steve49
396 posts
Jan 31, 2010
7:09 PM
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in another thread, someone mentioned only giving their birds grit once a week, is this recommended? i've always offered grit 24/7, and wondered what is preferred or correct.
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Steve in Blue Point, NY
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Lipper
GOLD MEMBER
598 posts
Jan 31, 2010
7:13 PM
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Mike Trevis
The Bigger the Dream the Bigger the Leap
Always have grit available unless you are medicating with certain medications...
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TT
GOLD MEMBER
494 posts
Jan 31, 2010
7:19 PM
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For Breeders or kit birds? I pull the grit from the kit boxes a hr after feeding
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Tony.H...
"Color is not an option"
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Lipper
GOLD MEMBER
600 posts
Jan 31, 2010
7:42 PM
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Mike Trevis
The Bigger the Dream the Bigger the Leap
For Breeders or kit birds? I pull the grit from the kit boxes a hr after feeding
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Why would you do this?
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fhtfire
2462 posts
Jan 31, 2010
8:30 PM
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My breeders get grit all the time....as for the kit box...I dont leave grit in the kit box....I throw a handful of grit on top of the loft...when they land they pick up what they need and then trap. I myself dont understand why some fanciers pull the grit...they need it to digest the food...it kind of like pulling a humans stomach acids and giving us enough acid to get by.
If my kit birds are locked down I give them grit after the feeding and then pull it...not need to keep it in the kit box 24/7..as long as they get access daily after feeding.
To each his own..
Rock and ROLL
Paul
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donnie james
911 posts
Jan 31, 2010
9:20 PM
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hay steve
i leave grit in the breeding all the time and when i was flying i would pull the grit out 30 day before a fly and i give them grit once or 2 times in the 30 days and when i didn't fly i left the grit in there all the time..............
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Donny James
"Fly The Best And Cull The Rest"
"Saying One Thing;Doing Its Another"
"Keep Your Head Planted In The Sky And Wings Spanned Wide"
1996 Piedmont Roller Club Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Portsmouth Roller Club Participation Award System Recipient 1994 '96 '97 And 2000
2001 Limestone,Ohio Sportsman's Club Lifetime Member Recipient
2002Portsmouth Roller Club Certified Judge
2004Portsmouth Roller Club Lifetime Member Recipient
"Miss Portsmouth"NBRC/90/J311 Rusty Dun Check Self Hen First Bird To Get Certified In Portsmouth Roller Club History With A Score Of 53 Judge By Joe Roe The 1993 World Cup Winner And John Bender The 1994 World Cup Winner
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wishiwon2
288 posts
Jan 31, 2010
9:52 PM
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You may have read it in my post Steve. I dont believe birds, pigeons, need daily grit intake. Grit will stay in their system longer than feed. Tom Monson has written about this, I havent saved any of that information.
Although I dont believe its a good way, I have had birds go weeks and months without grit and still do fine. My breeders have grit all the time unless they've eaten it and I didnt get containers refilled. I only keep a small amount in there at a time. I grit kitbirds about once a week, sometimes more, other times less, depends on if I remember. My birds do fine and I have no reasonable motivation to change. I use it as a tool in prepping a team, another way to affect minor management changes in them.
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Jon
If it were easy, everybody would do it
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PR_rollers
GOLD MEMBER
3526 posts
Feb 01, 2010
6:58 AM
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Jon is right birds do fine without grit for a while.its stay in their system much longer than feed.when my grit finish I have to order it from out there and they do just fine without it for that period. Now of cause its important for their digestion..I feed them once a week to my kitbirds I notice sometimes they don't even look at it when its in front of them .I'm talking about when I bring it in and sit out watching them they don't go for it.I listen to them when they want or need something when I see them pecking on the ground in the pen where I feed them I know they looking for some minerals I bring out the grit.when they put their beak in the water and shake they want a bathe I bring the portable bath tub out.. they talk I listen..
Ralph.
Pigeons are not our whole life, but they damn sure make our lives whole!" ~
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wannaroll
127 posts
Feb 01, 2010
7:39 AM
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I feed my Breeders 22% pellets, from what I understand you don't need grit with Pellets but I still give them some now and then. My kit birds get grit with their feed twice a week.
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Dave - Hesperia, CA.
(San Bernardino Mountain Spinners)
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steve49
397 posts
Feb 01, 2010
6:07 PM
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so basically, if they have it before them (kitbirds) all the time, they'd only be eating it every once in a while. i just don't understand the need to pull it from kitbirds, or only offer it once a week. maybe someone can explain how they came to do it that way?
