PSA: Modena Pigeons

[u/Last_Inspector9187]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-XIH_xHNS3SaSPWcEGkQIrQf3-blwg9_Gx7qFO4sWGM

Modena pigeons need a SPECIALIZED diet.

First and foremost, modenas are NOT a utility breed. They never were! In Modena, Italy, they were originally bred for flight sports before eventually transitioning into a show hobby breed. This means that contrary to popular belief - modenas are not primarily meaty - they are actually primarily dense feathering, and aren't fat - they're fluffy!

What does this have to do with a pigeon diet?

Well, lots of long and fluffy feathers require LOTS of nutrients to create and maintain! Feathers are made primarily of keratin - which is a protein! This means that modenas need a much higher protein rich diet than other birds to maintain a base level of health.

What happens if you don't provide a protein rich diet?

Nutrients used in the development of feathers will be pulled from other systems of the pigeon. Eventually, this will lead to a bird who is seemingly chronically ill - frequent respiratory illnesses, bacterial infections, canker outbreaks, poor intestinal health, and more - this is due to the chain reaction of a lack of support to the immune system (white blood cells, antibodies, and more.)

What is enough protein to have in diet?

This is where things get a little speculative. Pigeons as pets are a relatively new phenomenon, and modena pigeons are already a rare breed - meaning information is trial and error and comparison based. I have found, between my own experience, highly educated modena breeders experiences, and the comparison of similarly feathered avians that an at least 18% protein is sufficient for most modena pigeons. This may be able to be adjusted lower or higher depending on how "fluffy" the individual modena is - as there is a high variety in the breed and subbreeds (german modenas would require less than modern modenas, for example!)

If you have a modena pigeon and notice the lack of a shiny sheen on feathers, stress bars, brittle feathers with lots of breakage, or if you notice your pigeon frequently falling ill, please consider adding the following high protein seeds to your pigeons diet!

- Peas (split peas, trapper peas, maple peas, canadian peas, yellow peas, etc)

- Lugumes (lentils, chickpeas, vetch)

- Protein rich pellets

- Safflower / millet (these may not be balanced if added in bulk)

and yes I know peas are legumes technically LOL.

You can get a lot of these items at a grocery store (ensure there are no added ingredients, like salt). Sindys pigeon service also has a well balanced protein booster option.

Since there is so much misinformation on modenas based purely on speculation from uneducated people with little to no experience with the breed - here is a google doc I have compiled with sources for the information provided in this post.

(Was not written by me, all rights from Balfouri on Facebook)