When You Pairing Up .

when are members planning on pairing up, I normally pair 1st Saturday in feb, but if my loft is up or nearly up which I intend racing ybs to I`m thinking of pairing mid January......

I'm so green, I haven't decided. I can't find a mentor that will take the time to give us some advice over here. I suppose I better wait until mid febuary. I really need to get three rounds out. Our first YB race is in September.

when are your 2018 rings available rom, and when does your old bird / young bird racing season start...?

if you could tell us maybe the members could advise.

We have our first meeting in Bozeman on January 4th. I can buy rings then. I will look on the clubs website for first race date now.

http://www.montanaloft.com/index.php/young-birds-results/young-birds-2016/

This is all I could find on their website. They haven't decided on a schedule yet, but it will be close to these start dates. I will mention the dates when I get a definitive. I live in a bowl, ringed in high white capped mountains. I wad told last February that getting birds to cross over them will be a challenge. No rivers or valleys to follow.

yes, racing certainly sounds challenging rom, altho` it does sound a great place to be........

Yes sir, quite a challenge. Beautiful place to live, but plenty of challenges. The zero crime rate is nice though. Kids may toilet paper your house from time to time is about the biggest worry.

May be the closest Saturday to Valentines day or try and be parting them off two weeks before the clocks go forward

Mark, do most of you racers in England pair up close to the same time? I found Jenner,s film on loft design interesting as can be. The pigeon show in Blackpool looks like a great time! I don't deal with crowds like I use to, but Blackpool would be first on my bucket list.
Does timing near time change make loft management easier?

We'll ROM the trend is to pair early now as some will have young birds in the nest now and rings on them whereas a few years ago it would be mid January as most won't the young on the darkness system and the old birds away from the youngsters as early as possible so it dose seem to be getting earlier for breeding as for me I don't get home from work until 17.30 ish and at this time of the year its dark so can't have the young out so I like to have them around March time so when the clocks go on a hour I can have them out when I get home maybe only 30 minutes at first but it all helps

That makes sense to me. I work similar hours, and loft flying morning and evening was great in the summer. I've been stressed on trap training in the spring. Looks like I'm going to have to get my timing right. Thanks for the advice, gives me something to work with

paired race team Friday, and the stock have started pairing today, like the Alamo down in race loft but stock lot quieter so far

I paired up Xmas day the racers the stock birds were paired a week earlier
Ken

Rom it all depends on what your plans are. Obviously you want to win. With what? Young birds this year or yearlings or old birds following years? If young birds this year pair anytime now. They should be good for 1st young bird races and second round also. Your weather is much colder than here. But as long as you can stop the water freezing when they are feeding young not a problem. UK different climate altogether same as where Knackered is. I ghave some pairs hatching next 3 days. Minus 20 celsius. Not as many as usual. Stock birds only. Some stock just laying now. Deserted 1st eggs for some reason. No matter.  Do not worry about getting them air borne early. I quit worrying about that some years ago. As long as they have an aviary or cage over the landing board they will be fine. They will observe the hawks etc, and the routine as such. They will be much more wary than young let out for the first time and are not strong enough on the wing to avoid predators. These early ones should be. When you want them in call them for feed. From the landing board. Repetition pays dividends. They will adapt to any system if you start them right. Whistle, dog bark whatever. Mine come back from a race they just trap. They know there is a reward. You may lose some early ones.  Strong on the wing and all. Had one stay out 2 weeks early in the year. Second for me 1st young bird race. However, some are just stupid anyway. As for location, no straight fly in, do not be too concerned. Smart pigeons, old or young will usually find the fastest way home. Of course they will make mistakes. Good ones learn from them. Who wants dummies anyway? All the birds hit a sidewind or such you are on equal footing. Slow tough race the same. Not all birds are equal. Sort the wheat from the chaff. 3rd round pigeons would take it easy on them though. Just get them on the road enough so they get experience.
PS. Racers. will let them pair up as I see the schedule. No young from them Chaos system.

halcanada wrote:

Rom it all depends on what your plans are. Obviously you want to win. With what? Young birds this year or yearlings or old birds following years? If young birds this year pair anytime now. They should be good for 1st young bird races and second round also. Your weather is much colder than here. But as long as you can stop the water freezing when they are feeding young not a problem. UK different climate altogether same as where Knackered is. I ghave some pairs hatching next 3 days. Minus 20 celsius. Not as many as usual. Stock birds only. Some stock just laying now. Deserted 1st eggs for some reason. No matter.  Do not worry about getting them air borne early. I quit worrying about that some years ago. As long as they have an aviary or cage over the landing board they will be fine. They will observe the hawks etc, and the routine as such. They will be much more wary than young let out for the first time and are not strong enough on the wing to avoid predators. These early ones should be. When you want them in call them for feed. From the landing board. Repetition pays dividends. They will adapt to any system if you start them right. Whistle, dog bark whatever. Mine come back from a race they just trap. They know there is a reward. You may lose some early ones.  Strong on the wing and all. Had one stay out 2 weeks early in the year. Second for me 1st young bird race. However, some are just stupid anyway. As for location, no straight fly in, do not be too concerned. Smart pigeons, old or young will usually find the fastest way home. Of course they will make mistakes. Good ones learn from them. Who wants dummies anyway? All the birds hit a sidewind or such you are on equal footing. Slow tough race the same. Not all birds are equal. Sort the wheat from the chaff. 3rd round pigeons would take it easy on them though. Just get them on the road enough so they get experience.
PS. Racers. will let them pair up as I see the schedule. No young from them Chaos system.