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Steve in Blue Point, NY
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PR_rollers
GOLD MEMBER
3527 posts
Feb 01, 2010
6:22 PM
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Steve, the reason was so they don't poo on top of it when I left it in the kitboxes..I use to leave it in the pen but didn't want rats contaminating it by running across or what have you.so I put it away and gave when I thought it was needed .
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Ralph.
Pigeons are not our whole life, but they damn sure make our lives whole!" ~
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JMUrbon
889 posts
Feb 01, 2010
7:35 PM
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I leave grit in my stock loft 24/7 and although the birds dont need it daily they do take it as needed. It hurts nothing to leave it in there. My kit birds get it every once in awhile. I toss a handful on the top of the kit box and they take what they want but they may only get it once a month. Joe
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J.M.Urbon Lofts
A Proven Family of Spinners
http://www.freewebs.com/jmurbonlofts/
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Bill C
483 posts
Feb 01, 2010
11:20 PM
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I always have grit available for breeders and kit birds. If your pigeons gorge themselves with grit it is because they need minerals and salt that they are not getting in their diets.
If you feed the red grit, (Red lava rocks) and they over eat it, it will disolve in the gizzard. Only a few hard rocks will stay in the gizzard and the rest will pass through the pigoens. They will not comsume a table spoon of rocks and grit and keep this in their gizzard as it is too small. It is grinding muscles and the three rocks or so will grind up the grain faster.
If your birds do not have enough rocks they will use the grain to grind down the grain.
I think pigeons can live on almost any grain and little grit but to really have a caged bird in upmost health, you should add greed leafy vegetables and mineral bricks which is something they cannot get in a caged envirment. It might not prevent or help them roll but will definately help keep them in good health and shinny feathers which is a sure sign of good health. Bill C
Last Edited by on Feb 01, 2010 11:23 PM
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Bill from NJ
103 posts
Feb 02, 2010
5:24 AM
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Good post Bill C.
You spoke my exact opinion on feeding grit.
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http://users.boardnation.com/~npraforum/index.php
http://performingrollers.org/
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Alohazona
679 posts
Feb 02, 2010
9:25 AM
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I tried keeping grit in the kit box and they ate when it was put out fresh.Then they did not seem to be interested in the remaining portion and ended up being wasted,feather dust,turds,etc.
I throw fresh grit every 2 weeks to kit birds,it seems to work for me.I also add a light sprinkle of red race mineral,calci-mineral,and ground chalk block to soothe their stomachs.
My breeders can smell it comming and get as much as they want.....Aloha,Todd
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CVRC
508 posts
Feb 02, 2010
12:50 PM
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what happen if you dont give the flyers grit??
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Cristian Castro
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winwardrollers
412 posts
Feb 02, 2010
6:25 PM
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CVRC great question.
I had the same question because I feed very little grit to the kit birds. I feed grit a few times a year.
Here is some info. I looked up, "While commercial grit products are available to add to your bird's diet, it has been found that grit is not nearly as important to pet birds as it is to birds in the wild. The reason for this lies in a captive bird's diet -- most commercial bird foods are formulated to be easy for a bird to digest and absorb, making the need for grit less important than it would be for a pet bird's wild counterparts."
Bwinward
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PR_rollers
GOLD MEMBER
3535 posts
Feb 02, 2010
6:49 PM
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I didn't have grit for about a month just received a 10 pounds bag from foy"s ,I pour some in a feed bowl offer it to the birds and only 2 or 3 went for it the rest didn't even care... so I figure its not as important as we think it is.maybe for the reason Bwinward mention above.
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Ralph.
Pigeons are not our whole life, but they damn sure make our lives whole!" ~
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steve49
399 posts
Feb 02, 2010
7:57 PM
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i use a covered plastic container which keeps the grit dry and clean.
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Steve in Blue Point, NY
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Alohazona
680 posts
Feb 02, 2010
9:07 PM
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In my opinion too much grit fed to kit birds combined with a protein diet,sunlight,rest creates situations were hens can get eggy.The last thing you need is a good hen spinning her egg sack out...Just something to think about...Aloha,Todd
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Windjammer Loft
1058 posts
Feb 03, 2010
11:02 AM
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My birds get grit all the time. My breeders have excess 24/7 during the season. My kitbirds get a scoup once aweek in the feed trough
Fly High and Roll On
Paul
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