# Settling older birds to new loft



## s0naharn (Jan 28, 2012)

Hello all,

I used to have Birmingham Rollers, and am anxious to get some new birds. A local racing fancier has graciously offered me 10 of his 2012 young racing homers that were never flown. They are now about 8 months old and I hope to get them this week. I want to fly these birds -what methods of settling do you think will give the birds the best chance for success? The breeder believes they can be settled, but I understand it is risky.

Ideally, I would breed these and fly the offspring. Unfortunately, my loft is not set up for this. There are two sections of the loft, one has a traditional roof and the other side is a partial aviary with a wire roof.

I appreciate your input!

Happy flying,
Nathan


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## klondike goldie (Apr 20, 2009)

it's breeding season now and they are old enough to breed....if you try to break them to your loft, you'll probably loose most of them.....something to think about.


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## ericwadde3 (Oct 1, 2012)

I'm new to this too, but since its breeding season I'd keep them up and raise some young out of them, then in the late summer or early fall see if they will stick around, if not, you still got all the youngsters you've raised.


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## Josepe (Jan 10, 2011)

Better odds for success if you let them raise a couple of rounds of babies first,but then you say you're not set up for that.Then again I just had a club member resettle 16 of his young birds from last year to his brother's loft 10 miles away.I told him it wouldn't work,but it did for him,so it can be done,though the odds are low.8 mos old and have never flown,they'd be Strong On The Wing.


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## Granny Smith (Jul 16, 2011)

Why don't you ask him if he would provide you ten, 2013 young birds instead. They will be easier to settle and you can race them this fall.


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## ericwadde3 (Oct 1, 2012)

what do you all think about getting older birds to settle? I got 4 birds that are between 5 &2 years old, that are from Washington state. Probably no chance huh?


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## Josepe (Jan 10, 2011)

Try the same advise you just gave sOnaharn huh?


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## ericwadde3 (Oct 1, 2012)

that's the plain I had


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## s0naharn (Jan 28, 2012)

Thank you all for your suggestions. I should have added our lofts are about 15 miles apart.

Josepe, would it be possible for you to contact this club member again and find out what methods his brother used? i.e. how long were they in the new loft prior to release? how hungry? were all 16 settled?


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## Josepe (Jan 10, 2011)

Will talk to him this evening and get the info.


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

Hunger has nothing to do with your pigeons returning to their place of birth or not...I have moved my lofts to 3 locations(6 miles apart)....The 1st time I held them in for 3 months...I let them out,and they went straight back to where they were born...Then I moved the lofts to another location,2 more miles away from the 2nd location....This time,I made them have eggs,and sitting 12 days...I opened the window,and they flew around and came back to the new location....I raced them
in the 500 & 600 mile races,and didn`t lose any,and even had one bird with excellent results in the big race...52nd place,1600+ birds..

YOU HAVE TO GIVE THEM A REASON TO STAY with you....A mate,eggs or babies are great for motivation....Be carefull with letting them out with little babies...If they go back,you have no birds to feed the babies,and they will die....The best would be to raise one round of babies...After they are 17 to 22 days old,the hens will lay a second round of eggs...10 days later,the babies you have will be on their own,in their own compartment,eating,drinking like their parents with no help needed..../Then,you can let the OLD birds out,and see what happens...Just open the window,or flight cage,and let them come out on their own...Do not FORCE THEM OUT...Leave them alone...They will go out if they want...I hope you have a landing board,trap etc,so that they can get back in easy...Good luck....Alamo


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## s0naharn (Jan 28, 2012)

Alamo, thank you for sharing your experiences. For clarification, your birds had previously flown before you moved the loft?

These birds have not flown. Are you saying the homing imprint is made whether they have flown or not? 




