Nutriitional Advice For Your Pigeons

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website or give to the members of your mailing list.© 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 3

Can we measure energy? (Part 1)

When we go to the city for the day or a weekend, we make sure that we are well prepared for

the trip. We take a coat, our wallet, perhaps a camera and an umbrella, just in case. We also

make sure the car is ready. We fill the gas tank and make sure the ownership and insurance

cards are in the glove compartment, prepared for any eventuality.

If the return trip is 250 kilometres and we get 10 km to one litre of fuel then we know we need

25 litres in the tank to make the trip. Otherwise we will have to stop along the way to add

some fuel to the tank in order to get home.

You are probably thinking, what does this have to do with pigeon racing? Well, everything.

Our pigeons are also prepared for a flight each week. On the short races (Vitesse) we feed a

little lighter and less then for the middle distance (Midfond) and for the long races (Fond)

usually peanuts are fed, in order to give the birds more energy. But, are we giving them

enough? How we feed them is often a matter of, it feels right.

The top fanciers know from experience what works. But, always there is that question in the

back of your mind, “Did I get it right?” What will happen if the wind shifts? To-day, we seek

more information and we are justified in asking; has there been research done on the energy

requirements of pigeons during flight? Protein, carbohydrates (sugars) or fats? What do we

know about them? To date, research has been done at different universities (Guelph in

Ontario, Canada and Gent in Belgium).

Presently there are some interesting tests being done with pigeons, which were fitted with a

transmitter on their backs. Just before they are released an antenna is attached to the

transmitter and these birds can be followed via satellite. It will probably soon be technically

possible to follow the flight path of the bird via the Internet. From the use of these

transmitters, we will learn many interesting facts in the near future. This field is still in its

infancy. I think presently the transmitters are still too heavy to give us realistic and reliable

information.

We still have to rely on what we know presently. Meanwhile, science has not stood still. At

the University of Gent pigeons were tested in wind tunnels. The pigeons were fitted with the

needed hardware and flew into the wind without being able to fly ahead one meter. By

attaching a mask over the birds beak (see photo) the exhaled breath could be collected to

determine precisely what the bird used. These birds had to first learn how to fly in the wind

tunnel.© 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 4

The results were interesting. It turned out, that pigeons during the first 10 minutes used

practically all of their carbohydrate reserves. They used them to reach height and speed.

These carbohydrates (glycogen or mono-sacharide) are stored in the white muscle and are

directly available. When these carbohydrates are used up, then for the next +/- 50 minutes

the fats that are in body (blood) are used.

These so called “blood fats” were on the way to the red muscles fibers to be stored as fat

reserves. These red muscles fibers contain +/- 97 ½% unsaturated fatty acids. This is the

fuel for the trip home. The “light blood fats” in the body are manufactured from the

carbohydrate and fat rich grains that were fed at the last 3 meals. If after 1 hour this fuel is

used up, then gradually the fuel used is changed to the fat reserves stored in the red muscle

fibers.

A pigeon uses during flight 3 to 3.5 grams of fat per hour. The exact amount depends on the

difficulty of the flight and on the efficiency of the particular pigeons system. For example,

there are body builders with heavy thick muscles and there are marathon runners who have

long thin muscles. The former use energy more efficiently. Now that we know exactly how

much energy a pigeon uses per hour of flight, can we, if we know how much fat our feed

contains, calculate how much a pigeon needs?

Example: Let’s suppose your pigeons were being entered for Orleans, and that the race

would normally take 6 hours of flying for our pigeons. As just mentioned the pigeons use

carbohydrates as the fuel to fly for the first hour. The last 5 hours the fat reserves in the red

muscle fibers are used as fuel. Let’s use an average of 3.0 grams of per hour.

The birds therefore need 5 X 3.0 grams = 15 grams of fat stored in the red muscle fiber. If we

know how the fat content of our feed, we can calculate if this feed is high enough in energy.

If we have a feed with 5% fat and we feed on average 200 gram of feed per bird per week,

then we have given the pigeon 10 gram of fat reserves, which is not enough for this race.

