birds age

[rockinrick]

hi all , after posting birds  for sale , i noticed not many people were interested once they saw that the birds were not young , so my question is at wat age do think a bird is past its breeding / flying  post ? :-/

[aarden]

as you no my mate theres a big diference between performing in a race and in the nest box,there racing days are over before there breeding days.

[superstar]

I say 4-6 for racing but breeding between 8-10 but wouldnt buy a bird over 8 yrs old as moving them can finish the breeding potential. Learned from others experiences there!

[jimmy white]

i have won with a 9 year old  but would say this is a rarety, but was 15th open blue riband snfc race from rennes with a 6 y,o. [1st time it had ever scored,, but had £100    pool on it £1800 ;D] i think for distance races they can win till their 7,8, but for sprint races about 4 y,o but as far as sales go ive found youll get a fairly cheap older bird that a few years previous would have cost a fortune, but could still breed the goods , but like all with pigeons, theres allways exception to the rule.

[rockinrick]

i have won with a 9 year old  but would say this is a rarety, but was 15th open blue riband snfc race from rennes with a 6 y,o. [1st time it had ever scored,, but had £100    pool on it £1800 ;D] i think for distance races they can win till their 7,8, but for sprint races about 4 y,o but as far as sales go ive found youll get a fairly cheap older bird that a few years previous would have cost a fortune, but could still breed the goods , but like all with pigeons, theres allways exception to the rule.

 

thnx for that jimmy

[Guest]

:PDont be downhearted Rick ,, ur birds look great . but remember most have what they need by this stage in the year !    regards       andy

[Guest Paulo]

three years old I would say they hit their peak abpout this time then its downhill. Youth counts for a lot

[pigeonpete]

that means your nearly past it then paulo!! ;)

[Guest Paulo]

aye I'm knackered now gettong old lol

[Guest TAMMY_1]

SOMETIMES THE OLD BIRDS ARE BETTER ROSE   ;) :P ;D

[Guest WINGS 04]

I HAVE A 6 YEAR OLD COCK THAT I AM GOIN TO PUT TO THE GOLD CUP RACE WITH  THE SNFC THIS YEAR BUT I THINK THAT IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT BIRDS OLDER THAT 3 YEARS OLD TO WIN SPRINT RACES YOU HAVE A PROBLEM IN YOU BREEDING AS THERE SHOULD BE GOOD YEARLINGS AND 2 YEAR OLDS THER TO WIN THEM

[Guest]

I'd like to pick up on the 'old' breeder and problems changing lofts. I brought in a 97 hen after OB racing last year, she paired up straight away with a young cock and laid two rounds of eggs [which foolishly, using hindsight of course, I didn't take] before being split for the winter, during which she was a prisoner.

 

This year, mated her with my chosen cock and have had terrible experience with her missing cycles, eggs dud, dead-in-shell etc. Basically 3 latebreds from her whole years breeding. She's now been flying out around 4 months and is in much better nick, split in October, she's taken up with a yearling hen now.  Sods law  ;D

 

So think the age of a breeding cock or hen doesn't matter, provided they are still breeding of course  ;D  because their ova / sperm isn't affected by age. I know of two sales up here where birds aged 7 & 12 yo sold OK for stock, the 7yo belonged to the late Andrew Deans and went for £1000. Robert Cormack kept back pigeons older than 12yo from his clearance sale to live out their days with him. Think I'm right in saying he has a 17yo cock still filling his eggs this year.

 

On racing its surely horses for courses. Some long distance families don't mature till they're 3 yo, so in their prime 4/5/6 yo and still able to compete for prizes beyond that?

 

 

[Silverdale Lofts]

Think i would check why they were dead in shell