Why Feed Raw Spanish Peanuts?

[micko and jack]

a friend in America sent me this i thought some maybe interested now i know everyone has different  views I DONT KNOW i'm just putting it out there for debate and in the hope that others like myself will learn from the thread mick and jack

 

Peanuts are the most important grain a fancier can feed his birds. We prefer the RAW SPANISH PEANUT because of its small size and uniform shape. However, regular peanuts are just as good, but are larger and odd shaped and more difficult to eat. Both have the same nutritional value and will produce the same great results in the breeding and racing loft. The Raw Spanish Peanuts do have a little better taste. To get the best results from peanuts you must feed them whole, with the skin still on the peanut. This ensures that the birds will get the most value from the peanut. Do not buy halved or crushed peanuts. They lose a great part of their nutritional value in this form, and you will not get the same successful results from your birds.

 

Peanuts should be stored in a cool dry place, free of dampness or moisture. If properly stored, they will last for up to 1 year with no problem. Here in the USA, we buy them in 110 lb. bags direct from the peanut companies. We buy only #1 grade, which are fit for humans. This is the very best quality peanut to feed our birds. The cost is about $1.00 USD per lb. This is one of the best investments a fancier can make to ensure success in breeding and in the racing loft.

 

Why feed peanuts?

 

1. Peanuts contain the highest oil content, more than sunflower seeds, linseed, hemp seeds and rape seeds. Oil seeds are important for success in long and difficult races.

 

2. Peanuts have a very high fat content (47%), necessary for birds that are in difficult races and need extra fat for energy in tough races. If they run out of fat, they start to burn up muscle and return home thin and weak. Fat has a much higher energy value than carbohydrates and proteins (almost two and a half times more energy). Researchers have proven feed high in fat results in improved performance in pigeons. Fat is important as the major fuel for racing and any tough prolonged flight.

 

3. Peanuts have a protein content of 30%, along with high fat content (47%). This source of fat-protein in peanuts is great feed for young birds and birds in the nest. The nutritional value of peanuts is similar to that of cropmilk, which is made up of fat and protein. You should give breeders 1-2 pounds of peanuts per 20 pair breeders per day. This will get breeders in great condition and develop strong healthy young for racing.

 

4. Peanuts have a nutritional value, measured in calories, 2 times greater than corn, wheat and peas. The peanut is the first class fuel for our pigeons. Peanuts exceed other feeds in energy value by 2 to 1, or twice the value. A feeding of peanuts equals in energy value two full crops of regular feed. The birds are actually eating for two days. If you are comparing it to your car, you would have 2 tanks of gas with peanuts and only 1 tank of gas with normal feed.

 

5. Pigeons store energy in the form of “GLYCOGEN†in their muscles and liver from the feed they eat. During the race, the glycogen has to be changed into energy, in the same way the engine changes gasoline in your car to energy to move the vehicle. When the glycogen tanks of our birds are empty, they have no more fuel, and our birds are still on the wing (have not reached the loft). They start to burn up their body protein. This means the pigeon has to use up its own body muscles, which causes the bird to lose weight. In very difficult races, they may come home as just feathers and bones, or may never make it home and are lost. Birds that are fed peanuts (47%fat), instead of the normal feed (5-10%fat) low in fat content, can handle the tough races without losing weight or using up their own muscles. They return home in excellent condition to race again the next week in the race series.

 

6. Peanuts have a protein content of (30%). Protein is very important in the maintenance and repair of damaged muscles and other tissues. When a bird comes home after a tough race and has lost weight, it is important to repair those damaged muscles as soon as possible. This is why we must feed peanuts as a regular part of the bird’s diet during training and the race series. Peanuts will help repair and restore the bird back to normal so it can race next week.

