Selection.

[alex young]

Now that most have finished racing we now have to select what we will keep through the off season,how do you all make your selections on what to keep,is it on performance,breeding or making up empty nestboxes etc.?

[sapper756]

I will be looking at performance of their offspring, also intend to cut down on stock pairs, with regards to racers, I will be also looking at performance, and also the age of some of my racershttp://forum.pigeonbasics.org/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif Another thing that I take into account is the numbers required in each team for the following season, ie, widowers, and cocks and hens for the natural teamhttp://forum.pigeonbasics.org/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

[Wiley]

ONLY PERFORMANCE !!

[Guest cloudview]

this depends on what type of bird you keep , ie sprinters that have not performed or at least been cosistant up to 2 year old are most likely going to get any better , but with distance birds this takes longer as it can be 2 to 3 years before these are coming into thier own , there are exceptions of coarse , so i think its a case of knowing your own family of birds ,and if we only kept birds on perfomance i thik most lofts would struggle to find a handful .

too many fanciers blame the birds instead of having a good look in the mirror i.m.o.

[Guest IB]

It's been a year of heavy losses amongst my OBs, so for race birds at least, the basket has selected them for me, and those that remained at season's end had already earned their place.

 

I select stock pigeons solely on their offsping's performance: (yearlings must do Coast or Ypres; and 2 y-o 500 mile channel race.) Only one didn't measure up he'd bred nothing with any hen , and I removed him before OB racing ended. But it isn't foolproof. I removed another at same time, a hen, because she was last in her line - I'd dropped all others - except one I'd already written off even though she had still to be tested, and she won an Open position in Clermont... so giving me a 'two fingers to you then'

[dal2]

It's been a year of heavy losses amongst my OBs, so for race birds at least, the basket has selected them for me, and those that remained at season's end had already earned their place.

 

I select stock pigeons solely on their offsping's performance: (yearlings must do Coast or Ypres; and 2 y-o 500 mile channel race.) Only one didn't measure up he'd bred nothing with any hen , and I removed him before OB racing ended. But it isn't foolproof. I removed another at same time, a hen, because she was last in her line - I'd dropped all others - except one I'd already written off even though she had still to be tested, and she won an Open position in Clermont... so giving me a 'two fingers to you then'

 

Ithought this was the only wae tae do it!! unless you had 50 younguns left and didny have enuff room for them.

 

The only difference for me is that i rotate the pairs that dont work for up to 3 years then if nowt then gone. If yer racin the channel wae yer selected new blood then it make take 4/5 years tae get the blend rite and sometimes a cross could be required so patience is the name of the game.

 

Cheers steven

[Guest IB]

Ithought this was the only wae tae do it!! unless you had 50 younguns left and didny have enuff room for them.

 

The only difference for me is that i rotate the pairs that dont work for up to 3 years then if nowt then gone. If yer racin the channel wae yer selected new blood then it make take 4/5 years tae get the blend rite and sometimes a cross could be required so patience is the name of the game.

 

Cheers steven

 

Hi Steven

 

I change my pairs every year too, as you say it takes a minimum of 2 years to see if the offspring can fly the channel so rather than wait, this finds the birds that can throw them with different mates.

 

The bird I took out was an 02 pigeon. Its taken me 7 years to breed pigeons that fly the channel, so you're spot on with time & need for patience.

 

Ian