Good evening sir I don’t know there’s a few people like you in KZread the rest of the fancier or the racing Pigeon people they try to keep secret for their self. You ask them question you don’t receive the answer I like your KZread. with your KZread channel you helping a lot of people. Thank you sir.l

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

I appreciate that. This is nice of you. I tell everyone everything that I do and maybe some can use my experiences.

Thanks for sharing. I’ve experienced when they eat pellets that the droppings are a big mess.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

You bet

i rotate in *some* chicken pellets, but never 100% and its only a small portion of the mix. glad to hear my instincts were right

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

That is best!

Frank. Very true. Thanks for your advice.

Feed pellets in off season winter w/ corn. Save on feed cost. Grain and supplemental chicken pellets on breeding season. Great advice

Another great video Frank thanks

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Very welcome

I fed my Rollers (stock birds) pellets in the 1980s and 1990s and always had good success. It was messy, but the squabs looked great. Fast forward a few decades and there was the advent of the highly compressed pellet. Water intake dramatically increased with the highly compressed pellet. One negative side effect I noticed was that if the birds ran low on water due to higher temperatures in the late season, if they immediately went to feed their young after feeding and replenishing their water, you would often lose squabs because the pellet did not have enough time to expand fully. A couple hours later, you would find dead squabs with over-expanded crops full of hard half expanded pellets. I saw this enough times after the introduction of the compressed pellet that I ceased giving them pellets completely and switched completely back to grain and never saw the problem again. It might have been strictly due to the brand of the pellet, which is one locally produced for laying hens, but I never saw so much squab mortality as when I was feeding the compressed pellets to my stock birds. Either the pellet was overly compressed and couldn't expand fast enough, or it may have been the high calcium content, as when you felt the crops of the lost squabs, it felt excessively hard - almost like thick wet concrete. Needless to say, in addition to the issues you bring up, I think you have to be very careful feeding straight pellets during the breeding season and be especially persistent about the birds having enough water and enough time for the pellet to completely break down in the parent's crops.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Great insight. Thank you!

I've also found the droppings go wet when I feed pellets. I now give once or twice a week in a small amount amongst the regular corn during breeding.

Awesome, I always take your advice 💯👍🤙

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

I appreciate that!

Chicken pellets have been used successfully in Britain for over fifty years. Nothing is new in pigeons accept people being ripped off by clever advertising and high price pigeons.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

I did well feeding the breeders 100% chicken pellets but if we can gain 5% by feeding grain it will make a difference.

Thank you my friend that was great 👍👌💯❤️👋

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Thank you too

Thank you for sharing information. Barney Johnston from Greenbay Wis.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Nice thought It makes sense 👍❤️❤️❤️🙏

Makes sense also if they are fed a lot of pellets the nest boxes fill up fast with droppings, watery droppings that make a mess and seem to spoil fast you have to keep them cleaned out constantly or it gets nasty just as a supplement like you say I think would be best

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

It is best to supplement with pellets only. Grain is better by far.

@mjhound

5 ай бұрын

@@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons I feed about 10% pellets to the grain mix but I also give them a tuna can full of pellets in the nest box free choice some birds gorge on them and some birds hardly touch them, the birds that gorge on them I add grain to the pellets in the tuna can, out here in Utah we have a 20% IFA protein pellet with animal protein some of those birds overdo it even though the main feed tray has grain in it all day I'll be cutting back on pellets a little more this breeding season

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

If they gorge the pellets they might be a little mineral deficient.

Great thanks

Thank you. I was feeding pellets and grains at the same time. Im switching to pure grains.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

I have a feeder of pellets in front of the breeders and a feeder of grain. My birds eat very little pellets.

Thanks Frank for your post, I use to use P40 pellets as 10%, additional I ad Tovo to the breeding pigeon mix. greatings from the Netherlands John

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Sounds great!

@2W6468

17 күн бұрын

How much does the p40 and tovo costs?…

thanks for sharing that makes sense.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for listening.

