this page dedicated to my mentor the late tom stone of west Virginia , tom often stated in phone conversations "it works in my backyard"
Apple cider vinegar > 3tbls. to gal. H20 > keeps bacteria from growing in the drinking water & is beneficial to the birds organs & digestive system cleaning out impurities / toxins. I've used ACV for over 40 years. I first learned about acv from an old timer chicken guy named gus. we used to add it to our dairy goats water also , as some goats produce an off flavored milk , the acv improved that.
red cell = a horse vitamin everything your breeders & racers need plus > can be found where horse products are sold , I pay $20 for a gal. locally , if you purchase from a pigeon supply company you will pay that much for a qt. 1 table spoon Red cell to gal. H20. do not give to your roller kit birds unless you plan on locking them up for awhile. I've been using Red Cell since the 90's , also contains tamed iodine important for breeders fertility & improves hatchability of eggs. previously I used a product called avitron with great results. I can no longer find that product.
Feeding sunflower & safflower seeds , beneficial for breeders /racers/during the molt , the pigeons love them > like giving M & m's to a class of 1st graders, its the 1st thing my birds will eat in a mix. I use plastic ice cream bucket 3/4 full of Sun or safflower then add my oils , wheat germ / cod liver / flax oils @ 2 tsps. of each on top of grain in bucket , cover & shake / mix until all the safflower is coated with the oils , I then add 4tbls. of brewers yeast with garlic powder then shake/mix again. I get the most out of my oils & brewers yeast w/garlic powder by adding it too the treat the birds eat 1st ! I call this my "MASTER BLASTER RATION"
Elderberry juice > 2 table spoons to gal. h20 to all young birds twice per week for 1st month after weaning > preventative for adino young bird virus which has swept across the U.S. the last several years wiping out many fanciers flocks. Elderberry's are loaded with antioxitins which boost the immune system, as are also blue berries , pomagranite , & honey berries. adino virus is a devastating killer of young birds with high mortality rates. I have not been hit with Adino , but fear it !
clay , the best clay I find here in Wisconsin is some grey stuff from clark county , I dry it first if its moist , then store it until use in a covered bucket , I generally need to crush with a hammer to powder form , I place a chunk in an empty feed bag & crush. the birds inhale the stuff! I give clay every other month to help cleanse the birds systems of impurities & toxins. years ago when given open loft I noticed my racers picking on the edge of the farm field by my lofts & they were consuming clay. watched a documentary on NAt. geo. about south america where parrots & doves flew long distances to a river bank to eat clay.
grit: I do buy commercial grit , but I add to it > local granite , activated charcoal bits I purchase from a pet store & clam shells I find locally / dry & crush the shells into small enough pieces that the pigeons can easily eat.
Mix your own feed: I began mixing my feed to save money and I don't like wasted & spilled grain from the commercial mix's. Here is the basic breeder mix formula I use > I purchase in 50 lb. bags 2 red milo , 1 white milo , 1 red wheat , 1 Austrian peas , then add 10# of buckwheat , 10# flax seed , 15# red millet , & 15# white millet. Total cost $115.00 with tax & 10% discount on senior day. if I purchase 300 lbs. of commercial mix at $25 bucks a 50lb. bag for total of $150 without tax , but that mix would be lacking the (white milo , Red & White millet , flax seed , & buckwheat). I do alter the mix for racers week to week depending on the race & weather. I also feed poultry pellets to the breeders in a separate feeder.
Winter mix: Whole corn , red & white milo , red wheat , treat of safflower or sunflower once per week. colder it gets the more corn I feed.
My flying roller kits are flown on red wheat & red milo , unless I'm locking them up for awhile , then they will get other grains & grit. Once a week to 10 days I will build the kit birds back up with white milo , Austrian peas , & safflower & depending on weather occasionally corn , then cut them back to normal ration a couple days so they don't sky out , or fly to fast.