Different feeds

[NeilA]

Neil, we all have different choices on what we feed our birds. So you have to make the choice on your feeding system, is it the best nutrition to get out of your birds. The performance you want, i would say you have been doing very well. So is there a need to change your feeding system? only you will know that.

My trouble is myself at times Devo
I always think if say I get 8 in 5 mins why didn’t I get all the cocks
So continue to judge myself and look at where I could improve at times it’s good to do that but at other times it’s foolish
When I was in hospital with my heart issue for 2 weeks split over a month my sister fed the birds that was may to June as I couldn’t even carry a can of water without a breathless episode anyway they birds flew fantastic topped the fed 5 weeks in 11 weeks she fed the birds to my exact gram as I kept it basic barley gerry and fats
But what did I do next April
Changed it like a fool

[NeilA]

Of course I deal with many of the major brands of pet foods and they all claim to be the best. Some of the more expensive ones are very good but the cheaper ones are rubbish, filled with cheap ingredients. Some of the major companies buy out the good small brands and keep selling the food under the old established brand name but reduce the quality with cheaper ingredients. A prime example is James Wellbeloved. A well known brand that is made just 5 miles from us. It was a good food. Was brought out a few years ago now by Mars Pet Care (pedigree) and made by crown pet foods. It’s now over 44% rice and only 23% meat meal, all the ground up bits of the animal and not even fresh meat. Still sold under the Wellbeloved brand and at a premium price. The adverts telling the owners that their dog food is tailor made to their dog’s requirements are a load of rubbish. There is no way that any company can afford to make individual products. They have a range of foods available and just select which one would suit what the customer is looking for and put the dogs name on the bag, laughable really.
It’s the same with pigeon corn. Made to what the customer wants and thinks is best. The trouble is with any mix with different grains in is that pigeons will pick out what they prefer. This could be different from pigeon to pigeon. So a mixture that states that is x amount of Carb, Protein, etc is only that if the pigeon eats the exact ratio of the different grains that is said to make that composition. If it eats a few more of one grain than the other it’s not eating the said % of carb and protein. Just feeding pellets would be the only way to guarantee that they are getting the stated nutrients.

Feed handfuls at a time Andy that’s one way to get around it my ybs eat that way

[Devo1956]

Neil, we all have different choices on what we feed our birds. So you have to make the choice on your feeding system, is it the best nutrition to get out of your birds. The performance you want, i would say you have been doing very well. So is there a need to change your feeding system? only you will know that.

My trouble is myself at times Devo
I always think if say I get 8 in 5 mins why didn’t I get all the cocks
So continue to judge myself and look at where I could improve at times it’s good to do that but at other times it’s foolish
When I was in hospital with my heart issue for 2 weeks split over a month my sister fed the birds that was may to June as I couldn’t even carry a can of water without a breathless episode anyway they birds flew fantastic topped the fed 5 weeks in 11 weeks she fed the birds to my exact gram as I kept it basic barley gerry and fats
But what did I do next April
Changed it like a fool

Neil we are always looking to improve things in what we do. and so we should. Because if you want to beat the best, dont go like the rest. The more you put into it, the more you will take out. It is very hard to balance work and racing pigeons. But can i say mate, your doing well.

[NeilA]

Thank you Devo very kind

[Andy]

Feed handfuls at a time Andy that’s one way to get around it my ybs eat that way
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I agree with what you’re saying Neil but still wouldn’t guarantee that they all eat the same mixture of the grains as some would eat different grains first. The way you suggest though Neil does make sure that they all get to eat the less favoured grain, notably the barley. I like hand feeding my youngsters like you say rather than in a trough. Makes them friendly and you can see who’s eating what.
I think this is a very contentious topic with many different ideas, not a bad thing though.
On a slightly different note but still a feeding one. When I was dairy farming the old way of feeding, and still used by many, was to feed a base ration outside the parlour, be it grazing during the summer or silage during the winter. Concentrates were then fed to yield in the parlour during milking. This would have the effect of changing the acidity in the stomach during the day especially during the winter with the silage being quite acidic and the concentrates being very neutral in ph. Years ago we changed to a different concept of feeding. When grazing the quality of the grass eaten can be different every day depending on if it’s been or is raining, low in dry matter low in sugars, dry and sunny, high in dry matter and high in sugars, and anything in between. Different fields, different amounts of grass in the fields etc all had a bearing on intake and so milk yields. Concentrates were given according to yield and reduced throughout the lactation, 305 days.
So we decided to do things differently. We fed a 80% maize silage to 20% first cut grass silage through out the year with the cows kept in. The silages would be analysed so that we knew its quality. Put into a mixer wagon with all the concentrates, soya meal, fish meal, brewers grains, molasses etc all added to it. This mix was made fresh twice a day and put out along the feed passages. The feeders were taken out of the parlour which made milking quicker and cleaner as the cows wouldn’t keep stopping to bash feeders to get more to drop. Every mouth full the cows ate was the same quality and ph throughout the whole lactation from the day they calved until the day they were dried off. With this new feeding regime we went from having an average milking herd of around 6,000 litres per lactation to one of the best in the country of around 10,000 litres per lactation.

[NeilA]

Unless we feed a pellet of grains separately not sure how we would get them to eat correctly Andy
Mike use to feed his cocks in pots a little at a time so I guess that’s best
I feed on the tray so go with handfuls to they get to my allowed weight

[Andy]

Unless we feed a pellet of grains separately not sure how we would get them to eat correctly Andy
Mike use to feed his cocks in pots a little at a time so I guess that’s best
I feed on the tray so go with handfuls to they get to my allowed weight

You’re right Neil. I feed my cocks in their boxes when on widowhood.

[NeilA]

I would like to but leave in the dark for work so just feed in the tray a measured amount
But come evening I am able to feed a bit at a time but in a tray