@anroemallapre5017

5 ай бұрын

ill definitely try that on my next Breeding. i am working on having a youngster that is naturally light, i have hens that can give them this form

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Selecting the right pigeons helps

I agree. My breeding mix is 10% pellets.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Perfect!

Hi Frank good video. I have fed nothing but chicken pellets to my birds for about 5 yrs. The one problem is it makes the hens lay allot and Cock birds are very motivated to breed and yes droppings can be messy at times!. I have cut the pellets and I am now feeding wheat. My birds are out everyday they get there supplements from nature I don't feed grit at all. I have had a scare of Canker in my birds I think from having seperated cocks from hens and also stagnant water that was from water barrel. The weather's been so hot I did not realise at the time till 4 birds got sick and I lost them they died!. I have a video about that on my channel. I tried saving them with meds from vet but they were to far gone. Here in New Zealand we have very strict rules on prescription drugs we cant get the meds you have there specifically for Canker! I was given from vet Metronidazole. We can't get Ronidazole!.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Interesting stuff but the metrodonizol is the best here for canker. Ridsol is almost useless but the birds in New Zealand may be cured with Ridsol. Canker here in USA and Europe are resistant to Ridsol (Ronidazole)

@DaveysLoft-jv7fz

5 ай бұрын

@@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons Hi Frank oh well a friend of mine in Scottland uses Harkers 4 in one and Ronidazole is main ingredient for canker in the mix and hes had no troubles with Canker!. Thanks Frank for replying and good to chat my flocks doing well now they were on Coxiprol for a month and it cleared the bad stomachs good solid droppings now!. I also wormed the birds too.

Well said there. Not so keen on feeding pellets, only fed when included in a trapping/condition mixture, which is a very small amount. Stay away from some chicken pellets, they do contain some medications in their make up 👎

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

I only use non medicated chicken pellets.

Thanks for sharing Frank.I've never used pellets for feeding.Can you give us a video on different purging methods for pigeons.I know about 2 methods,but are there more?You get fanciers that see this as one huge secret,and never talks about it.Thanks.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

What do you mean by purging methods? I will certainly have an opinion. lol

@gesinaolivier3405

5 ай бұрын

@@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons I mean the cleansing of the internal system of the pigeon.Barley is one method and here in South Africa we use a pill dicestal on an empty crop with epsom salt in water the next day to get rid of organ fat.We want muscle fat and liver glycogen for fuel.We use this method usually after the off season.Liver glycogen is fuel for up to 400km,then the muscle fat must take over for the longer races.Are there more methods than the mentioned two,that you may be know of?

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Hello, I thought this is what you may have meant. Purging is something used 50 years ago and has no benefit to the pigeon. The old timers when I was a kid used epsom salts which was a laxative and also light feed mixes to purge the pigeons. Big waste of time. Best case you are doing no harm and worst case you are doing harm. Forget about that crap. It is not needed and not something you should ever do. It has not ever crossed my mind to purge an athlete. Think about recovery with rich feeds and minerals immediately after the race. Little honey and vitamins with oregano in the water on return. You will have much more success.

Thank you I was going to move to chicken pellets.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Glad I could help

You Guys heard the Man Stop feeding the Pigeon Pellets

😅its like you were listening to me talk. was just telling my friend how well the babies are growing on pellets. Live and learn

@derekupson4489

5 ай бұрын

Just a word of warning,never feed growers pellets. layers pellets are best fed with beans or maples. You must also give the birds minerals. A few pellets for race birds is also very good.

@bravinjacobs2570

5 ай бұрын

@@derekupson4489 I've been doing a 50/50 mix of finisher pellets and a basic breeding mix. Mainly due to cost saving but I will ease back on the pellets now

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Perfect but at least your birds get a high percentage of grain to make them work their digestive systems.

