The Moult

[Wiley]

Be interesting to gather everyones opinions on what they do and how they get the feathers falling and the feeding as such! Personally mine are all fed on a sort of 50/50 basic mixture half widowhood and half barley or depurative. My darkness young birds would be split into there new sections and the darkness young birds would not be let out for a whole month. On the corn twice a week they will get some fine oils a mixture of 5 different oils and multivitamins, they are also fed lots of oily seeds during this time of year. They also recieve nettle tea for the first 14 days of this period, then once every week from there. No treatment is given during this period, only tea, and garlic in the drinker. However i notice the more proportion of barley in the feed, seems to chuck out the feathers more quickly just an observation from experiements ive conducted over the last few years, and seems to keep them in brillant health through these winter months. I also where i work nights let them out after this month locked up out every single day, no forced flying they can do as they wish, have a bath, lounge about ect. Has anyone used the 24hrs no water method which im believed they use in chicken farming to bring on the moult?

[OLDYELLOW]

nature takes care of the moult , but i feed plenty of protein and linseed , pigeon tea and garlic , and two warm baths a week

[Gill Bros]

We currently use Flaxseed oil from any good health shop around £10 a bottle it is 100% pure linseed oil we add a tea spoon full on their corn approx 24 birds to each tea spoon full everyday through the moult. We have not had any trouble with any of the birds since using this system

[Guest IB]

I've come round to thinking barley is a good addition to the feed all year round. Mine get about 4 tablespoons daily (between 44 birds).

 

Started moulting mix last weekend. Noted they don't like buckwheat, its all they leave.

 

Agree the Moult is a natural occurrence and wouldn't be keeping water off birds for any reason.. seems a bit unnatural to me.

 

Bath once a week 52 weeks a year - with garlic in it.

[Roland]

Barley is a great Blood purifier. So that, I feel, has to be good all the year round.

Tic Beans, and Maples Peas are getting scarcer by the minute, mores the pity.

So I like a little Linseed each day before the main feed, and then young bird mix does very well, but again that will become scarer as it has Maples and Tic Beans in it..... Mayorder 10 bags now to be safe,

Linseed has a good protein content, a great natual laxative, and above all naturauk Oil, that that as far as I'm concern must bve good for the moult,m feathers and again a little regularly all year round feed.

Wheat and Barley mix is grea, and was used regularly in not too long ago times.

May have to with hold a days feed once a week.

Reason that Barley etc. may make the birds fat if over done is that they over eat to compensate for the properties missing, so again a lot more waste too - cleaning out. JMO.

[steve d]

I use a standard moulting mix with 33% barley added also 2 times a week I put oils on the corn and add cayeene pepper.

I was told about this 3 years ago and took no notice I wish I had listened, you can buy this from any supermarket in the spice/herb aisle. Put a teaspoon to 2 kilos of feed and watch your birds next day. I read in the Racing Pigeon Pictorial last year about a fancier who gave it is sprint team he swore by it, if you google it look at the many benefits it has, you wont be disapointed. ;)

[pault]

does cayeene pepper speed up the moult

[steve d]

I think so Paul, the bloke that told me about it said it did and he is a good flyer.

[schouwman71]

i use diat 1000 mixes with 50% barley a hand full of rape seed mixed and 2 hand fulls of hormoform,D.A.Tonic in water and wheatgerm oil on the corn and thats it till there last flight is up.never over weight and even my 10yr olds are acting like yearlings and droppings are good so ime happy.

 

Les

[chickadee]

At the moment I'm giving the birds 50/50 four seasons mix with barley and put aniseed oil on the seed and give them garlic in the water and cider vinegar and they can bathe every day if they want to.