I read the article, "Moore from Western Australia" in the December 2000 issue of the ARPJ and would like to comment on the matter of peas for distance (or any) racing. At the outset, because his name was mentioned, I have to say that I am sure that no one in his right mind would question the superiority of the performances of John Pryor's birds at the distance, regardless of what he fed. I suspect that if he had fed table scraps, his successes would have continued unabated! I have seen his video and discussed his views with several fanciers during my recent visit to Australia, and can only conclude that he was, indeed, the ace fancier he was seen to be.

On the subject of diets, there seems to be some notion in the pigeon fancy that feeding alone is the answer to success, when in fact it is only one component, however a very important one - no question about that - of several important components of the sport. Good general management, strain or family of birds housed, training, medications, weather, the ability of the individual fancier, and the elusive factor of luck

All play their part, to name a few other factors related to success (or lack of).

There is no doubt that grains high in protein are important components of rations for racing pigeons. They provide the building blocks of tissues throughout the body, and are important in the maintenance and repair of these tissues at all times of the year. Obviously this repair process requiring protein is a highly important function during the racing season because the breast muscles quite likely undergo various levels of wear and tear, depending on the severity of the races in which birds are entered. Hence, proteins are important variously, in preparing birds for the breeding season, in fertility and hatchability, in the growth and development of youngsters both before and after weaning, in the replacement and growth of feathers during the annual moult, plus their role in the repair functions just mentioned, etc..

Protein feeding certainly cannot be dismissed but does need to be put into the context of the activity of the birds, ie, breeding, rearing, racing, etc.. When birds are being prepared for the breeding season, during rearing and while youngster are growing and developing in the post-weaning period, higher levels of protein are needed to accomplish these important tasks. During the racing season, there is also a need for protein for repair and maintenance as noted, and also as a source of uric acid to help deal with overheating if races flown during very hot weather. If necessary, certain of the amino acids that make up proteins can also be converted in the body to glucose as an immediate source of energy or for conversion to fat.

On the subject of very high levels of protein in diets for pigeons, I am reminded of some highly significant and relevant comments from the former Irish ace J Kilpatrick in his popular book, "The Thoroughbred Racing Pigeon", quote: "Some years ago I reared my first round of youngsters on a very fine lot of goa tares with a protein content of 28.6%. I never reared a better feathered or finer looking lot of youngsters. I could see nothing wrong with the condition of the old birds except, perhaps, that they were a trifle broader across the root of the tail than usual (which is a sign of internal fat), but as they were looking well, I took no notice of this. It was not until I started to lose them in short, easy races, and my best bird dropped dead in the loft that I became aware of the seriousness of the position brought about by feeding on this excessively high protein grain." Unquote. He goes on to say that he was able to save the situation in his old birds by making a drastic reduction in the proportion of protein in the diet.

Mr Kilpatrick believed that the youngsters raised on this high protein diet were able to handle the situation because they were turning the protein from the diet into muscle, bone and feather - but he cautioned that, had he continued with this excessively rich feeding, their health would have suffered eventually. Sage advice from a master flyer and accompanied by a a warning from the past!

As I have mentioned several times in other articles published in this journal, a study done in the USA showed that a diet containing about 18% protein was ideal for good fertility, hatchability, growth and development of youngsters, whereas there was no further improvement when higher levels of protein were used. In these diets, fish meal or soy beans were used as a source of protein (hence the value of a good quality livestock pellet in the diet).

I feel that we need to provide a degree of balance in the rations we feed our livestock, including our pigeons, and it may well be that high levels of peas, while providing a lot of good protein, do not necessarily provide a better balanced ration. It is quite likely that the views of the highly successful John Kilpatrick on the use of excessively high levels of protein are as valid today as they seemed to be so many years ago.

The fact is, despite views to the contrary, it has been well established that fat, not protein, is the key fuel utilised by the breast muscles of the racing pigeon for rapid, prolonged flight, regardless of the distance. To expand on this matter, the liver is the major organ involved in the regulation and production of fat for use in the body, and in fact, produces almost 50% of the fat needed. Further, information from the scientific literature showed that in birds in general, 1) high levels of protein in the diet DECREASE the amount of fat the liver can produce, and 2) high levels of fat in the diet DECREASE the amount of fat the liver can produce, and 3) high levels of carbohydrates in the diet INCREASE the amount of fat the liver can produce.

