Breeding season started.

[Matt D.]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

what is your feed mix?....I work at a vet so I can get a fecal check on them whenever I want, and so far have not had to give anything unnatrual to them to "fix" anything, so I don't wonder if I should give anything, which im glad for that...I really like the sound of this natrual way of keeping...

I'm beginning to think I should write a book. Now I just need to find someone that would read it. :P Well I agree that IMO my 'all-natural' system is the best way to keep it. Other people have different opinions and I can respect that. But When you have a bad ear infection, or any type of bacterial infection and you have to have antibiotics it just takes a huge toll on your body, along with any medicine for that matter. So how is it different with pigeons? I can't tell you. Just something I'd like to say. I do have antibiotics and all kinds of medicine I got about last year in March and Haven't opened them yet so If I needed to I could medicate. I just haven't had to yet.

My feed Mix is always changing because of what my birds are doing. I like to give them just enough calories to do what they need to do. If You feed them like this for 5 months and then you lay down 8 cups of food. I've found they've become very wise eaters. They'll only eat the amount their body needs and not all in safflower. they'll eat Barley and Pellets. My base mix that I start with is 2 parts race mix 3 parts barley 1 1/2 parts pellets (40% all purpose 60% laying chicken pellets- I get the pellets without the fish in there just because I don't think my birds need the extra protein or to smell like fish :P ) and 1 part safflower and 1 part Field Corn. I also throw in brown rice when I think my birds are getting lazy and fat. I think it helps lower the calorie count and it makes them more hungry and they'll fly better around the loft. They'll trap better if you're racing.

[Ed]

how hours of light do they need to start breeding?

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by Matt D.

I'm beginning to think I should write a book. Now I just need to find someone that would read it. :P Well I agree that IMO my 'all-natural' system is the best way to keep it. Other people have different opinions and I can respect that. But When you have a bad ear infection, or any type of bacterial infection and you have to have antibiotics it just takes a huge toll on your body, along with any medicine for that matter. So how is it different with pigeons? I can't tell you. Just something I'd like to say. I do have antibiotics and all kinds of medicine I got about last year in March and Haven't opened them yet so If I needed to I could medicate. I just haven't had to yet.

My feed Mix is always changing because of what my birds are doing. I like to give them just enough calories to do what they need to do. If You feed them like this for 5 months and then you lay down 8 cups of food. I've found they've become very wise eaters. They'll only eat the amount their body needs and not all in safflower. they'll eat Barley and Pellets. My base mix that I start with is 2 parts race mix 3 parts barley 1 1/2 parts pellets (40% all purpose 60% laying chicken pellets- I get the pellets without the fish in there just because I don't think my birds need the extra protein or to smell like fish :P ) and 1 part safflower and 1 part Field Corn. I also throw in brown rice when I think my birds are getting lazy and fat. I think it helps lower the calorie count and it makes them more hungry and they'll fly better around the loft. They'll trap better if you're racing.

Iam going to try adding pellet also, I orderd purina nutri-green, it is a roundish shape so the birds are more likly to eat it..I was not sure at what ratio I was going to mix it so this gives me somewhere to start, thank for the info...im going to keep my flock as natrual as possible as well, nice to hear that it works....

[Matt D.]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

Iam going to try adding pellet also, I orderd purina nutri-green, it is a roundish shape so the birds are more likly to eat it..I was not sure at what ratio I was going to mix it so this gives me somewhere to start, thank for the info...im going to keep my flock as natrual as possible as well, nice to hear that it works....

What I know about the purina pellets that are round is that purina says that's all your supposed to feed them. I knew a guy that flew on those and did okay in young birds and sucked serious wind on old birds. I've also thought about it to substitute my chicken pellets but You just have to teach the birds to eat the chicken pellets and they're fine with them. Good Luck using the purina pellets and let me know how they work. If they don't work very well I'd suggest going down to the grain store and picking up a couple 50 pound bags of pellets. If You need to know what makes up the types I get I can send that info to you.

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by Matt D.

