ALL ABOUT GRIT
For Pigeons and Doves
by Christina Gravalis, Exec. Director of Cascadia Pigeon Rescue
A very good multi-grit blend gives pigeons a wide spectrum of minerals they can’t fully get from seeds or pellets alone, while also physically supporting digestion. Insoluble grits like granite and flint act like millstones in the gizzard, helping them grind food more efficiently so nutrients are extracted better and crop/gizzard impactions are less likely. Digestible components like crushed oyster shell, limestone, coral, and eggshell dissolve slowly, providing calcium for bone strength, nerve signaling, muscle function, and especially for hens forming eggs, while magnesium and trace minerals support heart rhythm, metabolism, enzyme function, and stress resilience. Charcoal and redstone or iron-rich grit help bind toxins, balance acidity, support blood oxygen transport, and encourage electrolyte stability, which matters for hydration and recovery. A blend of differing particle sizes and mineral sources also helps maintain proper gut motility, stimulates healthy foraging behavior, supports immune function, and can reduce issues like weak legs in youngsters, brittle feathers, or low stamina. When pigeons have constant access to this diversity, they self-regulate intake based on what their body needs most at the time, making the whole system more stable, more adaptable to illness or egg-laying, and better at turning food into usable energy.
When pigeons lay too many eggs, the minerals in their bodies—especially calcium and phosphorus—can become depleted because egg formation demands a huge transfer of nutrients from the hen into each shell and yolk. Calcium is pulled directly from the bloodstream first, and if dietary intake can’t keep up, the body will start withdrawing calcium from bone reserves, making bones progressively weaker and more fragile. Phosphorus, which works closely with calcium for skeletal strength and energy metabolism, also drops as it is redirected into the developing egg, and low phosphorus can further disrupt proper calcium absorption and muscle function. Other minerals like magnesium and zinc can dip as well, impacting nerve signaling, enzyme balance, immunity, and overall recovery. The result of ongoing mineral loss can look like fatigue, poor balance, weak legs, tremors, slower healing, thin or brittle new shells, reduced stamina, and in severe cases, hypocalcemia, which can lead to collapses or even sudden death if uncorrected. Essentially, the hen’s body prioritizes the egg over itself, so without enough mineral support between clutches, her internal levels steadily fall, and her health pays the price. Providing grit gives your girls an opportunity to replenish their mineral levels and stay safer and healthier.
Some pigeons may struggle to regulate their grit intake, competing over it or consuming excessive amounts. While this behavior is relatively uncommon, it absolutely happens, and it can lead to crop impaction, a serious and potentially life-threatening condition. When introducing grit for the first time, it is important to observe the flock and note how individual birds respond. It is normal for pigeons to eat a noticeable amount on occasion, and this alone is not a concern. Intervention becomes necessary only if a bird truly demonstrates an inability to stop—seemingly lacking an internal “off switch.” A bird can enjoy grit and have a fair amount of it but they should not actually gorge themselves on it. In such cases, the bird must not have constant access to a separate dish of grit, but it should still receive its essential benefits. A safer approach is to offer grit in controlled portions by adding a few small pinches directly into their daily food.
In my flock’s current setup, the birds have their own room where they are free to move throughout the day, with cage doors open to support autonomy, exercise, and natural behavior. Each pigeon has continuous access to a small bowl of grit placed beside their food, allowing them to self-regulate as needed. None of my birds exhibit problematic behavior around grit, so this arrangement works well for them. If one bird in my care did display compulsive grit consumption, the entire system would need to adapt for that bird’s safety. Rather than offering grit dishes during the day, I would provide a few pinches of grit in each food bowl, so every pigeon receives what they need without encouraging overindulgence.
The birds without self-control issues would still have access to grit, but only while cage doors are closed—I would place their grit bowls directly inside their cages when I locked them up at night, allowing them to access grit overnight and until their cages were opened again in the morning. As soon as the cage doors reopened for daytime movement, the bowls would be removed again, ensuring the bird with the grit-regulation issue could not reach them. The needs of the entire flock must ultimately accommodate the bird that cannot safely self-regulate, because even one bird at risk means the environment must shift to protect them, while still supporting the health of the others.