As fat is the key fuel utilised by our birds for sustained flight, it seems reasonable to me to suggest that if high levels of dietary protein and fat interfere with fat production by the liver, one should, logically enough, reduce LARGE amounts of high-protein and high-fat grains in the diet toward shipping day, and by contrast, increase the level of high-carbohydrate grains such as maize, rice, etc., as a source of glucose which the liver can convert readily and rapidly to fat in the form of fatty acids.

Because the high carbohydrate grains are chiefly responsible for the build up of fat reserves in fat depots, they appear to be the main grains to be used in preparing birds for racing from any distance. The added fat from peanuts or sunflower seeds, etc. is likely a good insurance policy in making sure that birds are properly fuelled for the job ahead, whether it is a 75 mile or a 750 mile race. Note that when 5% fat was added to the diet of a group of racing pigeons, their stamina and endurance in races beyond 200 miles were much improved compared with the lesser stamina and endurance of a group of birds that was not supplemented with fat. Once clocking began, there were more fat-supplemented birds clocked in a given period of time than there were birds not supplemented with fat - facts that support the endurance- enhancing value of fat in the diet. Based on all of this evidence, I simply cannot see how rations high in protein, ie, high in peas and beans, can match the fat-producing capacity of the cereal grains such as maize, rice, wheat, etc., and the judicious use of some high-fat grains used in moderation toward shipping day. Where in the optimal (accent on "optimal") fuelling process do high levels of protein fit??

Note that I haven't said that high-protein grains should be removed from racing diets. Not at all. All I am saying is that the higher levels of protein in breeding and rearing diets should be reduced for the racing season. Suppose that a breeding/rearing ration contained a mixture of 35 parts peas/beans, plus a mix of other grains to provide a final protein level of 18-20%. For racing, as an example, we can drop the level of peas/beans

to 20-25 parts (and keep the maple peas and beans combined to not more than 10 parts of the ration, because of the high level of anti-nutritive substances they contain), increase the maize to a level of 40-45 parts, add perhaps 20 parts wheat, and the remainder, a mix of safflower, milo, flax, rice, oats, etc.. Such a ration would provide adequate levels of protein, carbohydrate, and some fat, well enough to do the job. For tougher distance races, we might increase the amount fed per bird, and add a modest amount of peanuts and sunflower seeds in the last few days before shipping, all the while, making sure that the diet contains a lot of maize and other cereal grains as just noted. In my view, a diet such as this one would go a long way toward ensuring that those mighty engines, the great breast muscles, are optimally fuelled for the job ahead.

If high fat grains are used in the final few days before shipping, it is highly important that the diet also contain high levels of carbohydrate grains - maize, rice, wheat, etc., and even sugars such as glucose in the drinking water for a day or two at most. This is because if high carbohydrates (grains/glucose) are fed at the same time as the high fat grains, there appears to be little interference with fat production by the liver. As one example, when 10% fat was fed to chicks, there was a startling 40% reduction in the amount of fat the liver was able to produce! Pigeons are not chickens, true enough, but, until there are even more such in-depth studies done in pigeons, I think we have to draw from other species, information that can be of value to us as racing pigeon enthusiasts.

Another point - I believe that, in spite of the varied diets used in racing rations, birds should not be allowed to become excessively heavy, and should also retain that ballooned, light, buoyant feel that, in part, signals improving condition and approaching form. However, there is also an obvious need to ensure that all racing birds, particularly distance candidates, have enough fuel in the form of fat to complete the job successfully and for that reason, distance candidates should not be kept as light in weight as short distance candidates. In quick summary, through alterations in the diet, fanciers need to fuel for the distance to be flown each week. I believe that, with some modifications, the composition of the racing diet, such as the one suggested earlier, can remain virtually the same from the beginning to the end of the racing season. The only real change that could be made is in the amounts of feed given, ie, for short races, perhaps 1 ounce per day is sufficient, whereas for very long races, perhaps 1¼ to 1½ ounces per bird may be needed in order to build the level of fuel (fat) needed to accomplish the task ahead. Some fanciers will also feed 80-100% maize, plus some peanuts or peeled (hulled) sunflower seeds in the last couple of days before shipping.

On the matter of using grains such as peanuts or sunflower seeds as a source of fat for racing, I recall some of the important work done by Professor Mulligan at Glasgow University. It bears repeating, as follows. Since the energy for prolonged flight is derived almost exclusively from the utilization of fat stored in body fat depots (in the body cavity among the intestines), and since the energy content of fat is known, Professor Mulligan determined that racing birds used about 2.85 grams of fat (about 1/10 of an ounce) per hour during flight. If these birds flew 14 hours on the first day of the race, they would utilise 14 x 2.85 = 40 grams ( 1 1/3 oz) of fat that first day.

