pigeon feeding

There are many successful fanciers who claim that when you have mastered the art of feeding pigeons you are on the way to success, assuming of course that you have the basic successful bloodlines in your family. The late W.T. Carr ofTottenham, once said that there was no way that any feeding or management would make a bad pigeon into a champion, but by good feeding a mediocre bird could be improved and a good bird could be turned into a champion. But he also emphasised that feeding, like every-thing connected with pigeons, was something individual to both the fancier and his birds.

Like most birds, the pigeon has no teeth with which to chew the food it is given, so it has another method of dealing with what it eats - the grain consumed is stored in the crop, where it is moistened or softened, until it starts going through the digestive process. It then passes on to the stomach, which in the pigeon is quite small and cannot contain a large amount of food for any length of time. From the stomach the food moves into the gizzard, which has an outer covering of strongmuscular-type walls and a very sturdy lining. It is here that the grain, with the help of grit which the bird will have taken,goes through the mill and is ground down and mixes with the digestive juices through which it has already passed on its way to the gizzard. From the gizzard the masticated food passes to the intestines, where it meets further secreted digestive juices and where the contents of the food are broken down further to enable it to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Having briefly looked at how a bird consumes its food, we must consider what a healthybird needs and what foods will satisfy those needs. Basically, they come under four headings:protein, fats, carbohydrates and mineral salts plus vitamins.loch is required for building up and maintaining the activeI ini,tions of the pigeon's body. Protein is needed to build upper tone and feather, and to replace worn tissues from time to time. Carbohydrates are the main sources of heat and energy, for although protein can also supply these it should not be regarded as satisfactory for the purpose, as an overload-ing of protein has a detrimental effect on the birds. This Is-cause the bird breaks down the protein into carbohydrates and into ammonia which has to be excreted by the kidneys.The amount the latter can handle is limited, so that toxicammonia and urate accumulate in the bird. So it really is aquestion of finding the correct balance. In general, a proteincontent of 17-18 per cent is considered correct.

To help the reader determine the value of the food he feeds to his pigeons, the following list takes an average of four sets of analysts' figures as to the contents of various grains and seeds: These figures are a good guide for preparing your own feedmixtures. For instance, in order to provide the required protein content in a mixture, the formula would be to multiply the protein content of each type of grain used by the quantityof the individual grain in the mixture, add the totals together and then divide by the total quantity of the mixture.

Any seed can be substituted for any other and the content worked out accordingly. The table can, of course, also he used to obtain the carbohydrate or other factor content of the feed which you are preparing for your birds.

We now know the usefulness of the various grain feeds toour birds, but how much to feed? On average, a pigeon will consume 25--40g (1-11/2oz) of corn per day, varying slightly with the size of the bird. A larger pigeon may need more food to keep its body going, just as a more powerful motor-car engine will use more fuel per mile. A larger pigeon has more bulk and more weight to shift and therefore uses up more energy in its efforts, and this energy must be replaced if the bird is to be kept in reasonable condition or form. The dailyfood should be given approximately one-third as an earlymorning feed, and the remainder in late afternoon or early evening after exercise.

This brings us to the question of whether one should simply give more food, or whether it is better to study the content ofthe mixture you are feeding and prepare separate feeds for individual birds.

There are many successful fanciers who do feed their pigeons in pairs or singly so that the birds obtain the right proportion of protein and carbohydrates that their owners have learned, by experience, they require. With young birds itis best to feed them by hand. This does not mean picking up each bird and putting the seeds in its beak individually, but to construct a feeding-tray, the size of which will depend on the number of birds you will be feeding. For feeding twenty-four young birds, the tray needs to be about 60cm (20) long x30cm (lft) wide.

The tray can be constructed by obtaining a piece of wood the size you require and fixing pieces of 50mm x 13mm (tin x1/2in) battening upright around the edges to prevent the birds from throwing the corn over the floor when eating. With young birds do not pour all the corn into the tray at once, but only about half the quantity you intend to feed. In this way you can gradually add the rest of the food and at the same time talk to your birds and give them an occasional gentle stroke along the back whilst they are eating. This helps to make the birds confident, and to cement the link between you and your pigeons which is so essential to success.

With regard to old birds, the ideal is to feed each pair in its own nest-box, using the small troughs available on the market which can be hung on the box front. In this way the birds are fed quietly and without disturbance, particularly when they are nesting. The birds can reach the corn and eat it between the dowel or slatted front, and you can control the food for individual pairs. All this comes with experience, but attention to feeding is one sure road to success.

However, the method described takes a great deal of time,and it is not possible for the average pigeon fancier who has to work all day. In a case like this, unless you have the help of a friend or wife, the birds have to be fed all together, and the best method of feeding is probably by food-hopper. Many fanciers adopt this way of feeding and say that if food is before them all day, old birds will only eat what they require; they will not overeat. There could be a lot of sense in this, and it isfor the fancier himself to devise and follow the method which best suits both himself and his birds. Do not let the job become drudgery, otherwise you will find that you will neglect the small things and your powers of observation within the loftmay decline. If you follow this method it is a good idea to give each type of grain in separate containers; if it is all mixed up the birds will waste a lot of it searching for the grains they prefer. Remember that whatever time you spend in the loft,for whatever purpose, is a time of contact with your birds.You should be observing them the whole time, and making notes of any little idiosyncrasies.

