Widowhood

[Andy]

This is the way that I raced widowhood for many years and will look at doing again next year.
I will be looking at pairing up around Boxing Day. I will be letting them rear either a single or a pair of youngsters. When the youngsters are around 14 days old the hens will be removed and the cocks left to finish rearing the youngsters to around 21 days old. I would wean them all at around the same time even if a bit older or younger than 21 days. They will remain separated until about a month before the first race. Because the pairs would have been together earlier in the year all the hens should lay within a day or 2 of each other. They will be allowed to sit for about 10 days. During this time the cocks would get 2 or 3 short tosses. This would be the only training that the cocks would get as I never put the cocks in the basket without the hen being in the loft when coming home. After 10 days the hens would then be removed. The cocks left to sit until leaving the eggs. Then the nest boxes would all be cleaned out, nest bowls removed and the cocks were then on widowhood.
They would be let out for an hour morning and afternoon. While out the loft would be cleaned out and shut up so the cocks couldn’t get in. After an hour the traps will be opened and the cocks allowed to trap. They would trap as quick as anything. I wouldn’t feed them in as I wanted them to trap for their box and not for food. Five minutes later I would feed them then leave them to rest all day with no interference.
A short while before basketing for their first race I would put the nest bowls in their boxes. The cocks would be locked in their boxes and the hens brought into the loft in a basket. The hens would then be put in with the cocks. The cocks should very quickly be cooing low in their bowls with their hens stood over them. I would be very watchful to make sure that no cock would actually tread his hen. The cocks would be gently removed from their boxes and put into the basket. The hens would be left in the boxes until the cocks returned. I would do this on at least the first couple of races especially for those not having been on widowhood before. After a couple of races I usually found that just the introduction of the nest bowl and being put in the basket was enough for the cock to know that the hen would be there on their return.
On return from the race the cocks would be allowed in with their hen for around 20 minutes after which time the hen would be removed and the cocks given a light feed. Once all the cocks, or at least the majority were back I would go into the loft with a bowl of warm water. Each cock would be immersed with their head above the water for 1 minute. They would then be left in their box and would settle down to have a good rest.
The cocks would be raced every week on this system.

[Buster121]

Sounds easy enough, I know the guy by me he does widowhood and even now he stopped racing couple years ago but what birds he has left fly the skies out for hours and hours 7 days a week, when he lets hens with them they don't fly as much

[Devo1956]

If you get it right you're a winner, that is all about widowhood. Go for it mate.

[Andy]

Sounds easy enough, I know the guy by me he does widowhood and even now he stopped racing couple years ago but what birds he has left fly the skies out for hours and hours 7 days a week, when he lets hens with them they don't fly as much

I found it easy Buster. Cleaning out only took a couple of minutes as it would only really need the nest boxes scraping. The cocks would certainly exercise well. They would come down from time to rime before clapping off again they would generally fly individually flying in different directions on their own. They would disappear in one direction before returning from a different one. The only thing I couldn’t really do was stay out in the garden while they were out as they were always waiting for me to open the traps. When I first started racing widowhood I trapped through the open door. When walking towards the loft you could see they were watching even if flying. As soon as I started to open the doors they were down nearly knocking me over to get in the loft. It was always great to see. If a cock was reluctant to trap you know they weren’t right or hadn’t taken to widowhood. I will have a few natural boxes in another section and any that don’t take to it will be put on natural.
Feeding is another subject. The hens being treated exactly the same as the cock with the aim of bring them into condition for the weekend.

[Murray]

If I was to use the widowhood again, I would change the feeding method, for sure. I used to do the break down and build up, in the traditional manner. I read that more and more people are using one feed every day, for all the pigeons. That's what I would do.
Jos Van Limpt 'De Klak', who passed away years ago, bought one grain mixture, which he fed to every pigeon 365 days a year. So he was perhaps ahead of his time.
It is interesting to google Jos Thone' and see what he is doing with the feeding, Of course you need to look past the sales pitch but the 'Premium Thone' Olympic' mix is aimed at having one feed which can be used for all the pigeons, stock, young birds and racers.
It is what I try to do too. I have fiddled with my regular mix, taking a little bit more of the wheat and milo out, and adding a little more safflower, and that's what they all eat, except when they are feeding babies. Then they get a breeder mix with lots of small peas until the youngsters are feeding themselves.
Pigeon racing is like all competitive sports. It is always evolving.

[Buster121]

Sounds easy enough, I know the guy by me he does widowhood and even now he stopped racing couple years ago but what birds he has left fly the skies out for hours and hours 7 days a week, when he lets hens with them they don't fly as much

I found it easy Buster. Cleaning out only took a couple of minutes as it would only really need the nest boxes scraping. The cocks would certainly exercise well. They would come down from time to rime before clapping off again they would generally fly individually flying in different directions on their own. They would disappear in one direction before returning from a different one. The only thing I couldn’t really do was stay out in the garden while they were out as they were always waiting for me to open the traps. When I first started racing widowhood I trapped through the open door. When walking towards the loft you could see they were watching even if flying. As soon as I started to open the doors they were down nearly knocking me over to get in the loft. It was always great to see. If a cock was reluctant to trap you know they weren’t right or hadn’t taken to widowhood. I will have a few natural boxes in another section and any that don’t take to it will be put on natural.
Feeding is another subject. The hens being treated exactly the same as the cock with the aim of bring them into condition for the weekend.

