pigeons

[ROB REYNOLDS UK]

how long does it take for there food to go down ,,lets say a pigeon has eaten his belly full of rape how long before it wants to eat again and the same goes for wheat and barley i know that the rape goes through a lot faster than the wheat ..do pigeon eat twice a day or more :( went out to shoot some pigeon today and they aint playing B)

[henry d]

They also use their crops to store food so at this time of year you will see pigeon traffic(flightlines)early in the morning and in late afternoon,mid morn to mid afternoon and all they tend to do is digest food,take on grit and attempt to procreate.As to your original question.....I don`t have a scooby :(

[fert]

how long does it take for there food to go down ,,lets say a pigeon has eaten his belly full of rape how long before it wants to eat again and the same goes for wheat and barley i know that the rape goes through a lot faster than the wheat ..do pigeon eat twice a day or more :( went out to shoot some pigeon today and they aint playing B)

not even with your flapper?

[ROB REYNOLDS UK]

no they just were not about, was in the field at 7.15 stuck it out for a few hours but no joy got one i think it was stuck it on the flapper ,just no birds flying,we were under the flightlines as well had a drive round some of the farms no birds any were some farmer some were was getting his crop bashed ,just got to find it, going out in the week to see if we can get some new land to shoot on fingers crosed we will find some

[lurcherboy]

I have watched a pigeon go to roost in the afternoon and 2 hours later fly down to my pattern. I shot it went home and when I breasted it that night to find the crop empty save a bit of grain.

 

And yes, it was a quiet day

 

 

 

 

LB

[ROB REYNOLDS UK]

i just thought some one would have known the real anwser to this one ..oh well i will just have to keep on getting out in the field for 7 shooting till 11.30 and it starts alll over again at 1.30 till 4.30 theses are the best times i have found you will get a shot in between but there just the odd ones ...any body ever had a good bag on a rainy day ??

[Cranfield]

The digestion speed depends on what the pigeons has eaten. I certainly don't know technical details, but in my experience;

 

Green crops like rape, digest very quickly , which is why the pigeons have to eat so much of the stuff.

When kale was a more popular crop, the crop heads were covered with pigeon droppings, as it seemed to go in one end and out the other almost immediately.

 

I understand ripe grain and seed, is the slowest to digest and the crop that needs most water to aid digestion.

When surrounded by wheat stubbles, I have shot more pigeons by setting up a hide near a pond, than on the actual fields.

 

I suspect ripe berries, are also a quickly digested food.

 

Where is Gary from GI Country Sports UK when you need him ?

He would know the answer.