Alamo said:


> Hunger has nothing to do with your pigeons returning to their place of birth or not...I have moved my lofts to 3 locations(6 miles apart)....The 1st time I held them in for 3 months...I let them out,and they went straight back to where they were born...Then I moved the lofts to another location,2 more miles away from the 2nd location....This time,I made them have eggs,and sitting 12 days...I opened the window,and they flew around and came back to the new location....I raced them
> in the 500 & 600 mile races,and didn`t lose any,and even had one bird with excellent results in the big race...52nd place,1600+ birds..
> 
> YOU HAVE TO GIVE THEM A REASON TO STAY with you....A mate,eggs or babies are great for motivation....Be carefull with letting them out with little babies...If they go back,you have no birds to feed the babies,and they will die....The best would be to raise one round of babies...After they are 17 to 22 days old,the hens will lay a second round of eggs...10 days later,the babies you have will be on their own,in their own compartment,eating,drinking like their parents with no help needed..../Then,you can let the OLD birds out,and see what happens...Just open the window,or flight cage,and let them come out on their own...Do not FORCE THEM OUT...Leave them alone...They will go out if they want...I hope you have a landing board,trap etc,so that they can get back in easy...Good luck....Alamo


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

a good homing pigeon goes home and those are the ones you want to breed from also. if you can settle older homers then they may not be good homers. just a thought.


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## Josepe (Jan 10, 2011)

sOnaharn,
My club member held the birds in for 2 months at the new location.It was 13 birds instead of 16.He settled 10 of them.And as Alamo said Hunger has nothing to do with them homing.If those birds had access to an aviary,which I'm sure they did,they're already "located" to that area.And your biggest draw back probably is that they've Never flown before,and are bound to be strong on the wing.Though not impossible as my club member proved,the odds are Low.
Alamo,
It was Tim Mathews who reslettled those birds.He dropped some grit off to me today.He said all I owed him was another pair of babies from the parents of that 13th place combine bird.I said "No way, here's your money"


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## s0naharn (Jan 28, 2012)

Thank you Josepe for the followup.

I mentioned hunger because in settling other pigeon breeds, it is advantageous to have them hungry to focus on the handler or stay close to home. Same principle doesn't apply to homers?



Josepe said:


> sOnaharn,
> My club member held the birds in for 2 months at the new location.It was 13 birds instead of 16.He settled 10 of them.And as Alamo said Hunger has nothing to do with them homing.If those birds had access to an aviary,which I'm sure they did,they're already "located" to that area.And your biggest draw back probably is that they've Never flown before,and are bound to be strong on the wing.Though not impossible as my club member proved,the odds are Low.
> Alamo,
> It was Tim Mathews who reslettled those birds.He dropped some grit off to me today.He said all I owed him was another pair of babies from the parents of that 13th place combine bird.I said "No way, here's your money"


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## bhymer (Jan 8, 2008)

Watch this video.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPReyZgHzWY


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## s0naharn (Jan 28, 2012)

Bhymer,

Thanks for the link. I suppose it would be even more effective with old birds...



bhymer said:


> Watch this video.....
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPReyZgHzWY


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## Josepe (Jan 10, 2011)

It may be Less affective on old birds,but I wouldn't consider 8 mos as old.And the thing with soaping the wings is you'll have to stay out with the birds because of hawks,unless you don't have a hawk population.They'd be Sittin 'Ducks(pigeons)for the hawks to snatch off the board.And I definately wouldn't soap them if you live in Winter temperatures this time of year.


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Its all down to the bird, How comfortable it is. so on and so on, Noone can make silly claims such as, "if they stay maybe they are not such good birds." 

There was a thread a wee way back similar and I told a story of a champion bird that was a stray, Well A friend of mine gave me a bird about a year and a half ago, When this conversation took place the bird had been in about a year, This bird won 6 club races and took out the fed for a 400 mile race so its a good homer by NZ standards. Anyway, It now free flies around my loft, It is happy as here, This is not the only "good bird" I have resettled.

