The first question when a person gets a feathered pet is what to feed it. If pigeons are released hungry, in urban environments they will find food in garbage containers and landfills. In rural areas, birds will fly into other people's gardens, causing harm to strangers. Not every owner wants to put up with this. Is it possible to give millet to pigeons? Is this grain enough for the development of the bird?
Can pigeons eat millet?
Millet is millet that has been hulled. Due to its small size, it is primarily eaten by chicks, gradually expanding their diet.Like any grain, birds feast on it already in the fields, when it is covered with a hard shell. Therefore, there is no doubt that this is acceptable and even desirable food for pigeons. The only question is whether such grain alone is enough for bird health.
Benefits and harms of the product
In nature, pigeons instinctively diversify their menu, stopping at one type of food in rare cases when there is no choice. Birds cared for by humans can receive everything for their best well-being, surpassing their wild companions in longevity for entire years.
When including millet in the diet, the poultry farmer should know what benefits it brings to his pets.
To do this, you need to study the composition of the grain element by element. The table shows the components that play an important role in the pigeon’s body and are found in the grain in significant quantities compared to the bird’s needs.
| Millet ingredients | Amount per 100 g of cereal |
| Carbohydrates | 64.35 g |
| Alimentary fiber | 8.5 g |
| Squirrels | 11.02 g |
| Vitamin B1 (thiamine) | 0.42 mg |
| Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | 0.29 mg |
| Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) | 0.85 mg |
| Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0.38 mg |
| Vitamin B9 | 85 mcg |
| Vitamin PP | 6.7 mg |
| Magnesium | 114 mg |
| Phosphorus | 283 mg |
| Iron | 3.01 mg |
| Manganese | 1.63 mg |
| Copper | 0.75 mg |
| Zinc | 1.68 mg |
100 grams of millet gives the pigeon 378 Kcal. There is even more protein in this type of cereal than, for example, in pearl barley. Millet contains a significant amount of 8 amino acids and a few others. Polyunsaturated fats found in cereals are best absorbed, promoting rapid growth rather than storing reserves in the body.
How to give correctly
Millet contains little gluten, which makes it possible to feed boiled cereals to the bird without any risk to the bird’s digestion. However, the quality of food will decrease sharply. Of the vitamins in quantities reduced by 5 times, only PP will remain. Of the microelements, manganese will retain 17%, phosphorus – 39%, magnesium – 25%, copper – 20%. The rest will evaporate. Carbohydrates will decrease by 3 times, dietary fiber - more than 6 times, proteins - 3.5 times, fats - 4 times less. Of the amino acids, residues of isoleucine, leucine, tryptophan and phenylalanine with tyrosine will also be present. As a result, 100 g of product will give only 119 Kcal (3-fold loss).
Even raw millet contains little fat, vitamins A, D, E, K, C, B12. It contains no sodium, almost no potassium, calcium, or selenium. To maintain the balance of nutrients in the pigeon's body, it is necessary to give it feed mixtures.
Products rich in missing chemical elements are shown in the table:
| Nutrition Ingredient | Name of the food it contains |
| Fats | Vegetable oils, animal fats. |
| Vitamin A | Whey, fish oil, carrots, pumpkin. |
| Vitamin B12 | Meat and bone meal. |
| Vitamin D | Fish oil, dairy products, yolk. |
| Vitamin E | Sunflower seeds, vegetable oils. |
| Vitamin K | Greenery. |
| Vitamin C | Fruits, tomatoes, onions. |
| Potassium | Fishmeal, pearl barley, tomatoes. |
| Calcium | Chalk, dairy products, eggshells, garlic, parsley. |
| Selenium | Corn, onions, cabbage, fish and animal products. |
For pigeons, feed with a suitable composition of nutrients is also selected. Premixes are purchased separately - mixtures containing elements required for the poultry diet in microscopic doses. But it is difficult to mix them into small amounts of food or water at home.
It is ideal to feed street pigeons in a park or square with dry millet, since the birds will collect every last pea without leaving any garbage behind.
