# When is the best time to breed homers



## homer68 (Dec 4, 2009)

I live in central illinois and am in the process of building my loft for homers! I will not be racing them but just training them for my daughters and I to enjoy! I see alot of people only breed them from nov til march in this area! I assume this is so they can train them easier and enjoy them. My question is should I do the same or should I let them breed year round and just enjoy my birds. Also is it best to split the sexes up in the off months to allow resting time?


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## conditionfreak (Jan 11, 2008)

They breed like rabbits and soon you will overwhelmed with pigeons. Then what do you do?

Hawks are a problem and unless you are experienced, you should breed so that the baby birds (squeakers) are "on the landing board" just after the hawks migrate away for the summer. So, maybe put the birds together in February or March. I would not breed any later than May/June, as the hawks will come back around Sep/Oct. This is if you are not going to race birds.

The predator birds are notorious for taking the young squeakers "off the landing board" just as you are letting them out to fly for their first few times. At that age (1 month or so), they are no match for a diving hawk. Old birds are like us older guys. We know what to look for and what to do when trouble is approaching. Young squeakers do not and just panic. Then they are hawk food.

P.S. There are plenty of free homing pigeons around. So don't spend a lot of money for them.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

They will mate and nest and lay eggs, but when they hatch is up to you. most let hatching take place in early spring. use fake eggs untill then and the rest of the year...three clutches for any pair in a year is about right so that means potenitally 6 more birds..so yes they do add up quick so you will have to be selective with your breeding and remember how many birds total you can keep your space.


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## homer68 (Dec 4, 2009)

Another question I had was I plan on building about 4pens set up just for mating prs up. Would a set of pens built 18" by 24" by15" tall be enough? They would be stacked on top of each other and be built outside of the loft walls inside an enclosed area.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

homer68 said:


> Another question I had was I plan on building about 4pens set up just for mating prs up. Would a set of pens built 18" by 24" by15" tall be enough? They would be stacked on top of each other and be built outside of the loft walls inside an enclosed area.


 they really need a nest box where they can get out of so they can excercise, the parent birds take turns sitting on the eggs so they are not always in the nest box together....if they can fly out of the nest box or cage the size sounds fine.


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## homer68 (Dec 4, 2009)

No they won't be nesting in this pen just mating up! I have never had good luck trying to let birds nest in a pen like this. I always let them nest in the lofts!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

homer68 said:


> No they won't be nesting in this pen just mating up! I have never had good luck trying to let birds nest in a pen like this. I always let them nest in the lofts!


oh you did say mating up..sorry... well if you put fronts on your nest boxes you would not need the cages...but you would want a divider between the pair at first as some males can bully hens and hurt the hen...plus the hen may not always like the cock you pick for her...but if they seem to be liking each other through the partian you just take it out and then they are already in a nest box and would get things started sooner...


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