In basic feeding we explained the grains and what each does. This article is about timing: the same grains, but their proportions change with the year. The rule: energy (carbohydrates and fats) for winter and flying, protein for feathers and squabs, and lightness for summer and rest.

The proportions here are guidance for the Egyptian breeder using available grains. Adjust them to your breed and the birds' condition — the scales are more honest than any table.

Winter (December – February): energy

The body burns to stay warm. Increase yellow maize (energy) and sunflower in a small amount (fats), and reduce the dry wheat and barley.

  • Maize 30–35% · peas/small beans 20% · wheat 15% · barley 10% · sorghum 10% · sunflower and linseed 5% · the rest millet and paddy rice.
  • A slightly larger morning feed — the bird spends a long night on an empty stomach.

Summer (June – August): lightness

Heat reduces appetite and slows digestion. Reduce maize and sunflower, and increase barley, wheat and millet (light and easy to digest).

  • Barley 25% · wheat 20% · peas 20% · maize 15% · millet and sorghum 20% · almost no sunflower.
  • An early morning feed and a dusk feed — and nothing in the midday heat.
  • Water matters more than feed in summer — see the rooftop loft.

The moult (August – November): protein

Feathers are pure protein (keratin). A bird moulting on a poor mix grows dull, brittle feathers, and next year's shows are lost.

  • Increase peas, small beans and lentils (plant protein) to 30–35% of the mix.
  • Linseed and hemp in a small daily amount — feather oils.
  • A vitamin and amino-acid supplement once or twice a week (supplements in the encyclopedia).
  • Do not vaccinate or move birds at the height of the moult.

Breeding (mostly spring): protein + calcium

The hen builds eggs (calcium) and both parents produce crop milk (protein and fats). The poorest mix of the year gives the weakest squabs.

  • Protein 25–30% (peas, beans, lentils) · maize 20% · wheat 15% · the rest light.
  • Grit, oyster shell and limestone always available in a separate dish — the hen takes what she needs on her own. A calcium shortage = thin-shelled eggs or a hen struggling to lay on the floor.
  • From day ten after hatching increase the amount — the parents are eating for three.

Rules for every season

  1. The scales every two weeks. A show bird gets weighed; one gaining or losing 10% in two weeks means something is wrong.
  2. Clean, dry grain — mouldy maize causes fungal poisoning (see fungal diseases).
  3. Amount by time, not by eye: put the feed down for 15–20 minutes and remove it. Feed left out all day = rats, obesity and picking (pigeons eat the maize and leave the rest).
  4. Grit separate from the feed and changed weekly.
  5. Greens (rocket, lettuce, grated carrot) once a week — not essential but useful.

The mistakes we see

  • A ready-made "pigeon" mix all year with no adjustment.
  • Lots of maize in summer ⇒ heavy, lazy birds and heat diarrhoea.
  • Cutting the parents' feed during breeding "so they don't get fat" ⇒ weak squabs.
  • Bread and cooked rice — no nutritional value and they go mouldy.

Record the mix change in the loft notes in the app with the date — after a year you will have a feeding calendar for your own loft more accurate than any article.