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How many rounds from stock birds
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2024 9:17 pm
by PeteDerby
Hi all. New loft is ready and I’ll have a few stock birds arriving, so I need to get some rings ordered. I was wondering how many to get, so that led to my question of how many rounds I should aim for from stock birds?
Also, I have some kind folk breeding me some YB to race. Is the normal form to send my own rings or transfer the ring numbers the breeder uses of his own?
Thanks in advance.
Re: How many rounds from stock birds
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2024 9:58 pm
by Murray
Hi Pete.
Exciting times!
When your new stock pigeons arrive you may find that some settle in very quickly and will pair up and lay surprisingly soon. Others may be a bit more unsettled and take a while to feel safe enough to breed. Be patient.
If the pigeons are young and healthy you can easily take 3 or 4 rounds of each pair. You can even get 5 or 6 rounds, if you give them a break from raising by taking the eggs away and slipping plastic or 'pot' eggs under them for a couple of weeks. They will indicate if they have had enough for the year by losing some energy in feeding the babies.
Some pairs are like machines, they pump out round after round of excellent youngsters. Other pigeons seem to tire of it after a couple of rounds.
As far as rings are concerned, ask the people breeding the youngsters what they prefer to do.
Re: How many rounds from stock birds
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2024 10:34 pm
by PeteDerby
Murray wrote: ↑Sun Dec 01, 2024 9:58 pm
Hi Pete.
Exciting times!
When your new stock pigeons arrive you may find that some settle in very quickly and will pair up and lay surprisingly soon. Others may be a bit more unsettled and take a while to feel safe enough to breed. Be patient.
If the pigeons are young and healthy you can easily take 3 or 4 rounds of each pair. You can even get 5 or 6 rounds, if you give them a break from raising by taking the eggs away and slipping plastic or 'pot' eggs under them for a couple of weeks. They will indicate if they have had enough for the year by losing some energy in feeding the babies.
Some pairs are like machines, they pump out round after round of excellent youngsters. Other pigeons seem to tire of it after a couple of rounds.
As far as rings are concerned, ask the people breeding the youngsters what they prefer to do.
Thanks for the tips, Murray. I’m pretty sure all the stock birds will be yearlings.
The teenager still in me from when I had birds before is tempted to break a couple to the loft and race them, but the risk of losing them to hawks has put ,e off that notion.
And you’re right, exciting times! I’ve spent the past year listening to advice, reading books and watching videos - and now I realise just how little has actually sunk in
Re: How many rounds from stock birds
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2024 7:35 am
by Steve Howells
I think how many rounds depends on if you can keep the rounds separate, mixing youngsters of different ages can be a big mistake. In an ideal world I’d breed as many as possible out of them, I’d also keep swapping the pairs around, I’d want to try and find the better ones as quickly as possible.
Re: How many rounds from stock birds
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2024 8:06 am
by NeilA
I would get a good team and use both your old bird and yb section as this is the only chance your get to do so
I try to have all mine hatch by the 3rd week of April to be ready for the first race but have had early May ybs make the 2nd race
I weaned some 10th June so hatched about the 15th of May this year and they made the 4th race of the season if that give you a guide
You can transfer rings free now if both people are registered to do so with the Rpra
Re: How many rounds from stock birds
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2024 9:54 am
by Devo1956
Good day to you Pete, i would say it is not about how many rounds can you breed. It is all about space in the loft, if your getting some bred foem other source. Then you have to plan how many do you need to breed, Dont overcrowd the young bird section. Keep it simple mate for your first year back.
Re: How many rounds from stock birds
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2024 10:43 am
by NeilA
If your shed is well ventilated I always think 1 foot along the back per bird and 5 down so 6 foot width you can have 30 in there if a little closed or not a great airflow you need to reduce it
I also have 4 perch’s for every 3 youngsters as I have them
In the side and back wall
although having seen a very good fancier have more ybs than perch’s I don’t know it it matters it’s just what I prefer
My sheds 6 foot I aim to put 35 feet in there mainly as things will go wrong like eggs bust etc so I know I will have 30
Re: How many rounds from stock birds
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2024 11:12 pm
by PeteDerby
Some really good advice here guys so thank you for taking the time to reply. The loft is 36ft x 10ft - 6 sections and 5ft aviaries on the front of each section. It’s a tiled roof with a doweled out roof space so ventilation at least seems good - but let’s see what it’s like with pigeons in?!
The outline plan was to have 2 x stock sections, 2 x OB racing and 2 x YB racing. As you rightly say this year only I’ll potentially have 4 x 6ft x ft sections to house young birds and test them racing. That’s the theory at least!
I’ll have YBs arriving at different times so I’ll probably house them in different sections until they catch up with each other in terms of loft flying.
Again, that’s the theory. It’s a bit like reading a book on how to play Aussie Rules then running out onto the pitch!
Re: How many rounds from stock birds
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2024 9:23 am
by NeilA
PeteDerby wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2024 11:12 pm
Some really good advice here guys so thank you for taking the time to reply. The loft is 36ft x 10ft - 6 sections and 5ft aviaries on the front of each section. It’s a tiled roof with a doweled out roof space so ventilation at least seems good - but let’s see what it’s like with pigeons in?!
The outline plan was to have 2 x stock sections, 2 x OB racing and 2 x YB racing. As you rightly say this year only I’ll potentially have 4 x 6ft x ft sections to house young birds and test them racing. That’s the theory at least!
I’ll have YBs arriving at different times so I’ll probably house them in different sections until they catch up with each other in terms of loft flying.
Again, that’s the theory. It’s a bit like reading a book on how to play Aussie Rules then running out onto the pitch!
Pete why not have 1 stock section then 2 cocks section 1 hen section so you can split your cocks in two 2 teams distance and sprint
I only have one section but keep thinking of adding another cocks loft as I’m thinking about trying a few a bit further as we are getting less and less fanciers in the fed ,it’s so much easier if you have say a distance birds back from a 400 mile race and sprint aimed at a 100 mile race that same week . Plus your feeding will be very different not only that but you can treat the distance birds in the water on there week off where you might not want to be treating the others that are going Friday
Re: How many rounds from stock birds
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2024 4:38 pm
by Buster121
PeteDerby wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2024 11:12 pm
Some really good advice here guys so thank you for taking the time to reply. The loft is 36ft x 10ft - 6 sections and 5ft aviaries on the front of each section. It’s a tiled roof with a doweled out roof space so ventilation at least seems good - but let’s see what it’s like with pigeons in?!
The outline plan was to have 2 x stock sections, 2 x OB racing and 2 x YB racing. As you rightly say this year only I’ll potentially have 4 x 6ft x ft sections to house young birds and test them racing. That’s the theory at least!
I’ll have YBs arriving at different times so I’ll probably house them in different sections until they catch up with each other in terms of loft flying.
Again, that’s the theory. It’s a bit like reading a book on how to play Aussie Rules then running out onto the pitch!
Only asking but why would you want to stock section one should be more than sufficient especially if they prisoner stock