14% protein ok for young birds (70+ days old)

[adamant]

this ok for yb

Ingredients: Popcorn, Canadian Peas, Winter Wheat, Milo, Maple Peas, Kafir, Canary Seed, Safflower Seed, White Proso Millet, Whole White Rice.



Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein (min)…14%

Crude Fat (min)……….2%

Crude Fiber (max)….…5%

Moisture (max)……….13%

[Crazy Pete]

If these are birds you intend to fly they need more fat.
Dave

[RodSD]

I feed mine the same breeder mix of 16%. I think that 14% may be ok. From experience when I feed them 12%-14% protein they grow a little bit slower than say feeding them with 16%. Just don't feed them less than 12%. That is maintenance protein I think.

[learning]

After I wean mine, they go to a leaner mix that is half my 16% breeder mix and half Barley. I find that they are much more willing to excercise with this mix. Personal preference I guess.

Dan

[RodSD]

Actually Dan you have a valid point. I noticed the same. Leaning them off makes them fly more. Close to 3 months old I start leaning them by giving them less protein concentration. I feel that the babies are still growing for those 3 months that I give them still the same breeder mix. That is the personal preference part.

[SmithFamilyLoft]

Originally Posted by adamant

this ok for yb

Ingredients: Popcorn, Canadian Peas, Winter Wheat, Milo, Maple Peas, Kafir, Canary Seed, Safflower Seed, White Proso Millet, Whole White Rice.



Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein (min)…14%

Crude Fat (min)……….2%

Crude Fiber (max)….…5%

Moisture (max)……….13%

Figuring out what the ideal mix is at this age or older, based on the amount of work they are required to do, is what makes the difference between winning and losing, or simply holding their own. IMHO, a typical pigeon which is fed and managed in an ideal way, will outperform the superior pigeon which is fed improperly and mismanaged. I have my own ideas as to what this changing mix should be, based on what some of the European Masters have already publicly shared on DVD. The only thing I could add, is that the various %'s of this or that, could change based on the amount of work they are being asked to do. Much like our own diet needs would change, based on the amount of excersize we are preforming. One of the % items missing from the above mix, is the amount of carbohydrates. At any rate, IMHO whatever the %'s are used, the needs could change from week to week or even day to day. That's my take on the subject.

As an example, your personal daily diet needs will change if you sit at home this weekend and watch TV, or if you go out and pump Iron for a few hours, swim a few miles, and then do several hours of road work for the next several days. No way, IMHO the same exact diet will be ideal under both of these situations. For some reason, that concept for humans makes sense, but when we look at racing pigeons, we look for a fixed diet in terms of quanity and quality for our birds. It may be more easy for us, but no way can that be ideal, regardless of what mix or % of feed values that we settle on.

[pigeon_racer]

Warren,

Dead on, when you read about the Janssen Brothers they mixed their feed everyday because they knew by experience what was needed by their birds for the work they had been performing. Feeding is probably the hardest part of racing pigeons, it's almost an art form. Anyone can train birds, raise birds, etc; feeding to keep your birds at the peak of perfection is an art form.

Ralph