Feeding System racing pigeon part 1

January 23, 2012 peter pigeon-food

Feeding System (Part 1)

1.   Its origin.
2.   The application (how to feed, what to feed).
3.   By-products.

The origin of racing systems for racing pigeon.
When I look outside, out of the window in our new house in Odoorn, I can see the leavers falling from the trees. The leaves are of many different colours. Just beautiful! Day after day I savour the view.

But, bare trees and winter, those aren’t my favourites. I crawl behind my computer and sure enough there are already some fanciers asking for a racing system. These are fanciers that look ahead and have already decided that next year they want to change their way of managing their pigeons.

They are on the right path. Many people need a guide to keep them on the right path. There are also people who don’ need one at all. These are people who understand nature. They spend a lot of time with their pigeons and can see what they need and unfailingly give them what they need.

For them a feeding plan for the racing pigeon is an unnecessary luxury and only gets in the way and only causes them confusion. Yes, but these fanciers are very few, probably no more than 1%-3% of the fanciers. The rest of us what do we do? Look at the beautiful advertising from the various manufacturers? At the blue eyes of the pretty representative? How do we learn the right way?

I can only go back to my own experience and the experiments that we carried out under the guidance of our nutritional instructor Horst Collenberg. What were these experiments? We began with the following concept. The pigeons had to show us what they needed. Show us for an entire year.

We began to accustom the racing pigeon to a free choice feeding system in January. What did we do? Horst had a plan and developed a special feeder. It was a tray made up of 25 different sections. Each section held a well know and easily obtainable grain or seed.

For half an hour the pigeons could eat whatever they wanted, in other words they had free choice. But, first they had to get used to the feeder and the system. The pigeons that always stuffed themselves were removed.

A half hour free choice
We were ready to begin in the spring and began exercising the pigeons. After exercising they had free access to the feeder with all the various grains and seeds for half an hour. After that the feeder was taken away. All the sections had a measured amount of grain or seed in them and after the feeding period each section was weighed and written down.

This was done in the morning and evening. We could see that when the weather was cold different grains were eaten than when the spring weather was warmer. In this way we could determine, how many grams of corn, peas, wheat, paddy rice, milo etc. were consumed and therefore the feed composition they had eaten that day.

Then the races began. In Germany they begin with 3 or 4 training flights from distances of 30 to 100 km. After this the first race is approximately 200km. Every week the distance increases and after 5 weeks or so the races are from 450 km. After that it is 500 km and then back to 200 or 300 km. The following week they went back to 550 km and then the races alternate between long and short.

Eating themselves into form
What did we see? After an easy race the racing pigeon ate differently than after a hard race. Because we made note of exactly what was eaten every day, we soon had a clear picture of what they consumed. After an easy race the pigeons ate a somewhat lighter mix of grains and clearly ate fewer legumes.

After a hard race they ate more legumes and fat rich seeds. After an easy race (one where all the birds were home within an hour) it turned out that after a few days they ate very few if any legumes. They chose carbohydrate and fat rich seeds, more or less corn was consumed depending on the lower or higher temperatures. The sections with peas and beans went untouched.

We saw that they immediately began to exercise better. Sometimes they were in super form way to early. They weighed little and were blown up, just like we want them. Really they were ready to soon, two days to soon and their condition was falling of when they were shipped for the following race. The performances on race day showed that they were coming down. Not good enough.

Of course pigeons don’t know when they will be shipped. We also saw that after a harder race that pigeons were not in optimal form by the end of the week. For them the race came to early. But, okay, we had a free choice system and we wanted to maintain it till the end of the experiment.

Every morning and evening we did the same thing, they had free choice and every day we weighed what was left over. We didn’t pay attention to the performances we wanted to learn from all the various happenings.

After several months we acquired a wealth of information, because not only the feed was weighed, we also made notes of the daytime and night-time temperatures, the wind, the difficulty of the race, the exercising, in short everything we could think off so that the following winter we could analyse everything precisely.

We could not understand race programs that used race mixes with a high percentage of peas and fed the mix at the end of the week. On his own a pigeon first eats what he has used. After an easy race: fewer peas, after a hard race: more peas, more fat rich seeds and corn. After 3 or 4 days they no longer touch the peas and they begin to search for the good tasting seeds.

Below, a good build-up: After a hard race and the pigeons all came in form together.

Here is an example of a fast recovery period. The pigeons had a relatively easy race and were in top form to soon. The results were always: disappointing results the next race.

After studying all the data we learned quite a lot. We knew how we had to feed under different condition and what the pigeons needed for different races. From all of this information we made up race programs and when we did so, we kept in mind the known scientific information.

We knew for example how much energy was required for a racing pigeon to fly for an hour, and how far the racing pigeon had to fly the following week.

How these plans were built, what we recommend feeding and when, during the build-up period before the race you will read in the following article. Read more.

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Feeding System for racing pigeons

January 23, 2012 peter pigeon-food

Feeding System of a racing pigeon(Part 2)

In the first part of this article we talked about how a racing pigeons uses the feed put in front of it. Which grains and seeds it eats, at which time it eats what grain or seed and under what circumstances.

Breeding Season
Every day the leftovers were weighed and as a result we knew what mix had been consumed. During the breeding period we determined that the racing pigeons consumed very little corn and eagerly ate seeds such as hemp. They ate legumes but fewer than we had thought they would.

The racing pigeons after all could choice from a large variety of grains and seeds. As the youngsters in the nest grew the legume consumption did go up somewhat. It was very noticeable that a substantial amount of fat rich seeds were consumed. These observations and measurements allowed us to calculate the fatty acid and amino acid requirements.

Racing Season
Here we saw big differences. We not only looked at the grains eaten but watched each and every racing pigeon individually. We determined that some pigeons ate a lot of corn and others ate a lot of peas. One or the other presumable had to do with the development of the race. The first pigeon came home in good condition arrived home at 12:00 and the last pigeon was home at 14:00.

The last one took two hours longer to get home. Because of those two hours the racing pigeon had not only used more of its fat reserves but the muscles also needed more protein to recover. This is how one pigeon can be in better condition than the other. By using a free choice method of feeding, each pigeon can choose what it needs.

Pigeons that were in poorer condition or those that came home later from the previous flight also ate peas for a longer period of time. The early racing pigeons were also back in condition earlier. What we knew and what the pigeons of course did not know was: when the following race would be, what the day of shipping would be, how many kilometers they had to fly and what kind of wind conditions they would encounter.

We also noticed that the pigeon got used to the rhythm of the week and seemed to know when they had to race again, when he would see his girlfriend again etc. It seemed like they adjusted themselves to the weekly schedule.

From this vast amount of information, derived from the daily weighing of feed and our personal observations, we could make some assumptions as to a feeding method. We had a golden thread to follow. After an easy flight they ate fewer peas, after a hard flight they ate protein and fat rich grains and seeds in order to refill their tank and rebuild their muscles.

