# Does anybody FLY on pellets!



## Hill Top (Dec 5, 2014)

There is several threads related to this but I haven't seen anybody comment who says they actually fly race birds on pellets. Using Nutriblend or others. What are your experience with it?


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## pigeonjim (May 12, 2012)

I tried feeding with it one spring into training season. They did well on them but there water intake was so much more I decided against it. Jim


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## Flying LV (Oct 7, 2008)

I feed Nutriblend to my breeders while raising babies and to my OBs while racing. It is different when compared to feeding seeds, but I did very well. The droppings are loose at the beginning but they do get better as they transition over.


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## Hill Top (Dec 5, 2014)

When Nutriblend first came out, I did fly on it one young bird season. They did great out to 200ml then after that they seemed to lack stamina and came off the race with very dark almost black breast. I'm wondering now if it wasn't the pellets. A couple years ago to make things simple for my wife to feed for me a while I had a pallet mixed up by an animal nutritionist at the local feed mill. For a year she fed them and tended them for me. The next season I went to the loft to pair some up. They looked fantastic! Healthy, muscular and feathers so slick you couldn't hang on to em. I raised young birds on these pellets and they too looked great! So now I'm thinking of flying on these pellets. I was paying 35.00 a bag for feed that didn't do near for them what these pellets do. These pellets are 16% protein which the nutritionist said was optimal. The best part is their only 12.00 a bag!


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## Lovelace (Jan 10, 2008)

Well I gave Nutriblend gold a try one whole young bird season and I will tell you that was my worse season, birds did not have energy, after that season I study on grain energy mixes and I have the best grain mix I every used now and will never change again, so I say no!!!!! pellets for race birds.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

I tried the Nutriblend a few years ago after Warren bragged them up and they did good out to 200, but after that they came home with mud on their feet so I stopped.
Dave


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Sounds like the pellets extruded fake food, has too much salt for the birds. Not enough natural oils and fats or carbs for long distance !?


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## Hill Top (Dec 5, 2014)

CBL said:


> Sounds like the pellets extruded fake food, has too much salt for the birds. Not enough natural oils and fats or carbs for long distance !?


There is "food" for thought in this statement, the nutritionist told me not to feed added salt or grit with these pellets but maybe a little oil would be good.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

I think they just need more water for the longer races, they looked great when they got home, but when they come home with mud on the feet you just lost the race. I expect old birds to have dirty feet on the 4, 5, and 600 mile races as it is hot coming through Texas but not on the 300.
Dave


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## Hill Top (Dec 5, 2014)

I live in Texas, yes it's hot. I did not have a problem with them going down on the three hundred just seemed to take a lot out of them.


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

I'll say this as nicely as possible lol. Pellets are a man made extruded processed un natural food for ANYBODY, not unlike cereal in humans. Would you just eat a box of cereal and go run a marathon and expect to have energy to win, NOPE. They have to then 'preserve' that crap with all sorts of lovely things including SALT, so that this fake crap wont go rancid. 

Feed the real thing 90%, if you 'feel' better putting it in the food for the rest of the percent (one button on keyboard not working lol) then, Im ok with that for supplementation of maybe some nutrient ingredient we cant seem to give our birds that is covered in this chemical cocktail. I say better than 0ne hundred % chemical. 

I bought some cat kibble, it must have been the bottom of the batch and the salt content was SO high that my cat literally drank her GIANT bowl of water in like 2 days instead of a week or more. Same happened with dog food. Needless to say to save their kidneys, I home cooked their food for the rest of their lives. Here is what I noted. 

Dog started to shed his old dusty grey looking hair for the most luxurious jet black silky hair, it was amazing to watch the transformation. His 'eye condition" that was blinding him REVERSED, not meds, no eye creams. Saved me tons of money. Also REVERSED my cats kidney disease. Anyway, sorry for the long windedness. Natural seeds and oils and supplements will kick @ss and the birds with have what they need to stay in the air and keep the mud off their feet  

Note: not saying Im a racer but I know nutrition, and man made sawdust pellets are not the answer, not for full time feeding.


