# How long should you soap the wings???



## lmorales4 (Jul 8, 2010)

how long should you soap the wings on your young birds before you know they are settled?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

why do you have to soap them.? young birds should settle without it... IMO soaped wings are hawk bait .


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I don't soap birds so I don't know. I don't try to fly anything older than a couple months old. If they fly away, they fly away. Mine usually stay though because they stick with my flock.


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## klondike goldie (Apr 20, 2009)

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


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

klondike goldie said:


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


oh.. he has older birds? he did not say so. he said "young birds"


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## Lowey (Mar 1, 2012)

settling older birds does take some time if u pair them up wait till they have reared a round then when they lay again only let the cock or hen of the each pair out they usually pretty keen to stay if their mates in the loft.An avairy on the loft does help so they can get a look at their surroundings.


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## lmorales4 (Jul 8, 2010)

I'm asking the question because I bought several young birds at an auction and I was gifted a few that are between 2 and 3 months old I am talking about young bird training not settling old birds???


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## Lowey (Mar 1, 2012)

If u put them an open cage of some sort on the landing board of your loft for a few hours each day for aweek or two they should settle.not knowing how your loft is set up but just as long as the birds can see around where they are u shouldnt have no probs.I have broken in birds that have been 2 and 3years old and i raced them up to 500kms and they homed quite well to my place.although older birds take a month or more but the young birds u have im sure will be right in a couple of weeks.Make sure they are hungry when u let them out that helps.


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## Pijlover (May 5, 2010)

Some people do soap one of the wing or both wings for the first few days of flying, they think that by doing that the birds will not just fly away 

But isnt it very difficult to do that every day!!!

Try to fly them with the older birds and they will learn, as someone said they there is a possibilty of becoming an easy prey by the soap


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

If you get them trap trained and keep them in for a few weeks that should do it as far as settling him. But I know you're concerned about fly-aways. It's a problem even for birds you bred yourself, a hawk comes by and the little guys overfly themselves and get lost. Anyway, it will help if you let them out for the first time in the evening a couple hours before dark. They won't be as energetic and will probably just sit on the roof. Do you have other birds to fly with them? That are already settled and doing well?


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## Lovelace (Jan 10, 2008)

Here is what I have done I made my avairy landing board very close to the roof top of my loft, I close the avairy and remove the bobs, so my young birds can go into the avairy they can also go to the roof top witch gives them a 360% view, my birds are not loft broke until after old bird season is over by then they are very strong on the wing.
I never had a problem doing it this way, never lost one bird.


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## lmorales4 (Jul 8, 2010)

Ok thank you love lace but my loft is not set up that way( wish it was) I basically have my loft in a hole where there are trees all around once they get over the trees it becomes a problem for them to land it takes a while for them to learn how. That's why I thought it would be better to use the soaping method since it will allow for less losses due to getting over the trees and not learning the area very well prior.


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## lmorales4 (Jul 8, 2010)

Mary of Exeter thank you for the help and yes that's what I am concerned about mainly the hawks hit and the birds over fly my house because of the trees and their inexperience so I was hoping some extra time on the loft would help


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## SouthTown Racers (Jan 14, 2009)

Lovelace said:


> Here is what I have done I made my avairy landing board very close to the roof top of my loft, I close the avairy and remove the bobs, so my young birds can go into the avairy they can also go to the roof top witch gives them a 360% view, my birds are not loft broke until after old bird season is over by then they are very strong on the wing.
> I never had a problem doing it this way, never lost one bird.


Have you ever had any problems/losses in training these YBs that you a
have kept up for a couple months? Im going to keep mine locked up for another month or so due to the hawks and mine are about 6 weeks old now.


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## soymi69 (Nov 12, 2007)

I use straight hand or dishwashing soap, I soak the first 5 or 6 flights, I only do this on young birds that are strong in the wings and when I know that they have the tendency to fly right away. The feathers will look deform but when you think the birds are ready all you need to do is rinse it with clean water and it will go back to its original form. You can leave their wings for over a week until the birds are ready and know how to go in and out of the loft and following your command. It is also wise not to let the other birds out when you finally ready to loft break the bird so that it wont follow other birds that are loft break already. Hope this help.


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