Every poultry farmer knows that health largely depends on the quality of nutrition and the correctness of the selected diet. And in sports pigeons, not only the state of health, but also success in competitions depends on the diet. Consider what pigeons can eat, and what to give to birds is strictly prohibited.
How to feed pigeons
We make a diet for birds
Pigeons, like people, need a balanced and varied diet. The basis of the diet is oats rich in various microelements, and pigeons get vitamins from green feed. As for the portion size, it depends on the size of the birds. Meat breeds, for example, are much larger than sports breeds, therefore, they need more feed.
Diet and serving weight will vary depending on many factors. In winter and spring, birds, for example, are fed differently. Flyers who are preparing for competition also have a specific diet. Well, and, of course, during the feeding of poultry for meat special feeds are used. Let's take a closer look at how to organize meals at home, how the diet changes depending on the situation and what constitutes the basis of the diet in each case.
Permitted products for pigeons
Since the bird eats with pleasure almost everything, before making a ration for birds, you should find out how to feed pigeons, but not what. The list of approved products includes:
- all cereals;
- legumes;
- stones;
- granulated food.
Let's consider each group of allowed products separately.
There are no restrictions on cereals. Feathered can safely be fed any grain. Cereals should be alternated, which diversifies the diet of birds. In addition to cereals, seeds are given to birds. Buckwheat must be present in the diet, which cannot be replaced by anything. Feathered hemp is also pampered. But as for the wheat, which pigeons eat with great pleasure, it should not be abused. With excessive consumption of wheat, birds become obese, which has an extremely negative effect on health and flight performance.
Legumes are a treat for pigeons, but this is quite heavy food, so you need to give it infrequently. On hot days, it is better to remove legumes from the diet altogether.
Sometimes grain is partially replaced with stones, which act as a mineral supplement for birds. But not any stones are suitable, but mineral ones, which can be purchased in specialized stores. Before giving pigeons stones, crush them. You can also give the birds crushed red bricks.
Specialty stores sell pelleted feed for pigeons, which must also be included in the bird's diet. No matter how you try to pick up food products, they will not contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Granular feed will make up for the lack of certain trace elements in the body of the bird.
The amount of food consumed
It is very important not only what doves eat, but how much. Each poultry breeder, focusing on the behavior and state of birds, selects the optimal dose of feed on their own. But there are general points to be aware of.
When choosing grain crops, preference is given to barley. It should account for 40% of the daily value of cereals. According to the norms, a pigeon consumes from 30 to 50 g of feed per day. But do not feed the birds with one grain. This amount includes green feed, which can be grown independently at home. Barley is periodically replaced with barley. Also included in the diet is millet. But the share of this grain should account for no more than 10% of the daily value of grain crops. About 30% should come from wheat. The remaining 20% is seeds, peas, flax, rapeseed, sorghum.
During molting, the diet is slightly modified. During this period, you need to strengthen nutrition. This is due to the fact that for the formation of new feathers, the body needs more nutrients than usual. This is especially true for protein. During this period, it is advisable to increase the amount of barley and oats in the diet. But the amount of wheat consumed should be reduced. Be sure to feed pigeons with rape seeds, and as a green food they give feathered cabbage, or rather its leaves. During this period, the pigeon eats more than usual. The daily norm during the molting period increases by 10-15 g.
Diet in the winter time
Feeding pigeons in the same way as in the summer is not possible. This is due to the fact that it is extremely difficult to get green food in winter, and in some months it is completely impossible. You have to look for an alternative. It is also worth taking into account the fact that in winter the birds prepare for breeding, which also leads to a change in the diet.
So what do you need to feed pigeons in winter? High protein feeds are minimized first. This must be done in order to reduce the sexual activity of birds. Pigeons hatched in winter have little chance of survival. Legumes hold the record for protein content. Accordingly, they are excluded from the diet. The place of legumes in the diet is replaced by barley and oats. Also, in the winter period, potatoes are added, previously boiled in salt water.
We should also make a reservation about feeding carrier pigeons. Their diet should be more nutritious than the diet of other feathered types. The staple of a carrier pigeon's diet in winter is a homemade grain mixture. To do this, take 4 kg of oats and barley and 1 kg of lentils and pre-chopped corn. When the number of components changes, the proportional relationship is retained. Birds need to give this mixture at the rate of 35 g per adult.
To make the plumage soft in the winter period, rapeseed and flax, or rather, the seeds of these plants, are added to the diet of birds. The rate of flax and rapeseed per day is 4 g.
Summer diet
Food for pigeons during this period should be more nutritious than in winter. This is due to the fact that in spring and early summer pigeons are engaged in feeding pigeons. Also, during this period, birds spend much more time in the air, which spends a lot of energy and strength, and sports pigeons begin training and competition.
Feeding pigeons during this period involves the use of foods high in protein. Also, a large amount of vitamins must be ingested. In addition to the fact that the feed should be rich in protein and vitamins, they must be nutritious, otherwise the pigeons will not be able to feed the young as it should, and this will have a negative impact on the health of the pigeons. And in order for the young to form a strong skeleton, vitamin complexes and top dressings are additionally included in the diet.
The basis of the diet during this period is a mixture of vetch, pea, wheat, corn, millet, barley and oats. As for the percentage, barley, millet and peas are taken in equal parts. Their total mass in the finished mixture should be 60%. The remaining ingredients are also taken in equal amounts. But they account for 40%. During this period, the daily feed rate for an adult is on average 50 g.
In addition to the grain mixture, the birds give young greens. In this case, there are no restrictions, but you need to collect grass away from the roadway. The plants there are full of toxins. The use of such plants can lead to eating disorders in pigeons.
