Double Widowhood System

Double Widowhood System
Young Birds

Old Birds
Young Birds
Birds that are on the Darkening System mature much faster than natural birds. This lets me use the Widowhood system. I fly the first race with all the birds together. After this first race, on Saturday evening, I separate the birds by cocks and hens.
The birds are on 16 hours of light at this time. They have been for two weeks. Their body clock perceives that it is around June 21st because there is so much light. This means they want to mate. The birds stay separated all week.

On Friday, after they have been fed and watered for the race, I open the door between the pens, so the hens and cocks can get together. The first time I do this for half an hour. Each race after that, I do it for only 15 minutes. This is just enough time to get them motivated. When they get home, they are allowed to be together for 2 or 3 hours. It depends on how tough the race was. If it was a hard race, I leave them together for a longer period of time.

I fly a mixture of hens and cocks in both races each week. I always have extra birds that I don't send on the race, so when the birds arrive home, there are birds of both sexes in the loft waiting for the ones that have raced.
Old Birds
I fly both hens and cocks on my old bird team. I set up the hens just like I do the cocks. If I am sending a hen to a race, I will put the cock in the nest and bring the hen in to see her mate for a couple of minutes and then she is basketed for the race.
The first couple of weeks, I put the nest bowls in with the cocks for 20 to 30 minutes before I basket them. This really winds the birds up. Then I bring the hens that are going to the race in and let them go to their nest without the cocks there. They stay for 10 to 15 minutes, then they are basketed for the race.