After the muscles were repaired they ate the carbohydrate and fat rich seeds and grains. There was a definite line in what they consumed. These observations could be tied to the information we knew and the racing pigeons didn’t. By this I mean that we knew the distance of the following race and we had the scientific knowledge to know how much energy to put into the tank.

We know that a pigeon eats somewhere between 200-250 grams of feed per week in preparation for the following race. In fact there are races on the schedule where some pigeons are only flown every other week and sometimes they are home for 3 weeks.
Carbohydrates and fats have to be adjusted for the expected hours on the wing not the distance.

These we have to provide as best we can. We had learned from our extensive test period that we could adjust our feeding in order to bring our birds to a peak just at the right time, not too early and not too late. This we could do in a manner shown to us by the birds. This way we can stay close to a natural way of feeding and still build in our known variables (length of the coming race and shipping day).

In my view there are two possibilities for a very good feeding schedule (method). The first one is free choice. After an easy race they are given a lighter feed and all they want free choice. At the end of the week we provide a fat richer mix according to the expected wing time and the amount of time the bird will spend in the basket (shipping time).

Another possible method is to give the racing pigeons a measured amount of feed that is made up according to the results of our experiments. That is, again we feed a lighter mix after and easy race at the beginning of the week so that we don’t bring the pigeons into form to early etc. Both systems have their advantages and disadvantages, but both are close to what the pigeon would choose itself.

Golden Thread
When as nutritionists when we make up a feeding system, we always have to use averages. We don’t know for example: the difficulty of the previous flight, the wind during the flight, were there big gaps between arrivals, the temperatures, the condition of the pigeons, how hard the following race is expected to be and you could think of many more variables.

That’s why a feeding schedule can only be used as a golden thread. As a racing pigeon fancier or trainer you always have to make minor or major adjustments when necessary.

A fancier approached me at a show. He told me that he had used our feeding program for the first time the previous season and that he had become champion not only in his club but also in his section. He had followed the feeding plan exactly. Naturally I congratulated him. But, he was totally surprised when I told him that he had been very lucky and that I didn’t think that he would be that lucky again a second time.

Exercising-Training
Exercising (training) is of great importance for the racing pigeons. It is important for people and is just as important for our pigeons. Sufficient exercise means that they will maintain a good appetite. Their overall condition and their endurance will increase and the oxygen availability will increase in the red muscle fibers.

More and more the importance of exercise and training is being recognized and the racing pigeons are taken down the road more often and farther between races. Sensible training also recognizes the need of rest periods being built into the training schedule in order to reach a peak when required. Top performances to-day almost requires that the fancier become a sport trainer.

Strength and endurance
Short and explosive performances require a lot of strength. Athletic performances lasting a longer period of time require endurance. The two aren’t the same. Fast cars with a big motor empty the fuel tank quickly.

A car with greater efficiency and somewhat slower will go a lot farther on the same amount of fuel. The trick is finding the right balance, between speed and endurance.

In a future instalment I will delve into the subject of supplement that we can use. Which make sense and which ones are unnecessary? I will walk slowly through the forest of supplements and remedies and try to steer you in the right direction. Read more…

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Training and nutrition for racing pigeon so you go faster flying pigeons.

May 3, 2011 peter racing-pigeon

Training and Nutrition for racing pigeons.

If you want to run the marathon, you will have to train, otherwise you will not arrive at the finish line in time. This we can all understand and accept. To develop this ability, a plan is required, one that will lead to your goal. It will take many months of training, building up to first running 5 km or so and slowly building up to a half marathon race and eventually running the entire marathon in an acceptable time.

What time? That depends on your technique, your clothing, your shoes, your weight, your type of muscling, and don’t forget your “talent”. There are people who train till they drop, but will never reach any significant racing ability. They will, however, be able to improve their times greatly. How is this done? You hire a personal trainer and you join an athletic club. They know how to prepare you and how to improve your athletic abilities. In this article I will regularly switch from training people to pigeons. Not in order to compare them, but to gain specific insights.

Aerobic:
Burning energy takes place on the basis of the available oxygen supply (in order to let the muscles work). Breathing is what keeps the oxygen supply at the ready. There is a balance between used waste products and the cleansing of the blood by the organs. In this way an oxygen deficiency will not be reached and you can train for a long time. Think about playing soccer, if you are well trained, you can complete the entire game at top efficiency.

Anaerobic:
When training using the anaerobic system, then oxygen shortages will be built up. This means that lactic acid is produced and this will weaken your legs. This can be done consciously in order to build a “tolerance” to lactic acid and learn how to handle it. This can lead to an increase your athletic prowess. The main effect of anaerobic training is that you will come into competition form.

To acquire form you will have push yourself to the limit several times (4 to 6) by sprinting 500 to 800 meters. If you want to compete in half marathon races, this is a good way to reach form in the last phase of your preparation. You can’t and shouldn’t do this daily. These sprint repetitions will be attainable at a maximum of only once per week.

This is an excellent way to reach top condition just before a competition. In other words: this kind of training should not make up more than 6 to 10% of your total training. This type of training in technical terms is called “VO2 max”. You teach your body to utilize 100% of its available oxygen supply; this is what helps you reach “top form”. You can imagine that “ornithosis” (a cold) will throw a lot of sand into the gears.

Racing Pigeon Training:
It is foolish to send pigeons directly to a 500 km race at the beginning of the season. This we can certainly all understand. We have to build up the pigeon’s condition, gradually, several weeks before the races begin, we increase their training from 15 minutes to an hour and then to an hour and a half etc.Those that can handle this and during this time fly hard are the one we need for racing.

We know that humans have to follow a training regimen in order to deliver a top performance at a specific time, then I find it strange that some pigeon combines will jump from 250 km to 550 km. Perhaps the really well trained pigeons can handle it, but this is the ideal, what about the less trained pigeons?

Fanciers with a lot of time on their hands will take their pigeons for training tosses themselves in these situations. At the beginning of the week they will take their pigeons as far as 400 km. Yes! They will drive through Belgium and sometimes into France just to release a few pigeons, and you keep suggesting that they are using a product that shouldn’t be used.

I don’t know if that perhaps is still the case. The fact is these fanciers are willing to take the time and effort and do whatever it legally takes to achieve racing success. Often they are the fanciers that specialize at specific distances. For them it’s all about the Teletext races. How fast the pigeons come home on the shorter distances is not important to them.

They are allowed to easily fly along in their “winter condition”. They want to peak on a number of races chosen beforehand. That of course is their choice. If they succeed in preparing their pigeons and keeping them healthy, it will be difficult to defeat these fanciers at their “specialty”. Do they have better pigeons? I don’t know. In any case they are making other choices. homing pigeons

Nutrition for Humans:

Untrained humans will burn their body fat first. Trained humans will burn a lot more carbohydrates. The story in pigeons is completely different and I will come back to this later. If you want to train well, as a trained athlete you will require between 8 and 10 gram of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight.

