Pigeon Eating Habits

[pigeon controller]

My shooting pal DB and I have this ongoing discussion which has gone on for the past thirty years. When we shoot birds late decoying they are empty of food but if you walk to the edge of the wood and roost shoot they are rammed. DB's brothers always said that birds can go three days with out feeding so in bad weather,  they have to feed on the third day. When this comes to light is when I see birds feeding and return the next day they are not on the field. I have no scientific proof of this but I put it out to the massif  to see if any other people have heard this.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Am interesting theory.........

[lakeside1000]

I check crops regularly to try to find out what they are on, many times even late in the day they are completely empty, but the birds are in top condition both feather and weight, so I think there is some basis in the theory that they dont always need to feed, but will still fly with the others from one feeding area to another as if its some ritual they need to keep to, and only fill up when the energy reserve gets low, maybe they have other things on their minds at this time of the year, randy little so and so's,  

[pigeon controller]

We know they can survive bad weather by living off there breast meat , so perhaps they can go without eating continuously??

[Whitebridges]

It's many years since i've seen emaciated pigeon. The last time would have been in the 70's when the acorn and beech mast crop failed and we had a lot of bitterly cold weather and snow.

I remember standing up in a crop of brussel sprouts on the North Norfolk coast, no hide no nothing other than gun and cartridges and shooting a lot of very weak and skinny pigeon. I stopped only when my hands and the rest of my body were frozen stiff. The farmer wanted them shot as the contract was an important one with Marks and Spencer.       

There are so many options open to pigeon these days, they are spoilt for choice. Really bad spells of weather don't seem as prolonged as they used to be.  

 

[dad]

I have found pigeons dont like to fill their crop early in the day when there is plenty of food about. I have fed them seed in my garden late afternoon and its taken about 30 mins to fill crops to bursting point i assume similar on rape yet i have never shot a full bird untill late afternoon. I dont think they like flying around all day full. I think the empy ones roost near rape and many times on my way home i have seen them dropping on with half an hours daylight left or browsing on ivy berries in the roost wood

[JDog]

If you don't know PC how do you expect anyone else to know these things. 

For the last two weeks I have seen very little feeding activity until late afternoon.