Ty Coleman
350 posts
Jun 01, 2008
6:35 AM
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I was curious to see what age the majority of you start training young birds and some of the different methods used?
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Ty
Vapor Trail Lofts
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Gregg
321 posts
Jun 01, 2008
6:51 AM
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Ty,
I don't worry about age. That will vary with the individual bird. When the tail feathers are about an inch and a half to two inches long they go from the floor of the breeding loft to the settling pen. When they can get up to a perch on their own I know to put up the wire cage and let them out to view the area. All of this time they are getting fed all they can eat. By the time they are all getting up in the wire cage to get some sun I know they are ready. The traps go down and they start getting cut on feed and forced to trap to get same. It is only a matter of days then before they are clammering for something to eat and are following my cup and hands everywhere for food. Making them come out to get some out of my hands and then back in to get a few bits out of the feed tray and back and forth. They will start getting on top of the kit pen or the loft in the scramble. But their focus is you and that feed cup. When they start getting up on the top, I start feeding them just a bit more every day until they stay up there for fifteen minutes but still come as soon as I walk out with the feed cup. They are settled. You want to let them linger on the top for fifteen to twenty or thirty minutes every day for a few days so they really get a good impression of where home is from the top of the loft or kit pen. It is important to have the time to stay with them during this vulnerable period. Your presence is a serious deterrent to any critter that would make a meal of them. If they are rollers, they will start flying on their own but I wouldn't push them for a couple of weeks. After that up the feed accordingly and get them flying.
Gregg.
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gabe454
999 posts
Jun 01, 2008
8:41 AM
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ty i train my birds before they even start flying.
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454
TRIPLE "G" LOFT
L.P.R.C
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