This means that an athlete weighing 70kg: needs a maximum of 700 gram. That is a lot!! Someone who doesn’t participate in sport would not come close to this. At the most they would reach about half.

An athlete doesn’t burn only carbohydrates, the fats and proteins are also called on. In our western culture we eat far too much fat and eat far too few carbohydrates then are required to achieve top athletic performances. It is also important to take in enough fluids (water). You certainly should not eat 2 to 4 hours before a competition.

The nutrition that you do take in should contain sufficient carbohydrates. The “loading” of carbohydrates that takes place before a competition is best done via the “tapering method”. The amount of training is reduced and the amount of carbohydrates consumed is increased, food such as noodles, pasta, cornflakes, muesli, toasted white bread etc.

Correct, white bread because the last 3 days before a competition as little as possible fiber should be consumed. Why? High percentages of sugar in the blood will result in higher amounts of insulin in the blood. This will result in a large amount of glucose being assimilated.

During the event: If a competition last longer than 45 minutes you can improve your performance by eating carbohydrates. But which carbohydrates are best suited? The most suitable nutrients are glucose, sacharose (cane or beet sugar) or dextrin-maltose combinations. These will almost directly enter the blood stream.

These help immediately. These provide for high plasma glucose levels and are burned almost completely by active muscles. Fructoses (fruit sugars) are less valuable as they are not assimilated as well as the previously mentioned sugars.

However, during the sporting event you can’t eat unlimited carbohydrates. Why not? The body can only assimilated 60 to 65 grams of carbohydrate per hour. You can imagine that consuming too much will have a disruptive effect (oxidation). But a drink containing about 7% carbohydrate will provide at a volume of 850 ml/hr an ideal supply of 60 grams carbohydrate per hour.

The chances of stomach or intestinal upsets are only increased if you consume too many “Red Bulls”. There is still a lot to tell about nutrition and the endurance sports for humans. But I don’t want to confuse you, because the story about nutrition in our pigeons is quite different. Humans, use during a sporting event lasting 1 ½ hours, (+/-) 100 to 250 grams of glycogen and fats. Besides this energy use, they easily lose more than a litre of fluids, depending on the air temperature.

Nutrition for racing pigeons:
Racing Pigeons sweat far less than humans during a flight. They also can’t drink, at the very least; it is our duty to make sure our racing pigeons don’t suffer from thirst. If they drink on the way home, firstly the question is what kind of water (healthy or contaminated) did they drink and secondly the pigeons that take the time to drink will arrive home later then we had planned. That’s why I am a proponent of using electrolytes during periods of warm temperatures. They help retain moisture and that is of great importance.

Pigeons like humans should not begin their competitions with a full stomach in order to prevent stomach and intestinal upsets. All the needed nutrients should already be “stored” and digested when the competition begins. Racing pigeons like humans can store only small amounts of glycogen in the “white muscle” fibers.

Firstly a racing pigeon has very few white muscles and in the second place the fuel for our racing pigeon are principally fatty acids (3 to 3 ½ grams per hour of flying). During the first 10 minutes of flight the glycogen stored in the white muscles are used. After this the pigeon can fly a maximum of 45 minutes on the glycogen present in the blood and the liver.

Often the pigeon has already switched over to fat (stored in the red muscles) as fuel in only half an hour. When fats burn they don’t leave any waste products. Therefore there is little or no lactic acid build up during a flight. That is also the reason pigeons can fly for a long time without getting “weak legs”.

Naturally there is a point where exhausting is reached and they hit the wall. That moment lies somewhere between 400 and 500 km. At that point the pigeon becomes tired and finds it difficult to keep a constant flying tempo. Approximately a half hour to an hour later this effect will disappear and a more constant tempo is again reached. We have learned from simulations in wind tunnels and by fastening GPS units to the backs of racing pigeons, that this renewed flying tempo will gradually decrease.

Recuperation:

When arriving home after a long hard flight the pigeon’s first requirement will be for glycogen. It is required to allow the brain to function properly. In fact, without glycogen the brain cannot function at all.

That is why it is necessary directly after a hard race to provide a carbohydrate rich food, such as dextrose (and electrolytes) in the drinking water and a carbohydrate rich mix. Naturally this mix should be so rich and varied in grains and seed that the pigeon can make the choices that will fulfill its own particular requirements.

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Don’t give in on racing pigeon by proper care it will get better.

April 19, 2011 peter racing-pigeons

pigeons There are quite a few racing pigeon fanciers who don’t shy away from filling their pigeons with all kinds of nutrients, vaccines and medications during the racing season. Winning stands at the top of their list. Whether or not the racing
pigeons survive or if they can only keep up for one season doesn’t seem to matter to them.

Making money, the honour, every year of being on the Teletext and having their picture in the pigeon papers, that is their goal. A squeezed out orange is all that’s left. The pigeon is not important, only the fancier is. Oh well, to each his own!

I can still remember the Tour de France in which Eric Breukink made his debut. “What a talent” is all you could hear. But, you have to bring a young talent such as him along slowly, was the answer from the experts, otherwise you’ll blow him up and he’ll be finished.His strength will come with the years and through good preparation. This will result in many years of enjoyment from this young rider. That was sensible advice.

Training racing pigeon

We can choose to train our racing pigeons to the extreme. In principle I don’t have anything against this view, but it should be done sensibly and with discretion. There should be a system behind it. Exhausting animals without regard doesn’t make sense.

Not only overworking the birds, but also filling them with all sorts of products that have nothing to do with good nutrition will ensure that they are burned out quickly. The candle can’t be burned at both ends.

What happens in the body?

Everything we ingest has to be digested. Via the stomach and the intestines all the nutrients are absorbed by the blood. Then it’s the livers’ turn to select all the good nutrients and separate them from all the toxic products. The liver is a factory and one of the most important organs of the body.

The way it functions is quite complicated. There are at least 350 million liver cells that stand ready day and night to fulfill 500 various tasks. The liver cells renew themselves rapidly in order to keep the liver functioning at a high level.

It produces bile (important in the digestion of fats). It stores sugars, which will be converted to glucose. It also manufactures specific vitamins. Besides these functions it also has a detoxifying function. Storing excess fats can harm the liver, especially fats of animal origin because these are not easily assimilated by racing pigeons; therefore we have to be careful using them.

The most important functions of the liver are: the cleansing function, the storage of a reserve of glucose and iron, breaking down protein into the individual amino acids and then in turn using them to rebuild required proteins. It is a chemical center, which controls many tasks. Waste products are transported to the kidneys which act like a water filtration facility, filtering and removing the toxic products and waste from the body. pigeon racing

Its production of bile makes fat digestion possible. For racing
pigeon the production of bile by the liver is extremely important because pigeons do not have a gall bladder like people and most other mammals. For pigeons that consume a lot of fat Choline is an important nutrient.