The next question was: how much fat did these birds have in reserve to carry on the next day? Some of his earlier work showed that old birds in fit condition around the loft had an average body fat content of 18%. So a 500 gram (just over 16 oz) fit bird would begin the race with 500 x .18 = 90 grams (about 3 oz) of fat. After using 40 grams of fat in the 14 hours flown on the first day of the race, these birds would have about 50 grams (about 1 2/3 oz) of fat to start the second day. If the birds had to fly all of the second day for another 14 hours, another 40 grams of fat would be used, which meant that a third day on the road could find these birds in some serious trouble, with only about 10 grams (about 1/3 of an ounce) of fat remaining. This amount of fat would be enough fuel for just under a final four hours of sustained, rapid flight. Then, at this point, these birds would become exhausted and have to begin foraging for food, to say nothing of their even greater need for water on all three days of flight. Some of this information obviously re-enforces earlier findings of the value of fat as the key fuel to allow for rapid,

sustained flight, and the endurance and stamina it provides if the distance to be flown is especially long, or if weather conditions on the race course become increasingly difficult. It also points up the value of weighing birds during preparations for any given race. As Major Hutton pointed out so many years ago, some of his best racing candidates were among birds that were gaining slightly in weight as shipping day approached.

It was not and still is not my intention to tell Aussie fanciers what they should or should not do, but rather it has been to present, through several current articles in the ARPJ and some seminars, a number of facts drawn from the scientific literature on 1) the gross and microscopic appearance of the major breast muscles, and on 2) the microscopic and chemical-analytical evidence, plus the results of exercise studies, of the fuel requirements (glycogen and fat) of these great muscles. Based on the scientific evidence, I feel that it is then appropriate 3) to suggest how dietry might be utilized perhaps even more effectively to achieve the goal of optimally (emphasis on "optimally") fuelling these powerful muscles for the job ahead, whether it be a short or long distance race. At the same time, based on the evidence, I have added to the sometimes dry fodder of science, a number of considered comments and opinions, based on the scientific literature, to try to provide some insight from the perspective of a long time fellow fancier (myself), albeit one removed physically from the Aussie racing scene.

It continues to be my wish to leave it to thinking Aussie fanciers to deal with the facts, and to have them accept or reject these facts as they choose - and in reading Mr. Moore's comments, I gather that this (rejection in this case) is happening now. So be it. In writing these several articles and presenting seminars on the topic, it has been my hope, true enough, that thinking fanciers might examine and study the facts carefully, thereby to make informed judgments on the subject. In presenting the facts, I am not trying to bludgeon anyone into accepting anything, and I think my recent past articles and seminars plus these comments are amply transparent on that point.

Now briefly to canker. Canker can occur when resistance is down, and if a disease producing strain of the organism is present. Remember over all that there are many stains of the organism ranging from the very innocent through to the very deadly. Also remember that a mild (innocent) strain can protect against a deadly strain, and if you are not having canker problems, I can't see the value of treating against it. For more on this important point, read the well-considered views of Colin Walker in his valuable small reference books on health.

Feeding maize - I'd suggest that the problems Mr. Moore outlines (lost condition, sloppy droppings) have nothing at all to do with feeding this grain, but likely have more to do with some other problem in the birds, such as his suggestion that it might be similar to YB Sickness (adenovirus + E. coli) as seen in the UK and North America. A lot of maize is fed successfully in Europe and North America for its energy value in preparing birds for racing, and it just isn't a problem, so don't just discard it out of hand. Mr Moore's views on Epsom salts are definitely well taken. They have no good use in the loft at all, and instead are detrimental, so avoid them at all costs. As I've said in the past, if you feel that you need to use Epsom salts, take them yourself! I enjoyed and got quite a chuckle out of the joke in his last two lines! Well said!

In closing, I believe it is important to honour the successes of the past and present, and the great and successful fanciers who brought about these remarkable achievements in the sport. At the same time, it is also important to be forward looking, with a view to keeping up on advances in knowledge, and applying these principles to the racing scene whenever we can. On this point, I have to say that I've noticed that most of us have given up the horse and buggy, a perfectly acceptable mode of travel, and have replaced them with the modern automobile because of its greater all round efficiency and convenience. Enough said! Good racing to all in 2001!