Effective Horse Supplements that can be used on Racing Pigeons to enhance health and performance. By Rohan H. Fyffe (www.fyffefamilyloft.com) There are many products not specifically designed for racing pigeons that are very effective in maintaining pigeon health and encouraging superior racing performance. These products are also cost-effective when compared to similar pigeon-specific products. In the following few lines, I will highlight some noteworthy Equine (Horse) products that will help you maintain proper health and increase your pigeon’s performance on races. Many top fanciers are aware of some of these products and are secretly using them against you with positive outcomes. Will you be left behind or will you take the time to learn about them and try using them to give you that extra edge? You maybe asking yourself, “Why should I use horse supplements on my pigeons?†My short answer to that question is, “They Work!†Thoroughbred horse racing has been around for many years and extensive research have been done to determine what is needed to help promote, maintain and enhance their health and performance. Yes, a horse is much larger than a pigeon, but if you use horse related products sparingly, your pigeons can benefit from decades of positive horse research. Firstly, I encourage new and long time flyers to purchase the book titled, “Feed to Win†by A. Christians. It covers the benefits and drawbacks of most Vitamins, Minerals, Fats, Carbohydrates and Proteins and their impact on the health and performance. To me, the book is like a Health Bible and a must have in the library of all serious fanciers. Do you know what grains provide the greatest levels of protein, fat, carbohydrates and amino acids? Do you know why it is better to use “unpolished†rice over “polished†rice? If not, GET THE BOOK AND BECOME INFORMED, or be left behind. Carbohydrate and Fat loading prior to certain races will give your birds an extra performance edge. Supplements in general pick up the slack of grains that have lost nutritional value. The horse related products I will highlight are cost-effective to purchase. The first highlighted product is Brewers Yeast. Brewers Yeast is a rich source of B-complex vitamins and protein. By purchasing from Horse Product Suppliers you can get 2 pounds for about $6.00 This price is very reasonable. ACCEL by Vita-Flex Nutrition Co. Inc. I love Accel. I feed it to my birds at least two times a week during the breeding and racing season. I place some wheat germ or cod liver on the grain and then add this outstanding product to supply all the fat, water soluble vitamins, mineral, electrolytes, amino acids and probotics that a pigeon will need. You can get 5 pounds of the product for less that $17.00. That price is a bargain and the product will last you for quite some time if you do not have a lot of birds. WEIGHT BUILDER – by Farnam Fat is high in calories (energy) and it is needed for longer races. With the weight builder product added to your regular feed, you will not have to use more expensive grains such as Safflower and Spanish Peanuts. You can get 8 pounds of this product for less than $20.00. “It provides 40% fat from stabilized flax meal and vegetable fats. It is also high in omega-3 fatty acids. Flax is the only grain that contains significant amounts of these essential fatty acids. You can feed this with other supplements such as Accel. One scoop of Weight Builder and Accel will give your birds everything they will need to develop well. I am now testing out the new liquid version of the weight builder product. You can get 64 oz of the liquid version for less than $19.00 Body Builder 4000- by Pennwoods I use this nutritional supplement alternatively with Weight Builder because it contains 40% fat and 26% protein. With this product mixed on your feed during the breeding season, your youngsters will have a fighting chance to develop well. During the racing season, it provides a high concentration of energy for the birds without having to use extra grain. This is great for birds that return late and have lost serious weight. You can get 11 pounds of this product for less than $18.00. MORE MUSCLE- by Equine America More Muscle is a dietary supplement that contains creatine and gamma oryzanol. These ingredients help to quickly build mass and muscles. Some call Creatine a natural steroid. This is great for the earlier stages of squab development. Many European athletes have been using these ingredients for decades to enhance performance. This is powerful stuff and 8 pounds will cost about $40.00 and last you a long time. Your youngsters will develop very nicely. Try this next breeding season. ELECTRO-DEX - Oral Electrolytes is a water soluble balanced electrolyte feed supplement. When a bird comes back from training and on race day, I give them electrolytes as their first drink then switch over to Bleach water or Nolvosan the second half of the day to kill anything they may have picked up the race crates. You can get 8lbs of the product for less than $8.00 and it will last you for years because you will be using it sparingly since it is concentrated. Many fanciers know about Red Cell- by Horse Health. Did you know that there is something better called “Red Flex?†Red Cell is a vitamin, iron and mineral supplement that has been around for years and many horse trainers swear by it. I used it as well until Red Flex came along. You have to keep both products refrigerated to maintain their effectiveness. Red Cell’s ingredients build blood, thus increasing the amounts of oxygen available to muscles during high activity. Yes, it is a great product but Red Flex builds upon the Red Cell formula to include Glucosamine HCI (2000 mg) and Chondroitin Sulfate (500 mg). These two ingredients are great for the joints. When a bird flies, its shoulder joint is under a great deal of stress. Having sufficient joint fluid will ease the stress on joint cartilage and create less pain for them. Look at it as greasing some mechanical parts. I use this product interchangeably with the previously highlighted Accel product. You can get 1 gallon of Red Cell for less than $15.00 and 64 oz of Red Flex for less than $26.00 Formula 707 DMG This product includes Dimethy-lglycine and it increases the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. With more oxygen being supplied, our birds can have increased endurance and immunities against disease. Using this product will help them increase their endurance and build up immunities. It will lessen the effects of Lactic Acid buildup. It has a dextrose base. 3 pounds will cost you less than $20.00 MEGA-SEL -from Spectra Animal Health Division When our birds fly on the longer races, their muscles can become sore from the build up lactic-acid. I am sure that you too have experienced muscle soreness after a strenuous workout. That pain stems from lactic-acid build up in the blood. Mega-Sel is a patented liquid selenium and Vitamin E product that helps prevents muscle soreness and provides greater stamina and improves muscle tone. I use this during the build up for the longer races. You can get 64 oz of this product for less than $12.00 and 1 gallon for less than $21.00. The 64 oz will last you a long time. Finally, some secrets are now out the bag. By effectively using some proven horse related products on our racing pigeons, one will be able to enhance their pigeon’s health and performance by capitalizing on years of scientific research. There are other products available but the ones highlighted in this article have worked well for me. Compared to advertised pigeon supplements, you can get these products cost effectively. The price for pigeon specific products available here in the USA are high due to the supplier’s importing costs. Yes, they have to make a profit but there are other viable products available to you. I have been using these products with effective results. Top fanciers around the world are not just feeding their birds grain and water. They recognize the need for supplements since grain does not provide all that is needed to keep racing pigeons in top form. The overuse of fertilizers and such helps to reduce nutritional value of most grains. I encourage you to get a greater understanding of the effects vitamins, minerals and trace elements have on our thoroughbreds of the sky. The “Feed to Win†book will help you acquire that knowledge. Try some of these products and you will not be disappointed. You can get these products from the Omaha Vaccine Company and the American Livestock Supply Company. You can find them easily on the internet. After using the products for a while, please contact me and let me know if you agree with my findings. Have a terrific flying and breeding season. Regards, Rohan H. Fyffe (www.fyffefamilyloft.com)