Choline from lecithin (natural source as opposed to a chemical source) has an emulsifying effect, that is to say, it makes an emulsion of the fat and moisture which can be absorbed by the liver. The choline also aids the liver in the breakdown of waste products and lactic acid.

Now I know that there are many fanciers that give a product to detoxify the liver every week. If you use medicines or an overwhelming number of by-products during the racing season, then I would suggest you also do so. If you burden your pigeons with a lot of peas and animal source fats the liver will need some help.

But my rule is: if you don’t overwork the liver then you don’t have to detoxify it. If, we use lecithin (which contains natural choline) regularly, then you not have any need for these other products to help the liver. Only after the use of antibiotics and other medicines will we have to use, for example, Sedechol or Milk Thistle seed. Just exactly what does Milk Thistle do?

Milk Thistle

The active extracts (silymarin, isosylibine, silydianine and silychristin) repair the damaged liver cells and prevent damage to the liver from toxins. Silymarin also prevent the toxins from attachment to the liver cells. Components contained in plants, such as artichoke, liquorice and dandelion, support bile production and its transport to the small intestine.

Conclusion

I think we all understand that what goes in determines what comes out. A basic feed containing a lot of wheat, corn and peas delivers only enough nutrients to stay alive, but for top performances, we won’t be discussing birds fed on such a diet. If we feed balanced excellent diets to good pigeons we will usually be rewarded. Whenever we add “too” (as in “too much”) to what we do to, or give to our racing pigeon, we usually cause harm.

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Shipping day part 1 for racing pigeon

March 22, 2011 peter pigeon-food

Shipping Day for racing pigeon

Regularly questions come on in on the last day, shipping day. What do I have to give them? How much can the pigeons still eat? Can I still add electrolytes to the water? Do I have to send my long distance pigeons with a crop full of feed? What kind of feed can I give them? What should I feed the young birds if the weather gets very warm? Till what time in the afternoon can I feed them?

All question with answers that would be useful to know. I want to tell you up front that I don’t know all the answers. That’s the plain truth. No, no, that’s not the way I work. My purpose has always been to serve the sport and I am always pleased to offer tips according to my vision and insights, with the goal being to make sure the pigeons are given the optimum opportunity to show their abilities. Do you have other ideas? Please! Let’s hear them!

Electrolytes:

These mineral salts in combination with grape sugar can be used on shipping day. Don’t they cause the birds to get thirsty? Yes, that can happen. That is why you can only use them if you are home: in the morning a half hour after eating and drinking the water with the electrolytes is taken away and replaced with fresh clean water. Electrolytes have the ability to retain moisture, that’s very important for racing when the temperatures are very warm. It is especially recommended for young bird racing. In principle the electrolytes are given the day BEFORE shipping. But if you are home than you can still use them the morning of shipping day, in the manner mentioned above.

Racing pigeon In the basket:

The birds should be sent on an empty crop for races where the pigeons only spend 1 night in the basket. The feed that was fed the day before (plus what was they ate on shipping day) should no longer be present in the crop. The food should be in the intestinal tract being absorbed into the blood. Via the liver glycogen and fatty acids are being transported to the white and red muscles. This digestion process is going at full speed. On race day this should be completed so that the pigeon’s body can concentrate on performing not on digestion.

Two nights in the basket:

For two nights in the basket I would send them with ½ crop of food. The race is a day later in contrast to one night in the basket the digestion should continue for an extra day. If no digestion takes place and the pigeon has to spend more than one night in the basket we have a problem. Yes, the pigeons are fed corn (maize), but corns’ carbohydrates are too easily absorbed to accomplish a complete digestion. In order to achieve a good digestion sufficient water and oxygen are required, if one or the other is not present than digestion is impossible. It is not advisable to basket pigeons with a full crop of feed. In most cases they will bring up the contents of the crop and they will have no advantage over pigeons that only have a half crop of food.

What type of food for one night in the basket?
The food for one night in the basket should have no peas and be high in energy. These mixes often have names such as Super Energy, Super Diet and Turbo Energy etc. When the weather is colder these feeds function even better if corn is added to them. If the day before shipping you have fed enough and the pigeons don’t want to eat much on shipping day, you better be ready on race day. If the birds still have a good appetite on shipping day than sit back in your chair and relax, they won’t be too early! There are people who think differently about the above, that’s OK, they don’t have to agree with me.

shipping day 2 for racing pigeon

March 20, 2011 peter pigeon-food

The racing pigeon, two nights in the basket:

Yes, the pigeons are fed corn (maize), but corns’ carbohydrates are too easily absorbed to accomplish a complete digestion. In order to achieve a good digestion sufficient water and oxygen are required, if one or the other is not present than digestion is impossible. It is not advisable to basket pigeons with a full crop of feed. In most cases they will bring up the contents of the crop and they will have no advantage over pigeons that only have a half crop of food.

If the day before shipping you have fed enough and the pigeons don’t want to eat much on shipping day, you better be ready on race day. If the birds still have a good appetite on shipping day than sit back in your chair and relax, they won’t be too early! There are people who think differently about the above, that’s OK, they don’t have to agree with me.

Two nights in the basket:
The feed should contain a portion of racing mix in order to stimulate the digestion. Thus, approximately ½ Racing Mix + ½ Super Diet, Super Energy or candy mix should be provided. We can also feed a bit in the afternoon of shipping with, for example some small seeds (candy mix) or other high energy mixes without peas. The pigeons will drink after eating and this stimulates the metabolism.

The really long distance fanciers sometimes want to send their pigeons with the crops stuffed full of feed. Then I hear complaints that the pigeons have lost their appetites. I would suggest that the overnight distance pigeons be fed a very high energy mix the last 4 days before shipping. Something like a race mix with small seeds and peanuts added.

Small pieces of cheese in limited amounts can also be a very good addition. If you end up with about 20% fat and about 3800-4000 Kcal per kg of feed, than they will be sent with sufficient energy. The pigeons should be fed normal amounts, don’t try to stuff them. Fed in this manner, the pigeons will want to eat when in the basket. Using the free choice system the pigeons fed a similar mixture will not overeat. Of course, I assume that the conveyers are also going to take their task seriously.

Suppose a pigeon eats 25 gm corn in the basket. It takes a number of calories to maintain body temperature etc. We won’t use these amounts for the day of shipping, because all that moving and handling on shipping day demands extra energy from the pigeon.

