geordie1234 Posted January 31, 2011 Report Posted January 31, 2011 Well guys all going well i will have my second loft(old bird loft) this weekend and erected then get my birds back to get them settled in Monday or Tuesday and then pairing a week later! Is there anytips for pairing up or anything that should do that will help the process apart from putting a cock with a hen lol Thanks in advance for any replies
lenton1163 Posted January 31, 2011 Report Posted January 31, 2011 i paired up a couple of days ago and i would say choose your boxes wiseley i have widowhood boxes in my stock loft and up and over boxes in my old bird loft and i find the widowhood boxes alot better so much though after ive weaned the young birds off im going to rip the up and over ones out and replace them with widowhood ones.
geordie1234 Posted January 31, 2011 Author Report Posted January 31, 2011 i paired up a couple of days ago and i would say choose your boxes wiseley i have widowhood boxes in my stock loft and up and over boxes in my old bird loft and i find the widowhood boxes alot better so much though after ive weaned the young birds off im going to rip the up and over ones out and replace them with widowhood ones.Good stuff thats the boxes ive got widowhood ones
lenton1163 Posted January 31, 2011 Report Posted January 31, 2011 i think they are better but that is just my opinion cheaper to buy plus cheaper to replace fronts.
OLDYELLOW Posted January 31, 2011 Report Posted January 31, 2011 Widowhood style boxes makes pairing much easier , ensure cocks settled before introducing hens , ensure your birds aren't too fat before pairing , take note of which cocks have taken boxes and in which ones there in then place hens in the boxes you want them to be in feed hens in boxes for 3 days , the birds should be billing through the bars then let cock in with hen make sure hen has something to stand on just incase cock is aggressive once your pairs look to be paired put a bowl in straw on floor and let a few pairs out at a time till there going back to there own boxes then slowly you'l be able to let them have free acess to there boxes good luck Ensure you provide plenty of grit and minerals all year round
geordie1234 Posted January 31, 2011 Author Report Posted January 31, 2011 Widowhood style boxes makes pairing much easier , ensure cocks settled before introducing hens , ensure your birds aren't too fat before pairing , take note of which cocks have taken boxes and in which ones there in then place hens in the boxes you want them to be in feed hens in boxes for 3 days , the birds should be billing through the bars then let cock in with hen make sure hen has something to stand on just incase cock is aggressive once your pairs look to be paired put a bowl in straw on floor and let a few pairs out at a time till there going back to there own boxes then slowly you'l be able to let them have free acess to there boxes good luck cheers old yellow i plan to leave the cocks in that section for a week should be enough time for them to get settled ae?
OLDYELLOW Posted January 31, 2011 Report Posted January 31, 2011 cheers old yellow i plan to leave the cocks in that section for a week should be enough time for them to get settled ae?yup week be fine
lenton1163 Posted January 31, 2011 Report Posted January 31, 2011 Widowhood style boxes makes pairing much easier , ensure cocks settled before introducing hens , ensure your birds aren't too fat before pairing , take note of which cocks have taken boxes and in which ones there in then place hens in the boxes you want them to be in feed hens in boxes for 3 days , the birds should be billing through the bars then let cock in with hen make sure hen has something to stand on just incase cock is aggressive once your pairs look to be paired put a bowl in straw on floor and let a few pairs out at a time till there going back to there own boxes then slowly you'l be able to let them have free acess to there boxes good luck Ensure you provide plenty of grit and minerals all year round very good advise
symbol_of_hope Posted February 3, 2011 Report Posted February 3, 2011 Hey all. Hoping for a few tips on my first time pairing up my show racers. What is everyone's usual policy? Do you like to let them choose a mate themselves and hope for good matches or chuck your ideal matches in a box and see what happens?How long should I keep a desired pair isolated? Anything important I should keep in mind that might be easily overlooked?How much will it matter if I move a pair of birds to a different parting or loft after pairing...? (but keep them together)Also any quick descriptions of best loft conditions for breeding? Lighter or darker, more open or closed in...? Bearing in mind the weather we've had recently... Any advice appreciated! Russ
