Corn help!!! Corn?!?

[birdlover000]

Hey, I have heard that corn is bad,good, ok, and dunno. Well, what is it? Is it bad?

What is a good think to give them? Anytime?

So please help me!


Thanks,

David


(Corn, Corn.......?!?!?!? Corn?!? Corn!)

[birdlover000]

I have, but I didn't get much, I'll look again!

Peace out!!!

[birdlover000]

After scan reading, it seems it not good. So that means, what should I give them?

Pellets, seed?

[slugmonkey]

Theres an old saying in pigeon racing "corn and gas are what win races" I feed a lot of corn I win a lot of races I give my birds about 60% corn more when its cold its the first thing my birds pick out of the mix they like it I belive its good for them I dont feed popcorn though

[patspigeons]

Hello, Corn is ok, as long as it`s not cracked corn. Cracked corn can cut the birds inner mouth or throat and cause canker. There kinda big for them but corn has lots of protein pigeons need, especialy in winter. Good luck, Pat

[birdlover000]

So, whole corn is best in winter. (now) and what in spring/summer/fall?

Thanks for the help!

[KIPPY]

WHEN I FIRST READ A POST ABOUT CORN. THE WILD BIRDS ATE IT SO WHY NOT.I GAVE KIPPY POPCORN (NO SALT/NO BUTTER). SHE JUST THREW IT AROUND. I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE CORN KERNELS. I LAUGH EVERYTIME I SEE A POST ABOUT CORN.

[birdlover000]

But, that doesn't help!

.......Tears.........

Why?
Why?

Just kidding.

I don't know, what to do.

[WhiteWingsCa]

Corn is good for them --- it is MUCH harder to find "no corn" mixes (and more expensive) than it is to find mixes WITH corn.

All the flyers I know, unless they feed straight pellets (another option) feed mixes with corn, year round

[birdlover000]

arty,

Thanks for the summary!

Ok, so, I'm gona change feed. To whole corn. One thing is, is it ok, too give them just whole corn then, all the time?

Thanks

[Dad Heykoop]

Pigeons need grit to properly grind seeds in their crops. That grit is harder and often sharper than cracked corn. The notion that cracked corn will scratch their inner mouth and throat and cause canker is baloney. The main knock against cracked corn is spoilage which can make your birds sick. That is bad enough. When I make their mix in the future I will make sure I give them whole kernals. My chickens and ducks will be more than happy to finish off the cracked corn.

[birdlover000]

So what should I mix to give them?

like

corn/little
sunflower/alot

??????????

I dunno

[dano7]

Hi

There are at least three good reasons to buy the seed mixture by the 50 pound bag: 1) it is only about $13/bag, 2) the nutritional mix will be in known and generally accepted proportions, and 3) it might be hard to get all the ingredients to do it yourself correctly. A ballpark guideline is 11-17% protein and 4-11% fat. Possible items, but not all of the possible items in the mixes are Popcorn (not popped), Trapper peas, R/C Wheat, Maple Peas, Buffalo Peas, Safflower seeds, Austrian Peas, Oat Groats, vetch, Paddy Rice, Small Yellow Corn, R/C Red and White Milo, Red Prosso Millet, Flax Seed, Malt Barley, Common Lentils, Buckwheat, Small Black Oil Sunflower, and a very few peanuts (raw/unsalted). Others will add more possibilities. Corn is a small percentage of these mixes and you should definitely not give them a majority of corn even if you live in the Arctic.

Besides this they need greens and an avian vitamin everyday. People in this forum like Prime which goes in the water. When they get around nine months old they will start to show an interest in a good multi-element grit. You can offer it to them now and they will play with it a bit until later.

Once you get these basics down, other things people use are various forms of garlic, brewers yeast, various oils, various teas, Apple Cider Vinegar, electrolytes, bits of animal protein, good soil/clay and other supplements. People do all these things in good faith just like they do similar things in their own program. They don't really know what is happening in the body (their's or their bird's)--they just have faith based on anecdotal experiential evidence, blind bias, historical habits and hopefully some sound science thrown in for luck (some folk in the parks swear by bread). If all this is daunting, you may try various formulations of pellets made for pigeons. This can cover most bases but the various processes used to make the pellets use high heat which is a no no in my book since many of the best nutrients perish at temperature.

(While we are at it, most people medicate for canker and worms, some vaccinate for pox and PMV depending on the frequency in your area, and others over-medicate.)

The best diet is actually the one the birds have spent millions of years developing, being descendants of dinosaurs. In the last 10,000 years pigeons have been associating with humans, but this is a micro-second in evolutionary time--so there can be no genetic adjustment for changes to their diets that humans have introduced. The fact that pigeons thrive on all the detritous they eat off the streets of the Fast Food Nation is a testament to their incredible flexibility and their equally incredible immuno systems. Unless I could absolutely duplicate the genetically specified diet of a pigeon, I wouldn't take any credit for knowing what's best for them; the credit goes to the birds.

You will find the seed mix when you find someone from a local homer racing club. You can get supplements and medications on-line from Jedds, Siegel, The Australian Pigeon Company, Global Pigeon Supplies, or Foy (however Charles Foy wrote the book "Pigeons for Fun and Profit" which includes how to make money raising pigeons for the meat market--just so you know).

[KIPPY]

okay, that foys "pigeons for fun and profit" and the meat market just freaked me out.
now i need to find somewhere else to shop.

[birdlover000]

I think I'll something called "Pigeon Food"

Thanks



Pigeons, pogeons, pigeons!!!!