Alfred Berger, managing director of Mifuma partner Röhnfried and 1st German Association Champion-Young Pigeons 2021, shares his experiences on the topic of young pigeon care and management:
For me, managing young pigeons is becoming increasingly important. It is evident that greater effort in training young birds is highly rewarded by reduced losses during training and preliminary flights. Thus, it should actually be a matter of course for every breeder to familiarize their young pigeons early with the transport baskets and as best as possible with drinking in the basket and even better with the drinker in the cabin express.
During the month of June, normally kept young pigeons should fly or "pull". The longer distance from the loft promotes fitness and trains orientation skills. For healthy young pigeons that do not fly long on their own, I would always help with the flag. Short training flights can also be used to get the pigeons flying, although there is a risk of losses even at the shortest distances, especially with "poorly" flying young birds. With older young birds from winter breeding, a significant improvement in flying and the important pulling away can often be achieved by possibly separating the sexes.
However, it is often enough to improve the flight and training behavior of the young birds with light feeding – such as a mixture of 50% Mifuma Fitness and 50% a rich young pigeon mix (e.g., Top Young Pigeon). When the young birds then fly out of sight for a long time, I find it very sensible to use a feed that optimally meets the nutritional requirements of the young pigeons in this phase of pulling.
One requirement is an ideal supply of easily digestible and high-quality protein with a minimum content of 14%. It is scientifically proven that pigeons fed with a pigeon feed containing at least 14% crude protein develop a better immune response. With the approval of the combination vaccine RP Vacc (Rota and Paramyxoviruses), we now have the opportunity through every veterinarian to protect our young pigeons against the classic young pigeon disease and thus enable participation in all distance flights of the young pigeons, which is so important for training. A huge step towards experiencing more fun and joy with your young pigeons again. In any case, we should focus on a powerful immune system and consider the above-mentioned findings on the influence of protein supply on immunity. In addition to an optimal protein content, sufficient energy supply must also be ensured in this phase of pulling. Although untreated peas can increase the protein content to over 14%, they have the disadvantage that normal peas are difficult to digest and burden the young organism more than they nourish it optimally.
This special need for easily digestible proteins can be perfectly met with Mifuma's Power Peas. The Power Peas are hydrothermally treated and therefore particularly easy to digest. They are also rich in carbohydrates and thus very energy-rich. In combination with fatty components such as the oil-rich Top Corn, Mifuma offers special mixes for young pigeons. Therefore, Mifuma Top Young Pigeon is the optimal feed for young pigeons between getting used to the young birds and the start of young bird flights. In addition to the exclusive Power Peas and Top Corn, it also contains a high proportion of milk thistle seeds, which support liver functions and thus relieve the most important metabolic organ of the pigeons in its work. To promote the immune system, I developed the Immun Pearl back then, which was improved again a few years ago by now containing a grape seed as a base. This contains many flavonoids, which are important as antioxidants in the pigeons' bodies. The Immun Pearl supports the pigeons' defenses. This is due to the fiber, immunoglobulins, and immunomodulators contained in the Immun Pearl.
Invest in your young pigeons, they will thank you.