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## Hill Top (Dec 5, 2014)

Ok yes your not a nutritionist, my feed was formulated by one who has a degree from Texas A & M. The comparison between dog an cat food does not fly. I also raise hunting dogs who are fed sack dog food who must hunt for 8-12 hours at a time chasing bear, hogs and big cats this feed gives them all they need to do the most demanding job a dog can do. I live on a farm and have 9 cats who are fed sack feed they look and act great. When referring to feed extruded means COOKED, my pellets are not cooked. Pigeons need more salt approximately 10 times more per lb of weight than a dog or cat. Feed a dog or cat or a chicken salt in the same ratio and you'll kill them. Pigeons need salt. I actually got three emails from flyers last night who fly on pellets. The one with the best results, legendary results actually, promised the key to flying on pellets if I promised not to spread it around. I of course agreed and he gave me what I would call three keys to flying on pellets successfully. I will post on how this works for me after I try it this YB season.


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## Sinker (Aug 8, 2014)

*Standard mix*

Best to just go with standard mix and don't forget to give access to grit.


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## Hill Top (Dec 5, 2014)

It's amazing how you get advice from those who haven't tried anything or who don't fly or who don't win. Joe Rotondo one of the greatest most winning fliers ever, said in his book how so many told him how his method's were wrong, his feeding was wrong, he treated his birds in unnatural ways, his breeding was to close, ect.. ect.. ect.. then one of his club members said "I'll tell you what Joe does wrong...he wins!" If no one ever tries anything new no innovation will ever develop. I don't mean to be unkind or rude or anything but if you haven't tried something you can't know if it's wrong or not. If you try something and it doesn't work you examine why it didn't work. I've had some good input on this from some who have tried it, even negative results will teach you something if you let it. Sometimes more! The "oh it's not natural" business will get you left behind playing catch up! How about the Darkness System or the Light System? is that "Natural" you wanna feed your dog or cat "Natural" as that's best, don't cook it on the stove go catch their food in the woods! Don't give opinions give your experience.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Rotondo every one says his writing is old school, if he were alive to day he would still be adding chapters to his book, or a new book and I would have to go out and buy it. I've tried his methods in the past and still use a lot of them today.
Dave


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## Hill Top (Dec 5, 2014)

I don't believe Joe to be out dated he was an innovator. You can take Joe's methodes and they fit right in along with any new systems that are discovered. The funny thing is guy's instead of trying what Joe was doing they would get mad and quit to join another club or set boundry so he couldn't fly. Many years ago I joined a club where I had 20 to 35 miles of over flight on everybody, at first I flew and clocked along with everyone else. Then I went to see Rick Mardis and buy a few pigeons, he introduced me to his double-widowhood system. Suddenly I was clocking before the guys on the short end with my old pigeons who the year before had clocked after them, not with one bird with 6 to 10 birds! You know what they said? (well really it was only one guy) It was said I must be cheating as it was physically impossible for me to clock before them and win by that great a margin! When someone starts beating me bad I don't get mad at the guy, I try to figure out why, and how I can get better.


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

My pigeons get salt. Dont need to compete and stress the birds to know nutrition. Thats your opinion and I differ, so hill top keep your sarcastic comments to yourself.


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## Hill Top (Dec 5, 2014)

Yes you do, this thread is about racing and the effects of feed on race birds. If it wasn't for people who race and "stress" the birds there wouldn't be any homing pigeons. This is a game of survival of the fittest, the level of health in race birds is unsurpassed in any other birds rivaled in the performing animal world by maybe only race horses.


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## Happy (Dec 19, 2004)

Hilltop, 
I Love what you say on listen to people who Race & Win. We have so many Newbies that probably haven't even flown, or just flew Young Birds giving advice most off the Internet. I am always looking for something better even after Racing so many yrs.. I experiment myself on different Feed, Training, how to Water in crates shipping night, Meds., etc.. I have done everything the same the last 3 yrs. as have done better than ever, so no reason to change YET!!! Keep up the Good writing...... One thing I remember in the 1960's a Real Good Widohood Flyer feed Purina Pellets yr. round Racers & Breeders, but when it came to the Overnight Long races where birds were feed on the Truck, his birds had a hard time & got mad because the rest of us feed Grain to Race Birds.. Just one I remember. Happy


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## Hill Top (Dec 5, 2014)

Thanks Happy, that's interesting about the guy that used pellets. I'm thinking he didn't feed grit as with pellets that makes the droppings loose and some grit has extra salt that the pellets already have in the correct amount. So there is one problem as a drastic feed change like that on race day would probly upset the birds system.


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