Best nest position.

[Albert]

My favoured nest condition for cocks is 6 to 10 days sitting, especially with a new Hen.

[Diamond Dave]

Thanks Albert - do you race natural then?

[Albert]

Thanks Albert - do you race natural then?

I separate my birds for club racing, and remate them for the races I want them for, ie 450 plus.

[Diamond Dave]

Brilliant Albert, can I ask if you remate them all at the same time or do you stagger it for different races.
Would you mind if I pm you with some more questions or shall I post them on here?

[Andy]

I hope you get it right, Dave. You will get a few different answers. I would be looking at a hen myself for this type of race. But they are your birds mate, so go with your thoughts and good luck Dave.

Cheers Dev - did I detect a bit of an aussie accent in your post.
So l, if I did pair up now, do you think 7 weeks would be enough time to get the hens fit enough for 600 miles?

7 weeks would be plenty of time to get your hens right Dave. But you asked about cocks. I think cocks feeding a big youngster would be good for the distance. Whether you race the cocks or the hens natural can be difficult. I raced natural for 3 or 4 years and only raced in the classics and nationals. I wasn’t a member of a club then. So my birds only raced over the channel. Their first race of the year would be around 170 miles. I couldn’t give them any inland racing. The biggest problem with this was that generally the birds were marked on a Thursday morning. This often meant that by the time they returned on the Saturday, unless both of a pair had been sent, the one at home would often have left the eggs. This would mean that the hens would be often unable to race because of being eggy or just laid if racing fortnightly. So to get either cock or hen into a desired position for a particular race takes a lot of thought and preparation, especially when it comes to preparation races for the big one. Good luck with what you’re doing Dave, hope all goes well.

[Murray]

Preparing an old hen for a long distance race paired up is outside my skill set, I'm afraid. I've only ever sent old cocks to longer races, and then only about 400 miles.
They race a lot of hens over long distance here, but not paired.

[Diamond Dave]

Andy,
I wouldnt dream of questioning your advice but just want to make sure that I am understanding you correctly....
I agree, that 7 weeks would be enough time to get the hens race fit but would they really be ready to race 600 miles?
That would mean sending to at least one of the in between channel races of 350/450 miles. in about 3 -4 weeks time and they havent even had 1 chuck as yet.
Just asking if you guys would consider that as a viable option?

[Murray]

Did those hens race last year?
If so, you might be surprised. Hens can do extraordinary things.
If not, you might be back to racing the cocks and seeing where the program takes you.

[Diamond Dave]

Thanks Murray, I wasnt contemplating sending any hens think8ng it would be too much of an ask which is why I was asking for ppls opinions on the best position for cocks.
Tbh I had written the hens off for this season but if I could get them going on natural, I have a few good hens that have been over the channel and a few yearling hens that I would love to get over the channel as well.
To be fair, I wasnt thinking about the hens at all, but speaking to you guys, it would probably be daft not to!!

[Devo1956]

Thanks Murray, I wasnt contemplating sending any hens think8ng it would be too much of an ask which is why I was asking for ppls opinions on the best position for cocks.
Tbh I had written the hens off for this season but if I could get them going on natural, I have a few good hens that have been over the channel and a few yearling hens that I would love to get over the channel as well.
To be fair, I wasnt thinking about the hens at all, but speaking to you guys, it would probably be daft not to!!

To be honest Dave, I feel many good hens are wasted. A good hen on the day will reward you, but like I say. Its your choice, with your birds. I am sure we would all like to see the outcome, of what you do Dave.