If we had a feed with 9% fat (=18 gram of fat) then it is too rich for this flight. Statements

such as: “this feed has the ideal fat content”, are relative. Naturally we can make a feed

lower energy mix by adding a diet mix with a 3% fat content. We will always have to keep in

mind the total hours on the wing we expect for the upcoming flight

.A good widowhood mix has a high fat content, a high usable energy content (carbohydrate

and fat) and relatively low legume content. If these amounts are not provided on the bag,

then they are likely obtainable from the manufacturers literature. Loading up with too much

fuel is not suggested. The fat depots will eventually overfill and the pigeon will lose form. © 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 5

The pigeon has to carry the extra weight and this will require extra wing beats to keep the

pigeon in the air. A Formula 1race car driver wouldn’t think of filling his fuel tank for the last 5

laps of a race. The car would be too heavy and slow. Costly seconds would be lost. Too

much slows the birds down and not enough can have catastrophic consequences for our

racing pigeons. Most of the mistakes are made by the pigeon fancier not the pigeon.

When all the birds’ energy reserves are used up, a bird with character and guts will keep

flying and start converting its own protein into energy. This is coupled with enormous

consequences. The pigeon literally burns up its own body (organs and muscles etc.). These

birds usually are never able to perform to their previous standards.

For short sprint (Vitesse) races carbohydrates (glycogen) are much more important than for

long distance (fond) races. Results of tests show that while flying on glycogen and

carbohydrates (fats) in the blood stream and those stored in the liver, the pigeon can obtain

higher speeds. This can be seen on the chart below. In this example the pigeon obtains a

speed of 100 km per hour during the first hour of flight. After that the speed drops down to +/-

85 km per hour. This is the speed of flight obtained while burning the fats in the red muscle

fibers.

Ten minutes longer flying on energy from carbohydrates

means a 2-½ km lead. This lead during a sprint race is

impossible to overcome. This of course is all theory.

Pigeons are not horses that run their race around a

racetrack. They can’t (not yet) be followed. Many things

can happen on the way home.

An optimal orientation, the release, the wind, the list goes on, all play a role. But, on sprint

races of 250 to 300 km, if we can increase the glycogen reserves and increase the amount

of blood fats, surely it is worth the effort. From research on the use of carnitine it was

discovered, that pigeons at about the 400 Km mark had a drop in speed because the

muscles were tired. The term used in other athletic events “they hit the wall” comes to mind.

After awhile the birds recovered and could keep flying at a decent tempo. The last kilometres

as you can see are the hardest and the speed will gradually decrease.

On longer races the fat reserves become much more important fuel supply. Unlike the bike

riders taking part in the “Tour de France” birds cannot eat or drink on the way, or rather this

is what we want to overcome. They cannot replenish their glycogen reserves and become

dependent on the reserves stored in their bodies. Besides fuel the pigeons also need

oxygen. Muscles cannot function properly without oxygen.

75

80

85

90

95

100

105

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8© 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 6

The pigeon has to have sufficient red blood cells; these carry the oxygen to the muscles.

Measurements on migratory birds have shown that proteins are also used during migration.

Thus, the more difficult the flight, the more proteins are used. You can compare it to your car.

If you go to the store to do some shopping, then you would not use your dipstick to see if the

oil levels are down. If you hook up your trailer, loaded with all your belongings and drive over

the mountains to Switzerland, then the first thing you should do at the end of the day is check

the oil. The pigeon must eliminate these used proteins and new protein has to be supplied.

We will discuss the sense and nonsense of proteins and legumes in another article.© 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 7

Energy Use (part 2).

The first version of energy use was written several years ago. It was one of my first

articles and it still is one of the main sources of information on flying racing pigeons.

In this more scientific version I want to look at the subject much closer and here and

there pose some questions. The average fancier will probably not find it too

interesting. I’m writing this for those fanciers that want to progress in the sport. In

order to advance some knowledge of the matter at hand will be necessary.

That’s why I want to look at the supply of energy from a different angle than we have

up to now. As a guide for this article I will use information from a well-know German

veterinarian and scientist, Curt Vogel. He also began with information obtained from

research done on this subject from around the world. His outlook and vision on the

pigeon sport is respected by many. In his book (Tauben) many of the studies done by

these scientists are brought to the forefront. I’m not declaring that everything written

in his book is gospel, after all the book does date back to 1997.

Developments in the pigeon sport have not stood still. That’s why there are parts of

the book that I disregard and other parts that I want explore further. We have simply

learned a lot more on certain subjects in the book since it was written.