What I know about the purina pellets that are round is that purina says that's all your supposed to feed them. I knew a guy that flew on those and did okay in young birds and sucked serious wind on old birds. I've also thought about it to substitute my chicken pellets but You just have to teach the birds to eat the chicken pellets and they're fine with them. Good Luck using the purina pellets and let me know how they work. If they don't work very well I'd suggest going down to the grain store and picking up a couple 50 pound bags of pellets. If You need to know what makes up the types I get I can send that info to you.

your right!...I reread the info...it is supposed to be blended with nuriblend gold they are designed to be blended as needed to achieve suggested feeding programs depending upon type of bird(racing/show) age of bird,season and situation. and there is a blend chart with % and suggested use the gold is 14% protein and the green is 18%, also says do not feed extra trace minerals supplements (i.e. health grit) since this will produce excessivley loose droppings, plain grit and oyster shell may be fed but not necessary....feeding extra grain wil dilute nutriblend's scientificallyl balanced nutrition,so grain supplementation is not recc. extruded particle:balance nutrition in every bite..natural grain shape, harder than pellets.....oh boy I need to look into this...i would mix with grain in the beginning to change over slowly anyway...so looks like I need to order the gold as well to mix with the green if im going to use it...what do you think of an all complete diet like this?...sounds like chx pellets mix with grain would be alot cheaper...ummm

[Matt D.]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

your right!...I reread the info...it is supposed to be blended with nuriblend gold they are designed to be blended as needed to achieve suggested feeding programs depending upon type of bird(racing/show) age of bird,season and situation. and there is a blend chart with % and suggested use the gold is 14% protein and the green is 18%, also says do not feed extra trace minerals supplements (i.e. health grit) since this will produce excessivley loose droppings, plain grit and oyster shell may be fed but not necessary....feeding extra grain wil dilute nutriblend's scientificallyl balanced nutrition,so grain supplementation is not recc. extruded particle:balance nutrition in every bite..natural grain shape, harder than pellets.....oh boy I need to look into this...i would mix with grain in the beginning to change over slowly anyway...so looks like I need to order the gold as well to mix with the green if im going to use it...what do you think of an all complete diet like this?...sounds like chx pellets mix with grain would be alot cheaper...ummm

Sounds like a waste of time. You do know that if you feed your birds straight pellets at a young age that are fed pellets while they mature can never be fed grain? Because once they mature on pellets they're gizzards don't develop because they don't need them for pellets. So if you feed grain and grit it will kill the birds. If I were you (assuming you haven't bought any of the pellets yet..) I'd just go down to the feed store and get grain. In my opinion Grain is the best thing to feed your birds while pellets are good too. So I looked for the fine line between too little and too much pellets and I'm pretty sure I've found it. People are always surprised when they see how well my birds poop looks and find out that I feed pellets. They always tell me that when they tried pellets the birds poop was everywhere. Mine is as solid as can be and its perfect. Hehe as perfect as poop can be. I use a lot of barley which I think is very important too. Safflower is good for the natural oils their body needs and is A great treat. Race mix has quite a bit of protein and just different sizes of seeds and different vitamins in it so I really like to feed a bit a that also. I feed Field corn because its much healthier than popcorn and its got more carbs and protein and less fat in it, too. So If i were you I'd go and get me some grain and play around with the mixture until you find what makes your birds fall into peak health. Once you are there you'll need to make slight adjustments; depending on weather, physical exercise, time of year, nest condition, etc. Once you get in the hang of it, It all just seems to flow. And You'll be able to enjoy your birds health and happiness.

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by Matt D.

Sounds like a waste of time. You do know that if you feed your birds straight pellets at a young age that are fed pellets while they mature can never be fed grain? Because once they mature on pellets they're gizzards don't develop because they don't need them for pellets. So if you feed grain and grit it will kill the birds. If I were you (assuming you haven't bought any of the pellets yet..) I'd just go down to the feed store and get grain. In my opinion Grain is the best thing to feed your birds while pellets are good too. So I looked for the fine line between too little and too much pellets and I'm pretty sure I've found it. People are always surprised when they see how well my birds poop looks and find out that I feed pellets. They always tell me that when they tried pellets the birds poop was everywhere. Mine is as solid as can be and its perfect. Hehe as perfect as poop can be. I use a lot of barley which I think is very important too. Safflower is good for the natural oils their body needs and is A great treat. Race mix has quite a bit of protein and just different sizes of seeds and different vitamins in it so I really like to feed a bit a that also. I feed Field corn because its much healthier than popcorn and its got more carbs and protein and less fat in it, too. So If i were you I'd go and get me some grain and play around with the mixture until you find what makes your birds fall into peak health. Once you are there you'll need to make slight adjustments; depending on weather, physical exercise, time of year, nest condition, etc. Once you get in the hang of it, It all just seems to flow. And You'll be able to enjoy your birds health and happiness.

will do, thanks for the advice, makes sense, Im going to look for some barley, the seed mix I have now is jm browns breeder mix , I think it is a good mix with the field corn in it. I will just have to add the purina nutigreen in to get rid of the bag as I already orderd it...live and learn....thanks again.

