What would you put in.

[Murray]

I do put garlic in but it can go rancid so more winter time
I use cinnamon ginger cayenne to dust on the oil but I believe some put it in the bottle

I'm wary of garlic oil. As Neil says, it can go rancid if kept for long. Kept in the fridge it lasts longer.
I prefer garlic freshly crushed and in the water, used on the same day. That's when the active ingredients are most effective.

[MIL]

I used a lot of Strike (Phil still does) because of the presence of allicin

[Murray]

I’d rather win using supplements than be 2nd on clean food and water
I’m results driven and make no apology for that

I agree with that 100%, but there's supplements and then there's antibiotics.
It's just me, but if I have pigeons that are in super form I am dead scared of blindly giving them Doxycycline or something, "just in case".
Antibiotics can harm the helpful organisms in the gut as well as the ones you are aiming at. I worry that having got them tuned up like a racing car, I will bugger that up by sticking something out of a bottle into them.
If they are out of sorts and out of form, why not?
But if they are going really well, I tend to leave them alone. Like I say, That's just me.

[MIL]

I don’t disagree with you Murray

I would give ‘something’ on the feed most days, but try to give as much clear water as i can really

All i say is i’m not an ‘idealist’

If i believe my birds will benefit from a treatment of something then i’ll do it and wouldn’t hesitate

That’s very different than ‘living on the bottle’

[Murray]

And that's the difference, Mike.
A good pigeon man can tell if they are out of sorts and whether a treatment is indicated. And be able to judge whether they may be better left alone.
Experience and a stockman's instincts.

[Trev]

I used a lot of Strike (Phil still does) because of the presence of allicin

Strike is something I use too, especially this time of year when the youngsters are at risk of ybs, I find it helps but couldn't say if it improves their racing performance or not !! I also use Dimethylform week days and Electroform at the weekends after the race, again I can't say if it improves their performance though. Certainly they don't seem to fly much faster but I don't lose many lol

What always surprises me on basketing night at the club, is how desperate birds are for a drink, it's almost like it's the only time some of them ever see fresh water lol

[Trev]

And that's the difference, Mike.
A good pigeon man can tell if they are out of sorts and whether a treatment is indicated. And be able to judge whether they may be better left alone.
Experience and a stockman's instincts.

How very right you are too Muzza

[MIL]

What always surprises me on basketing night at the club, is how desperate birds are for a drink, it's almost like it's the only time some of them ever see fresh water lol

Any bird that's dehydrated isn't a good thing

I'd like to think my birds took no water on board the transporter if marking was 6pm and liberation say 9am

I'd take measures to ensure they were fully hydrated before presenting them at the club

Birds drinking out of the same trough as other birds is a recipe for cross-contamination

[Murray]

What always surprises me on basketing night at the club, is how desperate birds are for a drink, it's almost like it's the only time some of them ever see fresh water lol

Any bird that's dehydrated isn't a good thing

I'd like to think my birds took no water on board the transporter if marking was 6pm and liberation say 9am

I'd take measures to ensure they were fully hydrated before presenting them at the club

Birds drinking out of the same trough as other birds is a recipe for cross-contamination

Not many think like that Mike.
A lot of blokes teach their young birds to drink in the hamper. I don't. If they are being hampered at 7 pm on Friday and released at 7 or 8 in the morning I am just as happy for them not to drink. If you are helping to do the marking you can see some pigeons that are a bit ordinary.
If they've been fed at midday, and had all afternoon to drink fresh water they should be fine.

[NeilA]

How do people hydrate there birds ?
I tried syringe if water for the first 2/3 yb races but it takes time and not enough goes in really
I soak a diet mix and a little rice overnight then feed that on a Friday
But I tend to go to work early Fridays to get home so again not sure if it makes much odds but they do eat the wet grain like it’s normal grain
Be interested in other ideas