While squirrels eat just about any food waste they find including burgers, fries, pizza, and anything else that is on the street. But do pigeons also eat chickens or meat? Raw or cooked? How much? Is it good for them? Should you feed them? Why or why not? Let’s find out the answers and whether they like it or not.
The Short Answer…
Although pigeons are vegetarian, pigeons eat meat whenever they find. Despite eating insects, burgers, kebabs, pigeons do not typically eat meat as they struggle to tear it up and break it down with their beaks. But that doesn’t mean pigeons cannot eat meat. Pigeons eat raw (cut into pieces) and cooked meat that contains protein, vitamins, and minerals. Feeding a little bit of cooked meat is fine but feeding too much will do more harm than good.
Do Pigeons Eat Meat? Which Meat Do They Eat?
Just like chickens, pigeons eat raw and cooked meat whenever they find especially cooked meat. However, if they find raw meat in pieces, they will eat it just like insects but if there is enough food available, they prefer seeds, fruits, and vegetables. However, due to less food available in the city, they will eat meat whenever they come across favorably.
Their beak and paws are not designed to hunt, tear and kill prey. Therefore, pigeons do not only forage for prey that fights that includes meat food we eat. As a result, pigeons eat every meat happily including raw meat but only if in pieces. But except a few types of meat like not in pieces, dead body, and spoiled meat.
Do Pigeons Like Meat? Do Pigeons Prefer Meat over Seed?
Despite pigeons are herbivores, they eat meat. But do they like it? How likely they are to eat meat? Here’s how.
Pigeons are well known for eating seeds and grain but not only that, they also eat meat just like squirrels. But when it comes to whether pigeons like meat or not, pigeons not ofnly like but they love to eat meat. Also, comparing seeds with meat, pigeons would prefer meat.
But just because pigeons like meat doesn’t mean they should eat meat all the time. Not only it’s not their natural diet, but lots of meat is also harmful and fatal just like chocolate.
Which Pigeons Eat Meat?
With so many different species of pigeons living around the world, not all of the pigeons eat meat. However, the amount of pigeons eating meat isn’t limited to their species. In fact, it mostly depends on where they live, urban or rural areas. The diet of wild pigeons is different than a city pigeon.
While pigeons in the countryside feed what mother nature provides which includes mostly seeds, rice grains, fruits, vegetables, and insects that is the ideal healthy diet for a pigeon. Adapting to the city, pigeons nearly eat whatever we eat including meat. As our food consists of meat like BBQ, pigeons also feed those which makes them eat meat just like raccoons.
As their beak is nowhere near to carnivores, they either eat raw meat cut into pieces or cooked meat that is soft even each other when they are sick or affected by a disease. In short, all pigeons that live in the city eat meats, raw and cooked both.
Should You Feed Meat To Pigeons? Which one?
Pigeons eat almost any meat you feed them. But feeding the right meat is what’s you should do. However, there are different types and different animals meat which can affect pigeons health positively or negatively. Here are they.
Cooked Red Meat: Red meat is the meat of mammals which are red when raw. Red meat is a great source of protein, vitamins, and minerals and should be feeded to pigeons especially female pigeons that lay eggs and baby pigeons during winter. You should only feed red meat cooked as pigeons cannot digest well raw meat which could result in health problems. In terms of cooking red meat, either boil it or cook it simply without frying and using spices like fast food.
The meat in fast food does the same harm to pigeons that have to us. Not only hat feeding lots of it will likely result in disease and fatality.
Meats that should be avoided feeding are raw meat, processed meat, fried meat, dead body meat. And to clear what animal meat to feed is red meat which includes cow, goat, sheep, and venison.
How Much Meat Should You Feed Pigeons?
The amount of meat you should feed pigeons depends on the number of pigeons. You can feed one adult pigeon about 200 Gram. You can however calculate the number of pigeons you have multiply by 200 Gram and cut into pieces and then cook it. Once its cooked, check if its soften and then feed it.
How Often Should You Feed Meat to Pigeons?
Although pigeons do not require much protein, you may feed once a month. Feeding past than a month won’t harm but would miss out on proteins and vitamins. Despite other foods also contain lots of meats proteins and benefits, it does not have vitamin B12 which is only found animal based food, iron, calcium and a few more.
However, if you feed more or quicker than the time, it may cause different problems or even kill them.
Why You Should Feed Meat to Pigeons?
In addition to feeding seeds and grains, pigeons also need to eat meat. Because the seeds and food that they eat today is different than the seed they ate in the past. Decades ago, seeds and grains were raised without chemicals that use to grow quicker than normal. That contained its usual complete protein and nutrition.
The seeds and grains are now raised in 2 to 4 months with chemicals that grow way quicker than usual. That means it has now less proteins and vitamins that used to or is supposed to have. Nonetheless, every time land is farmed becomes weaker and weaker, and with years of farming on lands, they have now lost lots of its benefits which mightn’t fulfill the protein required. Same for humans.
Wrap Up
Pigeons are one of the herbivores (Animals that are vegetarians) that also eat meat. But feeding meat is quite dangerous and should be only done in the described way. However, their natural diet is the most safe and beneficial which consists of seeds, grains, corns, plants and fruits like cranberries. Not all plants and fruits are useful and some of them can be harmful and even fatal like cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums with seeds.
Other than that, its safe to say that their natural diet does best to keep them healthy. However, feeding meat will add up some more proteins and vitamins which isn’t in other foods but should only be feed meat once in a while.