Pigeons and Doves
Feeding adult pigeons & doves
Adult birds are seedeaters and eat a variety of seeds and grains.
Feeding baby pigeons & doves
Baby doves and pigeons insert their beaks into the parent bird’s throat to suck their food; they do not gape for food. Feed them enough to fill their crop then wait 2-3 hrs for their crop to empty before feeding again. Once feeding is established they will show by restless behaviour when they need to be fed.
Make sure the baby is warm before feeding or it will not be able to digest its food. Very small babies can be tube fed with a fine plastic tubing attached to the end of a syringe but do not attempt this until you have been shown by a coordinator or experienced member. The food and tubing are warmed and slipped gently down the bird’s throat [right hand side of bird] and slowly released.
A good basic mix:
Soaked Pedigree Puppy Kibble halved dipped into:
- 200mls warm water
- 2 tsp apple sauce
- 1 tsp egg biscuit
- 2 tsp rice cereal or enough to thicken it to a runny custard consistency.
Self Feeding Doves & Pigeons can be fed on small parrot seed, soaked pedigree puppy kibble and soaked soup mix.
When the baby is larger and feathered it can be fed by gently holding the beak open and hand feeding pellets of granivore mix, soaked soup mix [dried peas, barley, lentils soaked in hot water until softened], soaked Puppy biscuits [based on rice with added vitamins and minerals] and a little scrambled egg. Often the baby will open its beak voluntarily if you use the V between your fingers or your finger and thumb to gently squeeze and push down on the sides of the beak.
As the bird gets bigger and its tail grows, you can begin to add soaked seeds to the diet. These birds take a long time before they feed themselves. Continue to supplementary feed, even when the bird appears to be picking up the seeds, as it sometimes take a while before it can actually pick up and eat enough to survive.