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thanx for that rose so when do you changed to the beans?

Thanks Rose.    Maybe I should have said 'what else to they get' rather than supplement, would have come across a bit better.  

Iron tonic and metatone. Think I know what the tonic is, but never heard of metatone. What is it?  

hello bruno,iused to give the birds metatone years ago ,used to get it from boots the chemist,but then they stopped stocking it for some reason,i believe it to be a pick me up tonic used to give to people recovering from operations or other periods of ill health.i used to use it  combined with cytacon vit b also obtained at that time from boots.hope this helps billy

I put mine on beans soon as i finish racing them speedbird next year im thinking about trying mine on all beans as i have decided not to race inland anymore or as i am going to race roundabout put one on beans and one on mixture and see if it makes any difference you can still get the metatone i get it from our local chemist

Its really reassuring to see your post up there on beans, Rose.  

I've really been struggling to come to terms with all these different specialist mixtures and felt a wee bit of a dinosaur with my beans, peas, maize and wheat mixture. A close relative also reckons the birds need a heavy mixture and not one full of 'sweeties'.

Nothing could be more straightforward than feeding straight beans - no wondering who's eating what there.  

Damn site cheaper than all these fancy mixtures as well bruno

i notice here in scotland, they are growing more beans each year, quite common about here now to see a field of tic beans

I WISH I CAN FIND A FARM WITH BEANS UP HERE JIMMY WE ARE PLYING ABOUT £7.50 FOR 25K.  

Is it as simple as just farms growing beans Jimmy & Clockman?  

Confess ignorance here - wouldn't recognise a crop of beans in the field. (Wonder if that's where me missing birds are?    )  What other uses are they put to?

On harvest, does the farm do the threshing and drying, or does it simply supply a mill to do one / both jobs? How long from field to safe use?

thats the good thing about feeding in boxes can feed em all different if ya want

Hi johnny I know quite a lot who race  the International races who fly natural   races like the Pau national I would think there are quite a lot who fly widowhood   I would probably say that there really isnt an awful lot of difference you would have to look at the type of race it turns out if it is fast probably widowhood will do better if it turns out a hard race natural  I seen good widowhood fliers and natural at 500ml races I think it really comes down to what system suits you and your birds good birds are good birds whatever system they are on

clockman, bruno, theres plenty of farms down the east coast will sell beans, there may well be some up here now, i know there was an agricultural place in dundee that sold them, just forget the name of it, iasked the farm hand near me he said it was protein feeding for the cattle, thatsall he said.     but to my mind there are beans ,   and beans, depending on the soil and the season   weve had, some years there are more moisture content than others,,,  and especialy the way its stored.and the age of the beans
you could allways make enquiries.
p.s   speedbird has the right idea, some fanciers race out and out distance, some race sprint,and some try both, i was a glutton for punishment and tried both, thats why my hair is like my name  

If u are going to look at beans make sure that where they been stored is dry ur going be in trouble if they are not we are paying £4 a bag for ours buy by the ton like young beans personally straight from the field and the bigger the better

If u are going to look at beans make sure that where they been stored is dry ur going be in trouble if they are not we are paying £4 a bag for ours buy by the ton like young beans personally straight from the field and the bigger the better

If u are going to look at beans make sure that where they been stored is dry ur going be in trouble if they are not we are paying £4 a bag for ours buy by the ton like young beans personally straight from the field and the bigger the better

YES JIMMY THE BEANS AT DUNDEE WERE AT INVERGOWRIE BUT THEY WERE CRAP.

hi
i ve been told that you will not win on beans only,the ones that win dont tell you that they give their birds other feeds,ie maize,high energy feeds up to the main race.we all know that to repair muscel damage the birds need protein and for fuel during flight the need energy feed

les

Thats a load of rubbish rlez we won the BICC 6x now all races over 550mls on hopper fed beans might get few peanuts and a bit of mixture if they wont come in

hi.anyone interested.i went to bellsfeeds.co.uk yesterday,highly recommend them and worth the trip.SAVE SOME DOSH!!!!!!

Just a note in support of Rose (as if she needed it!    )

Much cut down Extract from a Gordon Chalmer’s Article on Diet, which shows as always, with the pigeon, nothing is ever that simple and not all is as it seems!  

Protein in flight

Peas, beans and peanuts, for example, are important high quality proteins, containing a wide range of essential amino acids needed to help construct many of the other proteins required by the bird’s body.

A few of these amino acids from protein digestion are very useful as a potential source of flight energy. Body cells are able to convert them to glucose, which can be used for building reserves of glycogen in liver and muscle, or for the production of fat. Dr Bill Mulligan formerly of Glasgow University in Scotland, who worked extensively with racing pigeons, found that during flight the racing pigeon uses carbohydrates (glucose) and  fat (mainly) as a source of fuel for the working muscle. However, the brain can use only glucose as a source of energy. It is possible that during flight especially endurance events, pigeons draw on certain protein reserves to help supply glucose for the brain.
Also, the end product of protein digestion and metabolism is uric acid - the white pasty tip on normally-formed droppings. In flight, uric acid is kept circulating in the blood stream, instead of being eliminated through the kidneys, and has a very important role to play in preventing or decreasing the effects of the excessive heat created by working muscle and high environmental temperatures.