At rest a pigeon requires approximately 50 Kcal per day. The 25 grams of corn fed in the basket is made up of 2/3 carbohydrates. Now let’s calculate: 2/3 X 25 gram= 16.7 grams of carbohydrates X 4 (1 gram= 4 Kcal)= 66.8 Kcal. That is 16.8 Kcal more then required. This will be stored as glycogen and perhaps as fatty acids. That’s a nice extra for the race home. Pigeons fed like this will increase in condition while in the basket.

Three to five nights in the basket:
What these pigeons are fed is entirely dependent on the type and number of nights spent in the basket. If the birds spend 3 to 4 nights in the basket they should be fed quite differently than 1 night. The reason is the digestion process.

This has to continue if the birds spend many nights in the basket. It may happen that the birds have to spend a week in the basket awaiting a release at the race point. My advice to the shipping organization would be to not only provide plain corn but also have a complete, although easily digested mix on hand. In any case some amino acids, fats and carbohydrates should be available every day.

Only corn for an entire week is too one-sided for such a long period of time. I don’t very easily change my mind, but I could also advise a mix made up of: ¼ corn (maize), ¼ Racing Mix, ¼ Cleansing and ¼ Super Energy or Super Diet (with a high fat content). If they get sufficient water than this mix can be recommended but sufficient water is absolutely necessary. If the don’t get enough water then the peas in this mix will difficult to digest.

Than the required moisture will be drawn from the pigeons body and that would be a great detriment to the birds. On the day of release corn can be fed in the morning. This tale on feeding only has a good ending if the convoyers do a good job all week long. If all they do is throw their hat at the task at hand, than forget it. If the pigeons are not fed or watered enough, then the pigeons fed heavily at home will have the advantage. Such pigeons because of the amount of peas they ate also have to drink a lot (in order to digest the peas). Good shipping and good convoyers are “Oh so very, very, important!”.

Peanuts:

There are always question on supplementing with peanuts. I think the fear of peanuts is much greater than the problem itself. If you use good quality peanuts and store them in a cool (less than 20 Celsius) and dark place, you will have few if any problems. The advantages of feeding peanuts are much greater than any possible disadvantages. Are there disadvantages? Surely, but we shouldn’t exagerate them.

Peanuts can have aflatoxins and mycotoxins. These are toxic by products left by moulds on the peanuts (for that matter on any grain). There are European guidelines, that determine the amount of aflatoxins and mycotoxin that can be present on the peanuts. All peanuts imported are tested for these limits. If they test below the guidelines they can be brought in, if not, they are rejected. The allowed amounts are measured in ppb’s (Parts per Billion). The approved lots are marked as food safe. Aflatoxins and mycotoxins cannot multiply!! They can only be present when moulds leave their toxins.

Peanuts can spoil. When storage temperatures are too high (above 25 degrees Celsius) the oils in peanuts can oxidize and become rancid. The pigeons will get watery droppings and lose form. Peanuts can also get mouldy. These moulds are not aflatoxins or mycotoxins because they can’t grow!! The growth is mould. They are caused by damp conditions. Be careful and make sure the peanuts are stored in a dry and cool location, then you don’t have to worry. Of course, you are dependent on the quality of peanuts available, the harvest from one year can be better than another year.

Supplementing Peanuts:
Peanuts on shipping day don’t make much sense. At least not for providing energy for the long trip home, that is fat combustion. To convert peanuts to stored fats in the red muscle fibers easily requires 36 to 48 hours. If you feed peanuts on Friday because suddenly it looks like the race on the next day (Saturday) will be tough, you really are too late. These fats will still be in the liver or the blood, on the way to the red muscles.

The racing pigeon will only benefit for the first hour of the flight (of course this can be the goal). If the peanuts are fed earlier, than the fats will be present in the red muscle fiber and can be utilized as fat reserves. When using normal sized peanuts you need 3 for 1 gram of fat. If you feed 6 extra peanuts per day for 5 days than these extra peanuts will build up an extra 10 grams of fat. That is enough for 3 hours of flying.

Young racing pigeon:

On shipping day the young birds can be sent with extra moisture if required, certainly when the weather gets very warm. I’ve already mentioned electrolytes. They are a blessing for our youngsters. We can also adjust the feed on shipping day. Feed them e.g. ½ Super Diet + ½ white rice. White rice (not paddy) absorbs a lot of moisture and that is extra moisture our babies can make good use of on the way home.

Paddy rice works the opposite. It has 10% raw fiber. Moisture will be drawn from the body in order to digest the fiber. That is not what we want. On the longer races a handful of small seeds or some extra corn will do no harm. We can also give them some small seeds later in the afternoon on the longer races. Up to 3 hours before shipping these can have a positive influence.

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What do you know about the water.

March 3, 2011 peter racing-pigeon

water for racing pigeon

Good nutrition is of great importance for the health of humans and animals (racing pigeon). Healthy water is equally as important. The importance of healthy water is often underestimated. A number of years ago Gert Boontje became fascinated and inspired by the work of Victor Schauberger “Lebendes Wasser” ( Living Water).Until the beginning of the last century the core of Schauberger’s ideas were difficult to substantiate and the then recognized scientists did not take him seriously. pigeon racing

The results of recent studies have shown that his ideas were correct and many scientists know have come to the conclusion that we know very little about the essence of water. You’re probably thinking: you can write a lot about research on carbohydrates, protein and fats, but water is water isn’t it? That is really not the case. Our knowledge of water is limited almost entirely to its physical and chemical qualities.

Tap water and spring water

The water that comes out of our taps has to meet certain requirements. This is necessary in order to guarantee the health of the general population. In order to kill bacteria chlorine is often added to the water. In contrast to tap water the health benefits of spring water are used as a standard. According to recent scientific studies not only the purity of water is considered of great importance but also the bio energetic value of the water. Pristine spring water is energetically pure and is free from harmful vibrations. Therefore spring water is superior for the body of both humans and animals. Tap water in contrast has far less if any of these bio energetic values.

The function of water in our bodies

Water is an essential element of all the processes of our body. That is a fact that cannot be overstated. We know that water is used in the transport of nutrients throughout the body and in the elimination of waste products from the body. It is constantly becoming clearer, the enormous role water plays, in the energy and information transmission necessary for the control of all the various bodily functions at all levels, from the organs to the cell. Until recently scientists had little or no knowledge of these processes.

The understanding of information and energy transmission is still at its infancy. In the literature much attention is paid to the functioning of the cells, but little attention is paid to the fact that 75% of the cell is made of water.Water in the connective tissue fulfils a central role in the bodily processes. Connective tissue not only fills the spaces between cells, but, functions as the basic regulator because the ends of blood vessels, lymph nodes and nerves all begin and end in the connective tissue. They are not in direct contact with each other, they communicate with each other only through the connective tissue. The transport of nutrients, waste products and information transmission flows through the water in the connective tissue. When we drink water, it reaches the connective tissue; according to research, this regenerates the metabolism.

