multi-grains mixtures

Im feeding whats left over from racing mixed with a few handfuls of mixed canary seed and farm barley, I guess up to around 20 different grains at the moment.
Strange how some pigeons go straight for peas, others maize, some go direct to the small stuff, all different. But one thing they all have in common is leaving the barley to last. Many fanciers rave about how good a grain that barley is for our birds but mine are telling me differently, voting with their beaks

Never fed barley, always the same mix year round, do not think it matters what ever grain is used as long as it has the nutrients for the job asked.

Some successful fanciers say the only grain they use in winter is barley.

Some feed nothing but beans all year round.

More none sense talked about food to line the pockets of the polishing and posh bags brigade than anything else.

Pigeons were flying from Rome when only farm beans, wheat, barley and dog tooth maize etc were available warts and all, losses few in racing and most fanciers had their own BREED.

Time to start polishing corn is when you see the healthy wild birds that fly thousands of miles doing it.

Until then just use common sense.

Regards.

thr mix i buy has small seeds in it they just don't eat them

George & Morgan wrote:

thr mix i buy has small seeds in it they just don't eat them

Always said here if one wishes to simply finish up in the nut house spent your lifetime looking for that magic type mix in a pigeon sense     Magic mixes are simply Spin/Bling for the most part from my perspective I'm by those out to fleece the unwary.

What I'm meaning is if barley is so good for the pigeons why do they not eat it first? They aren't interested in it unless hungry.

barnie wrote:

What I'm meaning is if barley is so good for the pigeons why do they not eat it first? They aren't interested in it unless hungry.

barnie, if you had the choice of food that included all that you liked and one that you were not keen on ?.

I think barley is not as good to eat as most grains it is husky nothing to do with the
potential energy value etc;

Regards.

good plump barley is hard to get hold of ,i remember years ago a oldhand gave me 20kg of barley and it was golden in colour and very plump and have not seen the like since ...todays barley is all husk basically absolute rubbish ...malting barley or brewers barley is said to be good for the early races but i always fed a mix from start to finish of the race season and added fats as the season progressed in distance .

on this now till eggs hatch next season, once a day about 1:30pm until they're full then another handful for good measure

whats that mix then colin, your own or a shop bought one .....?

my own David, mainly left over YB racing mix, bit of barley/depurative that I had left over, added a bag of mixed peas, couple handfuls of canary seed, then some cheap rice and porridge oats from the supermarket. They're thick in the moult right now but seem fine to me, not that I see much of them. dark when I leave for work and only 30 mins before dark once I get home.

Knew a successful old time fancier who gave rice prior to basketing for a race, just brought it to mind.

Think the mixture I used all year round had everything in it but the kitchen sink.

Never tried to analyse it.

Regards.