This does not mean that I don’t think it is an extraordinary book, from which you can

learn a lot. I’d say it is base or a foundation on which you can build a house. That

foundation is absolutely necessary in order to build a solid house that won’t blow over

when the storm winds blow. On this foundation we can build, rebuild, construct

additions and change etc. etc.

One of the most noticeable differences when compared to other research is the

energy supply. Curt Vogel also begins with the same sequence of energy use. First

the glycogen and glucose stored in the (14% of the muscle mass) white muscle

fibers, the liver and carried in the blood supply is used.

After that the fatty acids are burned. Vogel has a clear opinion and tells us exactly as

he sees it. The amount of energy that can be stored in the body of the pigeon is

limited according to the author of this book. Flying a total of 10 hours in one day is for

a pigeon close to its maximum. For racing the pigeon has at its disposal the following

fat reserves:© 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 8

? Can directly use the fat metabolized from the last feeding before the race. That

can amount to between 2.5 and 7.5 grams.

? Fatty acids stored in the red breast muscles (5.5 to 10.5 grams).

? Fat depots that are deposited under the skin, around the organs, intestinal

tract, adipose tissue around the heart etc. in total 6.5 to 10.5 grams.

In total that adds up to 14.5 to 27.5 grams of fat stored in the body. With these

amounts the limits on flying times were determined. Of course, there are pigeons that

cannot fly longer than 6 hours on their glycogen and fat reserves. Other pigeons can

fly a maximum to 10-11 hours without stopping and without having to switch over to

burning proteins. The weight losses will lie at a maximum, between 30 and 40 grams

(carbohydrates and fat).

The heart muscle delivers a constant performance and requires a lot of energy.

Therefore there is a considerably more oxygen (O2) in the blood than in any other

organ. We are talking about an average of 12%! At a state of rest there is 0.095 ml

O2 or 5.7 ml O2 per hour used. Burning oxygen (O2) also leaves waste products

(lactic acid) also “non carbohydrates” such as free fatty acids, amino acids and

ketones (acidification of the blood).

Energy requirements increase as the speed of the race and the distance of the race

increase. At a speed of 50km per hour the energy requirement increases 10 fold and

at a speed of 70 km per hour it increases at a rate of 27 fold, when compared to the

energy needs at a state of rest.

The amount of air used also increases substantially. When pigeons are flying at a

speed of 70km per hour, they breathe in 14 litres of air, of which 5 to 7 litres is used

for metabolism and 7 to 9 litres is used to dissipate body heat. When flying at 70km

per hour, the rate of breathing increases by a factor of 70. The heat produced at the

above mentioned speed increases by a factor of 20. All the above increases are

compared to a state of rest. The amount of moisture lost per hour of flying averages

6.6 grams.

We could go on for quite a while giving you more information. I’ll spare you. That’s

enough for now. Next time I will write on the scientific proof that protein metabolism

during racing is undesirable. What I find fascinating in this account, are the

possibilities of fatty acid storage and combustion.

If we carefully study the information that Curt Vogel gave us, than we see that we

could possibly have 2.5 to 7.5 grams of fatty acid available from the last feeding and

a maximum of 10.5 gram fatty acids stored in the red muscle fibers. The first one we

can largely influence ourselves. The size and possible storage capacity of the breast

muscles we do not have any control over. The pigeon will have “to show” us what its

storage capacity is. © 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 9

The storage of body fat is somewhere between 6.5 and 9.5 grams according to

Vogel. Body fat is a hard fat; it is not fatty acids that are like drops between the

muscle fibers. These liquid fatty acids are thus 7.5 grams +10.5 grams=18 grams.

That is 2/3 of the total capacity. This is the 2/3 that we can influence. Which fatty acid

combination (mix of grains, seeds and oil) gives the pigeon the most warmth and

therefore the most energy? Again we have enough to think over. © 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 10

Fielding

We are not too surprised, when breeding, our pigeons quietly and undisturbed go to

the fields to search for what we can’t give them. It is an animal’s nature to provide as

well as possible for their offspring. This is anchored in their genes. But when our

widowers go to the fields we don’t find this nearly as agreeable. In fact we think it is a

real problem. It’s probably not a bad idea to deal with this subject.