Lots of chicken pellets is medicated in SA so i won't feed it to them. Don't believe food can make a pigeon bigger it's in the genes, a short person will stay a short person no matter how he eats, yes, him and the pigeons may get a bit fatter.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

You may have a point in some regards but a pigeon that is never raced and trained will be bigger than a pigeon that flew and exercised early in its life.

Willem De Bruyn feeds his pigeons 5% kitten pellets .

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

Maybe for the fish.

Did do the pellet thing with the birds! Stopped pellets completely! Much nicer and stronger baby’s with grains + grit minerals. Personally I think you shouldn’t feed pellets to a performance animal. My advice “NO PELLETS “ to racing pigeons!!!

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

I can certainly understand the 0% pellets but most do not give enough minerals. 10% pellets can fill void for the missing minerals. With all the good feeds and plenty of minerals pellets are not needed at all.

@chriswheeler2025

5 ай бұрын

Did the 10% thing also for a couple of years! Personally I prefer no pellets,just a nice grain mix with about 15-20 % good quality peanuts and a lot of grit + minerals! Super babies will be the end product!👌

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

No pellets are just great also with plenty of minerals

A big factor to success in breeding, raising, training etc comes down to common sense ( and luck) . It’s hard not to agree with your observations over the years. More or less saying, if you want to raise show pigeons, go ahead and continue. No use feeding them something that ends up on the floor before being digested properly

You ever have your hens do this to you 😂 my dad says his best racing and breeding hens did this to him when they were separated from the cocks i hope this is the case with her and her sister Capallini imported this bird's dad for me a few years ago 100% Jan Aarden and the mother is from Marblehead Mass. House of Aarden USA kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZImdzq5mitrNlZs.htmlfeature=shared

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

I have had a couple over the years. She is mated to you. Very nice.

Sorry Frank, not true at all.! Many Dutch fanciers are racing solely on the different colour coded pellets these days and their results are spectscular. The only grains they add to the dieet is the fine oiley seeds. Breeders cannot possibly know the diffs beween pellets and or seeds. The gizzard cannot be be affected by what they grind. It is an old wives tsle to think that by feeding only pellets will produce weaker youngsters.!

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

Ай бұрын

Hey Bruce, We must agree to disagree. You can certainly feed pellets and have success. What I am saying that the digestive system that never has to work as it is developing will not be as good as digestive system that has to work as it is developing. It might only be a 5% to 10% difference but I will take that. I have not heard of any fanciers feeding pellets with great success but if this is the case it may be short distance and possibly feeding less so body weight is better. Most even the Europeans send their pigeons to the races way too heavy.

@brucecarey1780

Ай бұрын

@@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons Offcourse we can differ of opinion in so many ways.!😅 I am just not convinced you can actually train the gizzard how to work better. Its an involiluntary muscel process that you have no control over whatsoever.! It will adapt to whatever it has to grind automatically im sure. In fact the process is exactly the same for all poultry and pigeon species no matter what they eat. Can be from grass vegetable matter seeds fruits and even insects.

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

Ай бұрын

Hi Bruce, In human studies it shows that populations that eat processed soft food have crooked teeth, crowded teeth, bad jaws and weakness in the jaws in general. Populations that have to do much strong chewing, eat high fiber chewy food have straighter teeth, better jaw development and even different facial structure. Children in the city have more teeth problems than children in the rural areas. Rural areas eat foods that take more chewing. There are many studies showing this and I feel it is the same as a developing gut in a young pigeon. I appreciate your views and we both can stimulate thought and opinion. vivos.com/the-impact-of-robert-corccinis-research-on-jaw-development/

@brucecarey1780

Ай бұрын

@@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons 😅 One major difference though.! Humans and or pigeons or poultry are light years appart as far as digestive systems are concerned.! So you cannot compare humans to pigeons in any way whatsoever.!

Only Americans would feed pellets, doesn’t happen in Europe

@FrankMcLaughlinPigeons

5 ай бұрын

You are correct.