Dr Colin Walker established the Australian Pigeon
Company in 1994, to develop, manufacture and distribute a range of
veterinary health supplements for pigeons. Dr Walker's veterinary
expertise, together with his knowledge of the requirements of pigeon
racers, gathered through experience of his own race team, place him
in the unique situation to develop such products. The result is a
small range of quality products made for the pigeon racer and based
on sound veterinary knowledge. The aim of these products is to
prevent diseases by promoting health. Most fanciers realize the
tremendous importance that health has to play in the performance of
their birds and yet prefer not to use prescription medicines on
their birds, if possible. These supplements are made from natural
ingredients and it is hoped that, combined with a good loft
environment and commonsense management, these products will help the
birds grow, develop and form a strong natural immunity to disease.
Through the application of modern veterinary knowledge and the
utmost care in manufacture, the following products are now
available.
[PICK STONES]
MINERAL BLOCK
A pick stone that provides a range
of hard and soft grits in a mineral matrix, which the birds enjoy
eating
The Australian Pigeon Company's Mineral
Block is a complete and balanced mineral supplement that can be used
as a grit substitute. It has been developed under veterinary
supervision specifically for pigeons. It brings natural grits, trace
elements and minerals necessary for health into the loft in a
hygienic, palatable form, reproducing the selection available to
free-ranging birds.
Pick stones fulfill two vital nutritional functions.
They provide hard grits, which act as digestive stones, grinding
down swallowed grain, releasing the contained nutrition, and also
soft grits, which slowly dissolve, releasing minerals and trace
elements necessary for health. Hard grits describe material that is
either not or only partially digested and include small stones such
as granite and quartz. Unlike other birds such as parrots, pigeons
swallow their grain whole. Because of the tough nature of the
fibrous coating of these seeds, a small supply of digestive stones
is kept in the pigeon's stomach. As the muscular stomach wall
contracts, the hard grit acts like a minigrinding mill, pulverizing
the seed, making the nutrition they contain available to the bird.
The Australian Pigeon Company's Mineral Block contains three
different hard grits. Soft grits are also retained in the stomach
but gradually dissolve, releasing the minerals and trace elements
they contain. The pick stone made by the Australian Pigeon Company
contains four soft grits, namely sterile egg shells, sterile sea
shells, calcite and charcoal. Egg shells, sea shells and calcite are
rich sources of the calcium that is so necessary during breeding to
ensure good-quality crop milk, well-formed egg shells, decreased
difficulty with egg laying, and strong bones in the nestlings.
One has to be careful, however, when using sea
shells as a calcium source. If the shell is recently collected, the
decomposing mollusc may still be inside. This small section of
decomposing meat can contain bacteria that can make the bird sick.
Some bacteria also produce toxins that can poison the birds. One of
note here is called Clostridium, which produces a toxin that affects
the nervous system, leading to a condition called botulism.
Interestingly, in Victoria in 1992, we had 10 lofts all develop
birds with botulism over a short period, which were all able to be
traced back to a single load of contaminated grit. The sea shells
and also the egg shells contained in the Australian Pigeon Company's
Mineral Block have been sterilized. Shells from the sea can also
contain a lot of salt, which, if the birds are deprived of water,
can also cause problems. The level of salt in this block has been
chemically analysed and is at the correct level for the racing
pigeon. Shell sections can be too large and have sharp edges that
can damage the throat, predisposing the bird to canker. The shells
in the Australian Pigeon Company's block have been graded to avoid
this problem.
Charcoal is a natural bowel
astringent, actually absorbing many toxins from the bird's system,
in the process contributing to health. The charcoal in the
Australian Pigeon Company's Mineral Block has been made from
non-treated timber. Many of the substances used to treat timber are
poisonous and can survive the charcoal-making process. It is
important that the birds are not exposed to these.
Confined birds, which include most stock birds, are
totally dependent on their owners to provide everything that they
need nutritionally. A nutritional deficiency in the short term will
cause no problem, however, even a subtle deficiency over an extended
time will compromise health. This shows as a lack of vitality,
decreased reproductive performance, and a poor moult. It is well
known that the nutritional demand of the pigeon cannot be met by a
grain diet alone. Access to a grit or pick stone is necessary for
health. We have all seen the keenness with which birds allowed
outside the loft examine areas such as the garden, incinerator, and
gravelled surfaces. They are looking for the substances that a
balanced mineral block contains. The practice of open lofting,
although giving the birds the opportunity to find these things, is
not without its risks. If health problems such as worms and Coccidia
are present, then the droppings around the loft will contain
infective eggs, which serve to reinfect the birds following
effective treatments. The birds are also exposed to harmful fungi
and bacteria. Many of the insects, such as slaters, around the loft
can carry tapeworms. The Australian Pigeon Company's Mineral Block
brings the minerals and trace elements that birds try and obtain
from the loft environment into the loft in an hygienic form. The
Mineral Block is palatable to the birds, which means that it is not
only something that is good for them but something that they enjoy
eating.
