The old birds you have to bred from ,get a test kit from a vet, have the dropping tested, then treat them before they paired up, If they are Y/Bs you are buying in have a test done on them. once you know they are healthy you can think about training then get them down the road as much as you can, before you intened tho race them, I would say 25 y/b seems a good number, Dont be to heavy on the feed & feed by hand, when one go's to the drinker stop putting any more food down. you are always learning in this sport, so never be afraid to ask. Hope this helps