# After race day and basketing day



## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Do you guys fly your birds the day after a race and/or on basketing day in the morning?

Thanks in advance.

Also, if you wanna mention a little bout how you feed on these days I would also appreciate that.


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

I never let mine out on shipping day. I will open the loft the day after they return and put bath water out but I never make them fly , it a free day off and some will fly and some don't . 

On race day I fill the feeders and keep them full until all birds are home . I let them choose what they want free choice and I put a product made by Merrick's called Blue Ribbon poultry Electrolytes Nutrients and Direct fed Microbials (pro-biotic)in the water and keep it fresh all day.

On the shipping day for the feed I try to feed once, for a 100 mile race I feed at 10am. 200 mile race 11am. 300 mile race at 12 noon. If possible. If not, I feed in the morning before I go to work . If it looks like a hard weather race day I will give a treat of wheat and safflower mixed and a few peanuts to make them drink again before I basket. I have experimented with giving the wheat+safflower before shipping for every race but didn't write anything down so I don't know if it helps or not.


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## Pijlover (May 5, 2010)

NZ Pigeon said:


> Do you guys fly your birds the day after a race and/or on basketing day in the morning?
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Also, if you wanna mention a little bout how you feed on these days I would also appreciate that.


Sorry no experience about this here
I have a feeling that you are going to race your birds in near future, so if i am correct when are you having the event and for how many miles?


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## Josepe (Jan 10, 2011)

No I wouldn't fly birds a day after a race.They've just Raced and need to Recuperate.If you ran a 10 mile marathon today would you be out running tommorrow? And no I wouldn't fly them the day of basketing.They need what's in their tank to fly the race.


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## Roger Siemens (Nov 12, 2011)

ok guys , if i race my birds give them a day off to recuperate. What are some diet tips to bring them back to healthy and happy shape. is there a good home cure all.


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

Roger Siemens said:


> ok guys , if i race my birds give them a day off to recuperate. What are some diet tips to bring them back to healthy and happy shape. is there a good home cure all.


I would feed the same balanced diet you feed all week before a race.They need carbs to restore lost energy and protein to repair any muscle damage, if any. Electrolytes to rehydrate the birds too. Keep the feed tray full . A spoon of honey in the water is good too.

When I said I loft fly my birds the day after a race was misleading , what I mean is I open the loft and put water pans out for a bath and give them the day off . If some want to fly that's okay too. Lets say the birds raced 8 hours on the wing , they drink ,eat grit and food then they sleep most of that day and all night , by noon the next day they have rested for 20 hours already , so a bath and some sun and maybe a short fly around the yard wouldn't hurt. If some bird don't go out I let them be.


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## Roger Siemens (Nov 12, 2011)

ok electrolytes for pigeons? i feed them well and give fennal teas garlic and honey, i m starting with a few peanuts before race day. 


20 hour rest how about a training toss?


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

Roger Siemens said:


> ok electrolytes for pigeons? i feed them well and give fennal teas garlic and honey, i m starting with a few peanuts before race day.
> 
> 
> 20 hour rest how about a training toss?


No Sunday is the rest and bath day. Monday and Wednesday are road training days. After the bath some birds will loft fly on their own but I wouldn't force them. If you have other birds that didn't go to a race you can always use Sunday as a training toss day.

Yes electrolytes for pigeons. Even on hot summer days you can add them to the water. The one I use have pro-biotic in it which I believe is one of the other things that any pigeon keeper should use regular .


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