 

7. Peanuts should be fed everyday, a regular part of birds’ diets. There is a great advantage in feeding plenty of peanuts on the day of basketing or shipping night. This is especially true when birds are kept in shipping crates for 24-48 hours before the race. The pigeon with peanuts has enough food for 2 days. The birds with full crop of peanuts require less water than the birds that have been fed ordinary grain rations. This is important because the birds may not receive the proper amount of water in the shipping crates. Regular grain has to stay a long time in the crop, while soaking up water, to be digested properly, a process that requires a great amount of energy. Peanuts do not need soaking, which means they need little water and leave the crop faster. They are soft, so it takes little energy to digest them. Fanciers who feed peanuts agree that their pigeons are less thirsty, even on hot days. When they return to the loft on the hot, humid days, they are more alert, active and less fatigued.

 

8. When feeding peanuts, you will never have a trapping problem or lose control of your birds. They love the taste. Birds become tame with no trapping problems and the fancier has complete control of his birds. If the fancier is feeding peanuts to his breeders, then the young birds have already acquired a taste for them.

 

The racing in Taiwan is very difficult on the young racing pigeon. The strenuous schedule or race series and the very young age of the birds require them to have the best food sources, with the greatest nutritional value. Peanuts are superior to any other grain we can give our birds for racing. You should feed them in raw form or as unroasted nuts. When the races are long and tough, and the birds are flying for several hours, the pigeons fed with peanuts do not suffer from muscle loss or loss of weight. Peanuts provide the energy to protect their muscles, to keep their proper weight and stay in shape to race the next week. EVERY CHAMPION LOFT FEEDS THEIR BIRDS PEANUTS!

[Action]

I just read that last night. Makes peanuts sound pretty good. Would like to here more.

Jack

[Guest bakes]

my bird have peanut's the ones that humans can eat they love them i no off two distance flyers that swear by using peanuts when helping to build the birds up for the longer races

 

all the best.

[Action]

Peanuts put fat on/in a pigeon.They "burn" the fat to get energy for racing.I would leave peanuts in the tray all day -the day of shiping. Feeding Peanuts is nothing "new" Micko.

I'm surprised that Action does not know about feeding peanuts - living in California.

 

Hey, Thats me. I have had birds for about 2 weeks now. I have heard Peanuts are a good motivator. Just trying to learn.

Jack

 

 

[micko and jack]

 

Hey, Thats me. I have had birds for about 2 weeks now. I have heard Peanuts are a good motivator. Just trying to learn.

Jack

 

 

just like myself mo chara (my friend) trying to learn as i said that why i put the thread up i feed peanuts to the fantails but its allways good to read others thought on it  

AND WE ALL LEARN EVERYDAY  

[Skull Lofts]

 

1. Peanuts contain the highest oil content, more than sunflower seeds, linseed, hemp seeds and rape seeds. Oil seeds are important for success in long and difficult races.  

 

Verry informative, the only problem with peanuts that i know of is that it has a bad ratio of Omega 3 and 6 oils.

 

Skull

[Jeams]

Hi skull

what is Omega 3 and 6 oils

[Jeams]

Thank you,micok and jack,I learn a lot.I know feed peanuts has benefits,but i do not know there are so many benefits.

but I think feed peanut should be proper.If the breeder is fed to many peanuts,especially the hen will be to fat and can't lay eggs any more. if the racer is fed to many peanuts it will be obesity,and it'll cost him more and energe back home.So i think should be cautious.

[Guest strapper]

a few know that my fav racing hen was called ...peanut, im well known in the club for liking peanuts and i give loads throughout the racing season.

i would not be without them in my racing diet!

the fresher the better..why?...because i eat them while waiting for the birds  ;D.

 

i believe steven van bremen is a big fan of peanuts.

[Guest IB]

Quite a few on here feed peanuts, but I am not sure that it is on a daily basis, they are very fattening. Usually fed as a titbit, with maybe 3 or 4 for each bird on day of shipping.

 

Redskin peanuts, the kind sold for human consumption, are the ones recommended by fanciers in Britain. Peanuts sold here legally for animal consumption are allowed to have some mould contamination, obviously peanuts meant for humans must be 100% mould-free.

[Skull Lofts]

Hi skull

what is Omega 3 and 6 oils

 

Its the type of oil any oilseed is made up from.