The vibration frequency of water
Research has shown, that water, from which all the harmful products were removed through water purification, had the same vibration frequency before and after purification. These vibrations were left by specific products that were removed from the water during purification. An acquaintance of mine is the manager of a water board; he told me that it will become increasingly difficult in the future to remove all the products that are found in water. At some time in the future the newer methods and filters needed to remove the waste products from the water will not be available. The chemically cleaned water is physically still loaded with vibrations from the products that were removed from the water.

This is known as the information of those products. We add many types of chemicals to the earth. We do this by, for example, spraying fruit trees for pests. Besides that there are the electromagnetic vibrations added by, the electrical grid, computer screens, mobile telephones, radar installations , medications and contraception products that through the sewage system end up in the purification installations. During the purification process these may be removed, but the frequencies of the products removed, still remain in the purified water. We know that humans and animals are made up of 2/3 water. A variety of vibration frequencies, harmful as well as harmless, are through the water we drink added to our bodily fluids. These vibrations have an important effect on our bodily processes. It is known that certain vibration frequencies have a harmful effect on our health.

Bovis value

There are methods that can measure the bio energy value of water. This can be expressed as a Bovis value. The Bovis value of 6500 units is seen as the health standard. In order for water to be healthy it has to have Bovis value of 6500 units as its minimum value. The value of the water in a mountain stream is about 8,000 Bovis units, while the healing waters in places like Lourdes can have a Bovis value of 30,000 to 42,0000 units. Tap water lies somewhere between 100 and 4,000 Bovis units. The changes that tap water has undergone during purification and transport have caused it to lose all of its energetic value.

The “Aqua-Vitaliser”

There are methods that can negate the harmful vibrations and return to energetic live giving strength back to water. These natural methods will provide stable water without the harmful vibrations and with a high bio energy value from 30,000 to 80,000 Bovis units. This can be done by mounting an apparatus at the source of the water distribution system. This apparatus called the “Aqua-Vitaliser” can be obtained in various sizes, for different applications. Experience has shown that the water revitalizer can be operated with no maintenance. The only cost is purchasing the “Aqua-Vitaliser”. The revitalization of the water occurs without the use of electricity, magnetism or chemicals. Revitalized water is pure in the sense that it is free of harmful vibrations. Revitalized water has the following benefits.

Purifies the bodies’ fluids, cells, tissues and organs.
Thorough detoxification of the body.
Relieves the liver and the kidneys and allows for a better blood flow.
Eliminates the effect of parasites and brings the intestines to a state of tranquility.
Makes the skin soft and young.
Skin allergies and over sensitivities disappear or lessen.
Provides for a better assimilation of nutrients.
Tastes fuller and softer.

Naturally vital water provides for a healthy and fit body. Besides that revitalized water prevents calcification, therefore it also benefits your household. The installation of an “Aqua-Vitaliser” is a onetime investment after which all the taps in your home will flow with vital water. Therefore not only your pigeons but also you and yours, will profit from all the advantages the revitalized water gives.

50 comments

The digestion process of racing pigeons.

March 3, 2011 peter pigeon-food

The Digestion Process:

After you have eaten a large meal at home or at a restaurant all you want to do is relax on the couch. What better way to enjoy a full stomach than to just sit and do nothing, maybe have a nap. Sometimes I want to have a game of table tennis directly after eating. “With a full stomach that’s not wise”, my mother always said. Did she have nutritional know how?

No, absolutely not. There are things we just know from experience. First the meal in the stomach has to be digested. The blood supply becomes more concentrated near the stomach and intestines in order to take up the nutrients. This causes the rest of the body to have less blood available. If you go out and do any sports, there is less oxygen available; your body will quickly build up too much lactic acid. In fact you should wait two to three hours after eating before you can go out and perform at the top of your abilities. The stomach has to be empty.

This is also the case with our pigeons. The racing pigeons has a crop, where a pre-digestion process takes place. The large grains are ground up when enter the gizzard (stomach). Depending on the type of food the pigeons eat this process can be long or short. Peas, beans and corn etc. therefore need a longer time then peeled rice or dari etc.

Grit:
The gizzard uses grit to help grind up the grains. These are small sharp stones. A small pot of these should always be present on the loft, so that the pigeon can use it according to its needs. When the stones become worn down and rounded they are eliminated via the droppings. We often think that grit is only used to help grind the grains, but grit also contains calcium. The strongly acid stomach juices quickly make it available. This calcium can only be partly absorbed. The grit may also contain heavy metals, not a good situation of course. The grit mixes containing a lot of red stone have little benefit as the pigeon can’t use it. Oyster shell has more absorbable calcium and therefore is my first choice.

Next the pre-digested food goes to the small intestine. Along with food, a number of other products also end up in the intestine, such as moulds and toxins. The pigeon may have picked them up somewhere or they may be on the feed. Sometimes we also have to deal with antibiotics that not only kill the disease causing bacteria but also the benign fermenting intestinal bacteria. ACPRO (Animal Care Professionals), a company I am very familiar with, does a lot of research on disease and other problems with sporting animals.

The veterinarians that work there do so in as natural but effective manner as possible to find causes and solutions to these diseases and problems. They have found that a poorly functioning intestinal tract is one of the biggest causes of these many diseases and defects. In the regular medical world little thought is given to the reason for the disease only the disease itself is treated. The cause is very often not addressed. I will try to explain in an easy to understand manner an example of their theories.

In the small intestine the nutrients needed by the body are digested. These are products that the animal cannot produce itself, such as some of the amino acids, fatty acids and minerals. In a well functioning digestion process the liver receives these products from the small intestine via the blood supply.

The liver produces bile, makes blood proteins and purifies various products that are harmful to the body.

The kidneys work as purifiers. Cleansed particles are directed back into the blood supply and waste products are eliminated.

Heart and Muscles:

The heart is a large pump that delivers the blood to all parts of the body. The muscles get their nutrients and oxygen from the blood.

The large intestine absorbs moisture giving the droppings their typical form and appearance. The nutrients that are absorbed through the intestinal wall of the large intestine are mainly products that the body itself can produce. The intestinal wall of the large intestine passes these nutrients to the blood supply that goes directly to the heart, which in turn delivers them directly to the muscles.

If a portion of the good intestinal bacteria either through the use of antibiotics or the presences of poisonous products are killed, then the bacteria left no longer function efficiently and the products needed by the body are no longer digested in the small intestine but in the large intestine. This can also occur when the animal is under too much stress. Think about our young racing pigeons. During periods of stress adrenalin is produced which burns the intestinal flora.

Poisonous products through the intestinal wall of the large intestine also go un-purified directly to the blood supply and into the muscles. Toxins and other poisonous products in the muscles cause tiredness, stiffness and decrease performance. Via the bloodstream the poisonous products arrive in the liver un-purified, because the small intestine did not pre-digest them. This can cause the liver to be over-taxed and then in turn the kidneys. If this situation lasts too long then problems and diseases begin to appear.

