grit and minerals

hi Romedius, here are a few examples of pick stones, blocks, minerals etc here in the uk, I would think they would be sold, or something very similar in the usa.


http://www.gardenfeathers.co.uk/pigeon-grit-pickstones.html

Thanks David! I didn't expect a reply today. I know you are 7 hours ahead of me. I can indeed order most of those products. The shipping is ridiculous here though, and there are so many options. I notice when I watch jim jenners films most racers give their birds the pik pots. I will get an order out tonight

I would imagine these type of products would be sold at you local corn suppliers...? do you know where fellow club members buy theres from...?

Everybody that I've talked too doesn't use anything but oyster shells and the winners cup grit. I have 125 mile one way road trip to pick up the grit I can get now. There are tons of feed stores, but they cater to ranchers exclusively. The blunt of my information comes from Jim jenners films. Most of them are filmed in the uk. There are feed stores in florida for the gulf racers, but boy! Those places are almost three thousand miles away. I will quit being cheap and just pay the shipping. Thanks David

im sure some of the other members more experienced than me will be able to give you some good advise and info ....

use a horse or cattle lick for them ...kilpatricks black minerals are also good ,both contain all the sodium they need and more atb

When I was a kid I remember going to the beach with my dad and filling up buckets of shells and putting the down in the garden.
Every now and again walk on them to break them up.
There was a patch of earth opposite the loft that he got me to turn over every now and again.
I have a bit of earth outside my loft now and every time I give them fresh grit I chuck the old on the earth and turn it over, they’re always pecking over it.

You can keep any eggshells, dry them out in the oven and crush them into grit size pieces. Also make your own charcoal.
Maybe see if you can get hold of a sample of cattle minerals from a local feedstore i think this is a dry powder type of mixed vits and minerals, salt etc. Mix the crushed shells in with it. But check out yourself to make sure you're happy giving it to your birds. Might help out if shipping is an issue?

Thanks to all! I am going to pick up a bag of loose mineral tomorrow. It is 5 dollars for 50lbs. I'm putting in a order for pik pots from foys here in the US tomorrow. I'm going to post a picture of the stuff I've been using.

Ok good looking forward to seing it.

Unfortunately, I do not remember how. Sorry

Lol no problem

Romedius wrote:

I know this is an old thread, but I could use some advice.  My birds get no pellets in their feed, and if I'm understanding things correctly alot of birds get their extra salt from the feed in pellets.  The only pigeon grit that I can pickup is Winners Cup red.  It has some salt in it as well as oyster shell.  I mix 1/2 pure oyster she'll with the winners cup grit.  They have really slowed down on the grit intake since the onset of winter.  
I can get them mineral blocks in any form as well as the he loose salt minerals from the feed store.  
I USE to have a 200 doe rabbitry and would buy the spools by the case.  Is this the same mineral blocks that everyone else is mentioning here?  I will be pairing the racers up in febuary.  I would like to head off any issues before the crop up.

Many type's of mineral blocks Rom all cost money at the end of the day etc Except for the calcium factor. Road gravel, river sand/pebbles, all sieved/washed. The good ordinary old dirt & everyone has the common old bricks of some sort, which can be broken up & sieved to make many sizes of grit, plus powder for ones birds in place of the fancy type grit one can buy as such. Will hear also many tales I suspect about the salt factor Forget most of it as many smart men  have it in their lofts 24/7/52 .  

have heard of crushing brick before, but one thing I would suggest , even with my limited knowledge of pigeons, is to try use the softer imperial size bricks, not the metric modern bricks which are very brittle and would produce very sharp pieces of brick.

the old softer bricks will crush much better, and safer.

just my opinion.....

.

.

The last picture was suppose to be of the grit itself. Sorry. The grit has oyster shellls, and what loops like crushed brick. It is red in color. I thought this stuff was suppose to be europeon, but it says California on the bag.

Crushed brick, crushed clay tiles, plant pots. All clay based. Pick stone.

David wrote:

have heard of crushing brick before, but one thing I would suggest , even with my limited knowledge of pigeons, is to try use the softer imperial size bricks, not the metric modern bricks which are very brittle and would produce very sharp pieces of brick.

the old softer bricks will crush much better, and safer.

just my opinion.....

My heap here David are 50 odd years old etc Rom also may like to consider one crow bar, plus 25 bricks "Fair means or foul & he could have around 100 picking pots as such for his birds there. Also he could find a large hardwood tree "Fair means or foul" burn it to the ground   & then  have a life time of charcoal there, which I know his birds will appreciate .
*****

BBQ lump wood with no starter on it would (wood) do

fieldwalker wrote:

BBQ lump wood with no starter on it would (wood) do

True FW But I'm a yank type of guy Think Big time looking for value for money etc.
*****

barnie wrote:

You can keep any eggshells, dry them out in the oven and crush them into grit size pieces. Also make your own charcoal.
Maybe see if you can get hold of a sample of cattle minerals from a local feedstore i think this is a dry powder type of mixed vits and minerals, salt etc. Mix the crushed shells in with it. But check out yourself to make sure you're happy giving it to your birds.  Might help out if shipping is an issue?

I would suspect the shipping issue would/could be of some concern to Rom etc. Look local buy local I would suggest where possible. Things like, Calcium carbonate, calcium tablets or  even calcium syrup may be found local I suspect. Easy to loose sight of the fact I suspect, that Rom   isn't able to pop into the local pigeon store like most of us as such. Early days here but hopefully in time he will learn, pigeons don't require a pigeon on a bag/bottle   for some thing to be of use to them.

Knackered wrote:

barnie wrote:

You can keep any eggshells, dry them out in the oven and crush them into grit size pieces. Also make your own charcoal.
Maybe see if you can get hold of a sample of cattle minerals from a local feedstore i think this is a dry powder type of mixed vits and minerals, salt etc. Mix the crushed shells in with it. But check out yourself to make sure you're happy giving it to your birds.  Might help out if shipping is an issue?

I would suspect the shipping issue would/could be of some concern to Rom etc. Look local buy local I would suggest where possible. Things like, Calcium carbonate, calcium tablets or  even calcium syrup may be found local I suspect. Easy to loose sight of the fact I suspect, that Rom   isn't able to pop into the local pigeon store like most of us as such. Early days here but hopefully in time he will learn, pigeons don't require a pigeon on a bag/bottle   for some thing to be of use to them.

Thanks for waking me up on the grit and minerals everybody. I now have 300 pounds of various grits and minerals I didn't have before! I make "waxed dirt" for winter trapping. To do this.....I have a junky, cheap , harbour freight concrete mixer. I place screened dirt in it and put my weed burner underneath it. As it turns it dries off the moisture in the dirt . After the dirt is bone dry i add wax, and tumble until dirt is water proof. Doesn't freeze, and allows me to trap with freezing conditions. We'll that system worked perfect for drying out free minerals, and free brick. Thanks for the tips.

I left out the wax ofcourse for the grit