Too much of a good thing

Some fanciers had a peculiar problem. For several weeks (during their early exercise

times) their pigeons flew straight to the fields, to search for and eat whatever they

obviously lacked, the fanciers didn’t know what. According to, one of these first class

fanciers, it was impossible that the pigeons lacked for anything.

They fed a pellet that had vitamins, minerals and amino acids added. Sprouted seed

was also provided several times a week. Several other natural products were also

served regularly, such as seaweed and other protein products. Animal proteins were

even thought of and different types of mineral product were available in the loft and

added to the feed.

What in heaven’s name did these birds lack? It was quite obvious to them they

lacked something. From the loft they flew… directly to the fields. It was enough to

drive them crazy!

My advice to them was to no longer add the pellets to their mixes or to stop adding all

the other products. For a moment it was silent at the other end of the line. “I had

thought of everything, but I had never thought of that”, was the answer he finally

gave. The pigeons can have too much of a good thing and then the balance is

disturbed.

In order to restore this balance a more meagre diet is necessary. That was the

reason the pigeons were eating dirt, small stones and other lower nutrient materials,

they were trying to restore a balance. This week one of the fanciers called again. He

stopped feeding the pellets and…the pigeons stopped fielding. Problem solved.

Deficiencies

The opposite can also occur. The pigeons search the fields for products that they

can’t find in the loft. Just exactly what they are looking often remains a mystery.

There are fanciers who make the effort to find the exact area where the birds land

and dig up some of the dirt to put in the loft, often with good results.

If the pigeons continue the ritual of fielding for a period of time then nothing seems to

help, it has become a habit. Then all we can do is determine which of the birds are © 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 11

bringing the others down. Sometimes it helps to remove these from the race team.

A well-known flyer had this same problem once. He had tried everything but nothing

seemed to help. One day he remembered that he still had some leftover fireworks

stored away. At the exact moment the birds were getting ready to land at their

familiar spot in the field a ”screaming kitchen maid” was lit at the predetermined spot.

According to the fancier that was that, no more fielding. We’ll call this an “emergency

measure”.

Animal protein

What are the searching for? What is it we don’t provide for them on our lofts? First

comes to mind specific minerals. Many mineral mixes are very one-sided containing

too much phosphorous. The phosphorous content of grain diets is much too high in

relation to calcium. That is why mineral mixes should have a much higher calcium

then phosphorous content. Otherwise the proportion of calcium to phosphorous in the

diet will be way out of balance. The pigeons are forced to go the fields to look for

more calcium.

Sometimes pigeons also have a need for proteins of animal origin.  Usually we don’t

give these to our birds. Living naturally they would perhaps pick up a worm or a snail.

These types of animal proteins are highly useable by our pigeons. To compensate for

this need we can feed our birds animal proteins. Some give cheese.

Cheese has high animal protein content but is also very high in fat. Our pigeons

have a hard time processing these types of fats (animal) and it can cause them to

lose form. Cheese cut into small pieces or rasped can’t hurt as long as we don’t

overdo it. Prepare it in the morning and let it dry out all day. A better solution is fat

free milk powder. It is lower in fat and quite high in animal protein. We can add milk

powder to our feed with a sticking agent such as oil.

Universal

Another option is feeding egg food or better yet universal feed. There are some types

on the market that contain small worms. These (dead) worms contain a large amount

of protein. Universal food is mostly feed to finches and myna birds as a type of egg

food. It is important to pay attention to the freshness of these products. The fats can

quickly go rancid.

This universal food can be mixed with various products (grit, minerals, pick stone

etc.) and put in a pot or nest bowl on the loft floor. Just watch them go after it. Usually

it solves the fielding problem. Our pigeons are first of all, grain eaters. We shouldn’t

overdo the animal proteins. Look at this information as a tip just in case fielding

becomes a problem for you. Good luck in the upcoming racing season.© 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 12

Developments in Feeding (Seminar in Putten/Holland) 1

More than 100 fanciers filled the pigeon union hall in Putten. They were all fanciers

that had more than a normal interest in the pigeon sport. They were all fanciers that

wanted to advance in the sport. They had come from far and wide to attend a

seminar given by Bill Richardson from Tuscon, who gave an extremely interesting

presentation.

As a curtain raiser for the event I was asked to do a short presentation on pigeon

feeds and feeding. The theme I chose was “the future of racing feeds”. Can pigeon

feeds still be improved in the future or do we already know all? I have attempted to

find an answer to these questions. Read and tremble because in the future many

changes will take place.

