advice please

[Frazer]

Hi this will be my first year with ybs gifted to me bred for the distance,do i just train them to a certain distance and if so how far and keep them back to build a team next year or do they really need to see the race basket as ybs.How much do you guys feed your ybs to balance keeping them under control and not overfeeding them but making sure they grow well,thanks in advance for any advice  

[OLDYELLOW]

I fly mine the full programme as ybs some just train them others will say give them 3 races its entirely up to you  , fed ybs 20% barley with yb mix as soon as they leave any barely there fed or weigh it out 1oz per bird per day so if two feeds then 1oz for every two birds am and same pm

[Guest The main Mahon]

If it was me Frazer, I would give them the first four or five races of the YB programme just to get them used to the race basket and race routine. The YB's need a bit of an education.

 

As for the feeding, I feed my birds an egg cup full per bird, per day. This amount of food is adequate for the shorter young bird races. When they are old birds, I still feed the 1 egg cup full per bird, per day, however, as the races get longer I increase the amount of food on the wednesday and thursday prior to the selected race. Just small amounts of food are added at a time and when 3 or 4 birds go for a drink, I stop feeding. On basketing day, I feed the birds about half of the usual ration, 1 egg cup full per two birds. This is also fed on the morning. No food in the evening on basketing day. As yearlings, I would send them to the full inland programme and possibly the shortest overseas race.

 

As two year olds you will be able to send them to the longest of your overseas races, but limit them to just 2 or at most 3 overseas races per season. Also if you are concentrating on channel racing, I would pick and choose just a few of the inland races as a 'warm up' for the race you want them to excel at. Perhaps just 2 or 3 inland races prior to your channel race.

 

Hope this helps Frazer.

[taffacre]

Frazer. if you dont race them you will loose them and thats a fact,they need the education of the BASKET, you may not loose them all but most of them will go down.  As for feeding ounce and a quarter a day quarter in the morning and 1 ounce in the evening,that will give you control and have them in the right condition for racing. if you intend flying widowhood next year then pick out some young cocks after 100 miles and stop them. put the rest on especially the hens as you wont race them after their first year.