Are peas and corn a okay diet for pigeons?

[ilikepigeons]

After a problem with the sparrows eating all the pigeon feed I did eventually find a solution, to only give grains bigger than they can eat. So now they eat whole maize, white peas, blue peas, and maple peas. 3 parts peas to 2 parts maize, different types of peas equally mixed. I find the blue peas go first. I do not race or show my birds, they're just pets, they are free range so I guess they get whatever they forage for in the grass (greens, some bugs, grass/weed seed and grit from what I can tell) as well as what I feed them. They also get a complete vitamin and mineral supplement mixed onto their seeds with hemp oil (I thought I heard somewhere it contains all the necessary amino acids in the right ratio) twice a week, and I offer them pigeon grit too.
Are these seeds okay to be fed as the whole seed mix, like I do?
Does the pea variety make a difference? should I continue feeding all three or is that unnecessary?
Should I change the peas to corn ratio? ( 2 parts corn to 3 parts peas)
Any seeds I should add to the mix? (that sparrows can't eat?)

 

[cherrynberry]

@RoostersAreAwesome

 

[JacinLarkwell]

@U_Stormcrow is pretty good with nutrition

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I don't know a sparrow's nutritional needs, have never looked into it. All forms of peas, when offered for chickens, should be heat treated (same for any legume) to address some anti-nutritive properties. If you are feeding dried peas, chances are, that's already been done.

A quick search does not turn up any good studies on the amino acid ratios of hemp, or hemp oil - though its widely agreed its a complete protein, the exact ratios are harder to find. Pro-hemp sources I did locate claim the profile is better than any other plant EXCEPT soy in its ratios, and that Lysine is the limiting factor.

As Lysine levels are quite low in corn, that's a concern for your mix. Fortunately, peas are (relatively speaking) high in Lysine. They tend to lack in Methionine and Tryptophan, however - those are areas where soy does well, so *perhaps* hemp oil has similar profile.
Those are the questions I can answer with reasonable confidence.

After that??? I can't answer about using a variety of peas - too much variation in strains and cultivars, not enough study, and too muich variation in individual cultivars based on location, time of year, weather patterns. The literature says don't exceed 20%. It also says don't exceed 35%. and everything in between - owing in part to variations in the peas themselves. Some pea varieties have high levels of trypsin inhibitors, some high levels of tannins, and low levels of lectins which become concerning as the amount of peas in a given recipe increases. All of those are factors you probably cant answer re: your peas. Finally, smooth peas tend to be higher in protein, and their starches more diegestible, than wrinkled pea varieties.

Here's some (free) reading to get you started.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1d7c/6239154e9629a5db28624a86141e7eeafcc9.pdf

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0bbd/e036b365d03981b02dcc1013155590fe4858.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5218572/

My strong suspicion is that you don't have a nutritionally complete diet there.

 

[nchls school]

As a diet for free flying pigeons, I would think what you're feeding is fine. My pigeons are also free flying and they get whatever I have at the time. My small pigeon flock eats with the other poultry and they spend a lot of time picking up after our dwarf goats.

 

[Qwerty3159]

Since they’re free ranging I expect they’ll be able to at least mostly supplement their diet with whatever they find. I still would suggest you find some work around to broaden the diet a bit with something like wheat. I guess you wouldn’t have to feed the wheat every day (certainly better than not at all) but I think it’s important to have a slightly greater variety than just peas and corn.

How many pigeons do you have? Is it possible to feed them on somewhat of a schedule so that they eat most of the feed every day and don’t leave any lingering for the sparrows? Or is the problem just that you have a ton of sparrows crowding out the pigeons?
House sparrows don’t eat sunflower seeds in the shell or safflower seed but both of those are quite fatty and not something you want as a primary ingredient in your feed.

 

[ilikepigeons]

Since they’re free ranging I expect they’ll be able to at least mostly supplement their diet with whatever they find. I still would suggest you find some work around to broaden the diet a bit with something like wheat. I guess you wouldn’t have to feed the wheat every day (certainly better than not at all) but I think it’s important to have a slightly greater variety than just peas and corn.

How many pigeons do you have? Is it possible to feed them on somewhat of a schedule so that they eat most of the feed every day and don’t leave any lingering for the sparrows? Or is the problem just that you have a ton of sparrows crowding out the pigeons?
House sparrows don’t eat sunflower seeds in the shell or safflower seed but both of those are quite fatty and not something you want as a primary ingredient in your feed.

I might be able to give it every 2 days or so if I am smart with it, right now the sparrows think I am just putting out seed they can't eat, so perhaps I can give some wheat and similar when I see the pigeons waiting for their food and give them just enough that there is not much/any left when they're done feeding. They're much worse if they know a routine, so maybe if I don't have any routine that could solve it. I hadn't thought of this idea until you mentioned it, thankyou.
There's 6 pigeons, and I have tried routines with them, but they want to feed more times a day than I can handle. The sparrows also crowd out the pigeons, there was roughly 20 every time I fed them.
But I'll try this idea, it might just work. Any specific grains should I be feeding them? I still have left over 'little stuff' (wheat, barley, linseed, sorghum, safflower) right now but I need to order more feed soon.

 

[Qwerty3159]

Wheat and barley are great choices and you could probably give them that whole mix