# separated the hens and cocks



## g-pigeon (Aug 24, 2010)

I am one of those people who can spend hours in the loft watching the birds. They are quiet fascinating to watch. I have now separated the sexes till I start breeding again in January. What a difference. My once busy exciting loft is so boring.no cocks chasing hens. No squabbling.basically they eat.the hens than relax and the males basically just coo.I can see why it a good idea to separate them. The hens finally get a chance to relax. I believe that's why it done. I guess I will have to deal with a less exciting loft for the next few months.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

I actually seperated my cocks and hens in May this year, so they had a good six months to rest, and to break the egg laying cycle. One could always throw out the eggs, but a hen only has so many, and my thinking is it takes a lot of work and energy for the hens just to produce those eggs. My thinking is I really only want them to produce at the most three good rounds. I didn't do the winter breeding thing last year, good, bad or indifferent. I paired them around the 2nd week in Febuary this year. The hawks got fewer YB's, but then I ended up with a younger team, and really didn't have the YB's for our Combine auction event. Might just go back to the December pairing's again, which means four months of breeding and then being seperated sometime in April.


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## orock (Mar 28, 2011)

I will have to remember that for next year. Thanks for the good advice Mr Smith.


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## g-pigeon (Aug 24, 2010)

I am contemplating pairing in december or begining of january. i may just do it in december.i would like to have older young birds to race. when do your races begin warren.


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

A Hen only has so many eggs? Is that a fact? I've heard that before but never can find a written word about the amount of eggs a Pigeon will have in its life time.

I do agree seperating the pairs is good and only three rounds is right. I've had late hatches with funny feather patterns and I think its because of stress on the breeding pairs.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

ERIC K said:


> A Hen only has so many eggs? Is that a fact? I've heard that before but never can find a written word about the amount of eggs a Pigeon will have in its life time.
> 
> I do agree seperating the pairs is good and only three rounds is right. I've had late hatches with funny feather patterns and I think its because of stress on the breeding pairs.


yes that is right about the eggs.. it is just like humans in that reguard.. we are only born with so many..and when they are gone they are gone.. but no one knows exactly how many.. but there is a limit.

there should be no stress on the breeders... if you use common sense you can avoid that... not over crowding and make sure they are healthy before breeding.. keep the cock birds in the breeding section so they know their box..and then when you put the hens in there is less scuffles over boxes..because they alread know and protect their little piece of real estate.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

g-pigeon said:


> I am contemplating pairing in december or begining of january. i may just do it in december.i would like to have older young birds to race. when do your races begin warren.


 For us here in central Penn and Maryland, the OB's first race is the 3rd Saturday in April and runs to the 3rd weekend in June. YB's start the 1st weekend in September. 

If one is to breed early YB's then your birds should be under lights now, and put them together around the 1st week in December. One year I timed it so close that a couple of them got to big to band on January 1st. 

Keep in mind, that there are disadvantages to trying to fool with Mother Nature. In cold areas, there may be more pairs of eggs in which only one egg hatches because an egg got chilled. Again depending on timing and weather, there can be issues with the very young not being quite as "good". Have often found that at the end of the season, for whatever reason, be it hawks or what have you, have had more sucess with the 2nd round. 

Having said that, it is very possible to get three rounds in, where as if one starts at the more traditional Feb 14th day to pair, a third round runs a little too late in the year for my taste. In 2011 I went back to the Feb 14th date, and was a bit disatisfied with that. I guess I had forgotten why I went early in previous years. This year, I am going to study some key dates, like our YB auction dates, and try to be ready for them in 2012. In 2011, my timing was poor, and had them either too old or too young.

Little off topic, but I havn't failed to notice that some pairs are a lot more productive then others. Some produce eggs and young almost like chickens, where as some are so slow almost to the point of appearing disinterested in the whole process. By that I mean instead of laying a round of eggs while the young are still quite small in the nest, some will wait until the young are weaned. Had a pair of my High Flying breed I have been slowly developing over the years knock out I think it was five and six rounds, where as some of my racing pairs were only on their 2nd or 3rd rounds. Don't know what any of this really means.


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