I USE A COMMERCIAL 15% RACING PIGEON MIX WITH WHOLE YELLOW CORN, WITH ADDED SAFFLOWER AND BROWN RICE DURING
THE YOUNG BIRD RACE SEASON.. DURING TRAINING I FEED 2 X PER DAY.. WHEN I START RACING I ONLY FEED IN THE MORNING..AND
IN THE EVENINGS I GO IN AND FEED THE YOUNG BIRDS SMALL SPANISH PEANUTS BY HAND..... THE BIRDS ARE NEVER GIVEN OPEN
LOFT. DURING THIS TIME. THE ONLY TIME THEY LEAVE THE LOFT IS TO TRAIN OR RACE.
I TRAIN THE BIRDS IN TWO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS ....I TRAIN ON THE LINE OF FLIGHT, WHICH NOW IS THE
SOUTH COURSE..THEN I TRAIN NORTH ABOUT 16 MILES.. WHICH HELPS THE BIRDS TO NOT OVERFLY BY MUCH IF THEY HAVE A STRONG
TAILWIND DURING THE RACE..
~TRAINING AND FEEDING DURING THE RACES~
MONDAY- 35 MILE TRAINING TOSS....I FEED ABOUT 30% MALT BARLEY, 50% RACE MIX AND 10% SAFFLOWER, 10% BROWN RICE..AND
FRESH CLEAN WATER
TUESDAY-35 MILE TRAINING TOSS...FEED THE SAME AS MONDAY...IN THE WATER ADD 2 TABLESPOONS PER GALLON OF APPLE CIDER
VINEGAR(HELPS TO KEEP BACTERIA LEVEL DOWN... 4 GARLIC CLOVES, PUNCH HOLES IN THE CLOVES WITH A FORK, AND ADD TO
THE WATER..ALSO ADD 1/4 TEASPOON OF ACIDIFIED COPPER SULPHATE( TURNS THE WATER BLUE)THE COPPER SULPHATE HELPS TO CLEAN OUT
MUCOUS IN THE THROAT AND MOUTH, AND ALSO KEEPS CANKER AT BAY.
WEDNESDAY...35 MILE TRAINING TOSS- FEED YOUR REGULAR 15% RACE MIX .WITH ADDED SAFFLOWER AND BROWN RICE...ALSO
PUT IN THE WATER A GOOD VITAMIN/MINERAL FOR THE WHOLE DAY..
THURSDAY- 35 MILE TOSS, EARLY AM FEED 1/2 OF THEIR REGULAR RATION .IN THE WATER PUT APPLE CIDER VINEGAR-2
TABLESPOONS AND 4 CLOVES OF GARLIC..NO COPPER SULPHATE...IN THE AFTERNOON, I CARBO LOAD THE BIRDS USING CORN IST ALL
THEY WANT TO EAT.. THEN I USE SAFFLOWER ALL THEY WANT TO EAT.. THEN RAW SPANISH PEANUTS, ALL THEY WANT TO EAT..
FRIDAY- ..I DON'T FEED ANYTHING ON THE DAY OF SHIPPING.. UNLESS IT LOOKS LIKE A HEAD WIND ON THE RACE COURSE.IF
IT DOES. THEN I WILL FEED THEM A SMALL AMOUNT OF SAFFLOWER AND BROWN RICE IN THE EARLY AM ON FRIDAY.. .I ALSO
PUT GATOR AIDE IN THE WATER FROM 7 AM UNTIL 12 PM, THEN I CHANGE TO REGULAR WATER...I GIVE THE BIRDS A BATH ON RACE DAY..AND
I HYDRATE EACH INDIVIDUAL PIGEON USING A EYE DROPPER..JUST BEFORE I GO TO THE CLUB HOUSE..
SATURDAY ......"THE DAY OF THE RACE".....I USUALLY PUT GATOR AIDE IN THE WATER(LEMON-LIME).......THIS
HELPS THE BIRDS TO REHYDRATE THE MINERAL SALTS THAT THEY LOSE, DURING THE RACE....YOU CAN USE GATOR AID, OR EVEN CHICKEN VITAMINS
WITH ELECTROLYTES.....BOTH OF THESE ARE COST EFFECTIVE.. YOU CAN ALSO USE CHILDRENS ELECTROLYTES WHICH CAN BE BOUGHT
IN MOST DRUG STORES.....IN THE FEEDER, I WILL HAVE PIGEON PELLETS, BROWN RICE(EASILY DIGESTABLE) AND SAFFLOWER IN THE FEEDER.
SOMETIMES I WILL ADD SOME WILD BIRD SEED, THAT HAS MILLET IN IT........I LEAVE THE ELECTROYLYTES IN THE WATER UNTIL
SUNDAY AFTERNOON..THEN I PUT HONEY AND TEA IN THE WATER FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.
ON SUNDAY, I USE THE SAME FEED AS I USE ON SATURDAY......WITH SOME SAFFLOWER AND A FEW PEANUTS
IN THE PM FEEDING..........I HOPE THIS SYSTEM WILL MAKE YOU NEW FLYERS CHAMPIONS, AND MAYBE SOME OF YOU OLDER FLYERS CHAMPIONS
AGAIN.......KEEP'EM FLYING ........~DENNIS~...:-)
PS....I ALSO ADD SOME BREWERS YEAST POWDER, AND HEALTHY PIGEON POWDER,(FROM LOUISIANA) WHICH ...HAS MINERALS, VITAMINS,7
TYPE OF PROBIOTICS, AND MANY OTHER THINGS IN IT... I MIX COD LIVER OIL TO THE FEED TO GET THE POWDERS TO STICK.. YOU CAN USE
OLIVE OIL, SAFFLOWER OIL OR ANY OTHER OIL OF YOUR CHOOSING..
