An effort is always followed by a recovery phase, followed by a build-up phase for the next effort. During the travel season, the preparation for the next flight begins as soon as you return from the previous flight, or ideally even during the preparatory flights for the actual flights that count for the enthusiast. Too little attention is often paid to the regeneration phase. It's much more than just replenishing energy and quenching thirst! All of the pigeon's body cells must be brought back into their natural balance. balancing the imbalance. Only then does it make sense to move on to the build-up phase, which is primarily about energy from carbohydrates (muscle glycogen, glucose) and fats.

Protein or amino acid requirement?

Proteins are the building blocks of the body. Proteins are made up of amino acids: essential, non-essential and semi-essential. The body cannot produce the essential amino acids. They must therefore be supplied through the diet (pigeon feed mixtures or supplements). A biologically complete egg white contains all the essential amino acids in sufficient quantities to meet the pigeons' protein requirements. In sufficient quantity, since pigeons do not create an amino acid reserve, since there is a first limiting amino acid, namely the one whose content in the feed is lowest and which determines how much "new" protein can be built up (cf. Liebig minimum ton ). The limiting essential amino acids in pigeons are lysine, methionine, tryptophan and arginine.

Vitamins: the more, the better?

Vitamins are essential organic substances that the body only needs in small amounts. Each has a specific function and they are important for building enzymes and coenzymes. Vitamins cannot be manufactured by the body and must be obtained from the diet. The daily vitamin requirement can increase in pigeons when they have to do a lot (when rearing, moulting or in the racing season), after an illness (in the case of diarrhoea, intestinal inflammation) or after taking medication.

minerals and trace elements

Minerals are important for a well-functioning metabolism. Among other things, they support the development of the muscles, the bone structure, the skin and the feathers and play an important role in various bodily processes. The most important electrolytes for pigeons are: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and potassium. These minerals can be deficient in grain mixes. Electrolytes speed up recovery, so there's no point in giving them pre-emptively.

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