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Diet for "athletes"
Feeding competition pigeons is significantly different from feeding at any other time.
During long flights, birds spend a lot of energy, which they need to replenish upon returning home, so feeding sports pigeons at home suggests the presence of foods rich in carbohydrates on the menu. Many carbohydrates are found in barley, corn, rice and wheat. So that during sports, the bird shows the maximum result, it is pampered with sugar. After completing sports, the pigeon needs to be given the seeds of oil plants (rape, for example).
The cereal mixture for the pigeons taking part in the competition should consist of 35% peas, 20% barley, 40% vetch, corn, oats and millet, and 5% wheat. The pigeon eats less in winter than in summer. The daily intake of the mixture, which can be prepared at home, is 45 g.
Pigeon transportation
Separately, you need to think about the feeding of pigeons during transportation, because decorative, for example, pigeons sometimes spend a long period of time on the road. Care must be taken to make the birds feel as comfortable as possible at this time.
When transporting pigeons should be given those foods that do not cause thirst. Accordingly, exclude legumes, after which you want to drink. If you neglect this advice, then the pigeon during the competition, in order to quench its thirst, can sit by the reservoir, and stops are very expensive for athletes.
During transportation, as well as the day before it, birds are fed with a mixture of 50% wheat, 30% vetch and 20% corn.
Food during the breeding period
Feeding domestic pigeons during the breeding period is costly, since birds need vitamins, especially group B. During this period, females form eggs, respectively, the body spends a lot of effort on this process. With an insufficient amount of trace elements and vitamins in the body of the dove, the eggs will have low incubation qualities, which will negatively affect the hatchability of the chicks.
In addition to the feed mixture, which is prepared from cereals and legumes, pigeons are given green feed and supplements containing minerals. It is advisable to give the doves vitamin complexes. Especially during this period, birds need vitamins A, D and B2. With a lack of at least one of them, the egg production of the dove will decrease. And the laid eggs will have a thin shell, and the embryo may not be viable.
It is very important that the pigeon receives all the necessary trace elements, especially during the breeding season. If you notice that the bird is looking for pebbles, eating clay or chalk, then there is a lack of certain nutrients in the body. Accordingly, you need to give the wards mineral baits, which are sold in specialized stores, where a specialist will help you to choose the right food.
Street birds
We figured out how to feed pigeons. Not a single pigeon breeder advises giving pigeons bread. Accordingly, for street pigeons, such food is not healthy. But more often than not, people in parks let them feast on baked goods. As a result, due to carelessness of people, the life expectancy of birds is reduced by almost 3 times. It is better to pamper wild pigeons with millet - this is the favorite food of birds. If there is no millet at hand, then you can take any cereal with you. You can feed wild pigeons with rice or buckwheat, which are in every home. Reduces the life span of street pigeons and improper diet.
Feeding pigeons
Sometimes the pigeon refuses to feed the chick (especially the seagull pigeons sin with this), and the question arises as to how the pigeon can be fed. If the parents refused to feed the newborn chick, then the chances of his survival are minimal. This is due to the fact that the first time a dove gives young goiter milk. At present, no mixture has been invented that would be similar in composition to this product. The value of goiter milk is that it is rich in bacteria that are necessary for normal digestion. Really feed the dovecot, which parents left at a weekly age.
How to feed a little pigeon depends on age. A week-old chick is given a boiled and pre-chopped egg. As the pigeon grows up, a grain mixture is introduced into the diet. It is made from the same grains used to feed pigeons. Since a growing body needs a lot of energy, it is very important for food to be nutritious.
In addition to grain, beans, lentils, sesame seeds, flax and rapeseed, oats (peeled), unpolished rice are included in the diet. White rice is not recommended for birds.
You can give pigeons food intended for feeding parrots. But before buying such feed, you need to familiarize yourself with the composition and stop the choice on feed without oats. If, nevertheless, oats are present, you must first clean it from the husk. You cannot feed the chicks with bread.
Diet
Beginner breeders often have questions about whether it is possible to feed domestic pigeons at different times of the day and whether the feeding regimen changes with changing daylight hours.
The birds need to be fed at a strictly defined time. In summer, feeding is carried out 3 times a day, in winter - 2. You should start feeding poultry with 3 meals a day early in the morning, especially if they have offspring. The first feeding should occur from 4 to 5 in the morning. The second meal falls at 13.00. The birds have dinner from 19 to 20.
In winter, birds begin and finish feeding later. This is due to the fact that it is darker early outside and the sun rises late. The first meal is from 8 to 9 am, the second - around 4 pm.
You can give food to the birds both in the dovecote and on the street. At the same time, do not forget about observing the drinking regime. Feathered drink ordinary water.
Products that can not be given to pigeons
If the pigeon stopped eating, it is quite possible that the diet was not drawn up correctly, which led to problems with the digestive tract.
It is strictly forbidden to feed feathered black bread: this leads to disruption of the digestive system, and white bread is not recommended to feed birds. You also can not feed pigeons meat. The body of birds is designed so that they simply are not able to digest meat, like all other products of animal origin. Dairy products are also taboo.
All of the above prohibitions apply to street pigeons.
Conclusion
The digestive system of birds and humans is structured differently. This should be taken into account when drawing up the diet. Despite the fact that the bird eats almost everything, the products need to be selected carefully. If you have any doubts about whether it is possible to feed domestic pigeons with this or that product, you should consult an experienced pigeon breeder. During the breeding season, nutrition is increased, in winter, high-calorie foods are removed. As for urban birds, they need to be fed with grain, not baked goods. As a last resort, opt for white buns. If we talk about seeds, then an overabundance of them can harm birds. Subject to the rules of feeding, the pigeon lives up to 20 years.