If you do have one of those pigeons that are fixated on over-eating grit, or an individual bird starts doing it out of the blue, it can sometimes reflect an underlying imbalance or health issue, not just a bad new “habit”. In those cases, it’s a good idea to check in with an avian-knowledgeable vet or qualified bird clinician and ask for some baseline diagnostics. A fecal exam can rule out parasites and check for abnormal bacterial or yeast levels, which sometimes drive unusual cravings or digestive irritation. A blood panel or CBC paired with chemistries can give a snapshot of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, liver, and kidney values to make sure the body isn’t compensating for a deficiency or struggling with something internal. If the behavior coincides with weight loss, low energy, odd droppings, vomiting, or poor coordination, a crop swab or gram stain can also be helpful to see if there’s infection or inflammation in the upper digestive tract. The goal of testing isn’t to assume grit caused the problem, but to make sure something else isn’t causing the bird to seek out grit in a way that could become dangerous. Sudden or intense shifts in appetite, including an urge to over-consume minerals, can be the first outward sign that the gut or metabolism needs support, so getting a few quick tests run helps you catch issues early, correct imbalances safely, and adjust grit access in an informed way rather than guessing.
Again, most birds are fine having access to grit around the clock and will not get up to any funny business.
BUY YOUR GRIT USING THESE LINKS
NOTE: These grits are an appropriate size for pigeons—they will work for doves just the same but you will have to crush some of them (the oyster shell and probably the calcium carbonate rocks) to make the pieces smaller. It is totally fine to crush them and shouldn’t be terribly difficult.
Here are links to the grits I give my birds. I mix them in roughly equal parts in a large container and keep a small amount—just a couple of scoops—in their grit bowls all day so they always have access when they want it. At the end of the list, I’ve included a link to the bowls I use. They’ve turned out to be the perfect size for pigeons in my flock.
I’m not selling these, and I don’t make any money or get anything out of recommending them. I’m sharing them simply because this is what has worked for my own birds over time, and I’m suggesting them to you in the hope that they help your pigeons get—and stay—healthy too.
Kaytee Hi-Calcium Grit for Small Birds - Jar 21 oz
Mile Four Chick Grit for Baby Chicks - Chickens Age 0-8 Weeks, 100% Natural Mineral Chick Grit Quartzite, Poultry Grit Digestive Aid, USA Mined, 4 lbs
Small Pet Select - 100% Flaked Oyster Shell, Calcium Supplement for Chickens, and Ducks, 5lb
GritWorks Chicken Grit 25# Poultry Calcium Carbonate
Morning Bird Pigeon Grit - Healthy & Nutritious Pigeon Food to Supports Strong Muscles & Bones for All Bird Species - Easy to Digest & Packed with Natural Mineral Supplement, 1.5 lbs
These next two with stars in front of them are links to the same thing, at least one seller should have it in stock:
*****ABBA Mineral Grit - 2lb Bag suitable for all birds - Calcium supplement
https://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/abba-mineral-grit.aspx?srsltid=AfmBOorx7oIauB-4M8rTtPwEcphQ_aAlECPAUjc4WIn9wEd1io8VRtAEAbba
*****Bird Mineral Grit 2 Lb
Meanplan 4 Pcs Reptile Bowl Food Dish 2.71 Inch Reptile Water Food Feeding Dish Ceramic Worm Pet Bowl Anti Escape Feeder for Lizard Anoles Chameleon Bearded Dragon Hermit Crab
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN EGGSHELL GRIT
Another excellent grit that you can make at home is eggshell grit, but it needs to be prepared correctly for it to be clean enough to leave out all day for your birds to eat. Here is the correct process to prepare and clean eggshell grit:
Hard boil eggs and peel off the eggshells. Make sure the membrane stuck to the inside of the eggshell is completely peeled off as well. I will include a popular method of hard boiling for anyone who doesn’t know how to do it, and a process that might make peeling the shells off and removing the membranes easier.
