Breaking Birds

[sapper756]

Following on from a thread I have just read, re prisoner birds. I think it would be interesting for members to share their experiences, both good and bad, when attempting to break birds to a new location.

 

How did you do it?

 

Was this successful/unsuccessful?

 

If unsuccessful, why do you think this was the case?

 

How did you feel, breaking a bird/losing a bird?

 

THANK YOUhttp://forum.pigeonbasics.org/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

[Fly_caster]

Are you looking for comments on older birds only or birds of all ages ? I've broken over 50 YB's to my new loft this summer.....all bred by others obviously.....and ranging from fledged + 2 weeks to fledged + 5 weeks old when I received them.

 

Steve

[sapper756]

Are you looking for comments on older birds only or birds of all ages ? I've broken over 50 YB's to my new loft this summer.....all bred by others obviously.....and ranging from fledged + 2 weeks to fledged + 5 weeks old when I received them.

 

Steve

 

 

Any age m8http://forum.pigeonbasics.org/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

[DAVIDL]

settled a young red hen this year that was too strong on the wing, and would have been off given the chance..........dipped her in a bucket of soapy water and soaked her, then she could only walk around the garden......till she dried out, so didnt leave herout tooo long.

 

have heard to settle older birds is to cut the end flights so they cant fly, especially when moulting is a good time so they get used to the surrounds and them grow the new flights.......maybe do both wings or just one. this is just what ive been told but never done it.

[Fly_caster]

Any age m8

 

 

I'm no expert - merely a noobie ! .......For what it's worth - loads of baths, regular feeding times (accompanied by a distinctive whistle) and an aviary for orientation and acclimatisation to their new surroundings.

 

I usually go light on the food for a few days prior to planned release.......reducing from 2 to one feed per day so as I can get them to trap with the older birds. As soon as they are broken, I restore the feeding regime as before.

 

We've also done the hand-feeding bit to settle birds - which worked well. I'm now just about to open up the 3 compartments of the loft to all of the birds and will let them do what they will for the winter - making it "home" for themselves as they will. They can pair-up of they wish and even lay if they wish up as far as Mid-December, when I will split them for a few months before pairing properly for stock and racing next season.

 

All my birds are distance lines so despite the vast majority of them being latebreds, will be happy to train into the end of November to about 30/40 miles, whilst having this "open loft". They will also be flying to a hole in the loft, as opposed to strictly exercising once or twice per day, again, to develop further the link between the birds and "home". They will be raced inland to 300 miles next year, and possibly get the channel once or twice if they are showing the right stuff as yearlings. As 2 year olds they will get plenty of the channel and possibly France if shaping up correctly. The "home" regime should, at that stage, be paying it's dividends.

 

This recognises the "supposed" late maturing of the (a)distance strains and (b)late-breds. From what I have read to date of late-breds (the much maligned LATE BRED) people don't rate them at all. Of those that do they stress the softly-softly approach. On the other hand, I have read many reports of successful racing and breeding birds which were late bred.................Go Figure !

 

Dunno if any of this helps any....hope it does,

 

 

ATB,

 

Steve

[Whats it called Cumbernauld]

Wee Story regards this thread

 

Bought a two year old cock at Blackpool show many years ago.Wintered well in and out ok.Sent him to our first race that April got him back first won bclub about 65 miles.Same race point the following week sent him again.That was the last i seen of him.About two weeks later i got a letter from mr Manfred Krubbs the original owner from Germany.The bird had returned to his loft

 

So you can never be sure they will stay.

 

Never sent for him if he wanted to be back in his loft, he had proved he deserved it.

[Guest Gareth Rankin]

At my present address which is surrounded by tall trees my percentages on breaking pigeons has been extremely poor, where as at my old location which was very open area the percentages of broken pigeons was extremely high.

[sapper756]

At my present address which is surrounded by tall trees my percentages on breaking pigeons has been extremely poor, where as at my old location which was very open area the percentages of broken pigeons was extremely high.

 

 

how did you go about breaking them Gareth?

[Guest IB]

First the pigeon needs to know you and be settled into the loft and the daily routine. Access to a cage, aviary veranda or sputnik lets the bird see its surroundings and I think also helps it to fix on its new home. I have an aviary and a veranda. They usually tell you when they are ready. When I think it’s that time I let the other birds out (they’ve not been fed) and after they have come back down from their morning fly, and are down pottering about the garden, I let the bird walk out the door and potter about the garden with them, hopefully it’ll do that for around an hour before it decides it wants to take a better look at / spin round the place.

 

At least that’s the way I prefer it happens, but it doesn’t always and the bird may go up right away onto the loft or house roof, which I still don’t mind as long as it looks comfortable, is still sticking close and is having a right good look around – and I want it to come back down rather than go for a fly – but when it does I want to see signs from the way it is flying that that it is enjoying itself and looks ‘as if it was born here’. When it comes down I don’t make a fuss, I get it in by calling the other birds in - and feeding them. If it doesn’t come down (ie goes for a spin and disappears) I feed the birds but leave them out, it may be somewhere close, but it will want to see birds there that it recognises when it returns.

 

I prefer to have pigeons broken when unpaired and before the breeding season. I had an exception to that, a 10 y-o hen. I got her at end of racing season, and she took up almost immediately with a young cock, and laid to him. Should have tried her then, but left her till following spring, went back to her old loft twice, 1st time she was chased but wouldn’t clear & was brought back, 2nd time she was allowed into her old loft and ‘shown’ that there was nothing there for her any more: her old mate was gone and her old box was locked up. She was then put back out and came back to me, I found her sitting her eggs, and she was allowed free flight after that. So with an older pigeon help & co-operation of former owner is a must.

[yeboah]

At my present address which is surrounded by tall trees my percentages on breaking pigeons has been extremely poor, where as at my old location which was very open area the percentages of broken pigeons was extremely high.

 

Was given a pigeon a few years back as a gift ,had a jacket on ,put it in garden shed for few days

 

until its nominated flight could not beleive it when it was sitting at loft door next day wanting

 

in ,the wonders of nature .

[retired]

Never had a great deal of success with breaking birds, did however have a Denduyver cock from Blythy escape only to come back an hour later and stay so lucky there -he goes out regular now.

 

The very best person i have ever seen settle pigeons was a good mate of mine Jim Smith originally from Prestonpans - he could bring a bird in on a Monday and have it broken in 3-4 days and racing the next week - how god knows?

[frank-123]

Never had a great deal of success with breaking birds, did however have a Denduyver cock from Blythy escape only to come back an hour later and stay so lucky there -he goes out regular now.

 

The very best person i have ever seen settle pigeons was a good mate of mine Jim Smith originally from Prestonpans - he could bring a bird in on a Monday and have it broken in 3-4 days and racing the next week - how god knows?

 

the late davie baird and jimmy mcmillan bought most of the birds from a club mate who was selling up

all birds were broken in two weeks

there idea is get them out quickly for two weeks they collected the birds from the old loft and returned to there own loft and fed them

after hearing this the birds i bought from the same club mate i tried it it worked a treat

obvoiusly the two lofts were a couple of miles apart dont fancy traveling to collect if it was much further