I USE A COMMERCIAL 15-17% RACING PIGEON MIX WITH WHOLE YELLOW CORN DURING YOUNG BIRDS..( I GIVE EACH BIRD
ABOUT 1 OUNCE OF FEED PER FEEDING.ABOUT 2 TABLESPOONS)...DURING TRAINING OF YOUNG BIRDS, THE BIRDS ARE NEVER GIVEN OPEN
LOFT~ THE ONLY TIME THEY ARE ALLOWED OUT IS ON SUNDAY AFTER THE RACE , WHEN THEY GET TO RELAX AND DO WHAT
THEY WANT TO DO.
I TRAIN THE BIRDS TO ABOUT 60 MILES IN 4 DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS BEFORE THE RACES START.......AFTER THE
RACES START I USUALLY TRAIN EITHER FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE RACES OR FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.. WE FLY
FROM THE NORTH, BUT I LIKE TO TRAIN FROM THE SOUTH , WHICH I THINK HELPS THE BIRDS FROM OVER SHOOTING TO FAR DURING FAST TAIL
WIND RACES....
~TRAINING AND FEEDING DURING THE RACES~
MONDAY- 25 MILE TRAINING TOSS....I FEED ABOUT 30% MALT BARLEY, 60% RACE MIX AND 10% FLAX (OR SAFFLOWER)AND RAPE SEED...FRESH
WATER FROM NOON ON.....
TUESDAY-25 MILE TRAINING TOSS...FEED THE SAME AS MONDAY...IN THE WATER ADD 2 TABLESPOONS PER GALLON OF APPLECIDER
VINEGAR(HELPS TO KEEP BACTERIA LEVEL DOWN... BACTERIA CANNOT SURVIVE IN AN
ACIDIC ENVIROMENT.........
WEDNESDAY...25 MILE TRAINING TOSS- FEED YOUR REGULAR 15%-17% RACE MIX IN THE MORNING, AND IN THE EVENING
FEED A MIXTURE OF 50% WHOLE CORN, THEN 50% SAFFLOWER.......ADD APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AGAIN IN THE WATER....
THURSDAY- 25 MILE TOSS, THEN FEED 1/2 RATION OF REGULAR FEED IN THE MORNING, AS YOU WANT YOUR BIRDS VERY HUNGRY
IN THE EVENING...DURING THE EVENING FEEDING, START FEEDING WHOLE YELLOW CORN, UNTIL THEY DONT WANT ANYMORE, THEN ADD THE SAFFLOWER,
AND THEN FINISH THEM OFF WITH RED SPANISH PEANUTS(DONT USE FREEZE DRIED PEANUTS OR COOKED OR SALTED PEANUTS) LET THEM EAT
AS MUCH AS THEY CAN........PUT GARLIC OR VITAMINS IN THE WATER ON THIS DAY.....I USE FRESH GARLIC CLOVES, AND PUNCH HOLES
WITH A KNIFE OR FORK, AND LEAVE THEM IN THE WATERS.....USUALLY 3 CLOVES PER GALLON.
FRIDAY- NO FEED , JUST CLEAR WATER..I ALSO GIVE THE BIRDS A BATH THE DAY OF SHIPPING....IF
I KNOW IT IS GOING TO BE A REAL HOT DAY THE DAY OF RACING, I WILL GIVE THE BIRDS A HANDFULL OF BROWN RICE BEFORE SHIPPING, AS
THE RICE REALLY ABSORBS WATER ...ON SHIPPING NIGHT AT THE CLUB HOUSE I HYDRATE THE BIRDS WITH WATER USING A SYRINGE TYPE
INSTRUMENT..
SATURDAY ......"THE DAY OF THE RACE".....I USUALLY PUT ELECTROLYTES IN THE WATER.......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
ABOUT NOON ON SUNDAY..IN CASE OF LATE BIRDS....THEN I ADD MED-PET 4-1 TREATMENT-COCCI,CANKER, ECOLI, SALMONELLA
PREVENATIVE IN THE WATER UNTIL NOON MONDAY....THEN FRESH WATER THE REST OF THE DAY..MONDAY.
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 ON THE FEED WITH WHEAT GERM OIL,OR OLIVE OIL ON MONDAY'S AND WED.
I USE BREWERS YEAST FOR HORSES FROM A LOCAL ANIMAL FEED STORE...
