# Feeding pellets to your racers



## windyflat (Jul 19, 2007)

Anyone here ever fed your race team pellets as their main ration while racing? I've often fed them on return but I would'nt want to feed them past wed evening myself before i switched to whole corn , safflower or ****** then peanuts as a last meal before basketing.
Just curious to see if anyone here has done it or knows someone who has raced successfully on pellets
Tom


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## trailbound (Apr 11, 2007)

I feed mine pellets 7 days a week, advice from a successful racer who has supplied me a few birds. They go thru the digestive system much faster than whole seeds, and he is a firm believer this prevents nasties like vommiting while flying hard.


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Some people feed pellets others do not. I guess it is choice. Results shows your feeding program. Many feed a grain mix. Droppings seem firmer and les with grain. Plus less oder. But agin Choice plays its role on feeds.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

First let me say that I do use pellets but only as another ingredent in the regular feed. I have over the years recieved birds from people in different parts of the country. Some of these bird seemed to be fussy eaters. In checking back to those that sent these birds I found that they fed their birds mostly pellets. It took 10 to 15 days for them to realy eat the grain, I also noticed that these same birds were slow to eat grit. So this is the way I feel about pellets,add some to your regular feed so that the birds know what they are, never straight pellets for any great length,but you do what you like best. .George


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## WhiteWingsCa (Mar 1, 2002)

We've heard that pellets can make the birds drink more, therefore they aren't the greatest for racing birds, as on long races, they might tend to come down for water somewhere. Don't know how true that is though... 

I have also heard that switching back and forth between different feeds can be hard on the birds. In the trailer, they're fed a grain mix .... no pellets. If a bird is fed nothing but pellets at home, what is a huge feed of grain going to do to him? As well, some people don't feed grit when the birds on are straight pellets -- so again, a crop full of grain in the race trailer might not be a good thing?

We feed pellets to our breeders (mixed with grain), and to our weanlings. Also use it for birds that have been 'out' for a longish period of time, as they're easier to digest. Our racing/working birds get grains only.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

Hello WindyFlat,

There are of course a wide variety of pellets, which may also play into this. 

I don't use pellets during the race season, as I am adjusting their grain diet according to a variety of conditions. There are many different methods used to feed, and many people are successful with diets that are vastly different. I am sure that someone....somewhere has used 100% pellets during the racing season, and has been successful. But I am pretty sure that the majority of racing fanciers do not feed 100% pellets.


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## Pigeonboy377 (Aug 25, 2007)

Very few pigeon folk that use pellets only use them as an additive,,, nothing more..
Some use pig pellets to their youngins,, others have used rabbit pellets because of the added greens that pigeons like... 
But if you use pellets as a whole feed ration,, you are going against nature.
God gave pigeons a gizzard for a reason...
Pigeonboy


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