QUESTION

[Buster121]

if you were holding back a yb for stock would it be cock or hen there would be no other birds kept from the pair

It depends on the quality of the youngsters, and what else is in the breeding shed for future breeding. If it's a good cock breeding you could put on bull system down the line, also a good hen in your breeding loft would also be good. Its all about planning future breeding.

Agree with Dev, you go with the best

[king]

if you were holding back a yb for stock would it be cock or hen there would be no other birds kept from the pair

Which ever you choose cock or hen you will still need a bird of equal quality to pair to it? which then brings you back where you started. So it doesn't matter. Much of my stock is getting on a bit and I decided last year to keep a bird back from a pair, sire is 12 and dam is 11. It turned out to be a cock but I wasn't much bothered either way as it's spare at present. It will remain spare until a hen becomes available or I decide to retain another bird. Then I'll want a hen if nothing changes.

[Anthony webster]

I send them both out to be raced
If there good racers then keep 1 in future for breeding but if neither can race you safed alot of time plus there not another generation of unproven birds in your loft.
My self looks mean nothing, but I like them to handle perfect most good fast pigeons are a bit ugly,
Normally winners breed winners with odd disappointment but g children n gg children to famous pigeons 2,3 generations of unraced birds now they can be a complete let down n waste of time effort n money.

[Anthony webster]

The hawk situation in particular makes it more difficult to select. Back in the day if you lost a pigeon or they didn’t perform you know it was because they weren’t any good. Nowadays it’s not so clear cut. If you have a team of pigeons that you know and have developed you’ll know the ones most likely to succeed. This is much more difficult if you’re constantly bringing in new stock that you know nothing about.

Dont think selection is hard Andy most flyers want numbers not quality birds in team if you breed 40 baby's and they race until the end of the 3rd year with numerous prizes in club and fed on different winds then there the ones to breed from the others and parents should not still be in your loft in my opinion
That race basket never lies nor does the fed result
If you have a exceptional racer take few baby's of hit after racer retain them and try there children why the good bird is still racing.

[Albert]

Interesting topic.
I think it depends a bit on where you are. Here in Australia the losses are often heavy. It's all well and good to be Gung Ho, and send 'em all and sort 'em out, but that can mean nothing to carry on with at season's end.
I am always willing to hold a handful back. Last year I kept a terrific blue chequer pied cock. He is by my blue white flight Thone' cock out of my Melbourne hen that flew 600 miles three years in a row, as a young bird, a yearling and a two year old.
The young cock had all the tosses, and there were plenty, and he was always on line and on the board. When the races started I kept selecting others to go, and finally admitted to myself that I had no intention of sending him and losing him.
If you have a shed full of pigeons and no reference as to how good they are, you had better test them. If you know what the performance of the parents was and what they produce, you can safely keep back an extremely good type of youngster for stock. In fact I reckon they are often the future of the loft.

Hi Murray, I was interested to see you had a hen that flew 600 miles, three years in a row. When I was in New South Wales, I got the impression that most fanciers only flew thier birds as y/b's although the were a bit older than what we would call y/b's, is this just a thing that is relative to NSW. The only fancier I came across, that flew them older, was a fancier called Vince Murray. I also visited a loft where a guy was timing a lot of birds during the hours of darkness, his name was Davidson from Woolongong.

[Albert]

Interesting topic.
I think it depends a bit on where you are. Here in Australia the losses are often heavy. It's all well and good to be Gung Ho, and send 'em all and sort 'em out, but that can mean nothing to carry on with at season's end.
I am always willing to hold a handful back. Last year I kept a terrific blue chequer pied cock. He is by my blue white flight Thone' cock out of my Melbourne hen that flew 600 miles three years in a row, as a young bird, a yearling and a two year old.
The young cock had all the tosses, and there were plenty, and he was always on line and on the board. When the races started I kept selecting others to go, and finally admitted to myself that I had no intention of sending him and losing him.
If you have a shed full of pigeons and no reference as to how good they are, you had better test them. If you know what the performance of the parents was and what they produce, you can safely keep back an extremely good type of youngster for stock. In fact I reckon they are often the future of the loft.

Hi Murray, I was interested to see you had a hen that flew 600 miles, three years in a row. When I was in New South Wales, I got the impression that most fanciers only flew thier birds as y/b's although the were a bit older than what we would call y/b's, is this just a thing that is relative to NSW. The only fancier I came across, that flew them older, was a fancier called Vince Murray. I also visited a loft where a guy was timing a lot of birds during the hours of darkness, his name was Davidson from Woolongong.

Bump

[Albert]

Thanks for clearing that up Murray.