Bits and Facts

Now the end of the year is coming near I see that a lot of topics been left behind.

Topics where you can write a whole article about. But there are also facts and axioms about some things, like I hear at the fairs or get asked in the emails, who are not obvious and known to all. On the internet I often see a number of statements passing on forums. For example Flora, which I think they are not conform the prevailing truth and insights. Do we focus on the reproduction period then there are some tips to give.

Traditionally, wheat germ oil is used during the reproduction period because of the high content of vitamin E. Traditionally, wheat germ oil is used during the reproduction period, due to the Vitamin E is available in nature. In a number of different forms. We must ensure that we do not choose a preparation in which only one of the existing vitamin E is present.

This would enable the insert of others vitamins E because we used one form as it were. In this way, it is possible that we overshoot our goal to increase the efficiency of the vitamin E in the body.

By doing it this way there is the possibility that we overshoot our goal of optimizing the vitamin E supply in the body. So if you buy a vitamin E product, please note that it is a natural variant with several forms of vitamin E present. For this reason alone, choosing to wheat germ oil as a source of Vitamin E is a right angle. After all, nature is usually not confined to a monoculture of substances such as pharmaceutical and food industry.  Omega 3 oil is also important in the breeding period, in addition to vitamin E. This usually comes in combination with omega 6 and omega 9 oils in cheaper products. Not that this is a bad thing. By adding Omega 3 oil you can take away of the umbalance that is created in the food of  humans and  animals in (roughly) the last 50 years. Omega 3 oil has a long list of support functions in the body. Omega 3 fatty acids play a role in the defence and in the inhibition of inflammation. Omega-6 oil is mainly involved in the pro-inflammatory processes (which may also be needed in the body). Furthermore, omega 3 has an inhibitory effect on coagulation.

Important in connection with the breeding period by the youngsters is, however, that omega 3 fatty acid are incorporated into, inter alia, the brain cells. If too little omega 3 is available (which in the current diet of the Western world is usually the case) then the body will make use of omega 6 fatty acids because they are the most similar to the desired omega 3 fatty acids. Research has shown that a sufficient availability of these omega-3 fatty acids at the time of the construction of the nerve cells leads to a greater number of suckers at the nerve cells in the brains. These differences appeared to be substantial. More spurs and as a result more connections between nerve cells will ensure that pigeons can 'switch' faster (smarter). So you can compare it in some way with the processor in a computer. As this will be better the calculating speed of the computer will be higher. There is a better switch. Research has demonstrated this with high gifts of omega 3 at the time of the growth phase of the brains. The brains of animals listed were found to be much better developed than that of the animals that received normal food. Normal food is the wrong expression. The really good normal food is acquired through the intervention of the people, to a food in which the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 are not proportional anymore.

Slowly after all these years the consequences of laziness clears that the industry has intervened in the diet of humans. So one is working on all fronts to restore this balance. But offcourse vested interests inhibit a quick recovery of the desired balance. We should not be to negative about this. These insights have changed in the course of time. Everything and everyone has adjusted to that old insights. Something like that you don’t change overnight.

Take the antibiotics that not so long ago were added by the producers of food to prevent diseases and improve food conversion. That was all very normal. But also there the insights have changed. Yet it took many years before the buttons where turned and it was considered 'Not done'. This is also happening with the antibiotics.  It is everyone, both professionals and lay people expected that the use of antibiotics occurs with caution and restraint. A few years ago there was talk of blow. Many pigeon breeders, I see it over and over again, is totally not aware that the insights and regulations regarding antibiotics are changing dramatically.

