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molting


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Raul Carreiro
46 posts
Jun 30, 2010
10:59 AM
Tony, my birds are heavy into the molt at the moment and I notice they dont want to fly for long 20 mins max! The heat and high humidity is also effecting them. Should I continue to fly them every day while molting or give them a break and fly every other day?
Regards,
Raul
Tony Chavarria
Site Publisher
4127 posts
Jun 30, 2010
11:07 AM
Hey Raul, I would give them a break. When the primary feathers are coming in it is painful to the birds to fly. Once the molt is about complete, get them flying everyday or skip a day then fly. Take your time, it won't effect them too much not fly everyday during this stretch. Make sure they are getting sufficient protein as the new feathers require additional nutrition to get through properly. Remember, hurting birds will not fly and want to land about anywhere they can.
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FLY ON!
Tony Chavarria


The highest form of ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about.” – Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Oldfart
GOLD MEMBER
1881 posts
Jun 30, 2010
11:31 AM
Raul, Tony said it all. A little oil on their feed won't hurt them. I like olive,canola,flax seed..... any good quality oil. Just enough to give the seed a shine.

Take care
Thom
Raul Carreiro
47 posts
Jun 30, 2010
11:48 AM
Thanks Tony and Thom. I have been adding some black sunflower seed to their feed as well, will that help their feather growth as sunflower seed contains oil?
Regards,
Raul.
Tony Chavarria
Site Publisher
4128 posts
Jun 30, 2010
12:10 PM
Raul, I do not feed anything special for the molt. Perhaps I should but they seem fine without.
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FLY ON!
Tony Chavarria


The highest form of ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about.” – Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Oldfart
GOLD MEMBER
1883 posts
Jun 30, 2010
12:53 PM
Raul, I like the raw sun flower seeds also. I think they would provide enough oil by themselves. Tony is probably right, they may not need it but I pamper mine somewhat and I like to eat them as well! :)

Thom

Last Edited by on Jun 30, 2010 12:55 PM
donnie james
1049 posts
Jun 30, 2010
1:04 PM
hey raul,
a friends of mine bill berry and berl adams told me to use cod liver oil on the birds and i started to cod liver oil and it seem to work along with the bird and they came out of the molt pretty good
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Donny James
"Fly The Best And Cull The Rest"
"Saying One Thing;Doing Its Another"
"Keep Your Head Planted In The Sky And Wings Spanned Wide"
1996 Piedmont Roller Club Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Portsmouth Roller Club Participation Award System Recipient 1994 '96 '97 And 2000
2001 Limestone,Ohio Sportsman's Club Lifetime Member Recipient
2002Portsmouth Roller Club Certified Judge
2004Portsmouth Roller Club Lifetime Member Recipient
"Miss Portsmouth"NBRC/90/J311 Rusty Dun Check Self Hen First Bird To Get Certified In Portsmouth Roller Club History With A Score Of 53 Judge By Joe Roe The 1993 World Cup Winner And John Bender The 1994 World Cup Winner
Snake Doctor
GOLD MEMBER
461 posts
Jun 30, 2010
1:05 PM
I feed my birds safflower, black oil sunflower and pour a little peanut oil on the mix. They will turn out slick and shiny, just like spit shining a boot!
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"Semper Fi"
SD
Roy
Georgia
Raul Carreiro
50 posts
Jun 30, 2010
2:36 PM
Hi Thom when you say i like to eat them as well! The sunflower seeds or the birds LOL! I like a little squab now and then myself!
Take care
Raul.
TheGame
781 posts
Jul 01, 2010
11:13 PM
Hey Tony has it been proven that incoming primary feathers are painful for the birds? Or is it just words on the street and a rumor everyones accepted?? Just curious to know.
Bricksfall
40 posts
Jul 02, 2010
12:34 AM
The birds will get threw the molt just fine with standard feed. If you shave your nuts, there is no need to rub rogain on them. The hair will grow back. If you eat lots of greasy/oily food your hair would grow back shinny too. Let nature take it's course, unless you breed show pigeons. When they fly we can't tell if they have shinny feathers. When they roll we can't tell if they have shinny feathers. When the BOP takes them do you care if the had shinny feathers?
Game, if you look at a birds feathers as they are growing back, you will notice they are red at the base and fragile. That is blood. If you see blood, there must be a vain that feeds the blood. With the veins their might and most likely will also be nerves next to them. Nerves are sensitive and relay feelings to the brain. When a molting bird flaps it's wing the feathers bend, adding force and pressure at the base of the feather. That would be where the veins and nerves are most sensitive during the molt. Do you think it hurts?
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GEORGE ALDANA
HIGH GRAVITY LOFT

Last Edited by on Jul 02, 2010 12:38 AM
Tony Chavarria
Site Publisher
4129 posts
Jul 02, 2010
3:57 AM
Hey TheGame, in my experience, having flown birds for 18 years, pigeons that have primaries coming in will very often not want to fly, that is, flying and performance can be erratic, birds will want to land way too soon, will land in places they would normally never land, look distressed and drag wings, some will pant even when they have not flown long enough to be tired.

