joelbanc
87 posts
Mar 25, 2010
5:44 AM
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Any pointers on getting your birds to switch from grains to pellets? I've tried a few times over the years to make this change but the birds look at the pellets as something foreign. Short of starving then into making them eat what is given, what is the next best technique that works? Also is there a way to process the poultry pellets to make them a bit smaller in order for the birds swallow the stuff easier?
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Tony Chavarria
Site Publisher
3932 posts
Mar 25, 2010
6:00 AM
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Hey joelbanc, you might try using what is called "crumble". It is a pellet that has been what I will call "shattered" to a smaller size. About the size of a typical grain. I have used both pellet and crumble and the crumble seems to produce much more dust in the bag which ends up being wasted. (I taken to saving the dust and use it as a sort of winter "mash" to help the birds get some of the extra nutrition they need during cold temps.
The only technique I have ever used is to remove the grain and after a say or two, they start eating the pellets or crumble. If you put pellets and seed and grain in front of them, they will tend to eat the seed and grain and leave the pellets til last. If they are satiated before the pellets are eaten, they will leave them. So if you intend to provide a mix containing pellets or crumble, you will need to modify the percentages so that they are still hungry enough to eat the pellets/crumble when the seed and grain are consumed.
My breeders only get pellets. The kit birds and birds in the tank are fed both seed and grain and pellets and do very well.
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FLY ON!
Tony Chavarria
Your Own Custom Telephone # Bands
The highest form of ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about.” – Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
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rookie from ct
GOLD MEMBER
238 posts
Mar 25, 2010
6:36 AM
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joelbanc you can also see if your feed store caries Pureina,Nutrena green or gold it is a pigeon pellet the size of a pea the green is 16% & the gold 18%protein made for pigeons not chickens or game birds. Dennis
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joelbanc
88 posts
Mar 25, 2010
7:35 AM
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Most reason I'm switching to Chicken pellets is the local feed store wants to charge an outrageous price for a bag of Baymore (about $36) and have no other brands of pigeon feed to offer. I have to travel out of town to get a cheaper price on feed but it's 40 miles each way and for 15 birds, it isn't worth all the gas expence and time. I have purchased 2 bags before to make the trip more practical but then again by the time I open the 2nd bag it usualy has sat around long enough to have acquired bugs. What did the people feed there birds back in the 40's & 50's before all the custom mixes came to be? Don't think my Grandfather
had very many choices with his little back yard squab loft way back then. Thanks Tony for idea with mixing in the crumbles...
Last Edited by on Mar 25, 2010 7:38 AM
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Hammer_00
16 posts
Mar 25, 2010
8:40 AM
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a joelbanc i have fed my breaders lay pelletts for years i mix a little pigion mix with pellets. when birds get hungry anuff they will eat pelets. the problem with pellets in the summer is the smell moist droppings.will take extra work to keep clean.
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gotspin7
2652 posts
Mar 25, 2010
8:05 PM
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Joel, the purina brand has them pellets at a good size. You should try those, they just might work out for you. I also agree that you should only feed pellets and no other grain, while breeding. Good luck.
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Salvador Ortiz
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rollerpigeon1963
303 posts
Mar 25, 2010
9:37 PM
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Ok I been feeding pellets now for 5 to 6 years. The biggest secret is you have to look at the salt content and sodium content. I was feeding Nutrina pellets but found something else that has been super. It has .20 salt and sodium content. Its called triple trust 15% layer pellets. With this low of a salt and sodium content your birds don't drink as much water. When they drink so much water there poop gets loose and smells bad. With little salt content they don't drink as much so there poop looks more like grain feed poop. Where the sack of grain has went to 30.00 for a 50lb bag. Where the pellets run 10.25 a 50lb. Also if you feed pellets you don't need to feed grit. Which is also getting harder to find. And when you do its another 20 something dollars a sack. But if you choose to feed pellets dont mix with grain. because they will scratch through it to find the grain and spill the pellets and that also makes a mess and a waste of money.
Brian Middaugh
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RodSD
388 posts
Mar 25, 2010
10:47 PM
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You can do it slowly and be patient. You can start with 90% grain + 10% pellet. Then you can try 80% + 20%. Then you can try 70% + 30% and so on until there are more pellets than grains in the feed trough. Initially the birds will find pellets a mystery so they wont touch it, but hunger will force them to eat it or at least try it. It took me 2-3 months to introduce my birds to eat pellets, but once other pigeons eat pellets, any new bird will try to copy them and it becomes faster. For example, a new bird ended up eating pellets after 3 days when it saw my other birds eating it. There are other pellets though that look like peas as just mentioned above. Here is one video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC4Ee0PQ9rw
Last Edited by on Mar 25, 2010 10:52 PM
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JDA
GOLD MEMBER
747 posts
Mar 26, 2010
7:39 AM
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Tony...You feed your breeders only pellets,What brand and what%?JDA
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Scott
2942 posts
Mar 26, 2010
7:41 AM
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Brians right .. you want low salt content.. as for switching.. quit feeding them anything but and they will eat.. the problem is when you have young in the nest.
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Scott Campbell
" God Bless "
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Tony Chavarria
Site Publisher
3941 posts
Mar 26, 2010
7:56 AM
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Hey JDA, my breeders get Pen Pal Egg Maker 16%. I then wean the youngsters and they get a 50/50 mix of the Egg Maker and Chicken scratch.
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FLY ON!
Tony Chavarria
Your Own Custom Telephone # Bands
The highest form of ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about.” – Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
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Sunflower
GOLD MEMBER
618 posts
Mar 26, 2010
4:32 PM
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I feed Purina Pigeon Chow Checkers pellets. $13.25 at the local feed store and include all the vitamins and minerals they need. Not sure about the salt content as the analysis doesn't give a %. They are small pellets and easy for pigeons to eat. Make sure you keep plenty of fresh water in front of them, especially when they are feeding youngsters. After the young birds are weaned I mix wheat and milo with the pellets until they are about 5 mos old. Last yeat was the first year that I used these pellets and the young birds were healthier than ever.
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Keep em Spinning
Joe
Last Edited by on Mar 26, 2010 4:34 PM
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Windjammer Loft
1084 posts
Mar 26, 2010
4:40 PM
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joelbanc... if you live in a rural area or have access to a feed mill. You should be able to have them mix what ever type of grains that you wish. I live in Ohio and go to a feed mill and have them mix a 16% mix of wheat,milo austrailian peas and maple peas. And for the winter monts I have them add corn to the mix. I pay $10.80 per 50# bag. Hope this helps. Good luck
PS... I have also tried the pellet route. Too much of a hastle.... So, I just give my breeders EXTRA feed when they are raising young.
Fly High and Roll On
Paul
Last Edited by on Mar 26, 2010 4:43 PM
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