# motivate young birds



## jojo67 (Jul 14, 2007)

Hi all, i was wondering what is the best motivation for young birds for racing, I would like to hear from all you top racers, Thankyou in advance for any info.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

jojo67 said:


> Hi all, i was wondering what is the best motivation for young birds for racing, I would like to hear from all you *top racers*, Thankyou in advance for any info.


Well, let's see. TOP RACERS?? Maybe I shouldn't even answer.  I don't consider myself to be a "top racer" but I hold my own I guess. 
I feel that for the most part, motivation in young birds is mostly "because they like their home and know where it is and want to be there". Any type of motivation other than that would depend on how old the birds are. 
I raise early birds (Jan, Feb and March) so by the time we start racing I've got many pairs sitting on eggs. Dummy eggs of course. Those who don't start raising YB's until Feb and have younger birds may or may not have them mating up by the time racing begins. I'm not sure that true "motivation" as in OB's can be used in YB's simply because they are so young. 
I know there's folks out there that fly their YB's on widowhood. Again, obviously that takes an older YB. I tried it once, the first year we raced. Didn't work out so good for me. It was LOTS and LOTS of trouble. After three weeks of racing that way, I opened the doors that separated the sexes, let them "be a young bird" and that next week end, won my first race. I never went back and tried it again.


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## jojo67 (Jul 14, 2007)

Hi rene, Thakyou for reply as you said you tried widowhood with the young birds but then just put them all together again and then started to have better results. I know some fanciers would swear widowhod and darkness system is the way to go, them saying the natural pigeon does;nt stand a chance against them.
I will fly my young birds natural this year and hopefully with a lot of luck prove maybe some of them wrong. I hope to get some more replys to this thread to get a overall opinion on the good racers on pigeon talk.
Thanks again renee.


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

Lovebirds said:


> Well, let's see. TOP RACERS?? Maybe I shouldn't even answer.  I don't consider myself to be a "top racer" but I hold my own I guess.


I am far from a top racer, too. Though I would like to tell you my opinion. I would use peanuts, they work with all pigeons of any age. Peanuts follow pigeons from the young bird loft to the old bird loft to the breeding loft and back (if that is how it has to happen) and then all they way to the really old loft.

Edit: 600th post


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## jojo67 (Jul 14, 2007)

Hi Matt, Thankyou for reply, using the peanuts and other treats i know is to make them trap quickly, but the thing i was thinking of was when they are liberated in a race will they have peanuts imprinted in their heads are is their some other better motivation to hopefully make them fly home quicker as in widowhood are other.
would you feed some peanuts when they are not racing or flying out.


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

I feed peanuts every time I go into the loft just one or two peanuts a bird, dont want huge birds. And they come to me for the peanuts. I use peanuts for any race under 150 miles. Anything over that I think that pigeons wont fly home to fast from middle to long distance races just for peanuts. but they do work good for the sprints and the training tosses. Fresh food and Water is about all you can give a young bird in the first three quaters of the young bird season.


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## jojo67 (Jul 14, 2007)

Thanks matt, i have not used the peanuts yet i would give them a little hemp seed from time too time they seem to love it, i was told not to give them too much.
I will give the peanuts a go and see how they work, i am right in saying you give them peanuts after their normal feed after they trap.


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## k-will (Dec 15, 2007)

if you have early enough youngsters and can darken them,i would say do that and then when you can sex them separate them 2 weeks before the first race.a bird with a full wing is an advantage.but,a bird with a full wing that wants to get home to its mate is a real advantage.you will see them sort of pairing up as the year goes by.if they do this they will take to widowhood.1 week before the first race go thru a practice run.feed them,water and after youre sure they have drank,let the hens in with the cocks.watch what happens.then basket them up cocks and hens separate,take them 70 miles or so next morning.when they come home,let them trap together.leave them be for awhile,but watch that they dont mate.then separate and keep separate all week until right before shipping.you are now on double widowhood.

from when you first separate them they must be trained separate all week.do not let them get together.as the season goes on they will eventully tire of this.you then must leave them together maybe a whole afternoon after a race.this will usually energize them.hope i helped you.


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## jojo67 (Jul 14, 2007)

Hi K-will, If i want to have a chance this year i would probably have to do what you have said , if from what i hear fanciers are doing in my area it seems to be as you have said. I have time yet to decide what way to go. I had my mind made up for the first year to fly natural to try and gain some experiance, i will think about the widowhood as you have explained and thankyou. Its 1.00am here now so its time to go to my perch for the nght will look tomorrow to see any replys, goodnight all


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## k-will (Dec 15, 2007)

good deal jojo.im about to perch for the night myself.


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