Current Developments in the Market

When we go on line or read the papers we are constantly bombarded with new

developments in nutrition reported by scientists and universities. But, on the pigeon

front new scientific knowledge on feeding is rare. When was the last time you read

about research done for the pigeon sport?

When I look at what is going on around me, I only see movement in the direction of

price. More and more manufacturers are only concerned with turnover and low

prices. If we take a critical look at these mixes we realize that the main role they play

is stomach stuffing.

The grains that are the cheapest at the time are the main ingredients in these feeds. I

think this trend is a step backwards because it contributes nothing to the sound

feeding practices required to allow the racing pigeon to perform at its maximum. We

all know the pigeon sport market is a shrinking market.

Many older fanciers are giving up the sport are have passed on. Often it is the real

hobbyist fanciers that give up the sport, because they cannot keep up with the

specialists who practice the hobby as professionals. It is high time that we make the

racing pigeon sport more attractive for the hobbyist.

Specialization within the pigeon sport has effects on feeding. The “remaining

fanciers” are constantly searching for more information on feeding and want to

remain informed on any new developments. Money for research is scarce. Therefore

we will have to use information on developments from around the world. We will have

to watch developments in human nutrition as well as developments in nutrition as it

applies to commercial livestock; there is money available for research in these areas.

From these sources we can extract information and do some research and testing

with our pigeons. © 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 13

At the moment many researches are directing their research in the fastest growing

areas of disease, the heart and vascular diseases. The relationship between these

diseases and nutrition are being fully studied. Naturally scientific opinions in these

areas are divided. We can also use the information that developments in the area of

human sport nutrition give us. All this information cannot be applied directly to the

racing pigeon sport. Therefore it will be necessary to do a lot of specific research with

our racing pigeons.

It is too bad that this type of research is very seldom done. The feed industry should

more often direct itself to improvements in animal nutrition, so that our animals could

perform better and live healthier. In my view today’s remaining fanciers are in search

of improvements in all areas of the sport. This is the group that I want to address. We

have done various tests that could be termed as pioneering and that will soon turn

the racing pigeon feed industry on its ear. What is to be thought of the following?

The influence of marketing

Today we also see other developments popping up from time to time. Especially the

Germans seem to lead in some of them. They could be seen in every hall at the

Exposition in Kassel. Luxurious, fancy packaging is steadily playing a greater role

and different products are presented in such a way that we as good fanciers find

difficult to ignore. Certain grains, dipped in certain liquids that will do wonders for our

pigeons. Extruded pellets, vegetable and herb pellets, vitamin pearls attached to the

feeds, all of which have fantastic properties credited to them.

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t good extruded pellets on the market, but the

promises keep getting bigger. It is cleverly suggested that you have to participate;

otherwise your pigeons will not be able to keep up with the best anymore. In short:

marketing is becoming an influence.

Bordeaux corn (wine red colour) can be found in the various mixes of certain

manufacturers. They state that this corn contains a fat percentage of 9%. When

questioning one of the two largest exporters in the world we were told that all

varieties of corn contained 4 to 5 % raw fat. They have fields where they cultivate

corn all over the world and could not deliver to us a corn variety with fat contents this

high. This certainly makes a nice marketing story?

A new variety of corn with red little lines on it gets a spot under “new developments

and new products” in the largest pigeon publication in Germany “die Brieftaube”. I

can only see it as an attractive variety amongst all the other corn varieties. It is nice

to look at but has no added qualities for us in the pigeon sport. There are also

different colours of safflower offered (dyed). How long will it be before this starts to

make inroads in the pigeon market? What values will be given to similar products?

Yes, marketing will have an influence in the pigeon sport, even in the Netherlands. © 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 14

What you get out depends on what you put in

Marketing in most cases is “creating a need where one didn’t exist”. Sometimes good

research is done and products are developed that are really helpful. But, usually they

help only the manufacturer. So be careful, beware! The question can be asked: do

we know all there is to know on performance pigeon grain mixtures? Can we still

make improvements and modernize ordinary grain mixtures?

