How to delay the moult

[Devo1956]

Sorry i put this post on the wrong topic., should have been Looking OK.

[Andy]

If members wanted there hens in good feather for mid September for a old hens race
How would they go about
The hens would rear in March then not sit the 2nd round
Fly out daily but not race to say late June early July with a target race in mid September
Would it be a form of darkness and if so how would you go about it or is there other ways to do it

You could split the hens from the cocks before they lay again on the 2nd round Neil. I pair my widowhood cocks up on Boxing Day. They rear the youngsters until they are 14 days old when the hens are removed. The cocks left to finish rearing the youngsters. As the hens haven’t laid again neither the cocks or hens start dropping their flights until mid June. I don’t know about darkness so couldn’t answer that bit. But I would think that you wouldn’t want to put them on any form of darkness.
If you’re planning on pairing in March I still think you could rear a round and remove them before they laid again so preventing them from going into the moult.

[Andy]

Neil, i feel it would work on old hens, you're just tricking the natural molt, by delaying the molt.

I’m not great on these things
I know years ago fanciers in London used to burn the end flight I guess for the same reason.
So in your view if I pair in late feb and they raise a pair of babies but don’t race the old bird programme but race the yb program as trainers then have a target race at 300 miles in September when would you think the time to do it would be
See I’m thinking of pairing my 20 race cocks to these hens which should be all yearlings and racing my 7 old hens only in the old bird season ( clubs limit is 30)
Then the ones that come best at Berwick in September become the old bird hen racers for the next year

I think you could use those hens as widowhood hens during the old bird season. If you can race them with the youngsters in the young bird program all the better. We can race old birds with our youngsters with the WOESRC. Fanciers use this for the any age nationals. Would you re-pair them? This is when they could start to rattle through the moult. I know fanciers who snip the top off the flight next to drop to hold the moult up.
As I said I don’t do darkness so can’t really comment but all the other members in our club are. With our young bird racing this year going into October I know talk this weekend was how to stop the darkness youngsters going into a full moult before the end of the season. Talk was of having to use lights in the loft to lengthen the day light hours.

[NeilA]

Thinking pair February Andy remove when babies are 18 days
Split then darken them to August
Shut them out in aviary while I’m at work
Fly them a hour before work
That’s the basic idea but I’m here to learn
To compete in September they have to be darken in some form I think