 

Safflower- 1 part Omega 3 to 740 parts Omega 6

Sunflower- 1 to 630

Flaxseed- 5 to 2

Peanuts- 1 to 32

Rape/Canola- 1 to 2

Hemp- 1 to 3

 

The ultimate feedmix should have a 1 to 1 ratio, but its not easy to get it.

 

Skull

[gulkie]

by all means feed peanuts ,but be careful they

are very fatening ,fat birds cant race,fat hens

find it hard to lay.great for keeping your birds

tame i use them in my feed but controled use.

[Guest IB]

Its the type of oil any oilseed is made up from.

 

Safflower- 1 part Omega 3 to 740 parts Omega 6

Sunflower- 1 to 630

Flaxseed- 5 to 2

Peanuts- 1 to 32

Rape/Canola- 1 to 2

Hemp- 1 to 3

 

The ultimate feedmix should have a 1 to 1 ratio, but its not easy to get it.

 

Skull

 

Your ratio sparked a memory that I had something on this. Also showed my memory can be out, I thought the ratio was 1:4, maybe that's for humans. I've had this paper for a while, I forgot to note its author at the time, and I can't remember now who wrote it, so sorry for that, but as long as I make it clear that its not my work, I don't think there's a problem publishing it here.

 

There are three types of fatty acids:

 

1. Saturated. The one that cause heart disease in humans and animal models.

 

2. Monounsaturated.

 

3. Polyunsaturated.

 

 

Omega 3 and omega 6 are polyunsaturated fatty acids. Each of these fatty acids are required for normal growth and development - and each affecting immune system.

 

Max Cliber's Mouse To Elephant metabolic curve was published in 1945 and provides an analytic insight into the metabolic requirements of animals of various weights. The mouse uses 1645 micro litres of oxygen per hour whereas the elephant uses 74. A pigeon (454 grams) uses 774 micro litres of oxygen per hour. What this shows us is that the smaller the animal the higher the metabolic rate.

 

But as the temperature rises the energy consumption also rises. The pigeon’s metabolic rate will double for every 10 degree centigrade upward shift in the temperature. Understanding these concepts is of utmost importance as you are responsible for preparing your pigeon to handle the given temperature during a race. The old notion that the fat is fat does not hold true any longer. You must understand that Omega 3 vs Omega 6 fats control various physiological functions in an animals metabolic pathways.

 

Pigeon feeds are much too high in omega 6's and that is the root cause of many of the health problems that we see in pigeons today. Two causes that one must understand as there is much that can be done to prevent the deleterious effects of these: first, inbreeding should be avoided at all costs. Secondly, using feeds with too much omega 6's can switch the immune system of an inbred bird to a deleterious response known as TH1. This will cause many degenerative diseases and inflammatory conditions. Omega 3's on the other hand calm the immune system and reduce the inflammation. So learning more on the good fat and the bad fat is very important. I do not use peanuts as they pose a problem with aflatoxins.

 

Pigeons use non-essential fatty acids to get home. In other word they do not use omega 6 or omega 3 as they need these for reproduction and for immune function. Carbohydrates play a very minute part in pigeon flight. Most of the carbohydrates are burnt off in the first 15 minutes of flight and if you are feeding more carbohydrates to convert into fat then it will take a large number of calories to make enough fat so that a pigeon can use it in flight. Use a mixture that has 1:2 ratio of Omega 3 vs omega 6 essential fatty acids.

 

Here is a small experiment that you can do to convince yourself: weigh each grain in equal amounts by grams that includes corn, safflower, rape, flaxseed, hemp, canary, peas, black garbonzo, moong lentils, Mash lentils, wheat. Feed this mixture everyday for two weeks. Make sure that this mixture is available all day. At the end of the two week period you will find that the birds will not eat corn if the temperature is above 80 degree F. You will also find that the birds will eat more mineral rich seeds and most importantly, they will balance the omega 3 vs omega 6 to a ratio of 1:3. That is what they have done for ages and that is what it takes to be a vegetarian. We must not compare human athletes to pigeons as humans do not use a lot of fat during swimming. Also, it takes one tenth the energy to fly then to run on the ground. In other words a pigeon can go 20 kilometres on ten calories whereas a rat will go only 1. The cost of running on the ground is ten times higher then flying. Fat is the main fuel of flight because it is lighter to carry, gives twice as many calories per gram than carbohydrates and is used directly to convert into ATP, the molecule for energy. However, it must be understood, that it takes L-carnitine to combust fat into ATP efficiently. Therefore, you must provide feed stuff that is rich in methionine and lysine, two precursors of L-carnitine.

