Young Pigeon

pigeonman2013 · December 13, 2015

hi i have some young pigeons that have not had any racing or training as babies what will they be like for racing has yearlings this season coming

Roland · December 13, 2015

A couple of chucks on fine days and no problem.

Sent my untested yearlings and late breds 180 mile race first time in basket this year.

Said I was going back to old days when constantly skint. 9 out of 13 did well ... thought till last moment I had won the race. One late bred took a couple of months.

Many a good result from yearling have first race upto 450 mile and 2 y o's flying Pau with distinction. Never, personally, done that far though.

Kyleakin Lofts · December 13, 2015

I have never raced my YB's. Some have had a few chucks, the late-bred ones none. I race them all out to 165 miles the following year, albeit because of the moult, dropping three flights at once, some only reached 130 miles. The yearlings that had been tossed went to 180 or 280 miles.

ovy1255 · December 13, 2015

save your time and effort--kull the lot--you will loss nearly all trying to train and the rest as soon as you try racing them .

paddymac · December 13, 2015

Theres always an exception to the rule as most fanciers believe that Ybs need to be trained in the year of their birth even if they are not raced. I'd just give it a go and just take it easy with them and you never know. Best of luck :smiling-scarecrow-329:

Roland · December 14, 2015

Well the moult puts some off.

But also the myth of heavy losses. They bred 60 - 100 youngsters and may finish up with 13 - 20 etc. and have spent a lot on fuel getting them up the Road and into races... Never to get any youngsters.... The breed 30 - 40 late bred (lose 15 - 25)... get some youngsters off them and as 18 (2 ear olds' get every good as result if not far better, and spout that THEY ARE a waste of time eh!

Best way ever to add to stock, start a family, and supplement losses. A boon if room and patience.

Kyleakin Lofts · December 14, 2015

Well the moult puts some off.
But also the myth of heavy losses. They bred 60 - 100 youngsters and may finish up with 13 - 20 etc. and have spent a lot on fuel getting them up the Road and into races... Never to get any youngsters.... The breed 30 - 40 late bred (lose 15 - 25)... get some youngsters off them and as 18 (2 ear olds' get every good as result if not far better, and spout that THEY ARE a waste of time eh!
Best way ever to add to stock, start a family, and supplement losses. A boon if room and patience.

It is normally only late-breds that I breed. Very few earlier ones, if any. It takes a little longer and some more patience, but they seem to be coming on well. I have less losses now than when I was breeding earlier YB's.

I bred 09 and 10 yb's as normal, but since then it has been late-breds in the main. 2011 was a bad year for me, 2012, a little better, 2013 and 2014, I think I have it sussed now on how to deal with them. The earlier years, 2011 and 2012, I pushed them too hard and was too impatient.

Very often they have more nest flights than new ones. The nest flights hold more water and deteriorate as the season progresses, so you have to be careful with weather and keep an eye on their moult. Dropping three flights in the one week is their way of catching up. Growing feathers takes energy as well, so if you give them care and time, they will reward you.

gulkie · December 14, 2015

Don't listen to that crap about kill the lot .you persevere give them loads of short tosses

When they beat you home take them a little further,you will lose some ,when they have

Plenty of road work,give them a couple of short races then put them by till the following

year ,and what you have left will be worth keeping .good luck to you mate .

Roland · December 14, 2015

Don't listen to that crap about kill the lot .you persevere give them loads of short tosses
When they beat you home take them a little further,you will lose some ,when they have
Plenty of road work,give them a couple of short races then put them by till the following
year ,and what you have left will be worth keeping .good luck to you mate .

Sense there mate.

peter pandy · December 14, 2015

Best pigeons I ever owned and raced were Late Breds.

December 14, 2015

save your time and effort--kull the lot--you will loss nearly all trying to train and the rest as soon as you try racing them .

that is some statement to make to anyone

We man · December 14, 2015

Good advice there from Roland and Gulkie there mate,nice and easy with them as yearlings and at 2year olds and racing to eggs or youngsters they will do you proud,pay no attention to the old wifes tale they must train or race as ybs,plenty who do are losing them by the thousands with ybs that have been hammered training and racing and the following year fill their lofts with ybs,try and stear clear of being a mob flyer who starts off with 100 ybs and can be left with about 20 they may have good results but at a cost,a few I have known treat the birds as numbers where as we treat them as our wee friends,love of home is a very powerfull tool so stick with it mate and all the best,never trained ybs or raced them for years and am more than happy what they have done for me,winning from 560 mls will do me fine,once again this is only my opinion and plenty will not agree with me but if it helps YOU in any way that suits me all the best.

Tony C · December 14, 2015

IMO there's two schools of thought on this. In the main sprint flyers would say don't bother whilst those more distance orientated believe they'll pay dividends later in life.

We man · December 14, 2015

IMO there's two schools of thought on this. In the main sprint flyers would say don't bother whilst those more distance orientated believe they'll pay dividends later in life.

Yes got to agree with you on that.

ovy1255 · December 14, 2015

Time will tell !

But stand by my thoughts---latebreds are good to put in the stock loft but losses if they are trained and raced in my experience losses are horrendous.

Young birds bred and basket training starting at 12 to 14 weeks old at short distances slowly building to 15 miles raced as much as possible if birds are fit and healthy and weather permits .

BUT MANY ROADS TO ROME ---do as you want and enjoy yourself as you attempt to beat your clubmates--good luck for 2016

Roland · December 15, 2015

Strange that ovy1255, I, like many others have great success loss wise.

I actually made a mistake once with a September born late bred hen. I sent her nigh every week ... She won the Scottish averages on her own the next season at 9 / months of age. I perhaps asked too much?

Many breed early birds and put old rings on them and race in the O/B season with great success.

Feel warm days trained, then May / June in sunny days and they tend to show their mettle... Next season any where they will hold their own. Bred in the pink, trained in the purple and one gets colourful results.