are pretty easy to care for, here are some basic things that pigeons need:

Water:
1. Fresh water (change it twice a day if it gets dirty quickly)

Feed:
2. A good pigeon mix either from a feed supply or pigeon supply store is best. Bulk stores often carry some grains which can be mixed to make a pigeon mix, make sure they are good quality and not infested with bugs (Wheat weevils are a common problem in the wheat that I have bought from a bulk store)
A good mix with quality grain should contain most of these seeds: Wheat, barley, whole corn/unpopped pop corn, white/green peas, maple peas, buckwheat, flax, milo, millet, safflower, vetch and others..

There are many mixes out there, here is a good site:
http://purgrain.com/ingredients.htm
http://purgrain.com/products.htm

Grit:
Grit (Not gravel from a pet shop) aids in the digestion of seed and pigeons enjoy picking at it for minerals and other benefits. Red cross grit is most often found at a feed supply store, it contains crushed oyster shells and is a good source of calcium.
Also offering chopped cuttle bone to your pigeon is another good calcium source, this is especially good for hens who are about to lay.

Supplements:
4. Pigeons kept indoors will need a vitamin supplement because they are not exposed to direct sunlight to produce their own vitamin D3. A good Avian Supplement can be found at a pet shop or from a pigeon supply store. Make sure it contains vitamin D3 (Prime, by Hagens is a good product that I recommend)

Snacks:
Some snacks that pigeons enjoy occassionally are, Raw unsalted peanuts (NOT roasted), safflower, sunflower hearts, hemp, sesame seeds (raw) and others..

Fruits and Veggies:
5. Some pigeons enjoy eating veggies and some fruits.
Vegetables to try are fresh spinach leaves, garlic greens, kale, lettuce (Romaine is best and not iceberg) grated carrots, thawed peas and corn from the freezer bags. Sprouts are also very nutritious, you can grow your own as that's safer. Lentil sprouts and mung bean sprouts grow very quickly and pigeons LOVE them!
**Avoid Veggies like Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

Fruits: So far I've only tried fresh papaya fruit with my own pigeons, papaya contains enzymes which aid in the digestion. Only small amounts should be given though.
**Avoid Avocado as it's toxic to all birds.

Additional benefits:
- Adding ACV (Apple cider vinegar) to the water once a week, this helps keeps add some acidity to the system which keeps diseases like coccidiosis, canker and crop candida away.
The dose is 1 tbsp per gallon of fresh water.
- Probiotic powder mixed into the seed (moistened with afew drops of sunflower oil, garlic oil, or corn oil) or adding the probiotics to the water once a week as well will help replace the good gut bacteria. If this is not convenient then an alternative is giving a probiotic capsule every 2 weeks or month down the pij's throat.
Probiotic capsules can be bought from a health food store, the same kind that humans can take.
Probiotic powder can also be found at a health food store.
The product in the following link is designed for pigeons specifically and is available at Jedds and Siegel:
http://www.siegelpigeons.com/catalog-dia.html

- Five medium cloves of garlic can be put in a gallon of water or a tiny bit of grated garlic in the water bowls, garlic is healthy and keeps the feathers looking nice and keeps internal parasites away.
- A brewer's yeast tablet (avaiable at pet shops, mostly for dogs) and cod liver oil capsule (for vitamin A and Omega 3 which keeps the feathers shiny) can be given once every 2 months or so..
**Be careful not to overdose on the Cod liver oil as Vitamin A can be toxic if given too much.


Housing:

A nice cage will do for overnight roosting, the pigeon should be able to stretch out both wings and still have some room. Pigeons don't really like round perches so you can get a flat perch.
The droppings should be cleaned once a day to keep the cage clean and the pigeon healthy.
If the pet pigeon is to be kept in the cage most of the day then he needs a big indoor cage (Of course still needs some flying time outside the cage as well, building a cage is much more convenient as many of our members have. Cages that big are hard to find and expensive)
If the pigeon can be kept free in a seperate room even just in the day time then that's much better.

Bathing:
Once or twice a week putting out a tub with water will help keep the pigeons clean, pigeons LOVE baths but will splash around quite a bit so an old shower curtain on the floor will make it easier to clean up.

[sreeshs]

Thats a pretty good post, better if it would be a sticky

[Chitra]

My pet pigeon recently died due to our misguided notion that it needed to be left free for sometime, because it looked happy to be left out in the yard, with intermittent supervision. Had I known that pigeons are kept indoors all the time, I would not have left it free. I can't get over it's loss & keep feeling so guilty...