Being as they can't speak, I see this behavior as in indication that they are hurting and as Bricksfall has said, just take a look at the feathers deep down the shaft, you can see that the blood is more pronounced and more likely painful when the bird is flying.

So the evidence for incoming primaries to be painful is fairly substantial and to conclude that the bird is experiencing some level of discomfort is fair and reasonable for thinking men to make. Therefore, my statement that incoming primary feathers are painful to the bird is a perfectly reasonable and sound one to make.

TheGame, I am surprised you haven't seen the type of behavior I described in your own birds or were you just playing devils advocate on this one?
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FLY ON!
Tony Chavarria


The highest form of ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about.” – Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Last Edited by on Jul 02, 2010 3:58 AM
TheGame
782 posts
Jul 02, 2010
10:19 PM
Tony I was just curious to know. What you and Bricksfall said sounds like good answers. I have only been in the hobby for about 2-3 years now so I have no where near the amount of experience you two have. I wasnt sure if there were some actual tests done in labs or something lol.
Rick Mee
41 posts
Jul 05, 2010
7:54 PM
Hey Game, the only birds you should have moulting feather are 2009 birds and older. What you do is pull the last three primary flights right after the WC, then give them 4 weeks of rest and resume flying feeding good pigeon mix during this lock down period. It takes 6 weeks for the feathers to completely moult in, however you can fly them after 4 weeks and they will do fine. The reason for pulling them in the spring is you want them to have a full wing in the fall for the NCF. If they are moulting in the last three flights which are known at the 8th, 9th, and 10th, some birds will either quit rolling, roll sloppy, not kit, land early, and the kit on a whole will not break together since rolling hurts the nerve endings down by the quill of the feather when the ingrowing feathers are in the blood quill stage.

In doing the above in early spring and then flying them again 4 weeks after the feathers have had a chance to grow back you will see the following benefits.

1. Less birds having kiting issues, flying wide of the kit.
2. Less birds coming down early.
3. Less birds going stiff.
4. Birds will fully commit to the roll instead of rolling like crap because their wings hurt them.
5. Less waterfall, more concert performance.

Do you need any more good reasons? LOL

Hey, I been doing this for a long time and it works for me. Been flying rollers nearly 35 years, 5th in the NCF last year, 2nd the year prior, no secrets bro.

And before anyone asks, no I do not cut the feather and wait several days before pulling. Pull one at a time very carefully and then put the bird back in it's kit box. They need a rest after the WC anyway, might as well resume flying with a full wing instead of a wing about to start dropping flights right before the NCF.

Rick
TheGame
785 posts
Jul 05, 2010
9:09 PM
Rick thanks for the tips I really appreciate it.
rtwilliams
GOLD MEMBER
668 posts
Jul 05, 2010
9:19 PM
Rick
Thanks for the tip. I have wondered how to pull those flights. I have never tried it. Thanks for the how to also.
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RT Williams
Brink of Rolling Loft
Newbie 08
197 posts
Jul 11, 2010
1:54 PM
George that comment if you shave your nuts no need to rub rogain on them is hella funny LMAO I'm here cracking up MAN THAT'S A GOOD ONE LOL
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~~~~~~Roosevelt
Newbie 08
198 posts
Jul 11, 2010
1:59 PM
Rick thanks for that information !!
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~~~~~~Roosevelt
Velo99
2307 posts
Jul 11, 2010
7:17 PM
I feed sunflower year round. It is in one of the mixes I use.
Makes em nice and shiny year round. A good mix with some oily seed will promote good feathering.
Just because they arent actively moulting doesnt mean you dont have to watch the feather. Birds are similar to humans in the fact that they shed all of the time too. If they dont then why do I ALWAYS have feathers floating around my loft? With 90 birds in a 10x14 building I burn up a broom during the moult.
The wild birds love me. When I sweep out the loft the sparrows sit on the fence and wait for just the right feather to come floating out of the loft.
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V99
blue sky single beat
in cadance performing now
earth beckons the winged
drawn breath is let quickly forth
orchestral movement follows

___ ~_____ _
\__\_/-|_| \__\____
/()_)__18___()_)\__\

Last Edited by on Jul 11, 2010 7:26 PM
Steve S.
108 posts
Jul 11, 2010
7:48 PM
Hey Game,
They have blood in the flights.
Try this for an experiment and you be the lab rat.........Mash your fingers till they get blood in them and see if you want to touch or move them around alot.... LOL
Steve


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