Combining grit and feed

[dodo]

As some of you might be aware, Dimity is the white escapee who now mingles happily with her feral friends, but she also flies into my kitchen once or twice a day for a "top up".

Today I went to a dedicated pet store and bought 4 kilos of proper pigeon mix and 1 kilo of shell grit.

I have read here in the FAQ that the grit should not actually be combined with the seed mix. This is of course so that the bird can decide how much grit she actually needs / wants versus seed mix.

I'm just wondering what the best way is to make the grit and the seed available to Dimity when she is my kitchen guest, and to the ferals during breakfast time on the back lawn? I've seen one post here in the archives that mentioned a feral didn't show any interest in the grit, and this worries me a bit.

I was thinking of putting out a two-chambered cat bowl on the kitchen floor, with the seed mix in one compartment and the grit in another. That way they sit side by side but can't be mix together. I'm hoping she can work out what the grit is and take it from there. My question is (assuming this arrangement is OK), what would be the optimum ratio of seed to grit to put in the respecitve bowl chambers? And assuming that some of the grit would remain after feeding time, how long does it last (like, does it "go off" or anything?).

And then there is the problem of supplying grit to the ferals on the back lawn. Unlike the seed, I can't sprinkle it on the lawn, because it would be too hard to find, even taking into account the incredible eyesight of a pigeon. So in that case, I was just going to put it in a bowl on the lawn where I put the rest of the feed.

Do these arrangements sound OK, or this there something fundamental I'm missing? Thanks!


Jonathan

[AZWhitefeather]

Jonathan,
When did Dimity begin visiting your kitchen? That is so cool! You have a friend for life.

Placing separate bowls of grit & seed are just fine for her. She will eat the grit as she feels it's necessary.
Sometimes my pijjies eat the grit like there is no tomorrow & other times they may just pick at it a bit.

The feral pijjies should be able to get natural 'grit' as they eat the seed from the ground.

I think you are doing a wonderful job.
Really enjoying your posts.
Cindy

[dodo]

Hi Cindy,

Well she did indeed do just that! She only just came for her afternoon visit 20 minutes ago. I told her I had a special treat today. She tucked into the pigeon mix like there was no tomorrow, but she wasn't touching the grit (despite my polite requests for her to do so). However, after she finished the seed, she then ate about 1/4 that seed volume in grit. So cute!

This was a specialised pet store I went to, but they only sell one kind of grit. It is branded "Golden Cob" and is a "fine" shell grit. There isn't much more on the packet other than a note stating that it is "a valuable source of calcium and minerals". Hopefully it will do the job as that seems to be all I can readily get.

To answer your other question, Dimity started venturing into the kitchen about two weeks ago. It was at that point I decided the bird needed a name, rather than just being referred to as that "white and caramel" pigeon.

Whilst she is very wary around humans, she is very cheeky. My mother rang me a couple of days ago in the middle of her afternoon feed. When I returned to the kitchen from the study, Dimity was up on the kitchen sink trying to work out a way of getting the remainder of the seed mix in the packet. The other good thing is that her wingspan just fits within the width of the sliding back door. So I make sure I keep the back door fully open when she eats. That way she has the security of knowing she has a quick get away. Not that I hope she feels she needs it around me.

[AZWhitefeather]

What a great story Jonathan.
Another thing you can think about. Save your egg shells, crush them & offer them to Dimity in her 'grit' bowl.

"I make sure I keep the back door fully open when she eats. That way she has the security of knowing she has a quick get away."

Better watch out, you may have a house full of hungry pijjies. I'm just kidding.
Cindy

[dodo]

Egg shells? Thanks for that. I eat three or four eggs a week, so that should be plenty of crushed shell

[WhiteWingsCa]

when using egg shells for pigeons, make sure you 'bake' them for a bit before crushing them, to kill any bacteria

Wash them out, then throw them on paper towelling in the microwave for about 60 seconds.