In summary, the block contains four soft
grits - calcite, charcoal (from non-treated timber), sterile egg
shells and sterile sea shells - together with three hard grits in
two pure clays. To this have been added specific trace elements, in
particular iron, sulphur and iodine, to create a balanced mineral
supplement. The block's contents have been chemically analysed and
adjusted to ensure that the minerals and trace elements it contains
are at the correct levels and proportions for optimal health. No
salt has been added. All grits have been graded to be of an
appropriate size for the pigeon. All blocks are baked so that they
hold their shape but can easily be broken down with the pecking
action of the birds. The result is a pick stone that is not only
good for the birds but is something they enjoy eating. Its use has
been shown to decrease disease problems and to produce tight brown
droppings, robust quick-growing youngster and good-quality feathers.
It should be made available to the birds at all times.
Individually wrapped - 500 grams @ £1.30 each
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CALCIUM CAKE
Calcium Cake is a calcium-rich based pick stone. It is made
from 100% Australian ingredients and is a blend of five
calcium-based grits suspended in a mineral and clay matrix. The
cakes are oven-cooked to remove all bacterial and fungal
contamination. The cooking also makes them hold their shape but when
pecked they easily break into nutritious bite-sized pieces. Although
recommended for year-round use, Calcium Cake was developed with the
breeding stock bird in mind. During breeding, pigeons have
particularly high requirements for calcium, with calcium deficiency
leading to soft-shelled eggs, poor-quality egg shells, difficulty
with egg laying, poor-quality crop milk, and runting and deformity
in babies. The cake is extremely palatable to the birds, in
particular, stock birds feeding babies will devour it with gusto.
Individually wrapped - 500 grams @ £1.30 each
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MINERAL/VITAMIN POWDERS
A PVM baby
PVM POWDER
A highly palatable Australian-made pink vitamin and
mineral powder.
PVM Powder (pigeon
vitamin/mineral powder) is a highly palatable Australian-made pink
mineral powder packed with vitamins and minerals. This is an
extremely popular product that is familiar to most Australian pigeon
fanciers. To make it, it was essentially a matter of scanning the
available veterinary texts to find out what were the optimal levels
of the various vitamins and minerals for pigeons and then producing
them in a balanced form that the pigeons would enjoy eating. PVM
Powder contains all the minerals necessary for a balanced diet in
pigeons, in particular calcium, iron and iodine, and also the
vitamins that can be kept stable in this form, namely vitamins A, B,
D, E and K. PVM Powder contains on average 20% higher levels of
these vitamins than other similar brands of pink minerals and in
addition also contains iodine. The pigeons seem to realize that it
is good for them, with the birds eating it greedily, with some birds
trying to snatch it from the air as it falls from the packet into
the food tray. It is best supplied in a clean, dry bowl that cannot
be tipped over or soiled by the birds, which is then placed on the
loft floor in the same manner as a grit bowl. It can be made
available to the birds at all times.
In the race loft, all birds will
routinely eat a small amount. Fanciers will notice that birds coming
from hard races and any young hen about to lay will eat
substantially more, in the process replacing lost mineral salts.
However, it is in the stock loft that PVM Powder is of particular
benefit. Feeding stock birds, particularly those with rapidly
growing (10 - 20 days old) youngsters, will eat large amounts and
their youngsters will thrive. Being so palatable, it ensures that
the birds eat the calcium and other nutrients it contains so
necessary at this time. Eight pairs of feeding stock birds will eat
up to one 600-gram packet per week. Feeding stock birds will pump it
directly into their youngsters, leaving them with pale pink rims
around the base of their beaks. It aids in the production of strong
chubby youngsters ready for weaning at 26 - 28 days. Birds fed PVM
Powder will no longer have the same grit requirement. Non-balanced
grits force the birds to scratch through looking for what they need.
This leads to scatter and wastage. Because PVM Powder is balanced,
the birds eat the lot, actually licking the bowl clean if it is not
topped up.
600-gram @ £4.95 - 2-kg @ £8.50 - 4-kg @ £11.95 (4kg not mail order)
BIOCAL
Biocal is a fine white grit
that is a blend of naturally occurring sources of calcium. It comes
in its own reusable pick pot and is provided ad lib. Biocal is made
from 100% Australian ingredients and contains ground shell grit,
ground cuttle fish bone, ground sea coral and calcite. It is
naturally rich in calcium and iodine. The result is a totally
natural beneficial supplement, which the birds enjoy eating.
