Can adult pigeons grow?

I have a question for you:
Can adult pigeons really grow through good food? What are your observations?

We had weighing day yesterday. Pina was checked, Rudi and our Emily. Pina had a good 387 gr on her ribs, Emily, our small one had 337 gr (I thought that she had no more than 300 - how I was wrong!!! ) and Rudi had 436 gr

When he came to us in July last year with his terribly string injuries he had only 340 gr and was a really small pigeon. Now he weighs 100 gr more and he is as large as our Jimi. How can that be? He was an adult pigeon already last year but I assume that through the good food he apparently increased in size - not only weight.

Have you ever had similar observations? It is not the first time that this happens. Our Loki, the one with the crop rupture has grown as well - he is still coming every day and gets his share of seeds with his mate....

Interesting question, Petra! I was also amazed the last time I weighed my pigeons, when I found out that Hercules overtook the 400g mark for the first time ever -- but he's not fat, or at least he doesn't look it.

Probably what happens is that through good nutrition pigeons develop a very strong muscle tone, and muscles weigh a fair bit. That will also make them look larger.

Yes, especially Rudi has developed a strong muscle tone - no wonder how he flies and runs the whole day. But it is definitely not only that that makes him look larger. He's become broader shoulders and he is taller and longer. I haven't measured him - I wished I had - to prove this.
Each time when I pick him up to give him his Calcium or checking his feet I really have "something" in my hands - feels very good!!!

But I am so happy that they are all so "good looking" -

That's remarkable!

I've never measured my pigeons either, but the way Hercules feels bulkier without being fat (and Strophe and George too) maybe they do grow bigger if they have the right nutrition and good health.

Your post is very interesting, Petra.
I was always under the impression once a pigeon reached their full adulthood their weight would pretty much stay the same, setting aside any weight loss due to illness or injury of course.

I have to agree with you and Teresa, in that proper nutrition probably does play an important roll in this.

WOW!! Rudi had a significent weight gain, especially for being an adult.

I should weigh my Bird too yo. He is a baby right now. And yeah your right the muscle in pigeons can get very massive. The birds are very strong. I wouldn't dought fora second the birds are the strongest specie in the world. I have had a dove who survived a raccoon attack. I seen his seeds digest. And you think I'd let someone say to birds aren't the strongest? Oh man remarkable those dove's I let them go because our coop had this infection of disease acted like a parasite I was tired of birds dying so i set them all free. The dove's came back. Lived in my backyard and would chase robins out of the backyard . Any other bird those doves would attack them. EVEN OUR PIGEONS!!! Idk inside the cage Doves harmless. Put a dove outside and they are dominate.

Teresa wrote:

Interesting question, Petra! I was also amazed the last time I weighed my pigeons, when I found out that Hercules overtook the 400g mark for the first time ever -- but he's not fat, or at least he doesn't look it.

Probably what happens is that through good nutrition pigeons develop a very strong muscle tone, and muscles weigh a fair bit. That will also make them look larger.