How to Feed and Wean a Baby Pigeon (Picky Eaters!)

Birds are given formula at this age to replace the crop milk their parents would normally provide. Around day 10, I also recommend starting to hand feed seeds into their mouth alongside the formula.

By this age your bird should be getting mostly seeds. I stop giving formula entirely around day 10-15. In the wild, pigeon parents only produce crop milk for the first week; after that, they regurgitate seeds instead.

Feed your pigeon by using one hand at the base of their beak to open it, then use the other hand to place seeds into their mouth. This is the safest method, since forcing liquid into their mouth is very dangerous.

Any bird that's no longer taking formula can drink on their own. Gently dip their beak into water and they'll taste it and start drinking. If they don't drink, they simply aren't thirsty yet, so try again later. There's no need to wet their seeds or force water on them.

This is where actual weaning happens. Every bird is a little different, but by week 3-4 I get more strict about a bird needing to eat on their own.

This section assumes you've already been feeding your bird seeds and haven't been giving a 3 week old pigeon formula. If you have, that's okay, just start manually feeding seeds for a day or two first.

This matters because your bird needs to taste the food before they'll want it. If you've been formula feeding a pigeon while also offering seeds, they won't be interested, since they've never had seeds "regurgitated" to them and don't yet recognize the taste.

The most common method is to put a phone or tablet in front of them playing a video of pigeons eating, then drop seeds in front of the screen. I'd recommend leaving the room for this, since a bird you've been hand feeding will see your hands and want that instead. I play the video and step out.

My preferred method is simpler: I leave them in a nest full of food for the day and let them discover the seeds and eat on their own time.

Whichever method you use, manually feed a few seeds beforehand so your bird understands the taste. It's important that when they pick a seed up to try it, they already recognize it.

How much you manually feed depends on age. Younger birds that aren't quite understanding yet get more manual feeding. Older birds that are already getting the hang of eating get less.

After leaving them alone for a while, check their crop. If it's empty, feed them manually so they don't go hungry. If you feel seeds in their crop, that means they've figured out how to eat on their own. Always offer water afterward.

After your bird has learned to eat, there's usually a period where they still haven't learned to eat from you, since they've only ever done it in the nest.

This section assumes your bird has been eating on their own for 2 or 3 days.

Hold a bowl of food in one hand and your bird in the other, and be patient. Wait for them to eat. I'll occasionally "peck" at the seeds with my finger to mimic another bird.

If your bird eats at all, that's great progress. From there you can transition to feeding them out of your hand or another container of your choice.

If your bird doesn't catch on after 15 minutes, put them back in the situation where they already know how to eat, like their food nest. Let them eat there for a little bit. This reminds them it's food time and gets them hungry again. Then try the bowl once more so they have to eat from that instead.

After a couple days of this, your bird should know how to eat seeds from a bowl. It's very normal for them to be picky at first, so don't worry about it.

This section assumes your bird already knows how to eat on their own, or at least picks food up to taste it before throwing it aside. It's very common for a pigeon to dig through their food and toss pieces around while searching for certain seeds. This is not because they're unable to eat the larger ones. A 15 day old pigeon can eat a whole pea or piece of corn. This changes somewhat if you have a small beaked breed like a Frill.

This should only be followed for pigeons that are already healthy, not a bird you just rescued. Follow the earlier steps first before trying this. A picky eater is really just a bird that isn't hungry yet.

Whenever you offer food in a bowl and your bird throws it around, digs through it, or refuses to eat some of it, take the food away and wait a little while. Then offer it again. I repeat this about three times. If they're still doing it after that, I end the session and try again later.

At this age I usually feed twice a day, so I try this once when I wake up and once before bed. Be patient and give them time. If it looks like they're starting to eat, let them keep going. If they go back to throwing food around, stop.

It's completely normal for your bird to stay picky through the first day, since they aren't hungry yet. By day two, they'll usually start eating more seeds, though you may still need to take the food away when they're not doing well. Be patient, wait a little, and watch for improvement. By day three, your bird generally won't be picky anymore, because they actually want to eat.

Some people think this sounds cruel, since it means the bird goes without food for a day or two. But it's what gets them onto a healthy diet. Imagine a person who only ate chocolate and chips every day. A couple of days of hunger in exchange for a healthy diet over 10+ years is worth it, in my opinion. I don't train my birds with treats either, since that just makes them picky. I train with their regular diet instead.

I use seeds to teach birds to eat because the different colors and textures help their brain and eyes learn to recognize food, but I mix in pellets too so they get used to them.

For birds I don't hand feed, like my breeding pairs, I only feed pellets, since a pellet diet can't be picked through. Pellets are a complete diet, and they get any other supplements through grit. I keep pellets available 24/7 for these birds and don't train them.

For birds I do hand feed, since they only get food from me, it doesn't matter either way. I prefer to keep mixing seeds and pellets, since that's what keeps their diet balanced.

Always keep grit available in their cage, since it helps them digest food. Don't mix it into their food, as that's dangerous. They'll eat grit on their own when they need it.

I've noticed people online saying they don't feed their pigeons grit. My guess is that this comes from AI-generated advice that mixes up pigeons with parrots, since parrots don't need grit. Pigeons do. Make sure yours always has access to it.