Oldfart
GOLD MEMBER
2026 posts
Sep 14, 2010
8:32 AM
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Hey All, My breeding season starts on February 1st. with the expectation of placing the young birds in the kit box by April 1st. Pigeon semen has two peak periods each year, the first during March and the second in November. With March being the best but only slightly. Waiting until March to start breeding is out of the question because of the fall hawk migration but if I start a split breeding season in November and settled the young by the end of January would they hold for 60 days until after the spring hawk migration? Would their development be disrupted to the point of a late hatch that never has the time to learn before lock down?
Thanks!
Take care my friends
Thom
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gotspin7
2722 posts
Sep 14, 2010
9:28 AM
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Thom, with my limited experience I will say only what I have experienced... Lol... I think they will be fine, one thing I do is separate the sexes. It usually takes them just a few weeks while on the wing to be on their way to show you the goods.
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Sal Ortiz
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Oldfart
GOLD MEMBER
2027 posts
Sep 14, 2010
9:45 AM
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Hey Sal, Thank you and I have a lot of respect for your "limited" experience. I seperate my birds by sex as soon as I can identify them by sex. The exception would be a young cock that might get beat up, so I will leave him in with the hens until he gets randy, then it's on to the big boy box! :)
Thanks Sal, you are a gentleman
Take care my friend
Thom
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rollerpigeon1963
320 posts
Sep 14, 2010
9:57 AM
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Thom,
My breeding season starts just a week or two after yours and I quit breeding around the first to the middle of June. Because if you can't get them on the wing strong enough before the BOP's come back it isn't worth it to me. Now here is the only thing I see about holding young birds. When you hold a young bird back from flying is different than holding one back that isn't strong on the wing. See when you hold back a squeaker they are just plain dumb. What I mean is you will get birds that will take longer to learn how to kit. I mean they will kit but it is longer for them to get the swing of things. You can also have a bird that will cause you bad habits by holding the squeakers. You will sometimes get tree sitters and they will pull others in with them. Only reason I say this is this is the only time I had tree sitters. They fly up and perch where they can see everything and come down when they want. But they soon quit it but they can also have a few buddies to tag along. Now its a pain in the butt and you get worried because you can't watch all of them at one time and you won't know if you have had a attack of they just flew off or rolled down. And when you hold back a squeaker its harder to get them up. Them always want to sit on the roof top or on the house of loft roof. Now you have to scare them up and again the others see this so they want to do the same. Now if you had one on the wing for a little while and lock him up it just takes 2 to 3 weeks and they are back in groove. But after a month he rolls down then you have fed him for 9 months and just now find out its a cull. A lot of wasted money. These are some of the things I have experienced in the past. Hope this helps!!
Brian Middaugh
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http://rollerpigeon1963.tripod.com/
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Oldfart
GOLD MEMBER
2028 posts
Sep 14, 2010
10:13 AM
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Hey Brian, Come and see my birds when you have time. :) I agree with everything you said but my intent is to get them on the wing and flying through the winter. I have a resident hawk but I can fly around her. It's the heavy migration that hurts. If I pair my birds in the last week of October and they lay the first round in the first to second week of November with the aid of fosters, I can take one more round from the breeders and then break then up until February. That will give me enough young birds for an early kit that I can fly until the hawks show up. Then, lock down for 45 to 60 days or until I stop seeing the huge numbers of hawks moving through. Does any of this make sense?
Also a question for you and Sal or anyone with an opinion. :) Does the peak in pigeon semen carry the possibility of increased inheritable traits, both good and bad of course? Or, is it simply an increase in volume and thusly only increases the fertility rate?
Take care my friends
Thom
Last Edited by on Sep 14, 2010 10:16 AM
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J_Star
2339 posts
Sep 14, 2010
11:47 AM
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Thom, now your getting too deep with your second question (lol).
However, I noticed that their sexual drive becomes stronger the hotter it gets. That is when you will find eggs in the kitbox when you fly mixed kits.
Jay Alnimer
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gotspin7
2723 posts
Sep 14, 2010
1:06 PM
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Thom, I apologize as I am not a pigeon semen expert. Lol.. I usually get good results out of my pigeons around March and as the months move forward it seems like they get in a groove and go into over time. This year is an exception, this was probably the worst breeding season, I have experienced with my birds. I almost went to just breeding chickens... LOL
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Sal Ortiz
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katyroller
768 posts
Sep 14, 2010
5:33 PM
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I have no idea on the semen question but I believe that I breed my better birds early in the breeding season. I like to have the first round ready to band around the first of the year. I think the summer heat causes both physical and mental stress so they don't mature as quickly as their early season siblings.
Tracey
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rollerpigeon1963
321 posts
Sep 14, 2010
10:02 PM
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Thom,
About flying in the winter I know there is no way in heck I can fly in the winter. I would loose up to 5 a day if I fly in Nov-Dec. And if the weather is bad Feb is the worse. I believe John had the same problem and he use to live just about 9 blocks from where you live. If you were up 100' from your place you could probably see his place.
Now about the semen question? What the heck!!!! LOL LOL I {My birds} have never had a problem with fertility. I have a good hatch rate in the spring or in the winter. I take the breeders out of the individual breeding cages about the middle of June. Place them in there own open loft and they can do what they want. I usually sell the late hatch roller they produce during the summer or fall. And this year is just as good I mean in production. From the middle of June to the end of Aug. I pulled out over 40 squeakers in that point of time. And you know we had 100 degree days and a ton of 90 degree days. And they keep pumping them out. I believe its in the feed you feed them. Thats just my take on it!!
I will have to get over that way real soon. I was going to stop in the other day when I went to lutes to look for a capacitor for my girlfriends sister AC unit.
With all the hot days we had Thom I raised over 110 individual bred babies within 4 months. I did use a few fosters. But nothing like I use to.
I will get over and see ya! Take care my friend and I will talk to you later.
Brian
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http://rollerpigeon1963.tripod.com/
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Oldfart
GOLD MEMBER
2031 posts
Sep 15, 2010
2:40 AM
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Hey Brian, You are welcome anytime. I was talking more about the possibility of having more inheritable traits passed on during the peak months. The article I read did not address that aspect, it only addressed fertility rates. I'm usually finished breeding by the end of April and have all of the young birds I can handle. You are right about the hawks, around here it never stops, just becomes a way of life.
Take care my friend
Thom
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