What do I feed these doves?

[bearz]

My hubby let our ds bring home 2 young doves from the swap meet today. Oh Lord, like we need more critters.

At any rate, I know chickens, geese and parakeets but I have no idea what to feed these guys.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

They can eat most anything the other birds eat as far as seed and pelletized feed.
They can also eat peas.

Google "pigeon feed" and youll get more info on diets for them

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

The bad thing about doves is a lot of the things in a typical pigeon feed, are too large for doves to swallow (or well, two large for them to WANT to try and swallow them, haha). Mine love wild bird seed. I usually mix mine with the chicken's scratch feed so the doves can get some bite sized corn as well. I will also often mix in some of my pigeon's food, which has popcorn in it (not popped or salted or anything, haha). That's one thing that's small enough for them to eat. They also love safflower seed.

 

[truecolorsloft]

What she said!

We use finch mix(sometimes wild bird food with the small corn and sunflowerseeds)) with scratch feed, Our rollers seem to enjoy the snaller seed. but i noticed that one of my doves prefers his food large, and eats the seeds, that the other's leave behind. But out of 10 ringnecks, i think he's the odd duck. err dove out.

 

[bearz]

So they can eat Parakeet food? That would be great! I'll have him put some in right now. THANKS!

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Yep, nice and small for the doves, plus most parakeet food has little fruit and veggie pieces in the mix, which the doves should enjoy once they learn to eat them

Good for them too.

 

[gingernutranger]

I would get an all around poultry crumble blend. They make it for all poultry and gamebirds by purina. Ive herd that you can feedf them sprouts.

 

[seismic wonder2]

I've been researching Doves on the net. A few places I've found say they have relatively soft beaks and can't crack the hulls of some seeds that you feed other birds.
They also recommend the "hulled" seeds and a millet sprey or two fastened to the side of the cage for them to nibble on.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote:
Doves and pigeons dont crack seeds anyway. They swallow them whole.
Wild doves eat whole kernal corn with no problems at all

 

[truecolorsloft]

yes, we have out dishes up high in the loft, and what the "smaller pigeons and doves" won't eat, the runts on the floor will. LOL!