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my birds got into my corn bin today and have filled themselves right up, some of them feel as if they have a tennis ball inside them, will this cause the birds any problems.

Quoted from traynor

my birds got into my corn bin today and have filled themselves right up, some of them feel as if they have a tennis ball inside them, will this cause the birds any problems.

no but give depuritive for a couple of days and get them on track
but don"t let them out till they respond to you

sound mate and thanks

they must of thought they hit the jackpot all that corn

hahahaha

So what is the right amount to feed your young birds and what mixture is the best?

i give them an ounce a day splitt in two feeds

i give mine 1and a 1/2 ounce a day split feed

how do you measure this out and what if you are feeding say 20 ybirds together

Quoted from chrissyboy

how do you measure this out and what if you are feeding say 20 ybirds together

20 x 1 1/2 = 30oz or just under 2lbs easy to measure on kitchen scales, then see what it looks like in a container and feed to the same level every day

Is this the standard amount for ybirds and if so can you race the full season on this amount, thanks for your response

I have feed in front of my birds nearly all the time now, we start racing in sept and I am giving them open hole all day and all they can eat I think a lot of fanciers really miss the opportunity to " finish off " their youngsters during this time ( right before they start training ) I also think a lot of fanciers peak their birds too soon by  over training them too soon a bird that is carrying a little weight during this period will outperform those that are light when it really counts, during the race season I know several guys who are training the wings off and giving them light feed these birds will probably not be anything to contend with at 6 weeks into the season not to mention if we have a tough 200 mile race most wont be home at all don't I belive all birds need 1/2 an ounce 2 times a day WHEN you feed will also dictate how the birds handle, if you look at 2 birds and one is large and one is small dosen't it make sense that the larger bird would need more feed you also need to consider what you are feeding, YB's need a lot of protien as they are developing and moulting if you are giving them the bare minimum then they are not getting ALL of what they need !  

1 30ml measure about 1 oz=20 birds 20 measures  10 measures per 20 birds = 1/2 oz per bird

thanks for the reponses,what about the feed type

P.S. I never send birds to the race empty I often send them with this " Tennis Ball " we refer to it as " golf balling " I have had other fanciers tell me this is wrong and stupid or whatever else it is  but I always seem to be in the top percentages every week and if it turns bad I usally destroy these guys

Quoted from chrissyboy

thanks for the reponses,what about the feed type

i am feeding vl all rounder

any time i have seen birds with feed in them going to races or training flights they usually vomit this in basket

As stated else where my standard mix is 30% corn, 30% peas, 10% hemp, 10% safflower, 10% wheat, 10% milo, I adjust these and also use some black oil sunflower and sunflower kernels

They vomit because most dont feed large quantities regurlarly they just try to do it on basketing day they starve for control or training or whatever and then try to gorge on race day if they didnt these birds wouldnt load up like they do to the point where they make themselves sick

I try to put enough feed down where the birds have food on the floor until 10 - 11 am then I dont feed until 1 hr or less before sunset
If there is no food down your YB's are eating poop !
this also will cut down on fielding

So when is the best time for last fed on race marking day for say a short race

It is the same with peanuts, feed them the day before basketing not the night of !

We load at 7pm I feed between 4 - 5 pm and try to give 30 minutes before I load I give the feed that I want then I go back 20 - 30 minutes after this initial feeding and I give ALL the safflower or sunflower hearts they will eat  then I load

I adjust my feed for long or short races ( what I am feeding ) but I always do this sam routine

I belive that if you are giving weak feed during the week then try to make it up on basketing day you are wasting your time, instead of trying to replenish your birds on return try to load them up so they are not as depleted when the return you will be able to race them more often and will not see late season deteriaton nearly as bad

I belive that if you are giving weak feed during the week then try to make it up on basketing day you are wasting your time, instead of trying to replenish your birds on return try to load them up so they are not as depleted when the return you will be able to race them more often and will not see late season deteriaton nearly as bad

how does 1 & 1/2 ounce compare to a spoonfull? how many spoonfulls per feed for each bird

i use a mouth wash cup  to measure out the grains

the little plastic cup on the top of the bottle,

1 cup full per 4 pigeons..

a healthy bird sent to the marking station and just been fed should the next day of liberation have an empty crop, and more so on arriving home,

System I guess... Hopper fed and open loft of course takes all the beating. Some take away before basketing... I never bothered. If a bird has put it's all into getting home, then trapping is no problem of course. If it's keen to home then it's keen to trap. Likewise, mostly - is the odd exception granted - that when a bird arrives back and sits out it is usually way behind. I just feed at mo after in, as much as they like... when one or two move away, I get ready to take feed away. Thought I'd try his because the y/b's are just knitting and flying as a kit, so will give them a couple of tosses soon and then hopefully a couple of races or two.

P.s don't feed too many peanuts. 2/3  3/4 days before basketing is best, then just two or three after the race. Careful of protein toxins. Peanuts are of course rich in that sauce...

does anyone else use spoons to measure food? i am i over feeding by giving table spoon morn & eve?

my birds couldnt eat 1oz each if they tried why i dont no but really never seem to be hungry there not light if anything there quite big pigeons think it has something to do with fitness only thing i can think of

how does 1oz compare to a spoonful? maybe i need to get my self some scales

Quoted from speedbird

how does 1oz compare to a spoonful? maybe i need to get my self some scales

if they fly well then stick to how you do it now if it ain't broke don't fix it