Allergic reactions, skin and hair problems in people and animals, caused by products that earlier were digested in the small intestine, but through stress etc. now end up directly in the blood supply unpurified. It could be products that are trying to find their way out through the skin that earlier the liver would have broken down. They have to be eliminated but they cannot find a way out. If we put the small intestine back to work then the toxins etc. can again be purified by the liver and all those allergies, itches and inflammations will disappear!!! Strange isn’t it? We are looking at the entire body, this is a holistic approach. This is what Chinese healers do and have done for thousands of years. They still have the ancient wisdoms. You don’t have to agree with me, do whatever you like.

Small Intestine
It is essential that the small intestinal bacteria keep working efficiently. Especially in the first part of the small intestine we find various types of lactic acid producing bacteria. We can help the digestion process in the small intestine in various ways. We work more and more with soft cheese curds, yogurt and buttermilk to promote the good bacteria. This is only somewhat effective, because the stomach acids and secretions in the small intestines such as bile salts and pancreatic enzymes throw a wrench into the works and many of these Lactobacilli die an early death.

There are also ready-made pro-biotic preparations on the market. Probiotics are preparations made up of microbial cells that have a positive effect on the health and well being of the host. Bacteria with a positive effect (good bacteria) are Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Lb. acidophilus and Bifidobacterium.

Providing we keep the quality high and use good quality raw material, then the use of these probiotics can make a positive contribution to a more efficient intestinal tract. There are still scientists who look at this differently and are critical about their use. I personally believe that their use can make a difference in our path to healthy pigeons.

Overburdening the Liver
Probiotics can have a good effect, but naturally we cannot keep on taxing the liver with antibiotics, mycotoxins, aflatoxins, chemical products, toxic herb mixes, to many legumes during the racing season, over dosing vitamins and amino acids and so on, and so on, and so on………. It has to stop somewhere.

Back on our feet
Yes there is some fiddling about done in this pigeon world by many fanciers. Health is of the utmost importance. It the organs can again do what they were meant to do and don’t have to constantly keep cleaning up rubbish, then health and resistance can restored. Then the birds will shine again, like they used to. I think that the readers of my articles must by now seen the light.

Easily assimilated amino acids in the right proportion, the right fatty acids in sufficient amounts, lecithin, good quality minerals, carbohydrates and an efficient healthy intestinal tract… They all have a part to play in the proper functioning of the organs and the digestion of good nutrients. Everything put into a total package. If all the pieces are in place, then the puzzle is complete. When it becomes a whole, then we’ll stand back up, back on our feet. Then we won’t need doping, tricks or antics to achieve good race results. All we’ll need are good pigeons, motivated and in excellent health.

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Who is willem mulder

March 2, 2011 peter about us

An interview with Willem Mulder.

Who is Willem Mulder and what do you do?
My name is Willem Mulder. I am a feed nutrition consultant for a animal feed company. My specialty is racing pigeon feeds.

Why did you write these articles?
I have taken various courses on animal nutrition at Barneveld. Almost 15 years ago I met a customer that had devoted himself to learning all he could on racing pigeon feeds and feeding.

His name was Horst Collenberg from Haltern, Germany. Horst was always busy carrying out scientific studies on his own pigeons and by carrying out various tests had accumulated a wealth of knowledge.

Later, tests were carried out at many German racing pigeon lofts. Horst has taught me a look over all the years I have known him. I have also read and studied many scientific reports in the field of nutrition. In the Netherlands I have also carried out many experiments and have taken theoretical knowledge and put it into practice.

Why did you write these articles?
Nine years ago I was asked by a well known pigeon fancier Steven van Breemen to write an article on feeding racing pigeons for his new online magazine. The internet site was called “Duif 2000” which later became “Winning Magazine”. The fanciers visiting and reading my article expressed a great deal of interest in my article and soon I was writing a new one every month. Some of these articles were translated into English and this led to contacts around the world.

Many questions were asked by these foreign fanciers and I developed feeding plans for countries such as India, South Africa, Thailand, Brazil, England, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan etc. These feeding plans were adjusted for the different conditions found in the different parts of the world. In this way knowledge around the world was increased and broadened.

What can fanciers learn from these articles?
The purpose of these articles is to give the fanciers information that will help them make fewer mistakes. This will help them to improve the management of their racing pigeons and help take the sport entire sport to a higher level.

Is the advice given in these articles easy to carry out?
I always try to give advice that is easy to carry out. If you make it too difficult or involved than most fanciers will not follow it.

What can you learn from the articles?
It is important to know how a racing (feeding) plan is developed and why. Besides that it is important to know which and how much energy a pigeon uses. Pigeons are top athletes and we have to treat them appropriately.

Just like human athletes we have to know: when to feed carbohydrates, when to feed protein, when to add fatty acids to the diet.After the question is: which carbohydrates, which proteins and which fatty acids, in order to achieve top race results. It is in these areas that many fanciers make mistakes and there is a lot of room for improvement.

When I give seminars the fanciers present learn about the care of their pigeons during the breeding season, the winter, the race season and the moulting season. Which vitamins should we use and why, which by-products and why, how fatty acids are used, the amount of feed to give at the right time to influence success etc.

Name some benefits I will gain from reading these articles?
The pigeon fancier after reading these articles will be better informed and will probably make fewer mistakes. He will adjust the way he feeds his feathered athletes and this will stay healthier. This is my goal. My slogan or mission is: “ to give pigeons a better life”.

However short the life of our animals can be, if they were happy and healthy throughout, that is better for the animal and is something the fancier can savour.

How long will it take for me to see results?
A fancier who takes the advice to heart will see results quite quickly. That could be as soon as 2 to 3 weeks during the rest period or during the rearing of the youngsters. Even during the race season the results can improve in a matter of a few weeks.

Tell us what fanciers think of your articles?
I often get reactions from fanciers; they find that they can learn from my articles. This leads to better care of their animals and often results in to top performances. This is good for both the animal and the fancier.

What reaction do you get from fanciers after a seminar?
After every seminar fanciers approach me. There first reaction often is, “I didn’t know that”, or: “this evening I learned more than I have in the last 10 years about caring for and feeding my pigeons.” Ultimately this is why I write and lecture. I want the pigeons to be better cared for, leading to healthier animals and better performances.

Greedings

Peter Mulder

16 comments

Can we measure energy

March 2, 2011 peter pigeon-food

Can we measure energy of the racing pigeon?

When we go to the city for the day or a weekend, we make sure that we are well prepared for the trip. We take a coat, our wallet, perhaps a camera and an umbrella, just in case. We also make sure the car is ready. We fill the gas tank and make sure the ownership and insurance cards are in the glove compartment, prepared for any eventuality.

