The ideal start to the racing season: what makes the difference?

SUCCESS IN PIGEON RACING: A MATTER OF LOGICAL REASONING

1. Healthy pigeons at the start of the season

In March, you must be certain of the health of your pigeon colony. Before the start of the season, have the pigeons examined by a specialised veterinarian with knowledge of pigeons. Random cures are not recommended and can even be dangerous. After all, if medicines are not used properly, more and more problems with resistance will arise. As a result, many products do not work properly or not at all. It is also especially important to use the correct dosage of medicines in the spring. As a dose for 1 litre of water, calculate about 1 litre for twenty pigeons. In other words, the prescribed amount of medicine is a daily dose for twenty pigeons.

In winter and spring it is better to put this amount of medicine on a small amount of food and give it to 20 pigeons. In this way, they ingest the ideal amount and can be treated efficiently.

2. Fit pigeons at the start of the season

Make sure that your pigeons are at their ideal weight and do not come out of their winter rest being overweight. Pigeons that are too fat have difficulty in starting their training, are panting on the roof after just a few rounds and suffer from wing and muscle problems very quickly in the first weeks. They let their wings hang down a bit or fly clumsily to their nest box. Such pigeons are almost always lost for top sport and can only be used for breeding. Remember that when you feed your pigeons during the preparation period.

To prevent fattening, you must first ask yourself what your pigeons need during the preparation period, and then put this knowledge to use logically. In the run-up to the racing season the pigeons must maintain their ideal weight. So the message is: feed lightly and a little skimpily. If you then push the training again, you can start feeding more with the result that your pigeons will gain more energy.

3. Feeding in the run-up to the season

Nutrition plays a very important role in the preparation for the racing season. After the winter breeding season you may continue to give your racing pigeons Plus I.C.+ Winter until about mid-March, when the training sessions are stepped up.

As from mid-March the widowers in the loft get Plus I.C.+ Black Label Gerry and this regime continues until the start of races of up to 200 km. From the beginning of March, the daily training of the widowers starts for 1 hour a day. Once the flights of 200 km and further are reached, you can use the following feeding scheme:

On the day of their return home, the pigeons must recover the proteins they have consumed. Give them Plus I.C.+ Superstar for this. Then give them Plus I.C.+ Gerry plus 10 % cribs maize until two days before basketing. The last two days before basketing you give Plus I.C.+ Superstar and a teaspoon of Plus I.C.+ Energy.

How much do the pigeons get to eat? As for the widowers, keep it quite simple: In the morning, 1 tablespoon per pigeon and in the evening 1.5 to 2 tablespoons per pigeon, provided that the rest is taken away after half an hour. There must never be any food left until the next morning.

4. Supplements before the start and at the beginning of the sporting season

A ten-day natural cure before the start of the season with a combination of Colombine Tea and Colombine Muta Seeds works wonders. After a while, the pigeons shine beautifully and they shed the old down. Their enthusiasm for training also increases rapidly after such a cure.

Once the pigeons train daily, make sure that they find some fresh grit and a teaspoon of All-in-One in their nest box when they come in; they love it. It also helps to come inside smoothly after training. In addition, daily fresh grit is also indispensable. After all, pigeons do not have teeth and to maintain proper gastrointestinal system function, they need pebbles in the gizzard to grind the food.

In addition, give esterified fatty acids three days a week throughout the season. Intestinal Top in the drinking water ensures optimal intestinal function, allowing the pigeons to utilise all nutrients and readily improve their condition.

And now let us hope that they will be in top condition for a whole year and deliver top performances!