OLDYELLOW Posted February 3, 2011 Report Posted February 3, 2011 Hey all. Hoping for a few tips on my first time pairing up my show racers. What is everyone's usual policy? Do you like to let them choose a mate themselves and hope for good matches or chuck your ideal matches in a box and see what happens?How long should I keep a desired pair isolated? Anything important I should keep in mind that might be easily overlooked?How much will it matter if I move a pair of birds to a different parting or loft after pairing...? (but keep them together)Also any quick descriptions of best loft conditions for breeding? Lighter or darker, more open or closed in...? Bearing in mind the weather we've had recently... Any advice appreciated! RussMerged your topic as I think this answers your question Widowhood style boxes makes pairing much easier , ensure cocks settled before introducing hens , ensure your birds aren't too fat before pairing , take note of which cocks have taken boxes and in which ones there in then place hens in the boxes you want them to be in feed hens in boxes for 3 days , the birds should be billing through the bars then let cock in with hen make sure hen has something to stand on just incase cock is aggressive once your pairs look to be paired put a bowl in straw on floor and let a few pairs out at a time till there going back to there own boxes then slowly you'l be able to let them have free acess to there boxes good luck Ensure you provide plenty of grit and minerals all year round
symbol_of_hope Posted February 3, 2011 Report Posted February 3, 2011 Merged your topic as I think this answers your question Widowhood style boxes makes pairing much easier , ensure cocks settled before introducing hens , ensure your birds aren't too fat before pairing , take note of which cocks have taken boxes and in which ones there in then place hens in the boxes you want them to be in feed hens in boxes for 3 days , the birds should be billing through the bars then let cock in with hen make sure hen has something to stand on just incase cock is aggressive once your pairs look to be paired put a bowl in straw on floor and let a few pairs out at a time till there going back to there own boxes then slowly you'l be able to let them have free acess to there boxes good luck Ensure you provide plenty of grit and minerals all year round Thanks old yellow! I did just come across this one. What are the benefits of widowhood technique for show birds? I'm still relatively new. Got a few cards in showing season but no proper experience with breeding yet. Was hoping for some advice that is show-specific as opposed to racing.
OLDYELLOW Posted February 3, 2011 Report Posted February 3, 2011 Thanks old yellow! I did just come across this one. What are the benefits of widowhood technique for show birds? I'm still relatively new. Got a few cards in showing season but no proper experience with breeding yet. Was hoping for some advice that is show-specific as opposed to racing.it's not so much the widowhood system it's the style of boxes , it allows you to lock hen back feed and water , the cock already owns box and gets used to the hen of your choice which is important in both racing and showing if wishing to breed from your birds and pairing for shape / form , colouring or on winning genes
symbol_of_hope Posted February 3, 2011 Report Posted February 3, 2011 it's not so much the widowhood system it's the style of boxes , it allows you to lock hen back feed and water , the cock already owns box and gets used to the hen of your choice which is important in both racing and showing if wishing to breed from your birds and pairing for shape / form , colouring or on winning genes Thanks. Some of this may seem obvious but only after it's been written down I get ice on my drinkers some mornings with this weather we've been having. Is that acceptable? I don't see how I can make it any warmer in the lofts though. Should I hold breeding off for a while until it's warmer? The birds seem fine with it, but don't want to make things harder for myself on my first breeding venture.
OLDYELLOW Posted February 3, 2011 Report Posted February 3, 2011 Thanks. Some of this may seem obvious but only after it's been written down I get ice on my drinkers some mornings with this weather we've been having. Is that acceptable? I don't see how I can make it any warmer in the lofts though. Should I hold breeding off for a while until it's warmer? The birds seem fine with it, but don't want to make things harder for myself on my first breeding venture.you can buy heater pads or just simply water am empty before gets too dark and refill early morning after
symbol_of_hope Posted February 3, 2011 Report Posted February 3, 2011 you can buy heater pads or just simply water am empty before gets too dark and refill early morning after Yeah the refilling is what I'm currently doing. Don't have an electricity supply up there so the pads aren't really an option atm. But just wanted to make sure this isn't unacceptably cold for the birds to be living in? I mean some days the drinker is frozen solid! I know they are tough but it still impresses me how well they deal with it. If it was me living in that loft I probably would have froze to death by now.
OLDYELLOW Posted February 3, 2011 Report Posted February 3, 2011 Yeah the refilling is what I'm currently doing. Don't have an electricity supply up there so the pads aren't really an option atm. But just wanted to make sure this isn't unacceptably cold for the birds to be living in? I mean some days the drinker is frozen solid! I know they are tough but it still impresses me how well they deal with it. If it was me living in that loft I probably would have froze to death by now.Birds are used to living outside and extremely tough they regulate there own heat , as long as they have water before them for most of the day they be fine , a little tip is to put a plastic beaker near your back door if waters frozen in beaker its most likely to be frozen in your loft .Is it too cold to be breeding no it's not just ensure your birds have plenty of nesting materials Biggest problem with frozen water is birds use water to regulate there heat , if they dehydrate they wont keep warm and would perish
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