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I just received some young birds from a local flyer who has a good track record both breeding and racing.  They flew the birds this year as young birds, however did not do a lot of training.  They did an "experiment" with these birds in that they did not start training them until the season had already started and all the birds flew to the 400 mile race.  Not sure how they placed but they did return.  They gave me these birds as breeding stock( as I am a new flyer with no breeders) but another flyer said that I should try to settle them and fly them to see how they perform before breeding from them.  This is a good idea but my thought is what if they all do not return I'm out of  breeders and the folks that gave me the birds are moving so they will not be able to return them to me as the lofts will be moved as well.  They come from good stock as I mentioned before the flyers that gave them to me have excellent breeders so the lines are there just not sure of the preformance.  I just would hate to loose them but do not want to breed from them if they are not a choice racers.  One other thing this morning when I went to feed them one of them unbeknownst to me got out of the loft and when I exited the loft noticed it trying to get back in through the aviary.  I opened the aviary to expose the landing board and the bird flew right in as if it were one of my own youngbirds so maybe there is hope of resettling them.  Any insight would be helpful in my decision.  Thanks.

pair them and when they havebeen sitting 14 day let the cocks out and see if they come back if they do let them out for a couple of days .  Then try the same with the hens later in the day when they have come of the eggs. good luck

an aviary is a great thing to let the birds see the surroundings, before you try them

Doubt if you'll have any trouble settling them. My first stock pigeon was obtained as a young bird on 9th December 2001, after having been trained and raced that year - the full Lanarkshire Federation programme and the SNFC young bird National. He was given his hen right away and the run of the loft (they were the only two birds in it!).

Hen didn't lay but they were flying out together by the end of the month.

I don't know about this I never try to resettle birds if I got them for breeders I am a lot more worried about what they produce than what they will win I dont even let my settled breeders out as most are too valuable to my long term strategy than to lose one to a hawk or cat or whatever my guess is if they wernt trained and shipped 400 miles they are pretty good birds !!!

I broke 30 out of 33 yearlings and 2 two year olds last year. i erected an aviery and let the birds have access all day for 2 weeks, let them out and they where all back in the same day with the exeption of two ( yearlings) their old loft had been removed.
After a couple weeks it looked like they had been their all the time, a couple of them whent on to win decent positions.

good luck

Don't know who your listening too--but "good racers" do not always produce "good racers". If a pair does not produce "good racers" don't get rid of the birds but change the matings. If they can fly 400 miles without much training they are not  "culls". You may end up lossing the best Stock birds you will ever own.

Would agree with Don for the second part of your question, Theman.  

I wouldn't think twice about breeding from any young birds that have successfully flown the programme to 400 miles AND are off proven distance stock.

is it best to keep the same strains together? or is it ok to cross them? as for distance?

Young birds are easy to settle as long as they can see their new surroundings, I settled 25 YBs in a day a couple of years back, they were just kept very hungry for a few days at their old loft. Older pigeons are a bit harder to settle, but as long as they are paired they will come back. I settled 13 cocks to my present loft and flew them on widowhood this year, they would go to and from the old loft for an hour. I look through the birds past perfomances and try to pair distance to distance regardless of their strain. But do try to keep any sprint strains together.

If these young birds were out to 400 miles - with little or no training - and off proven stock, the expression 'nail their feet to the floor' springs to mind! LOL

If i was starting out and i had these given to me, i'd keep them safe til i'd bred youngsters off them. You have to start somewhere...

All the best.

Thanks for the words of advice everyone.  I'm not sure that I would race them but just loft fly them as I really dont want to keep them as prisoners.  I dont quite have my breeding section done so I inted to breed only around 5 pair.  I will keep the rest with the team just not let them out.  But if I could resettle them it would make things a lot easier when I loft fly them, so that I could let them out as well.  Anyway just a thought.  It seems after reading all the posts that prisoners is what they may have to be.