A great article on feeding complied by Andre Reynders of Witpen Hokke.
FEEDING MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
How many times have you heard the old saying “He who masters the art of feeding masters the art of racing”? This was a comment made by “Old Hand” many years ago and still applies today. Have a look on the pigeon forums and note how many times new fanciers enquire about what to feed their pigeons and be surprised by the many different answers.
Our own view on the matter is easy. There is nothing better than a pellet formulated for pigeons. This is the only feed if formulated by an animal nutritionist that consists of the right amount of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals and a probiotic.
We started feeding pellets in 2012. This regime we follow throughout the season. The breeding period, off-season and the annual moult completed on pellets. The birds look spectacular and the feathers soft and shiny. The trick is to feed only pellets or else you will create an imbalance again. We tend to feed the birds something that looks good and colourful on our eyes but that is never a balanced mix.
We only change the racers onto Sunflower and Maize three weeks before the first race as we can then control the weight without racing hungry pigeons that will never race successfully. They still get pellets only on returning from a race. The feeding of a pelleted ration is the future. During 2013 Juan Breytenbach, Marco Muller and Stoekie van Rooyen joined my pellet feeding experiment. These fanciers are all flying in the top five of the East Rand Federation.
Why are fanciers reluctant to feed pellets? We have heard that the droppings do not look good as one reason or the birds drink a lot of water. We would rather raise young that win races than worry about watery droppings. We save a lot on grits because the birds eat only a little or nothing at all. The babies start eating in the nest before weaning and stay on pellets after weaning. That eliminates a lot of stress on them.
The other comment we frequently hear is that the birds know what is good for them and by giving them, a variety is best. We say compare them with a bunch of toddlers who are introduced to two tables. The one filled with fruit end veggies and the other with sweats and treats. Everyone knows which table will be the favourite.
By feeding a balanced pelleted ration, it is also possible to have better quality control over the ingredients and add whatever you think necessary for instance toxin binders etc. The feeding costs on our own bird’s amounts to +- 26 cents per pigeon per day for a balanced ration. This is only our view on the matter. The choice is always up to the fancier.