Molting Season: What do fanciers need to change?

[backyard pigeons]

Most birds are molting, and if they arent, they are gearing up for molting season. this is a crucial part of a pigeons life, so we as fancier need to make some miner adjustments to our daily care.

Firstly, feathers are mostly made of protein. so when birds lose their feathers, and begin re-growing them, we must provide them the necessary nutrients they need to complete the molt, with strong healthy feathers. This means are general pigeon mix won't cut it for soft, strong, glossy feathers. We need to up their protein from the general 12-15% protein feed to 16-18% protein. But not all at once. this is a stressful time in the birds, so we need to slowly transition the feed. How do we up the protein? Well, it can be hard, as pigeons are grian eaters, and not many grains contain more then 14% protein. But there are exceptions. Dried peas and roasted soybeans are the best options available. But many people can't find these. So what should you add now? Chicken layer pellets are packed with protein, so this is what I go to when I need more protein.

My staple grain mix is 13% protein. The chicken layer pellets have 19% protein. I mix two cans of each together. This brought my feed from 13% protein, to 16% protein for the molt (when they are done with their molt, I will slowly transition them to their normal grain mix). They may refuse to eat the pellets at first. But if they are just sitting there, they will give in.

The molt takes alot out of the birds. All this is a time when they will easily catch diseases. We need to be ready to catch signs early of the diseases and quarantine the sick bird, but more importantly, prevent diseases. this means changing water 4 or more times a day, (I recommend also adding two tablespoons of Apple cider vinegar to every gallon of water) scraping perches, shelves and boxes daily, and scraping the floor daily (if it's bare-wood). If your floor has shavings, straw, etc on it, change it right before the birds first start to molt, or are just beginning it.

we also need to think how there missing feathers. This isn't the time to toss your homers 100 miles, or is it the time to try to start flying birds. Be extra careful when flying birds now, as since they are molting now, and hawks are mostly finishing up their molt, they have an advantage.

I hope this helps all who are beginning raising pigeons, or a good reminder for anyone who has raised birds for years.

 

[Old_Strain_Lover]

I'm going to expand on this a little... Protein levels are important to an extent. Focusing purely on protein is not the way to go about it though. Feather growth does rely on protein in a sense... but it's the amino acids (protein building blocks) which are important. Legumes like the various peas (field, austrian, maple etc) are high in protein but they are actually poor sources of these amino acids. Soy beans (roasted, not raw as raw are a big no no) are an exception to this as they are quite high in amino acids. The amino acids we are looking at in feather growth are things like methionine, cysteine, lysine. Grains are are good source of this, and seeds are an excellent source. The basic pigeon mixes will contain the grains and also some seeds. If someone wants to add to the basic mixtures, they could benefit by adding in some of the oily seeds, because the fats will help them, and they are also good sources of the amino acids which they need. So one can add in extra safflower, black oil sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and if they can find rapeseed it's also a good addition. Do not overdo these seeds though as the birds can easily become overweight if fed too much of them (plus get spoiled and refuse the ordinary grains and legumes). Hemp seeds are also a great addition. These practices provide the most benefit to the show and performing varieties as you need their feathering to be in absolute top condition. And yes, the poultry feeds are a good supplementation because they are fortified with the amino acids. Vitamins can be important, but in general the birds can get enough of what they need from their feed... however mineral supplementation is always important if they don't have access to peck around on the ground and find what they need because grains and seeds are a poor source for this. A mineral grit mixture is definitely necessary, and specific pigeon mineral mixtures can also be purchased. One can also use things such as red cell to supplement minerals in their mixture. The minerals are important year round... not just during the molt.
Another thing that is very important during the molt is frequent baths... so provide them a bath pan and allow them to bathe as often as they like. During the molt the skin gets more flaky, and the birds are almost constantly preening. The bathing helps them rid themselves of the flakiness. It's also a somewhat bad practice to handle the birds during the molting period, so try to avoid it as much as possible. The less disruption, the better.
I could probably go on about this topic for days, but the basics should suffice for anyone just doing this as a hobby.

 

[backyard pigeons]

I'm going to expand on this a little... Protein levels are important to an extent. Focusing purely on protein is not the way to go about it though. Feather growth does rely on protein in a sense... but it's the amino acids (protein building blocks) which are important. Legumes like the various peas (field, austrian, maple etc) are high in protein but they are actually poor sources of these amino acids. Soy beans (roasted, not raw as raw are a big no no) are an exception to this as they are quite high in amino acids. The amino acids we are looking at in feather growth are things like methionine, cysteine, lysine. Grains are are good source of this, and seeds are an excellent source. The basic pigeon mixes will contain the grains and also some seeds. If someone wants to add to the basic mixtures, they could benefit by adding in some of the oily seeds, because the fats will help them, and they are also good sources of the amino acids which they need. So one can add in extra safflower, black oil sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and if they can find rapeseed it's also a good addition. Do not overdo these seeds though as the birds can easily become overweight if fed too much of them (plus get spoiled and refuse the ordinary grains and legumes). Hemp seeds are also a great addition. These practices provide the most benefit to the show and performing varieties as you need their feathering to be in absolute top condition. And yes, the poultry feeds are a good supplementation because they are fortified with the amino acids. Vitamins can be important, but in general the birds can get enough of what they need from their feed... however mineral supplementation is always important if they don't have access to peck around on the ground and find what they need because grains and seeds are a poor source for this. A mineral grit mixture is definitely necessary, and specific pigeon mineral mixtures can also be purchased. One can also use things such as red cell to supplement minerals in their mixture. The minerals are important year round... not just during the molt.
Another thing that is very important during the molt is frequent baths... so provide them a bath pan and allow them to bathe as often as they like. During the molt the skin gets more flaky, and the birds are almost constantly preening. The bathing helps them rid themselves of the flakiness. It's also a somewhat bad practice to handle the birds during the molting period, so try to avoid it as much as possible. The less disruption, the better.
I could probably go on about this topic for days, but the basics should suffice for anyone just doing this as a hobby.

Great post! Thanks for expanding!