Are all the manufactures finished mixing? I’ll try to make some sense out of all the

different studies that we have done. My first statement is: What you get out depends

on what you put in. You have to invest in the future, nature will reward you. Just as

good quality corn seed will reward us if we plant it in good rich soil. You have to

depend on Mother Nature for the rest. It makes no sense not to trust nature. We don’t

have to dig up our seed grain every day to see how its’ doing, that just isn’t sensible.

We have to leave it to nature. It will do the rest. One day a fine-looking plant will

come out of the ground.

Carbohydrates

When we look at racing mixes then we see that most mixes contain between 55%

and 65% carbohydrates (carbon-hydrogen and oxygen atoms). These are starches.

There are different kinds of carbohydrates such as: monosaccharide (grape sugar /

fruit sugars), disaccharide (cane sugar / beet sugar / maltose), tri and polysaccharide

(starch for building reserves). Besides these we also have cellulose (plant fiber).

Amylopectin

When choosing pigeon feeds in particular racing mixes it is important to choose those

that contain as large a proportion of their carbohydrates (glucose) that is taken up

and used as gradually as possible. Why? Because pigeon racing is not a sport that

requires a short explosive effort but a longer sustained effort, it is an endurance

sport. Grains contain mainly polysaccharides (starch). The chemical structure of

starch in grains is: amylose and amylopectin.  © 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 15

Source: (Wikipedia)

As you can see in the diagram amylopectin has a branched tree like structure. It is

the largest natural molecule and has more than 10,000 units of glucose. The

structures are bound together by Alph-1, 4 and Alpha 1, 6 connections. The a-1, 4

bindings are what we call the fast sugars.

These provide the body with direct energy and cause an abundance of insulin to be

present in the blood stream in order to achieve an explosion of energy.

The a-1, 6 bindings occur in about 25 units and give the molecule its tree like

structure. They take longer to assimilate and are released gradually for combustion.

During flight when attacked by a raptor the a-1, 6 bound glucoses are used. They are

also called on when the pigeon has used up all its fat reserves on the journey home.

Amylose

Amylose is an unbranched molecule with only a- 1, 4 bindings. They are therefore the

fast carbohydrates. Most grains have a starch content that is made up of amylose /

amylopectin in a proportion of 1 part amylose: 3 parts amylopectin. There are two

exceptions. These two exceptions contain only amylopectin. This glucose as we have

shown is better taken up in the body and is better utilized in combustion for energy by

the body. These two exceptional grains are: corn and rice. Earlier tests that we have

done have already shown that pigeons fed with 80% corn and 20% regular mix after

one hour of exercise flew higher and exercised the best. © 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 16

The pigeons that were fed 80% oat groats (peeled oats) and peeled barley with 20%

pigeon mix flew best and highest above the loft at the beginning of the exercise

period. But after an hour of exercising they had to move over for the “corn pigeons”.

The pigeons fed a regular breeding mix made a few circles above the nearby roofs

and had to acknowledge the superiority of the other two groups.

Which carbohydrates are present in pigeon feeds?

Another look at the carbohydrate grains shows us that most contain phytinic acid.

Phytinic acid interferes with the absorption of iron and other minerals. Iron is

necessary for the production of red blood corpuscles that in turn utilize oxygen.

Oxygen and fuel = power and that is a very necessary process for pigeons taking

part in athletic events. The grain that contains the most phytinic acid is wheat.

Therefore it is sensible to keep the percentage of wheat low in racing mixes. Even if

wheat is one of the cheapest grains it should not be one of the main ingredients in a

racing mix.

The most suitable carbohydrate rich grains

The grains that contain much lower amounts of phytinic acid are: corn and rice

(There they are again!), white dari, milo (red dari) and millet. These are the grains we

should use in larger amounts in racing mixes.

(Translators note: The milo and dari mentioned in the original, to the best of my

knowledge are varieties of sorghum)

The less suitable carbohydrate rich grains

Carbohydrate less suited because their structure or the amount of phytinic acid they

contain are: oat groats (peeled oats), pearled barley (peeled barley), buckwheat and

legumes.

In part 2 we will look at the composition of the fats and proteins. Here we will also find

some very interesting thoughts on the composition of the pigeon mixes of the future,

that will open some eyes. I will then make up a suggested mix for Sprint / Middle

Distance racing and one for Middle Distance / Long Distance racing.© 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 17

Developments in Feeding (Part 2)

Now that we have discussed the carbohydrate content of our racing mixes, we know

it is important to select the correct grains. With the newly acquired knowledge we

now have the composition of our racing mixes will change considerably. In particular

the Sprint racers will have followed the new developments with great interest, but

also the rest of us have carbohydrate content in our mixes of 50% to 60%.

