# Type of lighting for breeding



## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Is there a particular type of light that's best for breeding? Fluorescent or incandescent? I was thinking about 15 hours a day starting in about 2 weeks would be good. I have a light out there now and they're getting about 2 extra hours of light a night and I was going to slowly add another hour over the course of the next 2 weeks. 

Also, a guy told me to clip the cocks tail feathers as this will make it easier for them to.... Well you know . This sounds a little "out there" to me. Anybody agree/disagree?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

roxtar said:


> Is there a particular type of light that's best for breeding? Fluorescent or incandescent? I was thinking about 15 hours a day starting in about 2 weeks would be good. I have a light out there now and they're getting about 2 extra hours of light a night and I was going to slowly add another hour over the course of the next 2 weeks.
> 
> Also, a guy told me to clip the cocks tail feathers as this will make it easier for them to.... Well you know . This sounds a little "out there" to me. Anybody agree/disagree?


First of all, don't know who told you to cut tail feathers............don't....I've got 18 pairs of breeders, they are all on 2 babies, no problem. The only birds I know of that people cut feathers is the Fantails.
The "experts" say that Fluorescent is best, but they don't work so well in cold weather if they work at all, so what's the point? We have just regular old light bulbs. They work fine. If you want to put your breeders on lights, that's fine. I used to do the "gradual" thing. It's not necessary. When you get ready to turn the lights on, just do it. It won't hurt them. Are you going to use a timer I assume?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

roxtar said:


> Also, a guy told me to clip the cocks tail feathers as this will make it easier for them to.... Well you know . This sounds a little "out there" to me. Anybody agree/disagree?


Homing pigeons don't need their tails cut and shouldn't. My homers absolutely have no problem, either.

I know Robert is always recommending cutting the tail when breeding Fantails.


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## WFLlofts (Jan 2, 2007)

I use both lights and yea the ones stink in cold weather I leave the lights on all the time at first and as the breeding season contiues gradualy start turning them off for longer periods seem to work well for me


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*Many Show Types*



roxtar said:


> Also, a guy told me to clip the cocks tail feathers as this will make it easier for them to.... Well you know . This sounds a little "out there" to me. Anybody agree/disagree?


Many of the show type pigeons need their tails cut not just fan tails.American Show Racers also need their tails cut about 3/4 of an inch also need the vent trimed .BUT RACING HOMERS DO NOT NEED THEIR TAIL CUT OR THEIR VENTS TRIMED. .GEORGE


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## Happy (Dec 19, 2004)

Hi Roxtar,
If you should for some reason use a timer or manual for Lights, make sure they are turned on in the Dark (like AM hrs.). Don't have them shut down after dark as some Parents may/will be on the floor eating etc., then when lights go off they may not be on there eggs/young & it's dark to where they can't find there nest box usually Cock Parent gets into the wrong nest box, fight, break eggs, hurt youngsters etc. while fighting. So what I'm trying to say is never turn lights off After Dark. Many today leave lights on 24hrs. in breeding loft. for this early Dec./Jan breeding & it seems to work fine, but there can be a power outage at night & there we have the same problem....... Hap


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## powerspigeons (Dec 31, 2006)

Put a timer in the loft and have the light come on in the morning. 14 hours of daylight should work fine. If you have the lights extended in the evening the birds are not always settled, when the lights go off. In Holland they use timers that darken the loft very slow in the evening, very nice timers but expensive. Just a regular bulb will due. Good luck


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

We actually have our lights on a timer. They come on at 4 PM and go off at 11 PM. We also have a dimmer switch on our hallway light and about 10 PM I go out and dim down the lights. It's bright enough that IF a bird is caught off of the nest, they can see to get back on, but not bright enough to "keep them up all night"........LOL I've found that by the time the lights are on for two weeks prior to breeding and then the week you put the birds together, that their internal clock gets "set" and they know when the lights are going off and settle down way before that. I personally don't like the lights coming on in the morning because of water freezing during the night. Unless you plan to get up at 4 AM and go out and thaw water out, your babies from 4 until whenever you decide to get up and go to the loft are without water. If you have water heaters, then it's a different story. Everyone has to set up the way they do things in accordance with what kind of set up they have.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

roxtar said:


> Is there a particular type of light that's best for breeding? Fluorescent or incandescent? I was thinking about 15 hours a day starting in about 2 weeks would be good. I have a light out there now and they're getting about 2 extra hours of light a night and I was going to slowly add another hour over the course of the next 2 weeks.
> 
> Also, a guy told me to clip the cocks tail feathers as this will make it easier for them to.... Well you know . This sounds a little "out there" to me. Anybody agree/disagree?



I turn the lights on...and they stay on for many months. That was the way I started, since I didn't know any better, and now that is the way I always do it. It is the turning on and off times that seem to influence my birds the most. And with all the different types of lights available, the birds did not express any preference one way or the other.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Actually when we were down in Atlanta for the Dixie Southern Convention, Alex Beiche was the speaker. He said, and it really makes sense, that you SHOULD put your young birds on 24 hours of light. Then when you turn off the lights, they go from 24 hours to about 10 or 12, whatever the time of year is and it's makes a BIG difference in the way they go into the molt. Turning the lights off and going from 15 or 16 hours to 10 or 12 hours will cause them to molt, but it's not really a big enough change in hours to make them REALLY notice a difference. We haven't decided if we're going to try it or not. ............


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

Lovebirds said:


> Actually when we were down in Atlanta for the Dixie Southern Convention, Alex Beiche was the speaker. He said, and it really makes sense, that you SHOULD put your young birds on 24 hours of light. Then when you turn off the lights, they go from 24 hours to about 10 or 12, whatever the time of year is and it's makes a BIG difference in the way they go into the molt. Turning the lights off and going from 15 or 16 hours to 10 or 12 hours will cause them to molt, but it's not really a big enough change in hours to make them REALLY notice a difference. We haven't decided if we're going to try it or not. ............


 !

So that is why my bird's feathers look so good, and they look like yearlings ? Hope I didn't accidentally reveal any super secrets !....


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

SmithFamilyLoft said:


> !
> 
> So that is why my bird's feathers look so good, and they look like yearlings ? Hope I didn't accidentally reveal any super secrets !....


Well, we use the light system and by the time we are ready for our first race, our bird are molted out for the most part. There may be a few that are still on the 9th or 10th flight. I'm wondering if the 24 hours of light would rememedy that. Our birds always look like yearlings too, while everyone else is shipping a "raggedy" looking bird, molting around the neck or on it's 5th or 6th flight...........We've actually got two of our flyers breeding early this year and using lights. They usually don't put their bird together until mid-Feb.....but they see what a difference it makes in the birds feathering. They don't have any trouble winning races or getting birds home though.....they'll probably give us a REAL butt whipping this year!!!


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