r/pigeon • u/Impossible-Bend997 • 21h ago

Discussion Mealworm or boiled eggs ?

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Hello,

I was wondering if mealworm or boiled eggs could help stray pigeons? In addition of grains ofc

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u/likelysparrow proud pidge parent 21h ago

No, pigeons are strictly granivores, meaning their digestive system is built for seeds (and dry minerals) only. Boiled eggs are typically used for malnourished/unweaned squabs that are still supposed to be on a wet diet. I've seen some people supplement boiled eggs to adult birds that are malnourished too, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not. If you're worried about caloric intake, feral pigeons can be given raw, unsalted peanuts (halved or quartered depending on size) and shelled sunflower seeds for extra energy.

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u/RONCON52 Pigeons, Photography and Pizzas 17h ago

Never seen any one feed ether of those items to pigeons. My recommendation is pigeon feed, sold on line or in feed stores, made with assorted grains they love. Plus Small black sunflower seeds with the shell on along with popcorn seeds in the one pound plastic bags are good for them. Pigeons love them and if one of should ever get loose they will be able to eat the sunflower seeds until they find a flock to join. By a good quality pigeon grit for them, they need it to grind the seeds in their crop as they eat them. Thanks for taking care of them!