Amino Acids

Now we will look at the amino acids (protein). Legumes in particular contain a lot of

protein. In order to perform well while racing we require power for the muscles, the

energy is provided by glycogen and fatty acids and the fuel to burn them is oxygen.

The disadvantage of legumes is that the high percentages that usually are given at

the end of the week will almost certainly ensure that the bird has a less than ideal

supply of oxygen.

The pigeons digest barely 25% to 30% of the proteins from legumes, which means

that 75% of the protein they contain will have a detrimental effect on the birds system

because the by-products produced during digestion of these proteins will have to be

eliminated. The conversion of proteins from legumes into bodily proteins takes from

48 to 72 hours. This process therefore has a detrimental effect on the birds while

racing.

Gradually the oxygen supply will diminish and after flying for 4 to 6 hours good

athletic effort by the bird becomes difficult. The colour of the breast muscles will

become blue, which indicates a lack of oxygen. Building and repairing muscles

requires protein (the first part of the week) and is not required as fuel for flying.

That is why it doesn’t make sense to feed to many peas and beans to the pigeons

during the last days before basketing them for a race. Not feeding any protein is

impossible because all grains and seeds contain protein.

It becomes a question of feeding the grains and seeds that will do the least damage.

It would be more sensible to choose for less protein and protein that is more easily

digested at the end of the week.

If the fat requirements have been met earlier in the week than you can use good

carbohydrate grains (such as corn) for the last two meals in an energy rich mix

(middle distance / long distance) thus lowering the protein content. This leads us to

use of the following grains and seeds:

Toasted soybeans, safflower, sunflower seeds, peeled sunflower, hemp, cabbage

seed, rapeseed, flax seed and peanuts. © 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 18

Fatty Acids

The most important source of energy for pigeons are the fatty acids. They are stored

in the red muscle fibers and provide energy for the flight home. It is the most

important fuel for most of the flight further than 300 kilometres. In the past we have

spent a lot of time discussing how much fat we should send along with our pigeons to

the race point. Recently more time and attention has been paid to the makeup of

these fatty acids.

You are probably familiar with the articles on the proper use of the fatty acids. Now

researchers are looking more closely at the importance of the composition and the

structure of the fatty acids. Oils are made up of linoleic acids and linolenic acids.

Linoleic acids are the omega 6’s and linolenic acids are the omega 3’s.

According to some researchers there is an ideal proportion between the two types of

fatty acids. This proportion is important especially for the immune system. An

incorrect proportion will result in illnesses and inflammation according to these

researchers. Presently scientist are recommending as an ideal proportion for people

as being 4:1. That is for every 4 parts of Omega 6 there should be 1 part of Omega 3

fatty acids.

This proportion is also important for our racing pigeons. According to some

researchers a proportion of 2:1 is required for ideal results. Therefore oils have been

developed for the consumer markets that have a better proportion of these fatty

acids. That’s good, very good in my opinion and I am a fan of these oils. Still I am

very apprehensive about their use.

Why? We can coat my feed with oils such as these. Most pigeon mixes have a fatty

acid proportion of 50:1 to 30:1. I add one of these oils and Bingo! Well not really! Try

adding 200 cc of one of these oils to 1 kg of grain. It will look like grain floating in a

swimming pool! We can add maximum one tablespoon of oil to a kg of mix. One

tablespoon on 1 kg of feed only makes a difference of 1%.

That one percent is definitely a step in the right direction but it really is only a drop in

the ocean. It’s like being on a pub crawl and your buddy after drinking twenty beers

decides to order a glass of mineral water and declares “look guys I’ve stopped

drinking, I’ll drive home”.

That really doesn’t sound like such a good idea. Let’s get back to our racing mixes. It

would seem that one percent change in the oil composition would have very little

influence on the immune system. We will have to take a closer look at the mixes to

see if we can improve them.

Presently our race mixes often contain a lot of safflower and sunflower. We

sometimes feed peeled sunflower seeds before a long or tough race. I have often © 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 19

advised doing so. But in the past I did not pay as much attention to the proportions of

the omega fatty acids. Making sure that they had sufficient energy stores was always

and will remain the number one concern. The following table will give a synopsis of

some of the oil seeds.

