Picky pigeons only eating the large seeds and such

[LamarshFish]

I feed my pigeons for 15 minute intervals, and remove the food. I do this with a large feeder that already has a few weeks worth of food in it. They pick through the good stuff, as expected, so I started only giving them measured doses of what they should be eating per day, and they still pick through it!

They seem to leave all the tiny seeds, which I think is mostly millet? Just wondering whether we really need to feed them that stuff.

I have been offering them portions of only the millet to try to get them used to eating it, and it sort of works, but I think they really don't want it lol.

I might have to cut back on the peanut feedings.

 

[biophiliac]

They seem to leave all the tiny seeds, which I think is mostly millet? Just wondering whether we really need to feed them that stuff.

D'ya mean why bother to give them any millet if it's their least favorite food? hm..good question...One fancier says he gauges the correct amount of food to be when only a little of the millet is left over.(removed and tossed) That tells him they were hungry enough to eat some of their least favorite food, but not so starved they searched out every piece.

If they are still able to be picky I suspect they are over fed .
As to the peanuts - you are breaking up the 1/2 nut into several smaller pieces, right? As #3 has been the recipient of the most nuts, I wonder if she/he is too plump to fly out of your yard!

 

[biophiliac]

I have been offering them portions of only the millet to try to get them used to eating it, and it sort of works, but I think they really don't want it lol.

When I was a toddler my mother tried to get me to eat oatmeal using this method, it did NOT work!!! LOL

 

[LamarshFish]

D'ya mean why bother to give them any millet if it's their least favorite food? hm..good question...One fancier says he gauges the correct amount of food to be when only a little of the millet is left over.(removed and tossed) That tells him they were hungry enough to eat some of their least favorite food, but not so starved they searched out every piece.

If they are still able to be picky I suspect they are over fed .
As to the peanuts - you are breaking up the 1/2 nut into several smaller pieces, right? As #3 has been the recipient of the most nuts, I wonder if she/he is too plump to fly out of your yard!

Could be the case, they leave quite a bit of the millet. I do feed them quite a bit of the peanuts, since it's been part of a taming process that's been working very well and gets better by the day.

I not break the peanut halves into more pieces, mainly because I needed them large enough to hold onto when I was feeding them through the cage mesh, but I can hand feed them now so I could break them up.

 

[LamarshFish]

I wonder whether switching to a once-a-day feeding of 15-20 minutes would be better? I notice my birds are much more anxious for me to bring them food in the morning. Sometimes in the evening they don't even want it. Part of this may be due to my fiance sneaking them peanuts during the day when I'm not home (which I just learned was happening a few days ago) .

 

[biophiliac]

my fiance sneaking them peanuts during the day when I'm not home (which I just learned was happening a few days ago) .

Well that's pretty funny! It seems you can plan whatever feeding regime you want, but you better have her on board for it to succeed. (Good lesson there too )

 

[jak2002003]

If you feeder already as a few weeks worth of food in it... the birds will keep taking the favorite seeds and leave the rest.

Better to measure our the daily ration and put them in the coop. Then don't add any more food at until all the seeds are eaten.

If you keep letting them only eat the seeds they like they will over eat.. get fat and may get nutritional deficiencies from not eating a balanced diet.

 

[LamarshFish]

If you feeder already as a few weeks worth of food in it... the birds will keep taking the favorite seeds and leave the rest.

Better to measure our the daily ration and put them in the coop. Then don't add any more food at until all the seeds are eaten.

If you keep letting them only eat the seeds they like they will over eat.. get fat and may get nutritional deficiencies from not eating a balanced diet.

I have been having some issues with the daily ration method because they keep leaving food in there, so they are not restricted to the 10-15 minutes of eating. Part of this has to do with the fact that my loft numbers have been varying and it's tough to nail down that precise amount of food that is just right. But what you say about large feeders with large amounts of food makes sense. I decided to do something in between--I use my large feeder with only a few days worth of food in it, I put it in for only 15 mins twice a day, then remove it after 15 mins. If they pick through their favorites, that is fine, then they only have their least favorite food left and if they don't want to eat it they don't get food. So far they will be picky with the millet and remaining food for about one meal (protesting the stuff they don't like), but come that next meal they eat it all!

This way, it keeps me on track with them being responsive to my food calls with the whistle and shaking the can.