Pigeons are not extremely picky, and seeds are typically very easy to come by, but a balanced diet that will keep your bird healthy and happy requires some preparation. A good feed mix should have the right balance of macronutrients, be supplemented by a good grit/vitamin mix, and not contain anything that would be harmful or unhealthy for your bird. This guide provides an overview of pigeon diet requirements, a short list of recommended commercially available feed mixes, instructions for building your own mix, and basic recommendations on how much to feed your bird.
Pigeons are strict granivores. They eat seeds and do not need to be provided fruits, veggies, or any other food. A balanced seed mix and a well rounded grit mix (see Basic Grit Guide) have everything they need to thrive.
<aside> š¦ Pigeons can still be provided leafy greens as occasional enrichment, and it will not hurt them, but be aware it may cause sloppy poop.
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The most important part of a good feed mix is not specific types of seeds, but rather the macronutrients: protein, fat, and fiber. The recommended macronutrient percentages for a balanced diet for companion pigeons are:
Most commercial feed mixes will have the percentages specified on packaging. As long as those requirements are met, it does not typically matter what seeds are in the mix, although if your pigeon refuses to eat a specific type of seed and the mix has a lot of it, the diet may become imbalanced.
<aside> š¦ Avoid feed mixes with corn: itās usually added as filler because itās very cheap, but most pigeons will refuse to eat it.
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Typically, a healthy adult pigeon will not need your help figuring out how much food they need. As long as you make sure thereās always enough and refill on time, you should not have any issues with feeding. However, if your pigeon is a very picky eater and always leaves certain types of seeds untouchedāor only picks out a few types, ignoring everything elseāyou may want to meal-feed to make sure the diet stays balanced.
<aside> š¬ Eating all the seed types in the mix equally is important because otherwise the nutrient balance will not be met. For example, itās very common that only the tastiest, fattiest seeds will get eaten, and that will lead to a diet full of fat and lacking in protein and fiber.
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For meal-feeding, provide a measured amountāusually twice a dayāand avoid refilling until the full portion (or at least a large majority of it) is eaten. Start with one tablespoon of feed per 100g of your birdās weight per day. Decrease the amount if too much food remains in the bowl, increase if the bowl gets completely empty.
Grit does not have to be meal-fed. Always keep the bowl of grit mix filled even when youāre meal-feeding your pigeon.
Common favorite treats: Safflower seeds, mung beans, sesame seeds, millet, lentils, peas (there's a lot of different kinds of peas so some may be hit or miss), hemp, canola, peanuts. There is no one favorite for pigeons, so experiment to find what your pigeon likes the best. It helps to film them eating in slow motion to see what seeds they go for first, and then buy a separate bag of that seed or pick them out of their feed to use as treats.
<aside> š¦ Make sure the macronutrient percentages match the ranges in the guide! Many brands on this list will have mixes with varying nutrient contents because they may be meant for specific breeds or very active (racing) pigeons.
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