As regards the corn itself, one of the most important thingsis that it should be bought dry and kept so. Corn which has been subjected to dampness or sweating may become affected by fungoid growth and this can have a very bad effect on a pigeon's health. Storage is also an important factor, and corn should be stored in a cool dry place with, if possible, aircirculating around it. Avoid metal containers such as dustbins,because there could be sweating, and thus deterioration. One of the best ways I have seen corn kept was in the lofts of the late Major W.H. Osman which were situated at the top of a building in central London. The containers consisted of bunt-shaped wooden frames covered with a fine wire gauze and suspended by chains from the rafters; thus air could circulate Around them at all times. In addition the corn was turned regulary with a scoop. However corn is stored, it should beturned over fairly regularly; but the main essential is that it should be kept dry and free from attack by mice, rats and wildbirds all of which can transmit diseases to the corn.

On the subject of turning corn, two very successful fanciers known to the author would tip the corn received from their suppliers out on to a tarpaulin sheet on their lawn and turn it in the sunshine for two or three days, pulling the tarpaulinsheet over it at night to make sure it did not become damp.After the two or three days' turning in the sun, the corn wasthen transferred to their storage bins. This shows the importance of attention to detail.

Besides corn, birds need minerals in their diet. There aresome excellent proprietary mineral salts on sale, but be surealso to give the birds mineral-rich green food regularly. One ofthe best green foods is watercress which is quite cheap during'he summer months. But one of the best all the year roundsources is cabbage, chopped quite finely and then dusted witha fine coating of ordinary table salt. The birds should have thistwice a week; once they discover that it is salted they will eat it readily. Indeed pigeons will go mad for salt, and can easily overindulge.

In addition to this I always remember my grandmother and mother insisting that the family should have a drink once aweek of the water in which any green vegetables had been boiled, claiming that it was one of the finest blood purifiers they knew. I extended this idea to my pigeons, at least once aweek introducing a tea cupful of this liquid into the 2.8 litreOpt water-drinking fountain in the loft. In fact, if it ispossible, this should be the first drink given to any birds ontheir return from a long-distance race, the green water being introduced warm to the fountain so that the water is not icecold. A little glucose should also be added. The food toaccompany this reasonably warm drink, boosted as suggested to replace their energy and clear any impurities they may have picked up, can consist of rice which has been soaked in a littlehoney dissolved in warm water and allowed to cool. This will swell within the crop and the birds will feel well fed, but theirdigestion will not be strained and, within an hour or two, eventhe bird which has faced the toughest of races will be back toits normal self. Many Continental fanciers give a very lightdiet - called a depurative or cleaning mixture and typicallyconsisting of barley, a little wheat and dari - to pigeonsreturned from a race. This is gradually replaced, as they buildup to the next race, with a mixture rich in carbohydrate frommaize, wheat, dari, peas, tares and beans. For young birds aprotein-rich mixture is best. Most reputable corn merchants have a range of mixtures for pigeons; indeed some specialise inthis trade alone. 'Their mixtures are very reliable, clean and ofgood quality grains, and although they cost more than buyingindividual grains here and there, they are probably worth theextra cost.

Never forget that one reason why the clever fancier controlsthe quantity of food he supplies, is to make his birds obedient."This does not mean starving them into submission, but ratherinstilling in them the knowledge that they will get fed if theyfly home quickly and trap in unhesitatingly. Once this lessonis learned - and apart from a few idiots pigeons learn quickly- it becomes a conditioned reflex that is always with them. Asingle whistle, or a rattle on the corn tin, will have the birdstumbling into the loft in a few seconds.

Finally, remember to see that a supply of fresh grit isavailable to the birds, as they need it to help in the digestion ofthe corn, and to supply them with calcium to make bone, and eggshell when the hens are laying. Vitamins are present inmost good grains, and in green food; no special supply isusually needed. Some fanciers, however, give extra Vitamin131 (thiamine), usually in the form of brewer's yeast, because pigeon muscles are very sensitive to the lack of this vitamin the bird's stock of it can be exhausted in a long hard race, and the bird goes down paralysed.

It is hoped these ideas will illustrate the necessity forstudying your birds and their feeding.

had a quick glance ian, looks interesting reading........will have a better read of it later on, thanks ian.

wont take you long david

do better if i could see.........

open your eyes david wake up

what you doing up at half nine anyway ian, its past your bed time.............

couldnt sleep hahaha

hope your waters frozen over tommorrow ian..........

well I got to say that was very interesting and much of it i already do, and agree with thanks

no problem glad you liked it

Ian, who was "The late W.T. Carr of Tottenham"

I originally came from Edmonton, which is next door to Tottenham

DAVID wrote:

hope your waters frozen over tommorrow ian..........

been no mention of frozen water a lately why?

steve1952 wrote:

DAVID wrote:

hope your waters frozen over tommorrow ian..........

been no mention of frozen water a lately why?

I had ice yesterday It was in my Magners

steve1952 wrote:

DAVID wrote:

hope your waters frozen over tommorrow ian..........

been no mention of frozen water a lately why?

maybe because it hasnt been steve..... no seriously tho, its still cold here but water not been frozen for a week or so now........been putting my secret magic potion in now it shouldnt freeze over again, not seen any difference tho.....

he was having a dig at me

ian wrote:

he was having a dig at me

your paranoid ian.........

who me ,iam not paranoid , are you taking the mick like , better not be , dont look at me like that ,

no i darent ian, your best mates with the mayor and nobby............

pmsl

P.M.S.L..............

well youve disapointed me david