2-kg @ £6.50
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CONDITIONING OILS
POLYSEED OIL
A high-energy, high-calorie feed
additive that is a blend of eight seed oils.
Polyseed Oil is a unique blend of eight seed oils
(including peanut) with a natural preservative. Adding seed oils to
the birds' grain mix is advantageous because the oil contains much
of the nutrition available in the seed as a whole, including the
fatty acids essential to growth, general vitality and the formation
of healthy silky feathers. Highly palatable to the birds, Polyseed
Oil is an efficient way of providing the birds with the energy and
nutrition these seeds contain with no risk of fungal contamination
to which all oil-based grains are prone. Added to the seed at the
rate of 1/2 - 1 ml per kilogram, Polyseed Oil increases the calorie,
nutrient and energy level of the seed mix and is used when increased
demands are being made on the birds. It is quickly digested and
provides fast energy release. It is useful when the stock birds are
feeding young and in the postweaning time when the youngsters are
developing. It is useful during moulting because it contains many of
the unsaturated fatty acids necessary for lustrous feathers.
Polyseed Oil, however, is of particular value during the exertion of
the racing season when it can be added to the birds' seed to produce
an especially nutritious meal after a hard race or toss or during
cold weather.
250-ml @ £7.60
GARLIC OIL
As discussed in the chapter Natural
Supplements, pigeons have been supplemented with garlic to their
benefit for decades. The Australian Pigeon Company's Garlic Oil
contains the juice of fresh Australian garlic in a seed-oil base.
Particular care has been taken not to use any chemical or heat
process in its preparation that would decrease its effectiveness. It
is added to the seed at the rate of 1/2 - 1 ml per kilogram of seed
before feeding.
250-ml @ £6.92
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GRITS
HEALTH GRIT
Health Grit is a premium quality grit. It is a blend
of nine different hard grits, each in the right proportion to
provide the correct levels of calcium, iodine, iron and other
essential minerals. It is also a source of digestive stones and
contains charcoal. It is made from 100% Australian ingredients with
the shells it contains being harvested from the pollution-free
tropical beaches of Western Australia. It is non-moisture-absorbing,
free of bacterial and fungal contamination, double graded to remove
all large and small pieces, dust free and contains no added salt. It
is a highly palatable health promotant for the competitive bird and
is designed for the actively competing race team for which
everything to enhance health needs to be done to achieve top form.
Heat-sealed 10-kg bags at £7.70 (not available by mail-order).
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NUTRIGRIT
Nutrigri Grit is an economical general all-purpose grit
for year-round use in both the breeding and racing lofts. It is a
triple blend of red stone, calcite and crushed sea shells from
Western Australia with added charcoal. Like Health Grit, it is
non-moisture-absorbing, free of bacterial and fungal contamination,
double graded to remove all large and small pieces, dust free and
contains no added salt.
10-kg @ £9.95 (not mail order)
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HEALTH PROMOTANTS
MULTIVITE PLUS 'The Golden Boost' A water-soluble vitamin/mineral powder
Multivite Plus is a
water-soluble vitamin/mineral powder that represents tremendous
value for the pigeon fancier. It is complete, containing 13 vitamins
and six trace elements (including iodine). At the same time, it is
concentrated and economical, with only 1/3 of a teaspoon being
required for each 5 litres of drinking water. Nicknamed 'The Golden
Boost' in Australia because of the way it turns the water a light
golden colour, it is readily taken by the birds. Multivite Plus can
be given routinely as part of a health management program for 1 or 2
days per week or as required. It can be used to assist in recovery
following any stress and to promote natural health during breeding,
weaning, moulting and racing. Multivite Plus is sugar-free.
I feel that it is good to incorporate a complete
multivitamin into the routine health management of the loft. Given 1
or 2 days per week, it helps to ensure that the birds are not
lacking anything in their diet. This is particularly important
during racing when birds either miss meals while away in units or
eat irregularly, arriving late from races.
Vitamins are fragile molecules: their effectiveness is
decreased by heat, U.V. light and contact with organic materials
such as droppings and seed. To ensure the birds get the full benefit
of Multivite Plus, it should therefore be mixed fresh immediately
before use and is best prepared just before feeding the birds. Once
mixed, ensure that it is out of the sun and that it cannot become
soiled. A fresh solution is best mixed every 12 hours. Containers
made of stainless steel, glass or glazed pottery are preferred
because they can be thoroughly cleaned. Glass or plastic containers
should preferably be opaque. Containers should be cleaned before and
after use to remove any persistent biofilm.