Back to the omega 3 oil and its influence on the development of the brains of the youngsters. If we translate the use of omega 3 oil to the pigeon sport what I consider as Top sport, were you can’t really leave it up to change, when you want to rotate on the highest level, is it important providing a good reproduction based oil omega 3 with fatty acids certainly desirable. It is good to have a good look at the labels of these breeding oils. Many sellers want a piece of the pie and sells an oil mixture as reproduction oil while the ratios between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, by the use, will be even more skewed. Omega 6 fatty acids are indeed cheaper than the omega 3 fatty acids and so the choice for omega 6 fatty acids easily made commercially.  A clincher that I often read on the notes on packaging: ‘Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in the right proportion’. But for now assume that these packages contain much more omega 6 than omega 3 oil. As final, a note about the omega 3 oil itself. EPA and DHA are very important. The first is found mainly in flaxseed oil while the second occurs primarily in fish oil. They are both important in the development of the brain cells. So a good reproduction pigeons oil contains both forms of these fatty acids. So both DHA and EPA. My advice: just look critically at packaging.

Another substance that is present during the growth of a pigeon's body of interest are the so-called nucleotides. These are the building blocks of the genetic material. The body can create this itself and when one gives good food it is not necessary to add something extra. It is therefore important that we give good food. If one is cutting on food, because of the crisis, you can consider to provide this additional substance. I always compare it with the bricklaying of a wall. When a mason has his bricks there to grab, the construction of the wall will steadily progress. Does someone have to hand him the bricks, it can happen that he has to wait a while before he can finish it.

This applies to all food supplements used. I have had some discussions with pigeon breeders who ask me why giving all additions is so necessary. Let me be clear about it. If the power supply is optimally than this is not or hardly necessary. Especially with people the food supply should be optimal and that deficits not be allowed to prevent. But unfortunately many commercial interests have been the cause of foods being removed from the optimum. We humans are often hunted and many of us eat in this hectic rat race of everyday life quickly-quickly in between. Easy going as we are, we are not always concerned with what we eat and drink. We rely on the accuracy of others in the food industry, and hope that what we eat contributes to optimal health.

As mentioned there are many things skewed in the last 50 years. Trans fats in foods are a clear example of this. These can be identified by the term partially hydrogenated fats or something.

Now these trans fats are more often associated with bad things about the human health. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the US happily recommends not to use these fats anymore. In the Netherlands these fats are absolutely not forbidden yet. For example, frozen pizzas often contains a lot of these fats. And when we are in a hurry or have little time…. Eliminating these fats will take many years. Of course there are more examples of imbalance in our diet. Also the industry knows that something has to change. But ingrained habits and business interests ...... ensure that changes to a more desirable situation with newer insights often proceed slowly. Meanwhile, the medical industry with medication ensures that the excesses and diseases that are caused by this imbalance can be collected again. The medications needed for that makes that other industries can flourish. We all got used to this and it became part the daily life. But all good, we were talking about the food for the pigeons. But thankfully our winged friends have not much to do with this all. But fortunately there are enough food firms who have to compete in this shrinking pigeon market. This keeps them sharp and they try to improve the quality of the food by product innovations. A good thing for the pigeon sport.

Nevertheless, I occasionally check the germination of the food that we use for our pigeons myself. But to be honest you cannot do that often enough. Studies who brought up defects in the nutrition (not only for pigeons) made us in the clinic and at Bony Farma look for ways to forgo shortages and optimize others. As I said, I consider the Pigeon sport as a Top sport and I do not like to leave things to chance. I try to fill the holes before somebody can fall in it.

But I cannot say it enough, when one ensures proper nutrition for one can remain many problems and there is no need to seek salvation in many dietary supplements. Indeed, I want to warn against an improper use. I had a pigeon breeder in the clinic whose pigeons weren’t white at all. They were completely bleu. Inquiries resulted that the breeder used some of our supplements but also supplements from two other colleagues. A mix of these products in a changing combination where mixed with the food every day. The breeder asked me if I had something stronger for him to use because you could not got his pigeons white. The man was slightly annoyed when I told him that he was to blame because of the excessive use of protein supplements.

Let me be clear. A lot of supplements cannot optimally recover and help balancing situations. But as usually, everything what has to in front in an excessive use of supplements is almost never good. The same counts for the use of antibiotics. I would of liked to write more about this last topic is this newsletter because of the fact that the regulations on the use of prophylactic antibiotics is rapidly changing. But I will keep this for the next newsletter. For now I am wishing you all Happy Holidays and good luck with the reproduction/breeding.

Good Luck!

Peter Boskamp