Santandercol
1324 posts
Aug 10, 2007
9:45 PM
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How many of you guys fly your breeders out after you split the pairs up?How do you break them down to flying shape and do you fly them at all before they have been on rationed feed awhile??Would you put say your breeder hens with the hen kit that has been flying all season or would you fly them separate?Input appreciation garuanteed!!----------
Kelly
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W@yne
606 posts
Aug 10, 2007
10:08 PM
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Sorry Kel
I cant help on this one, Once they hit the stock loft they are staying put unless they don't produce the goods.
I know many people that fly stock birds but later regretting ever doing so.
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Regards
W@yne UK
Patience Perseverance Perfection
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MCCORMICKLOFTS
1502 posts
Aug 10, 2007
10:14 PM
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While I would never fly my breeders, I have reflown birds I've bred from that I didn't intend on breeding from anymore. Yah, they will be fat and way out of shape. Typically from what I've seen they won't be their old selves mentally for a while. I usually toss them in the kit box for a week or two so they can get reprogrammed to the kit box life again. I'll run them on straight wheat to help get the fat off. I prefer to fly them with a very young kit that is just flying and not rolling so they can get their wind again without having to deal with the roll chemistry of an active kit. I think this is very important because the greatest chance of them hurting themselves is in the first couple of days of flying when that roll impulse hits them and they aren't mentally or physically prepared for it.
You will be quite surprised at how fast they will get into condition. I've found generally it takes them upwards of three weeks of flying to start to show their goods again with any consistency. On the other hand in the past I've had a few that just didn't want to kit good like they used to.
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Electric-man
491 posts
Aug 10, 2007
11:37 PM
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I think you are in the same place that I am, Kelly! We are breeding from birds that we aquired and believe to be very good bloodlines! Yet we have not flown our birds out and picked them out for performance reasons! Being my first year, and not knowing what they are capable of producing yet, I haven't taken the risk of flying them yet!
Next year, after studing my records, the breeders that didn't produce any quality, will be flown! I eventually want my breeders loft full of my hand picked birds. The ones that produce my stock birds will be passed on to other new flyers in the hobby! I'm shooting for a 5 yr plan to accomplish this!
This plan will probably change by next week, but this is the only way that I can think of to cycle out "other peoples" birds and fill my breeding loft with "my" birds!
Maybe, some of you veterans that started this same way, and didnt ever see your first birds fly, can tell us how you acomplished this cycle! Just curious!
Val
"Wind Talker"
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nicksiders
2041 posts
Aug 11, 2007
12:43 AM
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I at one time would cull my breeders that didn't supply me with the goods. My thinking was they would never return to the performance levels they onced possessed. I have recently (early spring) returned four breeders to the kit box because I was simply short on birds. To my surprise three of the four returned pretty close to the perormance levels they once had. The fourth was lost to a BOP. I learned a lesson; once a good bird always a good bird. Just get them back into shape and they will come around.
Any breeder that is supplying me with the goods I would never risk putting them back into the air. Those that don't, I return to the kitbox and get them into shape, then promote them as they elevate thier performance.
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Nick
Last Edited by on Aug 11, 2007 12:45 AM
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Santandercol
1327 posts
Aug 11, 2007
6:20 AM
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Brian,
Thanks for your most complete answer.It's great to hear what you other guys are up to as well in that dept.I have 18 birds in the breeder loft but only 8 of those are my starting foundation birds.For now those 8 will stay prisoners but it's the 10 feeder boids I want to fly again now while the BOPs are not so bad.
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Kelly
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motherlodelofts
1921 posts
Aug 11, 2007
9:53 AM
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kelly if they are prooven as valuable I won't fly them, but many times I will refly birds after the first season in stock.
Scott
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Santandercol
1333 posts
Aug 11, 2007
6:14 PM
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Yeah,it takes awhile to prove the valuable ones for sure.I know that 1/2 Barrett 1/2 Neible hen I have is gonna havta go to the kitbox or switch around or some.Offspring kitting problem.Totally different fliers than these pure Monty birds.
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Kelly
Last Edited by on Aug 11, 2007 6:15 PM
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tapp
279 posts
Aug 11, 2007
8:12 PM
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Kelly, I took my best hen out and flew in fall fly last year. This year I raised one round off her and was flying her for the W/C cup this spring. About one week from the W/C guess witch one was missing when they trapped in? her, I was sick in my stomach. lucky this year I picked two of the best from my kit and guess what they were full brother and sister off the hen I had lost I have three rounds off the brother sister mating. Hope to see some good ones.I would never have flow her. But it's only my third year. and was wanting to fly some good one's. I'll never try it agin. I learned the hard way.
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Tapp
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Richard
51 posts
Aug 11, 2007
8:54 PM
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Is the world cup or fall fly worth loosing a quality breeder. Don't think so.
Richard
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trevsta65
171 posts
Aug 11, 2007
10:19 PM
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i dont fly my stock birds took me long enougth to acquire them .cheers trev
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classicpony
309 posts
Aug 12, 2007
5:06 PM
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I never fly breeders, they are my seed for new birds. Those I fly!!
Jim
@thebirdhouse
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bman
346 posts
Aug 13, 2007
6:21 AM
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Kelly,
Most of my breeders were bought out of a kit at one year of age.This being there second year in the breeding loft I have started re-fling some birds, Brian's advice is right on.It's taken about three weeks to get them flying good.
Most are still flying but one that looked real good I checked my records and is the sire to only two birds I stocked this year,needless to say he back in the stock loft.
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Ron
Borderline lofts
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maxspin
101 posts
Aug 13, 2007
6:37 AM
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Kelly,
You have already talked about your peregrine issues. If you are putting breeders up that you ever want to breed again you are just plain crazy.
Keith
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Santandercol
1336 posts
Aug 13, 2007
6:48 AM
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At the moment they are leaving me alone and 10 of the birds in my stock loft are just feeders.Basically,I was wondering how to get them ones in shape for flying and how long it would take.
But max,,,no doubt I'm a little nuts but I wouldn't call it full on crazy!!!
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Kelly
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maxspin
103 posts
Aug 13, 2007
8:35 AM
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Kelly,
My local Perigrines are driving me crazy, so I just asumed that you may already be there…….. LOL
Keith
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Gregg
154 posts
Aug 13, 2007
1:20 PM
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Did a lot of it back in the seventies and eighties and still occasionally throw birds back into the kit pens but this is the first year in about five that I haven't done it. Most of the breeders get reflown some time in their lives. I am getting to the point where the idea of losing the potential breeder to a BOP just isn't worth it. Make sure it belongs in the breeding pen before you lock it up and then KEEP IT THERE. Easy to say and hard to enforce when you are trying to put together that competition team.
Having to start over from very few birds with the BOP problem has made for very slow progress. It got to the point that I stocked one young cock bird last fall with out seeing any performance out of him. I pulled him from the kit pen and said "enough is enough." Now I am glad that I did in that he is proving himself worthy as a breeder. But you can't continue to do that and say that you are making any progress except in your own mind. It's what they do in a kit and as a team that has to be the determining factor. So far this year I am flying fairly predator free and have immensely enjoyed it. I have my fingers crossed.
Gregg.
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