Pigeon racing continues to evolve. For many years, the traditional rhythm dominated the sport, with cocks typically raced every two weeks on middle-distance races between 300 and 650 km.
Today, however, many fanciers are switching to a modern widowhood system in which pigeons are raced weekly. In many lofts, both cocks and hens are actively competing.
This evolution has a major impact on the nutrition of racing pigeons. When birds are raced more frequently, their feed must not only provide energy for the race itself, but also support:
For this reason, modern widowhood racing requires specialised feed mixtures designed for these demanding racing schedules.
Many fanciers still use one standard racing mixture for all pigeons. However, experience and modern nutritional insights show that cocks and hens have different physiological and nutritional needs.
Hens generally have:
Cocks, on the other hand, require:
By adapting the feed to these differences, fanciers can better support the specific role each pigeon plays in the widowhood system.
In many lofts, pigeons are now raced every week, which leaves less time for recovery between races.
The feed must therefore help pigeons:
For cocks raced weekly, BEYERS PREMIUM WIDOWHOOD COCKS was developed. This energy-rich racing mixture provides an optimal balance of carbohydrates and fats for fast energy build-up, while high-quality proteins support efficient muscle recovery.
For hens that are raced weekly or semi-weekly, BEYERS PREMIUM WIDOWHOOD HENS offers a tailored solution. This mixture is highly digestible and energy-rich without being too heavy, helping hens recover quickly while staying sharp and motivated.
At the beginning of the week, recovery and digestion can be supported with lighter and highly digestible mixtures such as BEYERS PREMIUM VANDENABEELE, PREMIUM HI-DIGEST ENERGY or ENZYMIX 7/48 MS RECUP. These mixtures help restore digestive balance and efficiently rebuild glycogen reserves after the race.
Despite the growing popularity of modern racing systems, many fanciers remain loyal to the traditional widowhood method, where cocks are raced every two weeks.
In this system the focus is on:
For this approach, BEYERS PREMIUM SUPER WIDOWHOOD provides an ideal foundation. This rich racing mixture combines high-quality grains, legumes and oil-rich seeds to ensure efficient nutrient absorption and a strong build-up of energy reserves.
For longer races exceeding six hours, the energy density in the final build-up days can be increased by supplementing the mixture with BEYERS PREMIUM SUPER ENERGY or PREMIUM BRILLIANT, helping pigeons develop optimal fat reserves for sustained endurance.
Young pigeons also require specific nutritional support. During their development, both growth and performance need to be supported.
BEYERS PREMIUM YOUNGSTERS was developed as a versatile racing mixture for young pigeons. The balanced combination of carbohydrates, fats and high-quality proteins supports the development of muscles, skeleton and feathers while providing steady energy for training and racing.
Within the sliding-door system, this mixture also serves as an excellent daily base feed for both young cocks and hens.
When preparing young pigeons for longer races exceeding six hours, additional energy can also be provided in the final feeding days by adding BEYERS PREMIUM SUPER ENERGY or PREMIUM BRILLIANT.
Success in widowhood racing increasingly depends on the right combination of system, training and nutrition.
By adapting feeding strategies to:
fanciers can help their pigeons recover faster, perform more consistently and maintain peak condition throughout the season.
With specialised mixtures such as PREMIUM WIDOWHOOD COCKS, PREMIUM WIDOWHOOD HENS, PREMIUM SUPER WIDOWHOOD and PREMIUM YOUNGSTERS, supported by recovery and energy mixtures like PREMIUM VANDENABEELE, HI-DIGEST ENERGY, ENZYMIX 7/48 MS RECUP, PREMIUM SUPER ENERGY and PREMIUM BRILLIANT, BEYERS offers a complete nutritional concept for both modern and traditional widowhood systems.
