Best way to feed Mourning Doves

What you must realize with a bird that has a wide wingspan is that the species aren't made for bird feeders, thus no feeder at all will be the best plan of action.

Best way to feed Mourning Doves would be out of bird feeders, as larger birds like doves don't have the dexterity to combat suspended feeders. You can keep bird seeds safe when elevated on a open platform; although as a ground feeder, Mourning Doves will benefit hugely if fed on the lawn or on bold dirt patches.

Mourning Doves like nothing more in the wild than feeding on a mix of grass or weed seeds, with the additional flower seeds in which they must perch on to eat.

Not so much with a suspended bird feeder hung off a pole or branch as they tend to be made exclusively for smaller birds in your yard. With that to think about, there's no harm in feeding Mourning Doves on the ground only.

One minute we're finding ways to keep doves and pigeons off bird feeders, and now we are thinking about the best way to attract doves to our yards to feed them; which isn't a bad thing as doves must be fed to in order to stay fit and strong.

Never rely on a hanging bird feeder as they're incompatible with doves, thus an open top dish or tray can be considered.

Doves will come to your yard to forage on seeds off your lawn, and if you throw bird seeds directly below elevated feeders - this would be a new reason for doves to visit.

In fact, doves will naturally come to forage under bird feeders hung above, as they feed on the spoils of seeds thrown by smaller birds or are dropped out from above.

You can still throw seeds over the lawn providing you do it strategically in a small patch, as doves become aware of where seeds can be found in a specific location.

Best way you can feed doves is on the ground or in a ground bird feeder, as such large birds are always going to struggle to feed on suspended bird feeders. Which of course isn't a bad thing when keeping crows off bird feeders, plus many others.

Fed on 99% of bird seeds

Before getting into the essential ways of feeding Mourning Doves in your yard, first you need to know exactly what to feed them on a daily basis of course.

What is important more than anything else is knowing a Mourning Doves diet is made up of seeds all year.

Other things are eaten but not anything you'd find in a wild bird food mix or what you may find in the kitchen - which is mostly related to cracked corn or where cultivated grain is taken in the wild.

Seeds is what you must be feeding Mourning Doves then, be it fed to them on the ground or higher up on a stabilized platform bird feeder.

Mourning Doves will eat a wide variety of wild bird seeds that can include seeds of grass and weed seed. Flower seeds can be eaten which involves doves perching on the flower to take the seeds in bloom.

Similarly but rarely eaten can be a mix of wild nuts like pine nuts as they taste similar to seeds with a near identical texture.

My ideas for the best way to feed Mourning Doves is coming up shortly, but remember what bird feed to provide them must really only be a mix of bird seeds.

None of the wild seeds outlined above would be offered up in wild bird seeds you can buy, thus they can be substituted with sunflower to safflower seeds if you like - plus inferior seed mixes which just so happen can have cracked corn or grain included.

Under elevated bird feeders

With common wild bird seeds that normally go in a clear window seed feeder, you can set aside a handful of these seeds to be thrown under the ground below suspended bird feeders, hung off a tree branch or bird feeder pole.

Seed bird feeders that are made to be hung aren't the kind of bird feeders doves like, because they're too small and compact - thus incompatible with a Mourning Dove who have wings that span approximately 22 inches.

Bird feeders hung up for smaller birds are easy to use yet expel larger birds like doves who can be a bit of a nuisance, so must continue to be fed under the feeder location.

All you need to do is throw over a handful of seeds directly below the tree branch or bird feeder pole location, so ground eating birds like the Mourning Dove can feed.

Its imperative to use more or less seeds depending on if other ground feeding birds will also feed on the scattered bird seeds visible on the lawn.

Commonly found foraging on the lawn of suburban yards, to situate bird seeds in a small space within the lawn can provide doves a quicker meal while saving time.

Elevated bird feeders are those that are hung off a pole or branch but can also be a platform feeder that is on top of a stand or can be mounted. Mourning doves can eat from this kind of feeder yet will still prefer to feed on the ground below it.

