Do members who race widowhood prefer there cocks to have a youngster before racing
I don’t as I want mine lean before the season without internal fat or thick blood plus I don’t fly darkness so would have to be breeding near to the old season In order to have ybs in good feather
Although I do think my yearlings would benefit from it to switch on a bit quicker maybe or atleast some of them would benefit
Cocks bringing up youngsters
Hi Neil.
I do breed youngsters from my widowhood’s. As I keep no stock birds and only the odd pair of naturals my youngsters come from my widowers. I pair them up on Boxing Day. I let them rear this round. Either one or two depending on the hatch, not bothered which. I took the hens away when the youngsters were 14 days old. Usually I would have left them with the cocks but this year I weaned them in with the hens. They were re-paired a month before the first race. Allowed to sit 10 days then removed the hens again and when the cocks left the eggs the boxes were all cleared out. They were then on widowhood.
I only have a small team. I have 12 widowhood boxes.
This year I started with 11 cocks as one of the ones I wanted turned out to be a hen 
. I am 2 missing from last weekend at present so only 9. But I must say that I am enjoying having them more than I did when I had 16 natural pairs in that section. So I won’t need many young cocks to replace any lost so have only bred 16 youngsters. I don’t do darkness but they have still moulted their body feathers quickly. They are up on their third flights already but I’m not worried about that. For me the young bird racing is just a bit of education and sorting out the real duffers.
I do breed youngsters from my widowhood’s. As I keep no stock birds and only the odd pair of naturals my youngsters come from my widowers. I pair them up on Boxing Day. I let them rear this round. Either one or two depending on the hatch, not bothered which. I took the hens away when the youngsters were 14 days old. Usually I would have left them with the cocks but this year I weaned them in with the hens. They were re-paired a month before the first race. Allowed to sit 10 days then removed the hens again and when the cocks left the eggs the boxes were all cleared out. They were then on widowhood.
I only have a small team. I have 12 widowhood boxes.
. I am 2 missing from last weekend at present so only 9. But I must say that I am enjoying having them more than I did when I had 16 natural pairs in that section. So I won’t need many young cocks to replace any lost so have only bred 16 youngsters. I don’t do darkness but they have still moulted their body feathers quickly. They are up on their third flights already but I’m not worried about that. For me the young bird racing is just a bit of education and sorting out the real duffers.Back just enjoying club racing for the time being.
Slightly off topic but here goesAndy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2024 12:33 pm Hi Neil.
I do breed youngsters from my widowhood’s. As I keep no stock birds and only the odd pair of naturals my youngsters come from my widowers. I pair them up on Boxing Day. I let them rear this round. Either one or two depending on the hatch, not bothered which. I took the hens away when the youngsters were 14 days old. Usually I would have left them with the cocks but this year I weaned them in with the hens. They were re-paired a month before the first race. Allowed to sit 10 days then removed the hens again and when the cocks left the eggs the boxes were all cleared out. They were then on widowhood.
I only have a small team. I have 12 widowhood boxes.
IMG_2971.jpeg
IMG_3151.jpeg
This year I started with 11 cocks as one of the ones I wanted turned out to be a hen
With your ybs moulting would it concern that naturally they are flying at a slightly slower pace due to the moult and if that can become habit forming
I stop mine after 4/5 races once the large drops stop and returns become gappy as I know there slowing then
So I just train them 15 miles a night on there best line instead
My issue is I like spring babies just makes life easier for me but against that is the sitting about pumping protein into the babies in March but unless I slip eggs under my stock some good racers are never bred from to I retire them
I have the same thing every year thinking I should breed off the racers but never end up doing so
Firstly I must say that I always used to race widowhood around the way I have stated but stopped with the pigeons following a divorce in 2005 and only started up again in 2016. When I restarted I was only going to concentrate on the channel races so went on natural and open loft. A couple of years ago following all the things that were needed to race the channel, of which I have no intention of doing, I decided to go back to club racing. Last year I had a lot of untested pigeons that I raced on natural with everything, including youngsters, on open loft. I didn’t breed until March. I’m the only member in our club that doesn’t do the darkness. My youngsters were falling apart during the season but the ones left still had every race in the young bird program. The only time I don’t like to send them is if they are bare around the ears. Mine looked untidy compared to the other members but they still held their own. I was the only member who didn’t have YBS at some point during the season and I lost less than most. I only really had one bad race where I lost 7.NeilA wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2024 1:04 pmSlightly off topic but here goesAndy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2024 12:33 pm Hi Neil.