[dapplepigeon]

How did your pigeon die? Pigeons are not necessarily supposed to be kept indoors. In fact, if they've been at your house for more than 2 weeks with a nice view of the outside world, if you let them out, they would most surely return! Pigeons have very strong homing instincts, even ones that are not bred to home specifically, and will return home if properly trained. True, you've got the risk of predators, but pigeons, even young ones have got somewhat of an advantage over predators with their speed and agility. I once two 60 day old pigeons, and on its second day out of the loft, one of the them got attacked by a hawk. Now he had been flying for only two days, yet he easily got away completely unhurt. Yes, luck played a part too, but pigeons are faster than hawks, and built to evade them. So even if your pigeon is a regular pigeon with absolutely no homers blood, and even no training, it will return home most surely. However, you will have to train it soon enough so that home becomes much more imprinted and so that they can evade predators more easily. I own four pigeons that are just regular pigeons, yet they, like any pigeon, have strong homing instincts and will return back home. Hope that helps!

[Chitra]

It's too painful to think about it...For about a week, we let it out in the yard where it seemed to like to be. it would go into a small crawl space under the deck, where it would be very well hidden and we used to put the water & food bowl for it. We thought it was a safe place and would bring it abck inside around nighfall. One day, I forgot to bring it in when it got dark. When I finally went to bring it in, I found a clump of feathers & feared the worst. We went looking around our yard & the neighbour's yard, but didn't find it. The next morning, we found its body, eaten up, in a neighbour's balcony. I can't get over how my mistake cost it its life. And I feel so sorry when I think of this little bird which we rescued and nurtured, only o have it end it this way. It was not a good flier, so maybe I should have just kept it indoors or in an outdoor cage.

[dapplepigeon]

That's so sad....Poor pigeon. But at least it had a happy life, outside. When you let a pigeon outside, you have to fear the worst, yet still it makes the pigeon happy. Think. If you had a pigeon and you kept him always cooped up in a cage because you fear predators, the pigeon's not going to have a happy life. If he's outside and free, at least than he can enjoy his life. A pigeon's one of the freest kind of pets, but you have to respect the risks that come with it. Though it is your choice, I still recommend letting your pigeons fly. At about 60 days of age when their wing-muscles and such are well-developed, you could let them out without giving them the evening feed. If perhaps you feel like the bird is not prepared to go out for some reason or other (sick, too young, hurt), then it is best to keep them inside for longer.

I do feel you though, and am very very sorry for what happened. The same thing occurred with me after I had rescued a baby swallow that was on the verge of dying from starvation and cold in the farmyard. I took good care of it and was planning to release it from the makeshift cage I had made when the day before I was to do it, the cat managed to first, get inside the house which is offlimits to it, then open the birdcage (we are still puzzled by how that happened), then caught the swallow. We went up to the attic and found lots of feathers. You know what happened. I still do cry thinking about it even though it was around 5 years ago that it happened.

Just remember, your bird was happy. He's happy now too, wherever he is. And he won't forget you.

[Chitra]

Thanks for your kind words. I still have tears when I think about all this. That was the only pigeon I had & that's because we rescued it from where it was sitting hurt on the sidewalk. I have asked my friends to keep a watch out for any injured pigeon to whom I can give care & shelter, in memory of this beautiful pigeon that I lost. Imagine, 5 years down, you still feel bad for your baby swallow. I'm wondering if we'll ever get over the loss of these innocent animals & birds we care for, who become our lifelong babies. I also lost my pet dog in a train accident in 2008 & she was a rescue too. I keep thinking that at some point we'll be re-united in a happy place.

[Trees Gray]

I'm so sorry about your bird, but I certainly understand. You are not the first and unfortunately won't be the last to allow their bird free access outside. We have countless posts from people having pet birds raised from teeny-tiny baby and allowing them outside, and even after warning them, they still let them out and it was just a matter of time before they were taken by a predator.

It is in everyones' general nature to want their birds to be free and happy, but it is a death sentence to let a single pigeon, especially a pet pigeon fly outside. They are vulnerable to predator attacks and have not learned from the parent birds what they need to fear.

Don't be upset anymore, you did what you thought would make the bird happy, you didn't know. Your bird was happy. The bird is now in peace in the light of its Creator, and you will find another needy bird in time.

God bless you.

[dapplepigeon]

To Chitra: I have four pigeons, and just two days ago two of mine were killed by the same hawk the same day. There were on their 2nd flight out. One of them left and never came back on the first day as well, so now I have only one. I totally feel you. I wish I could kill the hawk that did it, but I know it's only nature and that I should just let it run its course.

To Trees Gray: I have only one pigeon now that the others got attacked, and I'm wondering what to do. She's looking a bit depressed and puffing up the way a sick bird would, so I think I should let her fly and make her happy. However, the same hawk that killed my other two birds keeps hanging around. The only thing that keeps it from attacking my bird is that I stay outside with her all the time when she's flying. I'm scared for her, yet I don't want to keep her inside because she's looking so down. I wonder what you would do if you had a single bird like this.

[Crazy Pete]

To Chitra and dapplepigeon we are all sorry for your loss as every one here has lost a favorite bird, dog, or even cat. There are a lot of caring people on this site to help get you through tough times and if you would like to help rescue another helpless bird there is one every now and then some one that need help. Just a thought.
Dave