Thanks Hal. I want to race some old birds this spring, and a much larger young bird team in the. I feel confident in the squeakers I purchased last april. My biggest concern would be to lose the stock I have now, hopefully fall will leave me with 20 pair. I was given the 20 racers with the unspoken understanding that I would build a proper loft and get them to the races this year. I would never been able to afford them otherwise. I'm taking notes. I thank you for taking the time.

Romedius wrote:

I'm so green, I haven't decided.  I can't find a mentor that will take the time to give us some advice over here.  I suppose I better wait until mid febuary.  I really need to get three rounds out.  Our first YB race is in September.  

Just ask a local like Jenner, Rom  or could even ring your club secretary/president to get some idea there. Being a novice & if they are on the smart/fair side etc they should help you I would hope. Now, horses for courses & in many ways your flying blind as we say here, but a 6 month old baby if everything falls into place even with all your mountains there, should be OK from my perspective if you learn to read the local weather paterns on race day as such.  

halcanada wrote:

Rom it all depends on what your plans are. Obviously you want to win. With what? Young birds this year or yearlings or old birds following years? If young birds this year pair anytime now. They should be good for 1st young bird races and second round also. Your weather is much colder than here. But as long as you can stop the water freezing when they are feeding young not a problem. UK different climate altogether same as where Knackered is. I ghave some pairs hatching next 3 days. Minus 20 celsius. Not as many as usual. Stock birds only. Some stock just laying now. Deserted 1st eggs for some reason. No matter.  Do not worry about getting them air borne early. I quit worrying about that some years ago. As long as they have an aviary or cage over the landing board they will be fine. They will observe the hawks etc, and the routine as such. They will be much more wary than young let out for the first time and are not strong enough on the wing to avoid predators. These early ones should be. When you want them in call them for feed. From the landing board. Repetition pays dividends. They will adapt to any system if you start them right. Whistle, dog bark whatever. Mine come back from a race they just trap. They know there is a reward. You may lose some early ones.  Strong on the wing and all. Had one stay out 2 weeks early in the year. Second for me 1st young bird race. However, some are just stupid anyway. As for location, no straight fly in, do not be too concerned. Smart pigeons, old or young will usually find the fastest way home. Of course they will make mistakes. Good ones learn from them. Who wants dummies anyway? All the birds hit a sidewind or such you are on equal footing. Slow tough race the same. Not all birds are equal. Sort the wheat from the chaff. 3rd round pigeons would take it easy on them though. Just get them on the road enough so they get experience.
PS. Racers. will let them pair up as I see the schedule. No young from them Chaos system.

Good advice for you there Rom, Hal understands your situation better than us uk based lofts good luck

Romedius wrote:

That makes sense to me.   I work similar hours, and loft flying morning and evening was great in the summer.  I've been stressed on trap training in the spring.  Looks like I'm going to have to get my timing right.  Thanks for the advice,  gives me something to work with

Rom many people could tell/teach you how to get your birds trapping quick etc, its easy. Pay to remember thou in your situation "Being a mountain man" hungry pigeons just will not cut the mustard I would suggest & neither will fat ones . So just try to find a happy balance with everything you do with your birds there.

vaccinated 3 weeks ago now and just cankering them now their on there last day of treatment then a cocci tablet and worming tablet each then between 10th and 14th they will be paired as I like a week of probiotics and vitamins after this

Im getting very close to pairing now stock of clean straw ready...nest bowls all spotless [ since september]
breading mix and mineral mix in all tratments finished on probiotics all pairings [stock] studied for the umpteenth time
dont really know whats holding me back...oh aye a nice sunny day and there offfffff

markevans wrote:

We'll ROM the trend is to pair early now as some will have young birds in the nest now and rings on them whereas a few years ago it would be mid January as most won't the young on the darkness system and the old birds away from the youngsters as early as possible so it dose seem to be getting earlier for breeding as for me I don't get home from work until 17.30 ish and at this time of the year its dark so can't have the young out so I like to have them around March time so when the clocks go on a hour I can have them out when I get home maybe only 30 minutes at first but it all helps

seems to be that way eh mark but what a rush after the moult unless guys are treating during it atb

Knackered wrote:

Romedius wrote:

I'm so green, I haven't decided.  I can't find a mentor that will take the time to give us some advice over here.  I suppose I better wait until mid febuary.  I really need to get three rounds out.  Our first YB race is in September.  

Just ask a local like Jenner, Rom  or could even ring your club secretary/president to get some idea there. Being a novice & if they are on the smart/fair side etc they should help you I would hope. Now, horses for courses & in many ways your flying blind as we say here, but a 6 month old baby if everything falls into place even with all your mountains there, should be OK from my perspective if you learn to read the local weather paterns on race day as such.  

I do call them knackered. Everybody is so busy that a fella gets the impression of " just figure it out". Now I did get a chance to talk to our club president on Christmas eve. He will talk with me on the sixth, which is why I'm taking notes. I understand the mentality though, I'm not a kid so there is no pressure to "help the next generation out". I'll get it eventually. Just enjoying the ride.

Be prepared for lots of conflicting advice. Some folks are nice to your face and encourage you. Then give faulty advice so you do not win. You may have many friends now in the club. But if it follows the normal way of things, the more you win the less friends you will have. You have to go your own way, usually by trial and error. There is no one winning system. Whatever works stick with it. Not working abandon it. Good birds and good natural health. Usually hard to beat.

Funny, but I've taken notice of the petulant attitudes. I just want to enjoy myself, maybe pass something fun to the children. I've got over 600 blue bird nest boxes around here. I inquired on a club for blue bird trail operators after a couple years. Guess what? They got mad I had more boxes up than the whole lot of them. I appreciate the candid advice Hal. I believe you.

Rom. This fellow can explain it better. Well worth the watch time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byieQ_suLp0&feature=share