I do breed youngsters from my widowhood’s. As I keep no stock birds and only the odd pair of naturals my youngsters come from my widowers. I pair them up on Boxing Day. I let them rear this round. Either one or two depending on the hatch, not bothered which. I took the hens away when the youngsters were 14 days old. Usually I would have left them with the cocks but this year I weaned them in with the hens. They were re-paired a month before the first race. Allowed to sit 10 days then removed the hens again and when the cocks left the eggs the boxes were all cleared out. They were then on widowhood.
I only have a small team. I have 12 widowhood boxes.
IMG_2971.jpeg
IMG_3151.jpeg
This year I started with 11 cocks as one of the ones I wanted turned out to be a hen
With your ybs moulting would it concern that naturally they are flying at a slightly slower pace due to the moult and if that can become habit forming
I stop mine after 4/5 races once the large drops stop and returns become gappy as I know there slowing then
So I just train them 15 miles a night on there best line instead
I decided to go back to widowhood racing as it is a way that I enjoy. I’m looking forward to see how the season progresses.
Back just enjoying club racing for the time being.
I take the hens away a couple of days earlier only because I don’t what any of the hens looking to go back down on eggs.
Back just enjoying club racing for the time being.
I worry keep sending babies to the end that can’t compete with modern darkness ybs turns a racer to a homer that’s why 4-5 races and I’m done while they are in fair feathering . They could lose the zip as there body can’t keep upAndy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2024 2:53 pmFirstly I must say that I always used to race widowhood around the way I have stated but stopped with the pigeons following a divorce in 2005 and only started up again in 2016. When I restarted I was only going to concentrate on the channel races so went on natural and open loft. A couple of years ago following all the things that were needed to race the channel, of which I have no intention of doing, I decided to go back to club racing. Last year I had a lot of untested pigeons that I raced on natural with everything, including youngsters, on open loft. I didn’t breed until March. I’m the only member in our club that doesn’t do the darkness. My youngsters were falling apart during the season but the ones left still had every race in the young bird program. The only time I don’t like to send them is if they are bare around the ears. Mine looked untidy compared to the other members but they still held their own. I was the only member who didn’t have YBS at some point during the season and I lost less than most. I only really had one bad race where I lost 7.NeilA wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2024 1:04 pmSlightly off topic but here goesAndy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2024 12:33 pm Hi Neil.
I do breed youngsters from my widowhood’s. As I keep no stock birds and only the odd pair of naturals my youngsters come from my widowers. I pair them up on Boxing Day. I let them rear this round. Either one or two depending on the hatch, not bothered which. I took the hens away when the youngsters were 14 days old. Usually I would have left them with the cocks but this year I weaned them in with the hens. They were re-paired a month before the first race. Allowed to sit 10 days then removed the hens again and when the cocks left the eggs the boxes were all cleared out. They were then on widowhood.
I only have a small team. I have 12 widowhood boxes.
IMG_2971.jpeg
IMG_3151.jpeg
This year I started with 11 cocks as one of the ones I wanted turned out to be a hen
With your ybs moulting would it concern that naturally they are flying at a slightly slower pace due to the moult and if that can become habit forming
I stop mine after 4/5 races once the large drops stop and returns become gappy as I know there slowing then
So I just train them 15 miles a night on there best line instead
I decided to go back to widowhood racing as it is a way that I enjoy. I’m looking forward to see how the season progresses.