# Prisoner breeder management



## paddlincwolfe (Feb 28, 2020)

I am in midst of designing my new racing pigeon loft and I am sorting out my sections. I plan to have a section for breeding/prisoners that has access to nice aviary.
My question for today is , If I have a 5 x 6 breeding section with six double breeding boxes (12 total) with a nice aviary, how do I manage them at the end of the breeding season? Are the prisoner breeding pairs kept together year round? As far as conservation of real estate, it would be sub ideal for me to have to have two prisoner sections to separate the sexes from July to February.

A primer on the management of prisoners for the purpose of building my flock/team would be greatly appreciated.

Cwolfe


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## Sonny Loft (Nov 24, 2016)

I would definitely separate after breeding. The last thing you want is to run down your breeders. The more hens lay you destroy there calcium reserve and cause unnecessary stress on both birds.


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

Well , Iam more of the natural type keeper.. I find that during the longer days , yes they do have an uptick in nesting and laying eggs and raising babies if you let them. 

Introduce fake eggs, this way you controll how many young are created and the hen gets her rest on the nest while sitting on the fake eggs, so she doesn’t lay more right away as when or if they were just taken from the nest. 

I find with my pairs left in situ. They naturally slow down in the autum and then start again when the day light gets longer.. which is late winter .. and you can start letting them hatch their eggs whenever you decide. 

Breaking up a pair is stress in itself. Supplying calcium 24/7 is how you keep calcium stores up in your hens. Having the aviary is helpful also as they need that sunlight to create vitamin D3, which in turns helps them use the calcium to make egg shells and for the muscles to dispel the eggs .


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