Proper Feed

Proper Feed
Breeders

Young Birds

Old Bird Racers
Breeders

When I am breeding, I give the birds a 22% protein turkey grower pellet. Years ago, I used to use just regular feed, but some of my breeders would go light when feeding their young. Since using pellets, I haven't had this happen. The babies grow faster and develop better. This is a big plus to start out with healthy babies.

The rest of the year, I feed either 16% protein turkey finisher pellets or a 16% chicken layer pellet. This gets the birds throught a good moult for the next year.
Young Birds

When they are weaned, the young birds stay on the 22% turkey grower pellet. This helps them get everything they need to start the moult, especially for the darkening system. They drop so many feathers so fast, that they need the extra protein to develop good feather and body size. Birds grow and develop when they moult.

When I am racing, I use high quality grains. Most of the time, I feed the birds individual grains separately, so they get all the different grains, not just what they like. I use three different types of peas, Austrian Peas, Trapper Peas and Maple Peas. I also use whole corn, wheat, milo, millet, safflower, rice and barley. This keeps them in balance and form. Young birds need plenty of barley during the first part of the week when racing. It keeps them conditioned.

This may vary depending on how hard the race was. If they are not flying around the loft well, I put more barley in their feed. I always feed the barley first, since they don't like it as much, then I put in a small amount of each grain, wait till they eat it, then give them the next grain. This way, they are eating all of the grains and not just their favorite ones.

As the week progresses, I increase the amount of each grain and reduce the amount of barley. I use less peas and corn close to the race because they are harder to digest. I use a higher percentage of safflower and rice closer to the race. It gives them extra carbohydrates.

On Thursday night, I throw in some raw Spanish Peanuts, about a cup per every 25 birds, after all the grains have been fed. They love the peanuts and even if they have stopped eating the grains, they will gobble up the peanuts.

You have to teach the birds to eat peanuts when they are young or they won't eat them when they are older. I just put them in and let them pick at them at first. I do this when they are very hungry. Once they start eating them it is like candy for them. They go nuts when I feed peanuts.

On Saturday, I give the birds safflower and millet. They get as much of it as they care to eat. I feed it several times during the day and evening.

What I feed always depends on the condition of the birds after the race. If it was a tough race, I feed differently than if it was an easy one. I also look ahead to the upcoming race and what I expect the conditions to be like for that race. Most of the time, I feed correctly for the race conditions, but occasionally, I mess up and feed too heavy or too light.

Most of this is learned from experience. You have to feel the birds regularly to see how they are doing. You have to develop a feel for what weight a bird should normally be and then you will be able to tell if a bird is too light or too heavy. Look at the condition of feathers, the activity level in the loft, the droppings of the birds. All of these are signs that tell you how to feed and how much to feed. Watch the birds eat their feed. Do they attack it with gusto or just nibble in a bored way.

Proper feeding takes time and attention to detail. You can't just walk in the pen, dump a can of feed in the trough and walk away if you want to win races. On average, I spend three hours each night out at the coops taking care of my pigeons. That time that I am regularly investing is bringing me the results I want on the race result sheets.

After the young bird season is over, I put the birds back on the 22% protein turkey grower. Being on the darkening system, the birds will go through another body moult and will moult the flight feathers. Here again, they need the extra protein to grow all the feathers.
Old Bird Racers
When they are not racing, I feed them the 16% protein pellets. That maintains them through the moult and winter. My old bird racers feed my first round of babies from the breeders before the racing season begins. During the time they are feeding babies, they get the 22% protein pellets.

Before I start training the old birds, I change them over to the grain. I always fly the birds on a grain feed. They also get barley. Not as much as the young birds, but they always get some.