Stock how many do we keep

[NeilA]

Down to 4 stock cocks and 3 on trial
3 brothers and one of there sons
One from the same source
One Mike told me to add
And my £50 cock that I took a shine to

I have a few at a pals that I will have 8 to 10 to race off but there not my base family there more modern pigeons i am trying

How many do members keep at stock
I believe Andy has no stock I’m not far off at 5 of these fly out

I have 8 babies coming from a source Mike recommended to me for a certain line that’s worked well as I’m going down that route of only birds that win for me and often find there way to the stock shed
It’s been hard moving pigeons on but it’s sorted now

[Andy]

Yes you’re right Neil. I don’t keep stock birds as such. All my birds fly out. I do have an 8 year old cock that was one of my first bred youngsters when I restarted. He is a favourite of my wife’s and I’ve never been allowed to race him. But of course as I race widowhood, apart from the odd natural pair, the hens aren’t raced, so you could say they are effectively stock hens.

[NeilA]

Yes you’re right Neil. I don’t keep stock birds as such. All my birds fly out. I do have an 8 year old cock that was one of my first bred youngsters when I restarted. He is a favourite of my wife’s and I’ve never been allowed to race him. But of course as I race widowhood, apart from the odd natural pair, the hens aren’t raced, so you could say they are effectively stock hens.

Are you or tempted to pair race hens to retired race cocks to breed from and race to

[Andy]

Yes you’re right Neil. I don’t keep stock birds as such. All my birds fly out. I do have an 8 year old cock that was one of my first bred youngsters when I restarted. He is a favourite of my wife’s and I’ve never been allowed to race him. But of course as I race widowhood, apart from the odd natural pair, the hens aren’t raced, so you could say they are effectively stock hens.

Are you or tempted to pair race hens to retired race cocks to breed from and race to

Yes Neil. That is the way I used to do it but at present have no cocks that I feel have done enough to be retired. I will however have probably 6 pairs of naturals that will consist of 2 year old hens paired to late bred cocks. Those hens will be raced natural.

[Murray]

I have seven stock cocks which were bought in as eggs or youngsters and have never been trained.
Three Heremans cocks, 2 are two year olds and 1 three year old. One is called The Roadrunner, and may be a goldmine. He's a son of a champion breeder and is shaping up to be one too. He's the image of his father.
Four Jos Thone' cocks, 2 are three year olds and 2 are 4 year olds.
The hens are the Billion Dollar Baby, the Trillian Baby, the yearling Heremans hen, the B$B daughter, the Heremans x Gaby sisters and the 600 mile hen. At 6, she's the oldest. The Grizzle Thone's mate is about the last of my old strain, Van Loon x Jansen. Mainly Van Loon. 2021 pigeon.
So I'm well placed for the next few years as the stock birds are young and healthy. I still have a few old favorites, the original Jansen, his son The Diver and the old Jos Thon'e hen, and Squeaker and Julia, who are on the pension now.
Last year I had a lovely youngster by the White Flight Thone' out of the Melbourne 600 mile hen. He had had every toss, and they had plenty, and never put a foot wrong. He handles beautifully and was simply the pick of the bunch. So I did something I possibly shouldn't have. I kept him and gave him a try breeding. He's on babies now.

[NeilA]

Yes you’re right Neil. I don’t keep stock birds as such. All my birds fly out. I do have an 8 year old cock that was one of my first bred youngsters when I restarted. He is a favourite of my wife’s and I’ve never been allowed to race him. But of course as I race widowhood, apart from the odd natural pair, the hens aren’t raced, so you could say they are effectively stock hens.

Are you or tempted to pair race hens to retired race cocks to breed from and race to

Yes Neil. That is the way I used to do it but at present have no cocks that I feel have done enough to be retired. I will however have probably 6 pairs of naturals that will consist of 2 year old hens paired to late bred cocks. Those hens will be raced natural.

Good plan to test the hens

[NeilA]

I have seven stock cocks which were bought in as eggs or youngsters and have never been trained.
Three Heremans cocks, 2 are two year olds and 1 three year old. One is called The Roadrunner, and may be a goldmine. He's a son of a champion breeder and is shaping up to be one too. He's the image of his father.
Four Jos Thone' cocks, 2 are three year olds and 2 are 4 year olds.
The hens are the Billion Dollar Baby, the Trillian Baby, the yearling Heremans hen, the B$B daughter, the Heremans x Gaby sisters and the 600 mile hen. At 6, she's the oldest. The Grizzle Thone's mate is about the last of my old strain, Van Loon x Jansen. Mainly Van Loon. 2021 pigeon.
So I'm well placed for the next few years as the stock birds are young and healthy. I still have a few old favorites, the original Jansen, his son The Diver and the old Jos Thon'e hen, and Squeaker and Julia, who are on the pension now.
Last year I had a lovely youngster by the White Flight Thone' out of the Melbourne 600 mile hen. He had had every toss, and they had plenty, and never put a foot wrong. He handles beautifully and was simply the pick of the bunch. So I did something I possibly shouldn't have. I kept him and gave him a try breeding. He's on babies now.

Seem a nice team Murray

[Buster121]

Simple answer way to many seeing as I no longer race

[MIL]

I used to try and keep it under 6 pairs if possible

I didn't need any more because I was only taking 36 YB for my own YB team to start with

I was more interested in surrounding myself with my best pigeons than anythng else

At Stock there was the base team that I originally acquired - these got sorted out over time and the elite were kept

Then only the repeat performers got added to them

Nothing, absolutely nothing got into the Stock shed by chance

[Murray]

I have seven stock cocks which were bought in as eggs or youngsters and have never been trained.
Three Heremans cocks, 2 are two year olds and 1 three year old. One is called The Roadrunner, and may be a goldmine. He's a son of a champion breeder and is shaping up to be one too. He's the image of his father.
Four Jos Thone' cocks, 2 are three year olds and 2 are 4 year olds.
The hens are the Billion Dollar Baby, the Trillian Baby, the yearling Heremans hen, the B$B daughter, the Heremans x Gaby sisters and the 600 mile hen. At 6, she's the oldest. The Grizzle Thone's mate is about the last of my old strain, Van Loon x Jansen. Mainly Van Loon. 2021 pigeon.
So I'm well placed for the next few years as the stock birds are young and healthy. I still have a few old favorites, the original Jansen, his son The Diver and the old Jos Thon'e hen, and Squeaker and Julia, who are on the pension now.
Last year I had a lovely youngster by the White Flight Thone' out of the Melbourne 600 mile hen. He had had every toss, and they had plenty, and never put a foot wrong. He handles beautifully and was simply the pick of the bunch. So I did something I possibly shouldn't have. I kept him and gave him a try breeding. He's on babies now.

Seem a nice team Murray

Thanks Neil.
Yes I have some great pigeons in the shed, almost entirely due to my good friend David Cox. He would go and spend telephone numbers on pigeons, then arrive at my place with a pair of eggs to float under one of my pairs. When they were weaned he'd just take one, or go, "Na, I'm about full, you hang onto them."
I've got pigeons I could never afford.
The only way forward here is to get better young pigeons and keep them for stock. The racing here is terribly tough, and waiting to breed a top one that survives the season before stocking it, you'd die of old age trying to breed a family of top winners.