what do pigeon's eat?

[chinbunny1]

Flight feathers are the first few feathers on the wing tips.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Flight feathers are all the feathers that extend farthest from the wing. The first 10 (from the tip of the wing, to the middle) are called the Primary flights. The second 10, from the middle to the body (they're shorter) are the Secondary flights.

So the wings are the flights, and the tail are the...tail feathers

haha


Cut about an inch off of all the bad feathers. In about a week the cut feathers will 'die', or dry up, and they can be easily removed. If you don't cut and dry them first, plucking the feathers will be more painful to the bird (it's like pulling off fresh skin verses pulling off dead skin). Pulling feathers on a bird is actually more painful than cutting its skin.

As to what they eat, cracked corn is fine. It isn't the best, but they can and will live off of it. The possibly sharp edges of the cracked corn isn't the most danger, but rather how bacteria can more easily grow in it than whole corn. Cracked corn should be avoided if possible. Sour crop is canker in the crop, so corn doesn't necessarily cause it.

They can eat just about anything. Corn, barley, wheat, peas (green, canada, maple), milo, millet, white rice, raw peanuts, safflower, black sunflower....basically your typical wild bird seed with some dried peas from your local grocery store. Peanuts, safflower, and sunflower should be fed sparingly, since they are high in protein and fat. If fed too much at a time, all the time without exercise, you'll have fat birds! Usually there's not a whole lot of that in pre-mixed bird seed, so really the only thing you'll have to watch is adding peanuts.

 

[Rae_37066]

Thanks for the answers. He seems to be doing well, his wings are looking lacy but I will cut his wing feathers back and let you know how he does from there. He seems to be doing good, he is eating and drinking good. I hung his cage outside today and he didn't fuss or flop around the cage. he still raises cain when I put my hand in the cage to clean his bathtub bowl. I didn't know birds growl.. I know my chickens make a happy humming sound when I feed them.

 

[Rae_37066]

Update on Bird....That's his name.. I still have him. His feathers are back and he is a very pretty boy.

It seems that raccoons moved into the area the pigeons were living at hubby's work and they all left, so we decided to keep bird for a bit longer. We made him a cage that is 24x36 and 36 inches high. he watches TV and complains if he has already seen it and he seems to have taken a liking to me. We have a game that we play, I bow to him, he bows back and then he will turn around for me to admire him. I whistle and he starts cooing... really loud, if I am watching TV and he wants my attention he will either do what we call the helicopter which he starts flapping his wings and lifts off the perch about 2 inches and levitates. Very cool, lol or he starts talking really loud calling for me to come pay attention to him.

He has stopped biting and smacking me with his wing but he still is leery about me putting my hand in his cage. He will sit on my finger and listen to me when I tell him what a pretty bird he is.

I would like to get a companion for him, I am pretty sure it is a boy because there is no eggs. If I get him a friend will he go back to the way he was when I first got him or will he stay tame like he is getting to be now?