If the return trip is 250 kilometres and we get 10 km to one litre of fuel then we know we need 25 litres in the tank to make the trip. Otherwise we will have to stop along the way to add some fuel to the tank in order to get home. You are probably thinking, what does this have to do with pigeon racing? Well, everything. Our pigeons are also prepared for a flight each week.

On the short races (Vitesse) we feed a little lighter and less then for the middle distance (Midfond) and for the long races (Fond) usually peanuts are fed, in order to give the birds more energy. But, are we giving them enough? How we feed them is often a matter of, it feels right.

The top fanciers know from experience what works. But, always there is that question in the back of your mind, “Did I get it right?” What will happen if the wind shifts? To-day, we seek more information and we are justified in asking; has there been research done on the energy requirements of pigeons during flight? Protein, carbohydrates (sugars) or fats? What do we know about them? To date, research has been done at different universities (Guelph in Ontario, Canada and Gent in Belgium).

Presently there are some interesting tests being done with pigeons, which were fitted with a transmitter on their backs. Just before they are released an antenna is attached to the transmitter and these birds can be followed via satellite. It will probably soon be technically possible to follow the flight path of the bird via the Internet. From the use of these transmitters, we will learn many interesting facts in the near future. This field is still in its infancy. I think presently the transmitters are still too heavy to give us realistic and reliable information.

We still have to rely on what we know presently. Meanwhile, science has not stood still. At the University of Gent pigeons were tested in wind tunnels. The pigeons were fitted with the needed hardware and flew into the wind without being able to fly ahead one meter. By attaching a mask over the birds beak (see photo) the exhaled breath could be collected to determine precisely what the bird used.

These birds had to first learn how to fly in the wind tunnel. The results were interesting. It turned out, that pigeons during the first 10 minutes used practically all of their carbohydrate reserves. They used them to reach height and speed. These carbohydrates (glycogen or mono-sacharide) are stored in the white muscle and are directly available.

When these carbohydrates are used up, then for the next +/- 50 minutes the fats that are in body (blood) are used. These so called “blood fats” were on the way to the red muscles fibers to be stored as fat reserves. These red muscles fibers contain +/- 97 ½% unsaturated fatty acids. This is the fuel for the trip home.

The “light blood fats” in the body are manufactured from the carbohydrate and fat rich grains that were fed at the last 3 meals. If after 1 hour this fuel is used up, then gradually the fuel used is changed to the fat reserves stored in the red muscle fibers.

A racing pigeon uses during flight 3 to 3.5 grams of fat per hour. The exact amount depends on the difficulty of the flight and on the efficiency of the particular pigeons system. For example, there are body builders with heavy thick muscles and there are marathon runners who have long thin muscles. The former use energy more efficiently.

Now that we know exactly how much energy a pigeon uses per hour of flight, can we, if we know how much fat our feed contains, calculate how much a pigeon needs? Example: Let’s suppose your pigeons were being entered for Orleans, and that the race would normally take 6 hours of flying for our pigeons. As just mentioned the pigeons use carbohydrates as the fuel to fly for the first hour.

The last 5 hours the fat reserves in the red muscle fibers are used as fuel. Let’s use an average of 3.0 grams of per hour.
The birds therefore need 5 X 3.0 grams = 15 grams of fat stored in the red muscle fiber. If we know how the fat content of our feed, we can calculate if this feed is high enough in energy. If we have a feed with 5% fat and we feed on average 200 gram of feed per bird per week, then we have given the pigeon 10 gram of fat reserves, which is not enough for this race.

If we had a feed with 9% fat (=18 gram of fat) then it is too rich for this flight. Statements such as: “this feed has the ideal fat content”, are relative. Naturally we can make a feed lower energy mix by adding a diet mix with a 3% fat content. We will always have to keep in mind the total hours on the wing we expect for the upcoming flight.

A good widowhood mix has a high fat content, a high usable energy content (carbohydrate and fat) and relatively low legume content. If these amounts are not provided on the bag, then they are likely obtainable from the manufacturers literature. Loading up with too much fuel is not suggested. The fat depots will eventually overfill and the pigeon will lose form.

The racing pigeon has to carry the extra weight and this will require extra wing beats to keep the pigeon in the air. A Formula 1race car driver wouldn’t think of filling his fuel tank for the last 5 laps of a race. The car would be too heavy and slow. Costly seconds would be lost. Too much slows the birds down and not enough can have catastrophic consequences for our racing pigeons. Most of the mistakes are made by the pigeon fancier not the pigeon.

When all the racing pigeon energy reserves are used up, a bird with character and guts will keep flying and start converting its own protein into energy. This is coupled with enormous consequences. The pigeon literally burns up its own body (organs and muscles etc.). These birds usually are never able to perform to their previous standards.

For short sprint (Vitesse) races carbohydrates (glycogen) are much more important than for long distance (fond) races. Results of tests show that while flying on glycogen and carbohydrates (fats) in the blood stream and those stored in the liver, the pigeon can obtain higher speeds. This can be seen on the chart below. In this example the pigeon obtains a speed of 100 km per hour during the first hour of flight.

After that the speed drops down to +/- 85 km per hour. This is the speed of flight obtained while burning the fats in the red muscle fibers.
Ten minutes longer flying on energy from carbohydrates means a 2-½ km lead. This lead during a sprint race is impossible to overcome. This of course is all theory. Pigeons are not horses that run their race around a racetrack. They can’t (not yet) be followed. Many things can happen on the way home.

An optimal orientation, the release, the wind, the list goes on, all play a role. But, on sprint races of 250 to 300 km, if we can increase the glycogen reserves and increase the amount of blood fats, surely it is worth the effort. From research on the use of carnitine it was discovered, that pigeons at about the 400 Km mark had a drop in speed because the muscles were tired. The term used in other athletic events “they hit the wall” comes to mind.

After awhile the birds recovered and could keep flying at a decent tempo. The last kilometres as you can see are the hardest and the speed will gradually decrease.
On longer races the fat reserves become much more important fuel supply. Unlike the bike riders taking part in the “Tour de France” birds cannot eat or drink on the way, or rather this is what we want to overcome.

They cannot replenish their glycogen reserves and become dependent on the reserves stored in their bodies. Besides fuel the pigeons also need oxygen. Muscles cannot function properly without oxygen.
The pigeon has to have sufficient red blood cells; these carry the oxygen to the muscles. Measurements on migratory birds have shown that proteins are also used during migration. Thus, the more difficult the flight, the more proteins are used. You can compare it to your car. If you go to the store to do some shopping, then you would not use your dipstick to see if the oil levels are down.

If you hook up your trailer, loaded with all your belongings and drive over the mountains to Switzerland, then the first thing you should do at the end of the day is check the oil. The pigeon must eliminate these used proteins and new protein has to be supplied. We will discuss the sense and nonsense of proteins and legumes in another article.

8 comments