Step 1: Hard boil eggs
Place cold eggs in a pot in a single layer and add enough water to cover them by about an inch. Heat the pot over medium-high until the water reaches a full, steady boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for about 10–12 minutes. When the time is up, drain the hot water and immediately run cold water over the eggs or transfer them to an ice bath for a few minutes—this stops the cooking and makes peeling easier.
Step 2: Peel off the shells
To keep eggshells as intact as possible when peeling—so you can remove the membrane more easily—use a slow, controlled peeling method that cracks the shell minimally and in large pieces rather than fragmenting it all over.
Start by giving the cooled hard-boiled egg a gentle tap on the counter at the wide end (the end with the air pocket). You only want one clean crack to begin. Slip a spoon or your thumb under that opening and carefully lift, letting the crack expand naturally. Then, roll the egg lightly along the counter with your palm to create one long seam around the shell without crushing it. This helps loosen the egg from the membrane without shattering the shell.
From there, peel in sections by encouraging the shell to release in broad, curved pieces, following the egg’s natural shape. Keep your fingers close to the surface, apply steady upward pressure, and avoid pinching or digging in sharply. If you hit resistance, pause and roll the egg a little more rather than cracking again. Leaving a thin film of shell attached as you go is fine—coming back to nudge that area free later keeps the overall structure intact.
Once the shell is off, you should have mostly whole, curved pieces, which makes it much easier to peel the membrane away in one motion without tearing it into bits. The key is to start at the air pocket, roll gently to form seams, and let the shell release in large pieces instead of attacking it with lots of small cracks.
Step 3: Boil the pieces of egg shell
To sanitize eggshells by boiling, you don’t need a long cook—just enough to kill pathogens and remove any residue. Once the shells are separated from the egg and membrane, and rinsed, place them in a pot of boiling water and maintain a rolling boil for 5 minutes. This is sufficient to sanitize the surface. After boiling, drain them well and let them steam off briefly before drying in the oven or air-drying so excess moisture doesn’t linger in the shell’s curves.
Step 4: Fully dry the egg shells
You can dry boiled, de-membraned eggshells in the oven at a low, steady heat so they fully dehydrate without browning or scorching. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 200 °F (93 °C) for about 25–35 minutes, checking once halfway through and giving the pan a gentle shake to help them dry evenly. They’re done when the shells feel completely crisp, dry to the touch, and there’s no trace of moisture left in the curves of the shell. Let them cool fully before storing or grinding—cooling helps any last steam escape so they stay dry in your mix.
Step 5: Crush and serve!
Once completely clean and dry, break or crush them lightly into pieces small enough for a pigeon to eat. You can mix this in with the grit in your pigeons’ grit bowls, but personally I wouldn’t mix it in with your larger container of mixed grit, as the shells are delicate and might get too crushed in the heavy mixture.
HOW TO USE LIQUID CALCIUM & LINK
This is a link to a liquid calcium supplement made by Morning Bird. It is highly bioavailable and we find that even if the bird has access to a wide variety of grits and gets calcium this way, it is still important to give this supplement. Do not give daily, especially not as an oral supplement, unless done under avian vet supervision. This product has excellent health benefits for your bird but it is very important not to overdo it. We recommend putting several drops of it in the birds’ water two or three times a week, and, ONLY IF you have been shown by a wildlife rehabilitator or a veterinarian how to do it, we recommend giving egg-laying females 1 drop per 50g of bird weight orally with a syringe 1x/day immediately before, during, and after egg-laying days. DO NOT EVER attempt to give supplements, food, or medication to a bird orally using a tube or syringe without being shown how to by someone experienced. If you try to figure it on your own, it is highly likely that you will injure or kill your bird—sadly, we see this happen frequently. Even in an emergency, it is usually better to do nothing than to attempt to give medications or food using a tube or syringe if you haven’t been shown how to.
Morning Bird Calcium Plus Liquid for Birds 8 Fl Oz
https://a.co/d/1UocwOq