[ohiogsp]

Originally Posted by A_Smith

Hope your 2009 bands come in time. about 10 days to lay and about 17 to hatch and about 5 to grow for the bands. If the bands are delayed the fit will be tight.

I figured the earliest ones would be 8 days old and that is fine with me. We always have our bands on time. I would hope they would never be late since they are bought and paid for in the summer. Plus that would be a disaster cause others will have babies ready to go also. I am sure I will be fine.

[hillfamilyloft]

I am supplementing the purina green pellets in my feed mixture. It is about 15% of the mix. I felt I needed the minerals and supplements it provides. I get lazy with the vitamins. I have had them on the pellets for about two months and they are coming into good condition. I will bump the pellets up during breeding and either change to chicken breeder pellets or the Purina Gold. They both have extra calcium. I also read only to feed pellets, but I think that is a marketing ploy by purina. Why can I feed what I want of chicken pellets, but not pigeon pellets. The pellets are the last thing they eat. My cocks are looking much better than the hens.

As far as medication, I am also all natural. The last time I used 4 in 1 was four years ago. That was also the best breeding year as far as numbers went for me. I think I am going to put the birds on the 4 in 1 with a wormer two to three weeks before I put them together and see how it works this year.

I am only introducing two birds this season so my outside exposure is minimal. One has been in the loft for about two months the other I will be getting over the Christmas Holiday. I am introducing a hen off of one of my birds that won a 250 mile race and a sibling of this years 200 mile race in ABQ.

I will put my birds together after winter solstice about the 22nd of Dec. Mainly because I will be off from work at that time. I will breed only two rounds to send out and a third round to select a few breeders from. The rest will be sold or given to start up lofts.

Randy

[spirit wings]

good tip on the purina, Ill see how they do on it with the grain....just a quick question, when is the natural peak breeding and hatching time of the year for them, is it spring or summer, that is if not racing birds...

[Matt D.]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

good tip on the purina, Ill see how they do on it with the grain....just a quick question, when is the natural peak breeding and hatching time of the year for them, is it spring or summer, that is if not racing birds...

Naturally, Pigeons (like most animals) start to do their 'thing' in early spring. Depending on where you live. Here After the last frost (somewhere around March 1) is when the wild birds start to do their thing and the feral pigeons too. That is usually When i pair my breeders. I breed from the old bird team in January so they can get into the program and Get ready to do that while flying 500 miles. But if you aren't going to race; You'll tell when your birds are ready. They'll tell you.

[ace in the hole]

I plan on getting the birds into the new breeding loft on Sunday! They will spend two weeks on the lights before the cocks and hens are put together. I will not have to worry about having my bands in time to band the first round.

As for the feed. My race mix and maintenance mix are 100% grain. My breeding mix is just under 50% pellets. This mix has three different types of pellets and is a 16 1/2 % protein mix. With this mix my babies will have everything they need.

As soon as the young birds are moved to the racing loft I start changing the mix to a 100% grain mix with less protein.

Ace

[Lovebirds]

Well, I've got all my breeders together. Put a few together Wednesday and the rest have been put together this morning. Love is in the air and babies will be coming soon.............

[ohiogsp]

Waiting on eggs. None of the birds I put together just before thanksgiving were paired before and maybe they did not get right to it. Come on eggs!!

[Alamo]

Never had much luck with Yb`s hatched in January...Most of my best birds were hatched in late April or early May...Tried the early breeding for 3 years,a long time ago,and never had any YB do anything special...Birds raised with some decent weather outside the loft will do well in the races...Remember,quality of the birds means more, then what month you put them together...One of the best flyers here never has any YB`s hatched before the 1st or 2nd week of May..And when the races start in August,allmost every week he got birds in the top 10 in the combine results...Alamo