If I do restart racing I may have a go

[Buster121]

If I was to use the widowhood again, I would change the feeding method, for sure. I used to do the break down and build up, in the traditional manner. I read that more and more people are using one feed every day, for all the pigeons. That's what I would do.
Jos Van Limpt 'De Klak', who passed away years ago, bought one grain mixture, which he fed to every pigeon 365 days a year. So he was perhaps ahead of his time.
It is interesting to google Jos Thone' and see what he is doing with the feeding, Of course you need to look past the sales pitch but the 'Premium Thone' Olympic' mix is aimed at having one feed which can be used for all the pigeons, stock, young birds and racers.
It is what I try to do too. I have fiddled with my regular mix, taking a little bit more of the wheat and milo out, and adding a little more safflower, and that's what they all eat, except when they are feeding babies. Then they get a breeder mix with lots of small peas until the youngsters are feeding themselves.
Pigeon racing is like all competitive sports. It is always evolving.

I use an all rounder all year for both old and babies and the babies have maize

[Andy]

I have been feeding an all round mix all season. For breeding, racing and youngbirds all the same.
I did use depurative and supreme widowhood before using the break down and build up method. I may have to think about what feeding methods I’m going to use this time.

[Murray]

If I was to use the widowhood again, I would change the feeding method, for sure. I used to do the break down and build up, in the traditional manner. I read that more and more people are using one feed every day, for all the pigeons. That's what I would do.
Jos Van Limpt 'De Klak', who passed away years ago, bought one grain mixture, which he fed to every pigeon 365 days a year. So he was perhaps ahead of his time.
It is interesting to google Jos Thone' and see what he is doing with the feeding, Of course you need to look past the sales pitch but the 'Premium Thone' Olympic' mix is aimed at having one feed which can be used for all the pigeons, stock, young birds and racers.
It is what I try to do too. I have fiddled with my regular mix, taking a little bit more of the wheat and milo out, and adding a little more safflower, and that's what they all eat, except when they are feeding babies. Then they get a breeder mix with lots of small peas until the youngsters are feeding themselves.
Pigeon racing is like all competitive sports. It is always evolving.

I use an all rounder all year for both old and babies and the babies have maize

What I have noticed about the "All round" mixtures made by UK companies, and the ones made by Van Robaeys, Natural et al in Europe for British consumption is they are very heavy on peas. Like between 40 and 50% peas! I ask myself why? Well obviously that is what the customers want, but legumes, peas and beans, are expensive and increase the price of the product. and apart from a couple of weeks in the nest, pigeons don't need them.
It is another case of doing what we have always done. If our Grand dad went, "Eh up! look at the beans in that then!, then we tend to think that lots of beans is a good thing. We can be slow to change our thinking.
I envy the Dutch and Belgians. Those blokes do it for a living, and are always on the ball with the next thing.

[Buster121]

If I was to use the widowhood again, I would change the feeding method, for sure. I used to do the break down and build up, in the traditional manner. I read that more and more people are using one feed every day, for all the pigeons. That's what I would do.
Jos Van Limpt 'De Klak', who passed away years ago, bought one grain mixture, which he fed to every pigeon 365 days a year. So he was perhaps ahead of his time.
It is interesting to google Jos Thone' and see what he is doing with the feeding, Of course you need to look past the sales pitch but the 'Premium Thone' Olympic' mix is aimed at having one feed which can be used for all the pigeons, stock, young birds and racers.
It is what I try to do too. I have fiddled with my regular mix, taking a little bit more of the wheat and milo out, and adding a little more safflower, and that's what they all eat, except when they are feeding babies. Then they get a breeder mix with lots of small peas until the youngsters are feeding themselves.
Pigeon racing is like all competitive sports. It is always evolving.

I use an all rounder all year for both old and babies and the babies have maize

What I have noticed about the "All round" mixtures made by UK companies, and the ones made by Van Robaeys, Natural et al in Europe for British consumption is they are very heavy on peas. Like between 40 and 50% peas! I ask myself why? Well obviously that is what the customers want, but legumes, peas and beans, are expensive and increase the price of the product. and apart from a couple of weeks in the nest, pigeons don't need them.
It is another case of doing what we have always done. If our Grand dad went, "Eh up! look at the beans in that then!, then we tend to think that lots of beans is a good thing. We can be slow to change our thinking.
I envy the Dutch and Belgians. Those blokes do it for a living, and are always on the ball with the next thing.

The one I use is a farms own I would say more small stuff than peas in my mix