200-gram @ £9.75
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NUTRIBLOOM
Nutribloom is a vitamin, mineral and trace element
food supplement. It is balanced, palatable and nutritious. Grain is
first moistened with a seed oil such as wheatgerm oil or Polyseed
Oil at the rate of 1/2 - 1 ml per kilogram before adding the
Nutribloom at the rate of one measure (5 g) to the seed of 100 birds
(approx. 4 kg). It can also be made available ad lib in a picking
pot.
Nutribloom can be used during breeding,
young bird development, the moult and racing. Its regular use during
breeding helps the stock birds remain healthy and produce robust
young. Weaned youngsters develop well and are better able to resist
disease. During the moult, Nutribloom assists in the production of
strong silky feathers, while its use during racing helps the birds
maintain their fitness and vitality.
400-gram @ £12.50
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CALCIUM/VITAMIN D3 SYRUP
Despite free access to calcium
supplements such as pink minerals and pick stones, some birds will
not voluntarily eat sufficient levels to meet their requirements.
This is particularly so in recently weaned babies and some
individual breeding stock birds. Adding a calcium supplement to the
water helps ensure that all birds get what they need. The usual
recommendation is that Calcium/Vitamin D3 Syrup is added to the
drinking water of breeding stock birds 2 - 3 days per week once
paired and particularly towards the end of breeding, and to the
water of weaned babies for 2 - 3 days in the first 10 days after
weaning until the youngsters are settled and eating properly. The
Australian Pigeon Company's Calcium/Vitamin D3 Syrup is a clear
water-soluble palatable solution that is sugar-free. It is added to
the water at the rate of 10 ml to 1 litre. The vitamin D3 it
contains helps with absorption of the calcium from the bowel into
the body.
250-ml @ £7.60
BIO PIGEON-TEA
The Australian
Pigeon Company's Bio Pigeon Tea is a natural tonic. It is a dry
blend of natural herbs that, when brewed, creates a refreshing
drink. It is made from 100% Australian ingredients and contains
echinacea, marigold, yarrow, peppermint, meadowsweet, alfalfa,
caraway seeds, nettle and dandelion.
150-gram @ £7.05
Yeast being added to the grain
ID YEAST
A natural yeast food additive that is rich in vitamin
B and high in protein.
For many years, the
benefits of yeast supplements have been known to fanciers
world-wide. De Scheemaecker Brothers (the owners of the Natural
Company of Belgium) recommend the birds receive them weekly during
moulting for good feather development. Dr D. Marx, the noted
American pigeon veterinarian, states that although the supplement
can be given continuously, he feels that it is best given
sporadically and suggests that two to three times per week is
adequate. He feels that it is good for both racers and breeders,
creating a good appetite.
Essentially, yeasts
are a natural food that is high in protein and rich in vitamin B.
The level of protein required in the diet of a pigeon when not
breeding, moulting or racing is approximately 11%. This can be
achieved by feeding a grain mix that contains approximately 40% peas
or beans (which are 20 - 25% protein) or other protein-based grains
such as vetches (which are approximately 35% protein). Higher levels
of protein are required during breeding, growth, disease, exertion,
moulting and stress, generally. Failure to provide adequate protein
levels during breeding results in slow-growing, underweight
youngsters, which have to be weaned later than 28 days. Failure to
provide adequate protein during moulting results in poor-quality
feathers. ID Yeast is an ideal way of increasing the protein level
of a basic grain mix and is very tasty for the birds.
The B-group vitamins are fairly common in food sources
but generally at only low concentrations. Many forms found in grain
are not readily available for digestion. Pigeons have high
requirements for vitamin B; they are essential for health.
ID Yeast is an inactive, dry yeast. It is a fine yellow
powder with a sweet smell. It is produced by non-alcoholic
propagation and therefore contains none of the impurities that may
be found in Brewer's Yeast. It has been sterilized to remove
bacterial contaminants. It is extremely nutritious, containing 45 -
50% protein and approximately 70 mg per 100 gram of vitamin B. Its
use during breeding helps in the production of robust young, which
are ready for weaning at 26 -28 days. If used during breeding, it
helps in the production of lustrous feathers, while if used during
racing, it leads to a quicker recovery following a hard fly. Mix
with the grain immediately before feeding at the rate of 1 soup
spoon per kilogram of seed, following moistening of the grain
initially with a vegetable oil. It is ideal to use in combination
with Garlic Oil or Polyseed Oil.
400-gram @ £6.92
ELECTROLYTE P180
Electrolytes, body salts and glucose polymers for post-race recovery and following diseases.
200-gram @ £7.65
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