Category: Moulting

Every step we take at Cest Pharma is focused on your pigeons’ health and their results. We want to reward your investment in your birds and help make them true Champions. While the excitement of race day happens in the spring and summer, the foundation for next year’s victories—whether in high-speed sprints or demanding middle-distance flights, or marathon races up to 1200 km—is built right now, during the moult.

Moulting is the most physiologically demanding period in a pigeon’s life. A bird must completely regenerate its plumage, a process that requires a massive and continuous supply of energy, proteins, and structural nutrients. If a bird lacks the right building blocks during this time, the resulting feathers will be brittle, weak, or malformed. No amount of widowhood motivation or intense spring training can compensate for poor aerodynamics.

The Science of a Lean Moult

Feathers are made primarily of keratin, a tough structural protein. To produce high-quality keratin, pigeons require a diet exceptionally rich in sulfur-containing amino acids and specific minerals. Relying solely on standard grain mixtures—even premium blends containing high-fat seeds like safflower, hemp, and peeled sunflower—is rarely enough to support the intense metabolic demand of dropping and regrowing thousands of feathers.

A “lean moult” means the bird sheds and regrows its plumage efficiently without gaining unnecessary excess weight or suffering from systemic fatigue. This ensures that the new plumage is silky, flexible, and aerodynamically perfect, reducing drag and repelling moisture when it matters most on race day.

How Platinum Moult Delivers

To address the exact nutritional deficits of this critical period, Platinum Moult was formulated as a targeted, high-quality liquid supplement. Rather than a generic multivitamin, its composition specifically targets the biochemical pathways required for vigorous feather growth.

Here is how its key elements work together to build champion-grade plumage:

• DL-Methionine (19,800 mg/L): This is the core engine of the product. Methionine is an essential amino acid that provides a rich source of organic sulfur. Because pigeons cannot synthesize enough of it on their own during the moult, supplementing DL-Methionine is the most direct way to guarantee the development of strong, flexible, and resilient feathers.
• Choline Chloride (3,200 mg/L): Moulting places a heavy burden on a pigeon’s liver as it processes fats and proteins to build new plumage. Choline actively supports liver function and fat metabolism, ensuring the bird’s internal systems run smoothly without becoming sluggish or overburdened.
• Essential Minerals: With 4% Calcium and added trace elements like Zinc and Manganese (sourced from highly bioavailable chelates), the structural integrity of the feather shaft is fortified. This prevents the microscopic “fret marks” or weak spots in the flights that can snap under the pressure of a tough headwind.
• Optimal Delivery: Formulated as a liquid supplement containing sorbitol and essential salts, it promotes rapid cellular absorption of the nutrients while keeping the bird’s hydration levels perfectly balanced.

Administration for Your Loft

Achieving a lean moult means providing exactly what the bird needs consistently, without overloading its digestive system. Platinum Moult is highly concentrated, making it easy to integrate into your daily loft routine.

• Dosage: Administer 20 ml per 1 liter of drinking water, or mix 20 ml into 750 grams of feed.
• Frequency: Use 2–3 times per week throughout the entire moulting period.
• Storage: Keep the bottle in a dry place away from direct sunlight (under 25°C) to protect the sensitive amino acids, and always shake well before use.

You cannot expect top-tier results from elite bloodlines if their aerodynamic equipment is compromised. By supporting their system with the precise organic sulfur, minerals, and liver support found in Platinum Moult, you ensure that every bird in your loft emerges from the off-season ready to conquer the skies. Your pigeons are victorious when their foundation is flawless

The moulting season is arguably the most demanding physiological period in a racing pigeon’s year. Creating a brand-new, perfectly structured coat of feathers requires immense energy, a flawless metabolism, and a heavily fortified immune system. If a bird lacks the right nutrients now, it will pay the price in the skies next season—whether sprinting short distances or pushing through tough 900-1000 km marathon races.

To ensure your birds grow strong, silky, and flexible feathers while staying completely healthy, we have developed the Cest Pharma Moulting Program. As outlined in our official schedule (see bellow), this 7-day rotational protocol provides natural, comprehensive support against common seasonal stressors, including Trichomoniasis, Coccidiosis, intestinal disruptions, and respiratory problems.

Here is a breakdown of the core products in this regimen and why they are essential for your loft during the moult.

Core Products & Moulting Benefits

Platinum Moult

• Usage: Morning Water (Days 1, 3, and 5)
• Description: A highly specialized liquid supplement specifically calibrated for the heavy demands of the moulting phase.
• Key Moulting Benefits: Provides the exact sulfur-containing amino acids and vital trace elements required to synthesize high-quality keratin. It ensures robust, flawless feather regeneration, preventing fret marks and ensuring the new plumage is tough and structurally sound.

Magic

• Usage: Morning Water (Days 2 and 4) at a dose of 4ml per liter of water.
• Description: A potent, concentrated liquid additive designed to optimize gut flora, maximize nutrient absorption, and maintain peak vitality.
• Key Moulting Benefits: Because feather growth drains the immune system, birds are highly susceptible to digestive drops. Magic acts as a powerful natural shield against intestinal challenges, keeping the gut acidic and hostile to pathogens. This ensures the pigeon extracts maximum nutritional value from its feed to fuel the moult.

Propolis Water Soluble

• Usage: Morning Water (Days 6 and 7)
• Description: A highly bioavailable liquid extract of natural bee propolis, nature’s ultimate defender.
• Key Moulting Benefits: Functions as a powerful natural immune booster and anti-inflammatory. It purifies the respiratory tract and protects the flock from latent infections taking hold while their physical defenses are lowered.

Healthy Oil

• Usage: Morning Food (Days 1 and 3)
• Description: A premium, energy-dense blend of essential fatty acids designed to coat the grain mixture and act as a highly effective binder for nutritional powders.
• Key Moulting Benefits: Delivers the crucial omega fats needed to give the new feathers that coveted “powdery,” water-resistant, and silky-smooth finish. It also provides the dense, slow-burning caloric energy required to fuel the metabolic heavy lifting of feather production.

Breeding Booster

• Usage: Morning Food (Days 1 and 3), bound to the feed using Healthy Oil.
• Description: A highly digestible, multi-nutrient powder packed with essential building blocks originally designed for intense physical development.
• Key Moulting Benefits: Supplies a surge of critical proteins, vitamins, and minerals that accelerate feather formation. It helps the birds maintain lean muscle mass and skeletal strength during their rest period, ensuring they emerge from the moult powerful, buoyant, and fully prepped for the demands of the upcoming racing calendar.

The 7-Day Quick Reference Guide To make administration simple, follow this weekly rotation outlined in the moulting schedule