Its a hard one as you will most likely loose a lot but if you do manage to keep some in don't doubt their ability based on one test.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Humans usually do put their wants and desires first, there is a big deference in what is a rare happening and what is the usual way things go. some like a challenge at the birds expense. some get young and settle them to save all this wondering and loss, which is my advise. also a loft kept racing homer is not a lost wondering around deciding where to hang out kind or one who was just too far from home to find it and rehomed. I can make any silly claims I so choose, so, If I wanted to breed great, good or even average racing pigeons, I would not use ones that were so easily "rehomed" for how ever long, even if ONE guy in millon got exellent winner young birds from such bird(like winning the lottery) I would not let him out then or try to "rehome it, I would want to keep it!. also some do fly back home a year or more later just because, but we do not hear about those stories, only the "I rehomed a homer ones". usually older homers are used as breeders so you can fly their young and they are kept as what they call "prisoner", so one does not loose them...because they would take off... but as said, humans usually put their wants first. Im not surprized. There is nothing wrong with having older birds as breeders..it is the release of them that is problematic.


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## aarongreen123 (Jan 26, 2005)

agreed Spirit, i don't the claim was silly at all, your logic makes good sense and if i wanted to breed great "homing" birds for racing or otherwise i wouldn't breed from birds that were rehomed if i had the choice not to, just doesn't make sense.


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

My birds were RACED at the old location as far as 600 Miles...With birds NEVER flown,it should be easier....Then again,nothing is easy or definite,when it comes to racing homers....Will give you one more tip....If you raise TWO rounds of babies from these birds you have now,and have the YB`s loft flying for a month or more,then let the parents out with the YB`s...The yb`s will not go anywhere,because they are HOME..

After the yb`s have been loft flying for 30 days or more>>>> Let the yb`s out to fly...They will TRIP probally for a hour,or more....When they come back,and land on the loft,let the Old Birds come out...Leave them alone...Put bath pans out so that they can take a bath...That will get them all wet,and they can`t fly when they are soaked...Hopefully,they will hang around with the babies,and take the sun,then go back in the loft...Just getting them OUT to see around without them flying away is a good deal....Alamo


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## s0naharn (Jan 28, 2012)

Alamo, I really like your suggestion. Its a good one. 

Are there any negative effects from a bird breeding at 8,9,10 months?


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## soundmajorr (Apr 13, 2012)

the negatives of breeding from a bird thats less than a year old is this. The birds being so young might not know how to properly feed the babies. so when they do hatch young you have to keep an eye on the babies to see if they are being fed properly.


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Spirit, I did not say these birds were easlisy resettled, They were given, great food, clean lofts, minerals, supplements, Bath salts, An outdoor flight and they were let to raise and stay in the loft with rounds of young, So a good handler can settle good racing pigeons, Its nothing like winning the lottery, Thats luck, Settling birds comes down to a little luck but mainly skill and care for the birds needs. How many racing homers have you settled and raced??? I guess it comes down to experience, I have lost a few but only when I knew there lofts were within reach, these birds didn't even fly the 3 miles to their old loft, They just stuck around, They are smarter than you think and Like I said earlier. I had a hen get out by mistake two days ago, She had been here 6 months and stayed, She has bred 3 NZ long distance fed winners and came second two years in a two to her mate. I was lucky to get the pair of a guy that gave up racing so I was not going to risk her but she stayed around so it just goes to proove my point again. You can have your opinion, but my first hand experience is the reason my opinion will not be changed until all the birds I have resettled proove themselves as duds, As the majority have already prooved the opposite.

Only a fool would judge a racing pigeon on this one little test. "Homing pigeon" means the bird will find home against most odds but it does not mean they cannot CHOOSE a new home if that home is what they have become acustom to overtime. Similar to birds that truly mate for life, Penquins, albatros and such, ( pigeons do not count as they do swap on occasion ) But birds that do mate for life will choose a new mate if their one becomes no longer, It does not mean they are any less of a pengiun or it does not mean they are any less devoted to their new mate, Just adaptable to what life throws at them.


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