"Depurative Mix" - What is it?

[BCBrian]

When reading European based books and articles many of them advise feeding a "depurative" mix when the birds get home from a race. I see many adds for such mixes that are already pre-mixed as such. Out here in the wilds of British Columbia, most of the fanciers I know just buy their grain in bulk from the farmers - and then mix, according to need.

 

My question is this. What is a "depurative mix"? What is it supposed to do? How does it do that? What are the properties of grains that are "depurative" - and why? How does one make such a mix, and how does one use it?

 

Thanks.

[pigeonjock]

2 different types of depurative.

 

 

 

1.DEPURATIVE MIX (**NEW**)

This is an excellent Depurative mixture

 

Ontario Barley, Hard Spring Wheat, Hard Winter Wheat, White Milo, Safflower, Long Brown Rice, Red Milo,  Yellow Proso Millet, Oat Groats, Flax Seed (linseed) and Canary Seed.

 

Protein: 11.4%   Fats: 1.3%   Carbs: 61.3%   Fiber: 5.1%   Ash: 5.3%

 

2.This is a cereal based mix with a high proportion of Barley. It is often referred to as a “light mix” and, if fed after racing, will aid recovery and help restore energy reserves

 

Barley, Wheat, Milo Buckwheat, Safflower, and Dari.

 

 

Depurative

An easily digested high fibre breakdown mix for feeding on return from racing. This cleansing light feed helps purge unwanted toxins out of the pigeons system.

Can also be given to widowhood hens and resting pigeons.

 

 

HOPE THIS HELPS A LITTLE,BCBRIAN.

                                  JOCK.

[Tony C]

A good article written by Gordon Chalmers. This should answer your questions.

 

http://www.pigeonjournal.com/content/view/23/26/

[Rentenier]

I found this on a Jack Barkle site:

 

Wednesday is the day, back onto the good racing mix for Wed & Thurs, morning and evening and Friday morning a light feed of dehusked sunflower seed and clean water.This if followed correctly will make the bird peak on Saturday Morning, ready for the journey home.It is now Saturday and we are waiting for the return of the birds, always have warm water waiting for them, laced with electrolytes and honey or boiled sugar water.For Saturday and Sunday feeding, because of the exorbitant price of depurative in South Africa, I make the following mixture.Take a five-litre plastic bucket filled with Barley plus the same amounts of wheat, and mix together. Take a small soup bowl and put in twelve-heaped desert spoons of Torula or Brewers Yeast. To this you add one glass of FRESH Lemon Juice, this will take about six medium sized lemons. Pour the juice over the Yeast and stir until it looks like gravy, you then pour this over the wheat and barley and mix well in. Within two hours, there is no trace ofthe yeast and lemon juice; it has all been absorbed in the food. The reason for

this is simple, I do not believe in purging but purifying, therefore Epsom salts and Dicestal is old fashioned and has a detrimental effect on the pigeon. The modern scientific method is to purify the blood and get rid of the toxins, which build up in a birds system. All racers if not on a depurative of some sorts will become sluggish and cease to operate at peak performance. We have now dealt with Saturday and Sunday, Monday and Tuesday Morning, dehusked sunflower again and evenings Barley. A normal ration per meal is one cup per ten pigeons, do not let them make you feel sorry for them, because if you exceed this ration, you can feel sorry for them when they have to fly home on Saturday, and sorry for yourself when your more strict competitor beats you once again. When I raced in England, I used to give Mycosan T in the water every Monday, because our birds do come into contact with birds from unhealthy lofts.It gives moulting problems in our climate so I had to change to Two teaspoons of Furasol and Two teaspoons of Oxyvital on five litres of water. I understand that these two African products are off the market for some mysterious reason, but that there are Substitutes.