Planting Greens for Pigeons (and Doves)

Guest post, photos and video courtesy of MickaCoo adopter and volunteer Shae Irving.

Yuzu & Quince

When I first contacted Elizabeth about building an aviary for rescued King pigeons, she gave me some great tips for making a home that they would love. I learned about different kinds of nest boxes and how to add a variety of perches to keep the pigeons interested and challenged. Elizabeth also mentioned that pigeons love to eat fresh greens, and that it might be possible to grow the greens and offer them to the pigeons garden-style, rather than simply chopping them up and putting them in a bowl. (Not that there's anything wrong with serving your pij greens in a bowl. Mine frequently get little bowls of chopped bok choy and cucumber; it's one of their favorite salads.)

Because it was March and I was already seeding fresh greens for my spring garden, I decided to experiment with creating containers of greens for the pigeons, too. I found that, while it takes regular attention to grow flats of baby greens, it's really very easy to do. Best of all, the pigeons are clearly thrilled each time I present them with their own little garden of greens to harvest. Sometimes they make a big mess of it, but it's delightful to watch them eating their greens and having such a good time doing it.

What You Need to Make a Mini-Garden for Your Pigeons

Shallow containers with drainage holes. Think creatively. Terra cotta pots work well, but I have also used shallow plastic buckets, ceramic planters made for bonsai, recycled plastic flats collected from nurseries, and a re-purposed wooden CD storage container. (The latter has been my favorite so far and, as you can see from the photo, it was a big hit with the pij, too.) So far, containers that allow the soil to be about 4-inches deep seem to work best. If they are shallower, the pigeons easily rip up all the greens and quickly displace all the soil (messy, messy!) and if the containers are large and too much deeper, they can be awkward to move around. (I thought the bigger pots might be awkward for the pigeons, too, but that's not the case. They love to hop up into the bigger pots and forage.) If you experiment, you'll find the best pots for your aviary.

Good seed-starting mix. Any lightweight, high quality potting soil will do. You can purchase specially prepared seed-starter mix from a nursery but if you do, you might want to check to see that it does not contain peat, which is a non-renewable natural resource. There are lots of ways to start seeds without depleting the environment.

Packets of seeds for lettuces, or seeds for other greens. I use packets of organic mixed lettuces, or "mesclun mix," which are inexpensive and easy to find at a local nursery. Greens like spinach and chard take longer to get started, so while I might try those in a separate pot, I don't mix them with the fast-growing lettuces.

Spray bottle with a mist setting. You'll need this for getting the seeds started and watering the tender seedlings.

Steps to Making Your Mini-Garden

1. If your containers are recycled, give them a good cleaning with hot water and biodegradable soap.

2. Fill the containers with potting mix and water the mix just enough to moisten it.

3. Scatter the seeds over the top of the moistened soil. Seed the container well, but not too thickly. I hold the seeds between my fingertips and sprinkle them over the surface like I'm seasoning a pot of soup.

4. Sprinkle more potting mix over the top of the seeds, so they are very lightly covered.

5. Use the spray bottle to mist the seeds well.

6. Place the container of seeds in a place that's light and warm, but not too hot. You can start the greens indoors or outside. Whatever location you choose, don't let the surface of the soil dry out. You want it to always be moist, but never soggy.

The seeds will germinate within a matter of days and, as they grow taller and stronger, you can switch to regular, light watering, instead of using the spray bottle. In just a few weeks, you'll have young greens for your pigeons to eat!

If your pigeons are like mine, they'll eat the greens quickly and with great enthusiasm. To create a steady supply, you might want to your containers in stages, seeding a new one every week or so. To extend the life of the container greens, you can remove the pot from the aviary before the pigeons have completely mowed it down, to let it rest and recover for a while.

As you can see from this video, even baby pigeons know what to do with their own garden. I took this video on the day after Yuzu and Quince came to live with me, when they were just four weeks old. I think they knew they'd made it to a place where they would be happy and safe!