YB feeding

I always used to feed them equal parts peas, beans, wheat and maples on weaning. They grew ok but seemed to hang around the garden a long while before getting their wings. Tried a different approach this time, much lighter feeding and measured amounts. Might be coincidence but these seem to be running around the floor one day, up in the top boxes a few days later then on the wing in a crack. Older ones now ranging, dots in the sky, this is in a few weeks. Hope they stay the course, time will tell.

They are drinking plenty of water barnie according to the droppings, maybe something to do with the mixture.

Regards.

yeah feed to heavy and they take an age to get up on the wing ...have found it useful to do this though when getting older ybs in but like a light plentiful mix for the ybs generally ,its good to hear things are going well with the new arrivals/set up

Following pics. Number 1 mix, Econo mix, wild bird feed. Add Safflower when they are feeding young. Otherwise mix it.
Different ratios as needed. Of course they forage on the ground. All fly well.

Site of old loft. They ate my cannabis seedlings!

Good range of easy digestible seeds and grains there! Your birds always look to have top condition on this method!

Yes Barnie. However, I am in a position to give them open loft were others cannot.
They are fed then let out. Usually some food left by evening so give them small amount. Racing then different. YB.s fed so will trap on return. OB.s trap anyway.

It is a funny thing but I have always thought the pigeon knows what is good and bad for it's well being and with open loft they get what offsets the fanciers bad management (if there is any) and pick what THEY know is best from garden field or whatever and usually need no medication at all.

It would be interesting to know just how much fanciers spend on medication and preventative medication etc; because of the change from normal to abnormal methods.

I know many cannot have open loft but that does not change the facts.

The vast majority of our feathered friends are far inferior in most cases from those of 50-60 years ago.

Money being a contributory factor keeping pigeons that should have been culled alive and bred from to recoup the outlay etc;

But one can only make the best of any situation.


Regards.

halcanada81 wrote:

Site of old loft. They ate my cannabis seedlings!

Feed a lot of safflower down here etc Hal wouldn't be doing it thou at your prices as such & peanuts are a rich mans feed here & few bother using them on average I've found. & take care.

barnie wrote:

I always used to feed them equal parts peas, beans, wheat and maples on weaning. They grew ok but seemed to hang around the garden a long while before getting their wings. Tried a different approach this time, much lighter feeding and measured amounts. Might be coincidence but these seem to be running around the floor one day, up in the top boxes a few days later then on the wing in a crack. Older ones now ranging, dots in the sky, this is in a few weeks. Hope they stay the course, time will tell.

Did you add the pellets etc Barnie, by chance or were they just in the mix when bought type of thing.

Standard layers pellets knackered, roughly 5% added them myself pal.

Be interesting barnie to see how the droppings go in the next few weeks when they have been on it for a while.

Do you use any preventative treatments barnie and how old are the young when you vaccinate.

Regards.

Misty, No treatment so far, just started with these youngsters after many years out of keeping pigeons seriously. No old birds or stock. 2 drops of iodine in 6 pints of water twice a week. That's it and all I plan on using, anything can't cope with my regime will be gone. Most of these still squeaking but will be trained next month. Will probably vaccinate once they are all batches up properly and the babies have caught up, guess about 3 weeks. Got my eye on a couple hanging back on the loft floor too much for my liking, won't mess about with interior birds regardless of breeding.
Will be done with one spot next week and that sums up meds for me.

whats the iodine for colin .......what does it do ?

barnie wrote:

Standard layers pellets knackered, roughly 5% added them myself pal.

What layer pellets etc. There not chickens Barnie .

Thanks barnie, will be of great interest to me to see how you get on, make a break from doom and gloom.

Keep us up to date, just hope there may be some racing.

Regards.

David wrote:

whats the iodine for colin .......what does it do ?

David it's supposed to replace what's deficient in the grains, and stimulate thyroid gland, support red blood cells and metabolism. Google it there's some interesting claims. Basically a way of replacing the old rusty nail in the drinker?

Myself I'm just using it as a gentle crop disinfectant, try keep any fungal stuff out the birds and keep canker count low without using bottles and powders. Time will tell I guess.

Knackered wrote:

barnie wrote:

Standard layers pellets knackered, roughly 5% added them myself pal.

What layer pellets etc. There not chickens Barnie .

There's a couple of young cocks nearly as big as chickens!

Can remember iodine being in the salt blocks for cattle, many fanciers used them when I was youngster.

Regards.

I have the blue cattle salt blocks. Plus the brown mineral blocks.They lick as needed.
Open loft young birds. Danger time soon. Fields will be planted with corn. Treated corn seed. Hence feed in troughs usually.

barnie wrote:

Knackered wrote:

barnie wrote:

Standard layers pellets knackered, roughly 5% added them myself pal.

What layer pellets etc. There not chickens Barnie .

There's a couple of young cocks nearly as big as chickens!

Well at least we know why etc Barnie maybe .
*****

barnie wrote:

Misty, No treatment so far, just started with these youngsters after many years out of keeping pigeons seriously. No old birds or stock.  2 drops of iodine in 6 pints of water twice a week. That's it and all I plan on using, anything can't cope with my regime will be gone. Most of these still squeaking but will be trained next month. Will probably vaccinate once they are all batches up properly and the babies have caught up, guess about 3 weeks. Got my eye on a couple hanging back on the loft  floor too much for my liking, won't mess about with interior birds regardless of breeding.
Will be done with one spot next week and that sums up meds for me.

yes povidone iodine 10% given at 1 mil per litre or lugols but povidone is better quality....its very good for fungal and canker count ,we use kilpatricks black mineral which contains iodine amongst other things...most vit b12 race boosters also contain iodine

oldstrain wrote:

barnie wrote:

Misty, No treatment so far, just started with these youngsters after many years out of keeping pigeons seriously. No old birds or stock.  2 drops of iodine in 6 pints of water twice a week. That's it and all I plan on using, anything can't cope with my regime will be gone. Most of these still squeaking but will be trained next month. Will probably vaccinate once they are all batches up properly and the babies have caught up, guess about 3 weeks. Got my eye on a couple hanging back on the loft  floor too much for my liking, won't mess about with interior birds regardless of breeding.
Will be done with one spot next week and that sums up meds for me.

yes povidone iodine 10% given at 1 mil per litre or lugols but povidone is better quality....its very good for fungal and canker count ,we use kilpatricks black mineral which contains iodine amongst other things...most vit b12 race boosters also contain iodine

You carn't use that etc O/S it doesn't have a pigeon on the label as such .