Racing YB's in the Mouolt

August 10, 2005

I don't like racing young birds when they start to moult and generally stop them when they are getting bare around the beak, and look regged about the body. Is this what everyone else does or am I being over protective?

August 10, 2005

If the weather for the race is good eg no rain forecast or cold winds Itry to keep mine going untill they have had 4 races and not casting the 2 last Primaries. If Ican succeed then I will stop them until next year. As I have only nine left this year they might not get 4 races. :)

August 10, 2005

Doo

why don't you try raising your birds on Darkness next year, then you will get a full season out of then

August 10, 2005

doo your right in your thinking,most of us race young birds in stages of the moult,that to race old birds in the same state would be totally unacceptable. why do we treat young birds differently from old birds,is it because they are expendable?

Westwater Assassin · August 10, 2005

I'M WITH YOU DOOSTALKER, BALD AROUND THE FACE/EARS ETC THEN THEY JUST SIT IN THE LOFT TILL NEXT YEAR. YOUNG BIRDS ARE BY NO MEANS EXPENDIBLE THEY ARE YOUR FUTURE YEARLINGS/2 YO/3YO ETC, SERIOUSLY DOES ANYONE THINK THAT LESS OF THERE YOUNG BIRDS TO PUT THEM TO A RACE IN SUCH POOR CONDITION ???? IT IS STRESSFULL ENOUGH FOR YOUNG BIRDS TO CONTEND WITH A RACE BASKET LET ALONE BEING THAT FAR IN TO A MOULT.

August 10, 2005

Billymac, I know where you are coming from. We sometimes seem to treat our YB's harder than the OB's and I really think the opposite should be true. I raised 40 YB's for myself this year and I am down to 18 after 4 races. I don't think there is any sense in raising them to throw them away as they are the basis of my future team just as Westwater says. Some of the older hands keep telling me that I should be racing them all the way, but these are guys who are breeding more than me and never telling me how many they lose, although I know some of them are still raising late breds so that tells me something! Hyacinth, I might just try some onthe darkness next year, but I will make it 50/50 with Natural just to keep my options open.

August 10, 2005

I HAVE GOT 2 TIMES OF BIRDS 1 NATURAL AND THEY ARE IN THE MOULT AND I THINK IF YOU WONT TO RACE ALL THE YOUNG BIRD RACES YOU MUST GO ON THE DARKNESS OR YOUR JUST THROING THEM AWAY

August 11, 2005

Dont see the point of racing ybs when they are moulting like someone else said enough stress as it is and you havent got a chance of competing with the darkness ybs no matter what anyone says, not a level playing field.

Westwater Assassin · August 11, 2005

IF YOU WANT TO COMPETE AND WIN YOUNG BIRD RACES FROM START TO FINISH IT HAS TO BE DARKNESS ALL THE WAY, THEY ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT PIGEONS BODY,WING CONDITON AND OVERALL CONDITION.

DARKNESS PIGEONS HAVE A REPUTATION AS MAKING POOR OLD BIRDS ??? WELL I THINK A FEW PEOPLE I KNOW WOULD DISAGREE ON THAT ONE.

August 12, 2005

Tried darknes for two seasons but was not 100% happy with it yes the bird were in good feather and flew well. but the always seam to have something hanging about them up one day down the next with blown feathers very susceptible to ailments the only time I got young bird sickness was while on darkness. NEVER had while they were reared naturally. :)