Amount of n-6 fatty acids

in grams per 100 gram

Amount of n-3 fatty acids

in grams per 100 gram

Linoleic

acid

a–linolenic

acid

EPA DHA

Sunflower Oil 630 (630:1) 1 0 0

Corn Oil 50 (5:1) 0,9 0 0

Soy Oil 52 (7:1) 7,3 0 0

Rape Seed Oil 20 (2:1) 9,6 0 0

Flax Seed Oil 20 (2:5) 50 0 0

Peanut Oil 13 (32:1) 0,4 0 0

Hemp Seed Oil 60 (3:1) 20 0 0

We see a lot of safflower and sunflower seeds in many mixes; this as we can now

see gives a completely incorrect proportion of the omega 6: omega 3 fatty acids in

the oil content of these mixes.

This is not good news for an efficient well functioning immune system and the

pigeons will more easily fall prey to the various diseases and infections. It is also true

that many fanciers simply feed to little fat, which keeps their pigeons from performing

at their peak. I do not want to discourage anyone from feeding fats to their pigeons.

Providing sufficient energy is essential. But I think we have to do a better job.

Searching for a balance

Often we have to find compromises when we put together a mix. Cabbage seed, rape

seed and flax seed have better values in the proportions of the omega fatty acids, but

also contain a lot of prussic acid. Adding high percentages of these seeds to the mix

would be irresponsible.

Flax seed also increases phlegm and is better limited to being used at the beginning

of the week. There is also the fact that these seeds are low in fiber, which is required

for a well functioning intestinal tract. Too much cabbage seed, rapeseed and

flaxseed create a mix that doesn’t provide enough bulk for the intestinal tract. © 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 20

This could easily lead to watery droppings and that is also an important

consideration. It is not easy to make the right choices, but clearly we can do better. A

mix made up of ordinary grains and seeds, certainly has a future. These are not

readily available on the market but there are some things that the fancier can do for

himself. As promised in Putten I will provide two mixes in this article. The first one is

appropriate for Sprint/Middle Distance races and the second is meant for Middle

Distance/Long Distance races. If you have a source of single seeds and grains you

can mix these yourself, they are not available as mixes anywhere that I know of.

Sprint/Middle

Distance

Middle/Long

Distance

Grain: Percentage Grain: Percentage

Corn (all types) 32.5 % Corn (all types) 30 %

Barley 5,0 % Barley 5,0 %

Milo (red dari) 15 % Milo 10 %

White Dari (Milo) 10 % White Dari (Milo) 7,5 %

Paddy rice 10 % Paddy rice 7,5 %

Millet 5,0 % Short grain Rice 2,5 %

Toasted Soy Beans 5.0 % Millet 2,5 %

Dun peas 7,5 % Hemp 5,0 %

Green Peas 5.0 % Rape Seed 2,5 %

Mung Beans 2,5 % Flax 2,5 %

Flax 2.5% Safflower 2,5 %

Green Peas 7,5 %

Omega Ratio: 5:1 Toasted Soybeans 5,0 %

Dun Peas 7,5 %

Mung Beans 2,5 %

Omega Ratio: 4:1

The first mix is a base mix for the Sprint and Middle Distance races and does not

meet the needs for all situations. The fancier will have to adjust it with for example a

Cleansing Mix at the first of the week and add some corn and small seeds during the

second half of the week.© 2010 Willem Mulder All Rights Reserved http://www.pigeonlover.org Pagina 21

Values for Sprint /Middle Distance Mix

Fat Protein Carbohydrates O.E.k.Cal Fiber

4.3 12.1 64.0 3211 4.3

Values for Middle Distance /Long Distance Mix

Fat Protein Carbohydrates O.E.k.Cal Fiber

7.8 14.3 57.4 3333 5.6

The second mix is also a base mix and the fancier will have to add or switch over to a

well-balanced energy mix at the end of the week. This mix by itself is a high-energy

base mix containing mainly good fatty acids, not to many detrimental proteins and

good carbohydrates. I know that I have not addressed all the different circumstances

that may arise. But, I have endeveared to lay a foundation for a new vision on the

composition of the racing pigeon mixes of the future.