The moulting season ... a crucial cornerstone for the build-up to a new top season!

Below are some important tips for successful moulting:

• After a tough season, let your birds become pigeons again in nature. By this, we mean that your pigeons must be able to enjoy hanging out in the loft again for a while with their hen/cock and to breed or brood.
• Ensure that your pigeons start the moulting in good health and that they can begin this important period free from any diseases.
• Avoid medication during moulting, only provide it in case of emergency as final resort.
• Provide a well-adapted feed during moulting. To have the moulting go as smoothly as possible, we must ensure that all nutrients are sufficiently available during this period. Nutritional deficiencies during moulting will cause feather defects that may have a negative influence on flight performance the following year. To prevent this, provide a scientifically formulated food, such as Mutine Plus I.C.+, Mutine Plus I.C.+ Black Label, during the moult.

• Feathers consist for 86% of keratin. It is a mineralized protein with a very solid structure due to the high levels of sulphur amino acids. To ensure that the pigeon has sufficient nutrients for the feathers, the food should contain enough protein (minimum 16%). The levels of sulphur amino acids, methionine and cystine, in particular, must be sufficiently high. The use of extruded food (such as Mutine Plus I.C.+, Mutine Plus Black Label I.C.+, Success Corn I.C.+) makes it possible to fill up the levels of essential amino acids in an optimal way. In addition to the amino acids, these pellets after all also carry minerals, vitamins, trace elements and other nutraceuticals, allowing for healthier and stronger pigeons.
• The sulphur amino acids can also be administered through the drinking water: fitness preparations such as Oropharma B-Chol are ideal for this in the moulting period. You may safely add B-Chol to your pigeons' drinking water two or three times per week.
• It is advisable to start the moulting period with an 8-day course of Colombine Tea + Muta-Seed; the pigeons will respond very well to this. You can continue to give this twice a week throughout the moulting period.
• Give the pigeons the opportunity to bathe freely at least once or twice a week. Add 1 tablespoon of Oropharma Ideal Bathsalt to 1 bucket of water. That way you get a healthy, soft and shiny plumage.
• We also advice to mix brewer's yeast with the feed during the moulting period. Brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is a very valuable dietary supplement due to its high content of essential amino acids and the abundance of vitamin B, minerals and trace elements.