Giving Birds A Year Off

[REDCHEQHEN]

One of our hens had the year off in 2010 because she was injured and in 2011 she had her best season (at the age of 4)

 

We had previously done this with another hen (again through injury) and the same thing happened (best season from her as well)

 

We rested 2 hens this year (2011 season)one of which will be 5 years old 2012 - but had scored several times as a 2 year old (including 2nd Fed Clermont)but did nothing the following year

 

Have any members tried this, if so what were the results?

[OLDYELLOW]

Have always thought of not racing yearlings and just racing them as 2 year olds if had the room I'd certainly have a go with it saying that I had a hen season before last just put loads of weight on never got it off so she didn't race only kept her to keep her cock happy then year after clocked her at 512 miles .

[andy Burgess]

had a little blue hen the first year i started ,was on natural , sent as a yearling ,only trained 5 or 6 times as a youngster to 16 mile , was 5th club first week and not out of top ten in club every week beating hundreds of widowhood cocks .put her to stock ,bred a little blue hen to win 4th prize at 262 miles , gave the daughter a year off and sent her again .......not to be seen . so yes and no ??

[Guest Tooshy Boy]

YOU NO IT WORKS SO KEEP ONDOOING IT BEST OF LUCK.//

[tiger]

wont do it any harm ch pied hen of mine year of scored at maidstone this year on fed result

[Rooster J. Cogburn]

Know off a good loft that always uses yearling hens for his widowers.They are raced hard as youngsters,then given a year our before he puts them back on the road as two year olds and they hold their own.They are just replaced by the next batch of yearling hens coming through for the widow cocks.

 

Thought this was quite a clever way of doing it.

[fletch]

in my opinion,

it all depends on the pigeon,

have known it with the ybs to yearlings maybe because of the hard training they have as ybs

but not sure why it works

could be a easy life makes the energy vaults full again

our could be they have become more attached to the home and they want to get back more

our just older headed

[victorious]

One of our hens had the year off in 2010 because she was injured and in 2011 she had her best season (at the age of 4)

 

We had previously done this with another hen (again through injury) and the same thing happened (best season from her as well)

 

We rested 2 hens this year (2011 season)one of which will be 5 years old 2012 - but had scored several times as a 2 year old (including 2nd Fed Clermont)but did nothing the following year

 

Have any members tried this, if so what were the results?

that really does tell you something maybe a lesson to be learned its called patience id love and might even try it with a few , put it this way some birds wattles are not even grown fully until ther 3/4 years old ,seems when reading old books the old hands did have lots of patience not like many today, a lesson to be learned maybe.

[bibendium]

hope it does them some good i will be racing 40 old birds that were my late dads in the coming season that have been broken to my place but havent raced at all last season,

[Guest Tooshy Boy]

THE BEST OF LUCK MATE BUT YOU NO SOME WILL GO BACK TO YOUR DADS FIRST BUT THEY WILL GET FED UP WITH IT THE FOLLOWING SEASON TI WATCH FOR ALL THE BEST.///

[bibendium]

Fully expecting to loose a good few, and for some to come come back from dads old place , still I will have a few yearlings that flew the programme to hopefully keep me at the races,lol,

[Guest Tooshy Boy]

IT WILL THEM A WE WHILE TO GET USE TO IT THEN HOPEFULLY YOU WILL GO TO TOWN MATE.///

[eastcoaster]

Interesting ! I had already decided to give my darkness young birds a year off mostly because i`m not happy with most of their moult .

[REDCHEQHEN]

One of our hens had the year off in 2010 because she was injured and in 2011 she had her best season (at the age of 4)

 

We had previously done this with another hen (again through injury) and the same thing happened (best season from her as well)

 

We rested 2 hens this year (2011 season)one of which will be 5 years old 2012 - but had scored several times as a 2 year old (including 2nd Fed Clermont)but did nothing the following year

 

Have any members tried this, if so what were the results?

 

 

The reason I asked is that these hens have had a year off because of 'circumstances' and haven't been given the year off intentionally. The two that were raced after a year off had been injured. The 2 that were given the year off in 2011 were put in the stock loft, because of results or their breeding, but did not breed anything of note,(or as in one case, all 3 rounds of eggs were broken, clumsiness...) so are being put back on the road.

[fletch]

Interesting ! I had already decided to give my darkness young birds a year off mostly because i`m not happy with most of their moult .

 

 

i think they will do a good turn mate after a year off

[demolition man]

One of our hens had the year off in 2010 because she was injured and in 2011 she had her best season (at the age of 4)

 

We had previously done this with another hen (again through injury) and the same thing happened (best season from her as well)

 

We rested 2 hens this year (2011 season)one of which will be 5 years old 2012 - but had scored several times as a 2 year old (including 2nd Fed Clermont)but did nothing the following year

 

Have any members tried this, if so what were the results?

 

 

My old dark cheq called sixteen. i lost him as a youngbird on the last race of the season in september upto that point he raced every race, he came back in march the following year in a right old state, i gave him a year off to moult, he repayed me ten fold winning 10th open combine 400mls 7,400 birds, also 3 open combine postions from 500 miles with over 4,500 birds on the day he also won the london combine hall of fame to boot. so i would say a rest does them no harm at all

[dwh]

WHEN I STARTED FLYING WITH MY M8 RON HE HAD ONLY FLOWN W/H COCKS

WE DECIDED TO RACE 8 PAIR OF NATURALS ALL FLEW WELL

ALL THE HENS WERE YEARLINGS APART FROM 2 WHICH WERE 2YR

WHICH HAD BEEN W/H HENS AND NEVER BEEN OUT THE LOFT FOR A YEAR

A 2YR DH.HEN CAME TO WIN 1ST RACE BUT WOULD'NT TRAP FLEW FOR OVER A MIN. AND ENDED UP 5TH CLUB

AND FLEW WELL INLAND ALL SEASON JUST MISSING OUT

THE OTHER A BL/W HEN CAME TO WIN I WAS'NT AT THE LOFT THAT DAY AND RON WAS IN THE LOFT WHEN SHE CAME

SHE WAS THERE FOR OVER 5 MINS AND WOULD HAVE FLOWN LONGER IF A NEIGHBOUR HAD'NT SHOUTED

SHE WAS 6TH CLUB AND SHE TO WAS THERE EVERY WEEK SHE RACED JUST MISSING OUT FINALLY LOST THEM BOTH OUT OF THE CHANNEL

SAME YEAR

SO WHY NOT STOP THEM FOR A YEAR !

[iMO]JUST DON'T PUSH THEM TO HARD