consett lofts
10 posts
Sep 21, 2005
2:11 AM
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hi all!
just a question for you roller men in usa !
how do you people feed your birds for a comp
and get them in good condition ?
any feedback appreciated
yours in sport & friendship
ROSS !!!!!!!!!!!
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motherlodelofts
284 posts
Sep 21, 2005
6:28 PM
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Ross I use Wheat or Wheat/Milo , prior to that I will pound the wt to them with fat and protien
Scott
Last Edited by motherlodelofts on Sep 21, 2005 6:29 PM
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Velo99
84 posts
Sep 21, 2005
7:42 PM
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Hey M/L,
When I feed wht /milo I add volume to make the birds full. 2 1/4 cups to 23 birds. I added mix to the milo Saturday am then flew same evening,fed in the same volume. I held then in 48 hours,feeding same volume. When I flew them yesterday they flew forever, a couple of hours actually. I fed milo at half ration. This morning they didn`t wanna fly for sh*t. I had to go to work so I just left them for the wife to trap in later. However, this afternoon when I let them out, they were smokin!! Flew for an hour in 10-15 sw wind around 90 degrees in 23% humidity. Pressure at 30.1.
I won`t go into detail but I was proud to have this kit of y/b`s
Question is this. How much do I cut back on the milo/mix to keep them from sitting on the roof? I knew they would fly long on mix but the sitting kinda pissed me off. I have 5 old birds in the kit and they flat refused to fly. I hit one of them with a dog ball and he just fluttered then sat back down.
yits
v99
Last Edited by Velo99 on Sep 21, 2005 7:45 PM
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consett lofts
11 posts
Sep 22, 2005
5:09 AM
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your way of feeding is kind of the same as we do in England,i can only fly at nights as i work days, so when it comes to a comp on a w/end i strugle with my feed !!!
Thanks lads !!!
yourse in sport & friendship
ROSS!!!!!
ROLL ON
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J_Star
55 posts
Sep 22, 2005
5:29 AM
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Velo99,
Take out a tblspoon of food every day until they fly for 30 min and trap within a few min. That would be the appropriate measure of feed to give.
Jay
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Velo99
85 posts
Sep 22, 2005
12:51 PM
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Thanks Jay,
I was feeding 1 1/2-3/4 of milo/mix and they were getting light. How do I put some weight on them with out affecting performance too much? If I feed a higher protien they won`t fly or fly too long. If I cut back they go light. Where do I start I guess is the question. Or is it a cyclical issue? Always going one direction or another.
yits
v99
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motherlodelofts
287 posts
Sep 22, 2005
3:07 PM
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1. Young birds need fat and protien (up to 5-6 mo.)
2. All birds need fat and protien during the moult
3. birds need fat and protien when the temps drop
Weak feeds such as Wheat or Wheat/Milo are for use during periods of time , the colder and younger they are the shorter that period can be.
Forget teaspoons, that little written standard has probaby killed more youngbirds and birds during Winter than any disease ever could , at the very least it has confused far more than it has helped.
The birds tell you what they need by feel and by actions , learn your birds, there is no other way to know how much to feed and what to feed, it aint rocket science but it needs to be learned over time.
V99 When they start going body light fly time will pick up as it takes les effort to fly, lock up and pound the wt. to them and they will drop faster , if you then fly them hard they will get strong and lean and fly long.
Think of it as a see saw , nothing stays constant with these birds , what works today will reverse and do the complete opposite over time.
The starting point is allways back to fat and happy which takes about 4-5 days of hard feed.
This is for your harder families, on the other side of the spectrum is the hotter bred families that has to be fed heavily and flown often to be kept strong or they become lawn darts.
Scott
Last Edited by motherlodelofts on Sep 22, 2005 3:47 PM
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nicksiders
213 posts
Sep 22, 2005
9:47 PM
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We are measuring in tablespoons and that is unneccessary.
One measuring cup for every 10 birds.
Two for twenty.
Five birds gets 1/2 cup
etc, etc.............if you have an odd number adjust accordingly.
I hope you guys aren't shoveling out tablespoon portions.
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J_Star
58 posts
Sep 23, 2005
5:32 AM
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Velo99,
Like Scott said, you need to take all that in consideration. I don't know what state you live in, but around here when I feed my birds, their behavior is telling me they are requiring more feed than usual. That is because the weather is changing and they need to build more fat to them for the upcoming fall and winter. I have been mixing with the wheat a good pigeon mix including corn so that they can build their weight a little. A tblspoon is a good measure to follow in the summer time (1 cup per 10 birds) but you need to adjust up or down as you see fit from the behavior of your birds. My birds require more than one tblspoon per bird, therefore, I adjust the measure as needed. But always remember that a good healthy roller is a very good actor when it comes to feed. They act like starving to death, so don’t be fooled and end up feeding them too much. A good measure for me is when you start to see and feel the keel bone from the chest all the way down, that means the bird is light and under weight. If you can not see it at all, then the bird is having a bit of extra weight. The middle is always good.
Jay
Last Edited by J_Star on Sep 23, 2005 5:35 AM
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