A tip for the breeding loft

The only reason i had bare flooors was because if you don't change the bedding regularly then the floor becomes damp
Also with the amount of muck then if the loft is damp then the smell is not good
Having bare floors you can see the droppings and if there is any problems with wet droppings

Its easy to scrap the floor everyday, all do it when racing so breeding is the same

ive helped one or two out of the shell once or twice, been very gentle with it but thought it wouldhave died if i hadnt done it......sometimes they just cant seem to get out, altho some might say i should have left it as if it cant get out under its own steam it will never make anything any good....

We all like to help if we see a problem which can be solved no wrong it that mate

Done it myself

DAVID wrote:

ive helped one or two out of the shell once or twice, been very gentle with it but thought it wouldhave died if i hadnt done it......sometimes they just cant seem to get out, altho some might say i should have left it as if it cant get out under its own steam it will never make anything any good....

but do you think these youngbirds which youve helped will amount to anything or are these what we call runts

i wouldnt help any out of egg if they cant do that no good for racing

neither would i steve means theres something wrong with them if they aint strong enough

ian wrote:

neither would i steve means theres something wrong with them if they aint strong enough

exactly what i said, some would dissagree..........the odd one i have helped have grown into decent strong birds, as you know i havnt raced yet so i cant comment on if they were any good........but i think this cold weather can cause many problems one way or another.


ian and steve , if you had paid a lot of money for a pair of pigeons or the pair had won in club, fed, combine etc.......what would you do then ? leave the yb to die or help it out.....?

i know what id do.......

they would probably breast feed it david if that was the case

true ray, opinions alter in different situations dont they.........

DAVID wrote:

ian wrote:

neither would i steve means theres something wrong with them if they aint strong enough

exactly what i said, some would dissagree..........the odd one i have helped have grown into decent strong birds, as you know i havnt raced yet so i cant comment on if they were any good........but i think this cold weather can cause many problems one way or another.


ian and steve , if you had paid a lot of money for a pair of pigeons or the pair had won in club, fed, combine etc.......what would you do then ? leave the yb to die or help it out.....?

i know what id do.......

if it was stormqueens 15 year old bird yes i would help it out only because it could be last year breeding, but younger birds i wouldnt help out let nature

sorry steve, dont mean to be confrontational but think you would help them out if they were from certain birds either ones you had paid a lot for or top winning/breeding birds..........just my opinion

DAVID wrote:

sorry steve, dont mean to be confrontational but think you would help them out if they were from certain birds either ones you had paid a lot for or top winning/breeding birds..........just my opinion

its ok David i know what you mean mate, but im a firm believer in nature taking its course

well beg to differ steve....... i think this cold weather is nature taking things in hand, out of 14 eggs laid ive only 8 hatched.........four were clear and two were chipping but couldnt get out of the eggs.....

david hare is my take on helping young birds out of there shell.
i all so keep canaries and ever time i have helped to take one out of it;s shell.
it turns out to be a weakling.
and 9 times out of 10 it never makes it out of the nest.
that;s my experience with canaries.
i think its better to let nature take its course.
if it can;t get out its self there is some thing amiss .
that is only my opinion i could be wrong.
but only the strong survive.

Spot on John
Ken

stormqueen wrote:

david hare is my take on helping young birds out of there shell.
i all so keep canaries and ever time i have helped to take one out of it;s shell.
it turns out to be a weakling.
and 9 times out of 10 it never makes it out of the nest.
that;s my experience with canaries.
i think its better to let nature take its course.
if it can;t get out its self there is some thing amiss .
that is only my opinion i could be wrong.
but only the strong survive.

absolutely spot on mate, will only end up costing you money (courier), once a weakling always a weak link

"got to be cruel to be kind"[b]

DAVID wrote:

....sometimes they just cant seem to get out, altho some might say i should have left it as if it cant get out under its own steam it will never make anything any good....

like i said, some will dissagree.......but thats up to you, you do what you want ill do what i thinks best for me, simple as that.................each to their own.

Everyone to there own on this

But i will agree with you David, not one person would allow a youngster to die in the shell if it was either from a top racer or was from a proven breeding couple

i certainly wouldnt don, thats for sure..........if they are good enough to buy or breed from, they are good enough to put every effort in to try save any ybs from them......

anyway, each to there own but its one thing saying you wont, but another thing what actually happens in the loft behind closed doors insnt it............

If I can just say, I am all for nature taking its course, David do you remember I chipped an egg last year and taped it up. Well it did hatch out fine but for some reason it died at about 3 weeks old, just why it should get to 3 weeks then die I dont know . Anyway I tried to help out, and in the past I have helped out babies, one thing sometimes when they are chipping a piece of shell will come away leabving a whole, nothing tpo do with a weekling its just unlucky.

What happens then is air gets into the egg and dries up the inside, the youngster sticks to the inside and cannot turn round, it will die if left. So I wil say always help it out if you see a whole or puncture, they always dent the egg all the way around then push the lid off without making a whole.

Hope this helps, its just something I have seen throughout the years.

So I am with you david life is life and sometimes we all need a little help, how many people have been born premature and on life support only to make a recovery and become an athelite, many I bet.

that;s the problem david it;s all ways the young birds you think i will have to help it get out because it comes from one of my best pair of birds.
i know the feeling i have done it my self with the canaries.
but as i said i never had success doing it.
i no a pigeon is not the same as a canary.
but to me the principle is the same.
if it cant come out is self there is a weakness there.
you only won;t the best athletes.
don ask yourself why did the shell dry inside.
was it because the youngster was taking to long to get out.
just a thought

Martyn good comment about the egg drying and the youngster getting stuck in side

That has given me something to think about in thhe futurer many thanks for your post

rudderfett wrote:

If I can just say, I am all for nature taking its course, David do you remember I chipped an egg last year and taped it up..

yes i remeber that martyn, i think you did what most would have done tho.......well, i say most but i would. its a mystery why it died at three weeks isnt it martyn ? do you think its because it was weakling due to the shell breaking or due to other things ?