Feed commonly used for breeding meat pigeons

1. Energy feed

The main results are as follows: (1) Corn is known as "the king of feed" because of its high calorie content, low cellulose, strong adaptability, easy digestion and absorption, high yield and low price. Among them, yellow corn is rich in carotene, which is a good source of vitamin A, but it reduces the content of vitamin A by as much as 30% after storage. The amount used in the diet of pigeons can reach 30% to 60%. The proportion available is smaller in summer and larger in winter.

(2) Wheat also has higher calorie content, more protein and better amino acid composition than other grains. B vitamins are also rich, so the nutritional value is relatively high, which is an important feed for pigeons. The dosage in the diet is 10%, 30%.

(3) Barley has lower calorie content and rich B vitamins than wheat, but the shell is hard and not easy to digest. A small amount of use can increase the variety of dietary feed and regulate the balance of nutrients, which can be used about 10% in the diet.

(4) the calorie content of rice is lower than that of corn and wheat, and the protein content of rice is similar to that of wheat. In the south, the diet can be up to 10% or 20%.

(5) Sorghum has a higher protein content and less calorie content, but the sorghum grain is small, so it is suitable to feed pigeons, especially squab. The dosage is 15% in winter and 35%-40% in summer.

The above energy feed belongs to grain seeds, and its nutritional characteristics are high nitrogen-free extract content, accounting for 70%-80% of the matter, so it is high in calories, its metabolic energy is 8.36 MJ / kg, and its protein content is not high, between 8% and 11%. Protein quality is not good, generally lack of lysine, methionine, tryptophan and other essential amino acids, according to the comparison of the above several grains Rice and barley contain more lysine, which are 0.55% and 0.52%, respectively. Lack of calcium, generally less than 0.1%; lack of vitamins An and D, but yellow corn contains a small amount of carotene; B vitamins are generally rich, but riboflavin content can not meet the needs of pigeon growth and development.

2. Protein feed

The main results are as follows: (1) Plant protein feed for pigeons is mainly hilly seeds, such as peas, mung beans, broad beans, soybeans, red beans, adzuki beans, black beans, bamboo beans, pigeons and hemp kernels. Its nutritional characteristics are as follows: the protein content is higher than that of cereals, generally between 20% and 40%, and the protein quality is good, especially the lack of lysine and methionine in plant protein. When used in conjunction with grain seeds, its amino acids can play a complementary role in order to improve the utilization rate of protein in feed. The content of nitrogen-free extract was lower than that of grain seed, and the fat content of some species, such as big Ⅱ and hemp seed, was higher, so the heat content of nitrogen-free extract was lower than that of grain seed. The nutrition of minerals and vitamins is similar to that of cereals, but in the content of vitamin B2 and B1, some quality is slightly higher than that of millet, but it is not superior; the content of calcium is slightly higher, but the proportion of calcium and phosphorus is inappropriate, and phosphorus is more than calcium, so it is not suitable to be used.

The proportion of several important plant protein feeds in the diet is as follows: peas are an important source of protein, which can be used at 20% to 40%; mung beans have the function of clearing away heat and detoxification, which can be added in hot summer, and the dosage is generally 5% to 8%. Broad bean has more crude fiber, larger particles, crushed into small particles, the dosage is 10% and 25%. Soybean protein is the leader of plant protein, not only the protein content is high (up to 41.7%), but also the amino acid composition is reasonable, only slightly less than methionine, the soybean fat content is high, the nutritional value is very high, and the dosage can be 2% 10%. Before use, it must be treated at high temperature (stir-frying or cooking); the protein content of hemp kernel can reach 34%, and the dosage can reach 3%-6%.

(2) Animal protein feed is characterized by high protein content and ideal amino acid composition, so it has high biological value, rich in calcium, phosphorus and other minerals, and is easy to digest and absorb. Therefore, it is a good protein supplement feed for pigeons. There are mainly fish meal, meat meal, silkworm pupa powder, earthworm powder and so on. This kind of feed is not common at present, because of traditional habits, in addition, it will affect the taste of pigeon meat.

3. Mineral feed mainly includes bone powder, shell powder or clam shell powder, limestone, calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, red iron oxide and so on. Its function is mainly used to supplement calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, chlorine, sulfur, iron, copper, cobalt, zinc, manganese and other mineral elements; these substances are especially important for caged pigeons.

4. Additive feed

The main results are as follows: (1) the purpose of nutritional additives is to supplement micronutrients and improve the nutrition level and utilization rate of feed. There are generally three categories: amino acid additives. It can improve the type, quantity and proportion of amino acids of protein and improve the biological value of dietary protein. At present, there are two kinds of lysine and methionine commonly used in China.

Vitamin additives. At present, most of the small and medium-sized pigeon farms in China are fed with raw grain, which is bound to cause some vitamin deficiency or deficiency, which can be supplemented by vitamin supplements to meet the needs. In addition, pigeons in the transport, transfer, vaccination or external factors disturbance, will produce stress response, so that pigeon disease resistance decline, causing disease, can be supplemented with a variety of vitamins through drinking water to fight stress. Such as quick tonic-14, quick tonic-20, strong multi-dimensional, poultry multi-vitamin, vitamin AD powder, cod liver oil and so on.

Trace element additive. Pigeons raised in cages or online are easy to cause lack of trace elements, so attention should be paid to supplement.

(2) there are generally the following non-nutritional additives:

Health promotion additives: including various kinds of medicinal health care such as antibiotics (such as sulfonamides, furan drugs, deworming drugs and Chinese herbal medicine, etc.). The function of these additives is to stimulate the growth of pigeons, improve the ability of pigeons to use feed, prevent and cure diseases, and ensure the healthy growth of pigeons. The usage can be supplied through drinking water, health care sand, or directly through oral injection or injection.

Feed preservation additives: mainly some antioxidants and preservatives, used for the preservation of compound feed or health sand. The prepared pellet feed and health care sand are large and can not be used up in a short time. Preservatives can be added to prevent mildew and effective ingredients from being destroyed by oxidation, thus reducing their feeding value and nutritional value.

Appetite enhancement and quality improvement additives: appetite enhancers are the use of sodium glutamate, some spices (such as lemon oleic acid, butyl lactate, ethyl lactate, green onion oil, etc.) and various appetizers (such as nux vomica, betel nut, mustard seed, fennel oil, etc.) to increase appetite. The main quality improver is the colorant, which can be used for two purposes: one is to stimulate the senses and increase the appetite by coloring the feed, and the other is to improve the hue of pigeon carcass by absorbing the colorant. As the acquisition requires pigeon skin to be white or gray, there is no need to add colorants to the feed.