Advice for young hens please

[Diamond Dave]

Not sure if I have ruined my young hens.
I done something different to try to settle my young cocks into the racing loft wherr I have a couplr of dominant cocks who last year took over 2 boxes and wiuldnt let the newbies have a box. So after racing I encouraged the ybs to pair up in the yb section which they did readily.
I then took them out and locked them in boxes as a pair in the race shed fir a few days then let them out. It worked a treat. The dominant cocks havent touched them and the ybs are now going out freely into their own boxes.
All has been very calm and easy.
Now I want to split the sexes but the young cocks are now driving the hens and I dont know if I should just split them or let the hens lay before splitting them?
Any advice lads........

[Steve Howells]

Not sure if I have ruined my young hens.
I done something different to try to settle my young cocks into the racing loft wherr I have a couplr of dominant cocks who last year took over 2 boxes and wiuldnt let the newbies have a box. So after racing I encouraged the ybs to pair up in the yb section which they did readily.
I then took them out and locked them in boxes as a pair in the race shed fir a few days then let them out. It worked a treat. The dominant cocks havent touched them and the ybs are now going out freely into their own boxes.
All has been very calm and easy.
Now I want to split the sexes but the young cocks are now driving the hens and I dont know if I should just split them or let the hens lay before splitting them?
Any advice lads........

Sounds a lot of faffing around to me. I simply remove the old cocks to the yb section shut off their boxes and put the young cocks in the old bird loft. After a couple of weeks or so when the young cocks have settled reintroduced the old cocks. Job done.

[Anthony webster]

Your boss pal just split them ,never let pigeons boss you
See I don't worry about little things my cocks as yearlings get a different box and section as 2yr olds I don't fuss over them ,,iv raced birds one week to one loft broke them two loft next door and won following week to another loft , i think lads fuss them two much believe all them things matter ,all animals care about is food and water pal ,,get a puppy make it ya best friend rear it to 18 months old , go away for 3 weeks it will love the person feeding it more than you when you come home ,,animals anit like us just make them do what you want them two do ,like trouble cocks thrash them when there fighting n there never go near that box again .

[Diamond Dave]

Ok Ant, will do. Thanks for that.
Cheers Steve and Neil, yeh thats what I would normally have done but last year I had 3 empty boxes where older and bigger cocks had outed the newbies and took over the boxes. I only have 12 boxes so it left me with 3 young cocks that wouldnt pair up - consequences were I lost those 3 young cocks first race but maybe I was going to lose them anyway.
So I tried this anyway and as said it worked a treat. Just wasnt sure what to do with the hens now.

[Anthony webster]

Ok Ant, will do. Thanks for that.
Cheers Steve and Neil, yeh thats what I would normally have done but last year I had 3 empty boxes where older and bigger cocks had outed the newbies and took over the boxes. I only have 12 boxes so it left me with 3 young cocks that wouldnt pair up - consequences were I lost those 3 young cocks first race but maybe I was going to lose them anyway.
So I tried this anyway and as said it worked a treat. Just wasnt sure what to do with the hens now.

There be fine dave hens and cocks will look better for being parted pal .

[Diamond Dave]

Yes Neil, I parted them straight away. Had a couple broken eggs on the floor.
I'm just hoping I won't lose the value of that first nest come pairing up next year.
I intend to race roundabout until pairing up for Pau and the longer races.

[Steve Howells]

Sounds a lot of faffing around to me. I simply remove the old cocks to the yb section shut off their boxes and put the young cocks in the old bird loft. After a couple of weeks or so when the young cocks have settled reintroduced the old cocks. Job done.

I just used to move my young cocks across into the widowhood loft the day after the last YB race.

Any old cock that hadn't earned his box had been removed at the end of the OB season

I just introduced the new cocks and let them get on with it whilst the old cocks were still in there

Tended to be a bit feisty on the first day, but they soon found their new box and then they have all winter to get used to it

Can’t get simpler than that!!

[Diamond Dave]

Thanks Neil.
Cheers Mike, that's what I would normally do but just trying something different - what would you do if some of the young cocks you are moving in aren't strong enough to take and hold a box? Would you consider them inferior for widowhood racing?
Steve, honestly mate, it was no faff at all - it was easy.
What I had last year with 3 young cocks that weren't strong enough to hold a box was "faff" trying and failing to get them to stick it and so frustrating to go through the season with 3 empty boxes while these 3 were on the floor.
It was a lesson learnt not to close the boxes when they were empty and allowing the old cocks to take 2 boxes but I thought it could be a bit more motivation for them.

[Steve Howells]

Thanks Neil.
Cheers Mike, that's what I would normally do but just trying something different - what would you do if some of the young cocks you are moving in aren't strong enough to take and hold a box? Would you consider them inferior for widowhood racing?
Steve, honestly mate, it was no faff at all - it was easy.
What I had last year with 3 young cocks that weren't strong enough to hold a box was "faff" trying and failing to get them to stick it and so frustrating to go through the season with 3 empty boxes while these 3 were on the floor.
It was a lesson learnt not to close the boxes when they were empty and allowing the old cocks to take 2 boxes but I thought it could be a bit more motivation for them.

As long as it works for you Dave that’s all that matters. I’m never happy with Widowhood so I fly a natural/ chaos system. If a cock doesn’t take a box I never worry about it, same when I pair up I just leave them to it, it often happens that one or two yearling cocks don’t find a hen initially, if they claim a box and hen during the season it generally motivates them for a few races.

[Diamond Dave]

Even the cocks on V’s like Mike said claim it same perch every day
I have them in all the high spots in the loft
Not much I can do without enough box room for cocks
How I have so many cock nest mates this year I don’t know
I couldn’t move any on from the yb team as totally untested

That strikes a chord Neil, exactly the same position I am in.
You told me last year to put a couple of vs high up for some spare cocks.