Bold patches on ground

Best way to feed Mourning Doves would be directly under suspended bird feeders, because to a dove they know that is where a mix of bird food is made available.

Doves remember where to find food in our yards thus will head directly under hanging bird feeders, as they become aware of falling bird seeds, dropped from above.

With that in mind I do understand many of you don't take advantage of suspended bird feeders, thus there's no exact place to throw seeds in your yard. And that is important because doves will only eat bird seeds if they can be found.

I would continue to throw seeds over the lawn where doves normally frequent if I was use, although to place a mix of seeds on a clear dirt patch can be an option.

Contrast between a brown dirt patch to vibrant wild bird seed mixes can be sure the seeds are easy to spot from above.

You'd want a central location if at all possible although a lit up dirt patch over to the side of the garden is an option.

Seed thrown over short grass

On the subject of throwing anything from sunflower seeds to safflower seeds on the ground, you don't want any of it to go to waste when you must prioritize a visible location.

Contrast of a dirt patch to colorful bird seed can quickly lead to the seeds being eaten up because they are seen at some distance as doves pass overhead.

On the other hand to scatter bird seeds over what is mostly long grass can see most, if not all of it go to waste. With that to consider, you can assist Mourning Doves by keeping your grass cut short.

It isn't vital but to attract new visiting doves to your yard, they need to know where your seeds are thrown daily.

Doves will forage on the lawn as normal but its imperative a mix of seeds can be eaten so the seeds are held in their crop as quickly as possible, to digest later - all while they can fly off before potential predators like cats show up.

When throwing bird seeds over long or short cut grass I would suggest you pick the same spot over and over again, as your regularly visiting Mourning Doves will come accustom to the exact location every time.

Off all bird feeders if possible

If bird seeds are made available in your yard, including some nuts then Mourning Doves will come calling in a hope of taking an important intake of feed early on.

Doves, like any backyard birds must eat thus will do all they can to eat as often as they can in order to survive.

With Mourning Doves being far too large to adapt too, let alone use any kind of seed bird feeder - let's feed doves off bird feeders as often as we can.

You can still utilize an open top platform bird feeder for larger birds to feed on, where the feeder will be placed in a clearing with no obstructions in the way.

Regardless, its imperative you still make sunflower seeds, safflower seeds or cheap seed mixes available out of hard to access suspended bird feeders.

Doves will attempt to perch but it isn't something they like to do, nor is it safe for them to try as it does risk injury.

Bird seeds are best placed on the ground as the best way to feed Mourning Doves, with an option to place seeds on the deck, railing, a visible tree branch or tree trump - plus any additional elevated objects that doves can spot with ease.

With Mourning Doves being ground feeders the seeds offered up in your yard would be safer on the lawn, yet you may find more will be eaten if its made available to doves out in the open - rather than trapped away in a hard to access small compact bird feeder.

Summarize

What can only be the best way to feed our visiting Mourning Doves on time and every day, is on the lawn which would preferably be under suspended bird feeders.

Doves are large, heavy and incredibly awkward on bird feeders because feeders themselves aren't built for doves in mind - nor do doves have the dexterity to tackle what is a compact small bird feeder intended for small birds only.

Forget about hanging bird feeders all together when open top platform bird feeders can be an option for doves in mind.

Preferably an open top platform feeder on a stand although a mounted feeder can be an option. What with Mourning Doves being a ground feeder by nature, then of course a ground bird feeder will keep feeding time well organized.

Mourning Doves must primarily be fed on seeds if you want to see them eat all all, with seeds scattered over the lawn or to be more precise - throw bird seeds in an area of the yard where doves are found to loiter the most.

Concentrate the wild bird seed mix under bird feeders suspended above, as its an area that naturally draws in ground feeding birds.

What you must aim for is never feeding doves in a feeder as they would mostly go without; whilst feeding doves on the lawn, patio, deck, railing, visible thick tree branches or dirt patches on the lawn would be a place to put seeds down.

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