 

There is a clear difference between a heavy and a fat pigeon. A fat pigeon is not fit for the race but a heavy pigeon is perfect for the heat flying. This means that they are well hydrated and ready to deal with the evaporative fluid loss during the race. A bird must be heavy when they leave your hand for the race in heat.

 

One friend, at present, is presenting a great argument regarding the

carbohydrate rich seed being the primary way of getting the fat into the

birds as we all know that the carbohydrates when in abundance are stored

in the body as fats. Which is later converted to the glycogen for

energy. But my dear friend is having a hard time understanding that the

primary fuel for flight is fat, even though the glucose is the primary

fuel of the brain. Studies have shown that the birds will save omega 3

and omega 6's during migratory flight and only utilise non-essential

fatty acids for their journey. It is because they use these essential

fatty acids during reproduction. This is one of the reasons I feed

straight fat, but high in omega 3's, so the immune system is always in

good response (TH2).

 

On the other hand if we want pigeon to have a lot of carbohydrates so

that he would convert that to fat and store it then it would take twice

the amount of carbohydrates to make half the amount of fat. In other

words the fats give us 9.2 kcal per gram. While the carbohydrates give

on 4.2 kcal per gram.

 

 

Also, consider the fact that when the environmental temperature is

raised by 10 degree centigrade the bird's metabolic rate doubles. This

means in the normal flight in the thermoneutral zone (65-75 degree F) the

pigeon would use .5 kcal/ kilometre but when the temperature is raised

by 10 degree centigrade the same pigeon will now need 1 kcal/kilometre.

 

The pigeon at rest would generate 2.5 watts of energy while in flight

the same bird would create 67 watts of energy. Now, this is like a

light bulb. Try touching a 60 watt light bulb with your

bare hands while it is lit. This is a substantial amount of energy and

that energy can not be produced by utilising carbohydrates as a fuel for

flight.

 

Lastly, fat is lighter and easily tucked around the muscle and the cost

of transporting the fuel is much cheaper.

 

[RoryTheRed]

where does one buy these peanuts?

[PIGEON_MAN]

I  get mine from a local health shop,nearly all the ones  pet shops sell are not the ones fit for human consumption.

[leighton1984]

i have used peanuts but i do like to put them in a blender so when i feed them to the birds they will all have some.

its about using the right amount at the right time i do not thing you can over feed racing pigeons that are working to there maximum as they will burn up there fuel so you need to charge there battery's back up after every training flight.

 

[Skull Lofts]

I  get mine from a local health shop,nearly all the ones  pet shops sell are not the ones fit for human consumption.

 

Just today i had a look at some peanuts in a health shop, and to be honest i wont even eat them myself!

 

Skull

[Guest bakes]

where does one buy these peanuts?

 

get mine from sainsburys as i work there i get discount lol i usually by 2 small bags for the garden birds i feed in my feeders and i by a medium sized bag for mine and the misses birds i was chatting to geoff kirkland about this subject as i seen it on his dvds he said mate there worth there wieght in gold he said i use them and wouldnt change a thing you got to be able to no the right amount so i give my birds 3 every morning and he told me to try them when i race my birds this coming oldbird season going to give it a go see what happens i also no of a few other middle to long distance flyers near me that use them as a build up for that little bit further races high in protein and fat but if you use them right like geoff said the fat will go into energy which you wont for that little extra push to get them home

 

all the best.

 

[breakaway]

just bought  some  tonight lovely redskins