# Loosing young bird?



## jtronics (May 6, 2012)

I hav a pair in which their offspring started to route at the age of 35 to 40 days old. This is my third time loosing their offspring. Is it ok to let them out at the age of 60 days? 

Is this an indication of weak homing ability?


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## sev3ns0uls (Jul 2, 2011)

at 60 days old, that is 3 months old and that should be the earliest/best time to start training/homing young birds. 

Here are some questions i would like to ask. 

what do you mean loosing them? did you road toss train them and they got lost or did they just route in the loft and then too off and never return??

Routing, you mean your young birds are flying and exploring the surrounding right?

Did you let some old birds with them?

Are there any predator(such as hawk) in your area? 

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Weak homing ability doesnt apply to homing pigeon. Every homing pigeon should have a good sense homing instinct if they are just loft flying that includes young birds. 
Unless you cross some other breed then that could render out some homing ability *but* not always true. I have some cross homer x old frill and they are exceptional homing ability. 

And the most common error people were mislead is to known the *difference between a homing pigeon and a racing pigeon*. These are two different birds. Dont get confuse on it.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

sev3ns0uls said:


> at 60 days old, that is 3 months old and that should be the earliest/best time to start training/homing young birds.
> 
> Here are some questions i would like to ask.
> 
> ...


60 days old would only be 2 months old.


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## jtronics (May 6, 2012)

sev3ns0uls said:


> at 60 days old, that is 3 months old and that should be the earliest/best time to start training/homing young birds.
> 
> Here are some questions i would like to ask.
> 
> ...



Loosing them because they fly at an early age compare to my other youngster.. they just route and explore and never return.i train them at an early age 30 days i guess.. they are on the aviary in the morning for 30 minutes before feeding time.. after 4 to 5 days on the aviary i let them out then they start flyin around no old bird.. some youngster with their same age do not fly.. no predators here in my place..


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Maybe let out too soon?


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## hamlet (Oct 26, 2004)

hello. Do you toss them up or scare them up? Do you have some birds loose on the loft while others are flying? I am thinking two things: your birds are of inferior stock or they do not like your place. 
You may wish to keep some flying tumblers so next time the young would not route so far with them. Sorry.


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## pigeonjim (May 12, 2012)

If in the 30 days they were trap trained well, and you let them leave the loft at there own pace by leaving them in the aviary with the door open or however you are setup, I can see no reason for a fly off. That is hard to do in 30 days though. When giving advice the safe answer is to say let them get a little older, but that could make them even stronger on the wing. I let mine out as soon as they are trap trained and are running to the food like you rang a bell. I have only had one fly off which was my first pair,that was given to me. They were 30 days old and I kept them in to long worrying about whether they would come back. I also do not feed them the night before, other than the nestmate, food is there motivation to get back into the loft. Only my opinion and it is what works for me. Listen to the older members here for sound advice.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

sounds like jtronics has a predator about and only two birds young and unexperienced are a target for sure. 

it is best to fly birds in a larger flock when loft flying.


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## sev3ns0uls (Jul 2, 2011)

Jay3 said:


> 60 days old would only be 2 months old.


oh my bad. Yes correct its 2 months only.

yes, i agree that 2 months old is a little too early to let out. But if just loft flying i suppose it should be fine. As its give the young birds a good memorize of the loft. Though, at 2 months old, they are vulnerable to predation because they are not strong enough take off or out speed an attacker.


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## sev3ns0uls (Jul 2, 2011)

here is what my experience are. Most of my birds i let them join the old birds at around 2 months old. I dont race so i dont train hardly. I always let some old birds out with them so they could follow the older one's reaction to certain thing. Such as, trapping, feed calling, know what predator to avoid and of course flying lesson. 

Yes, most young birds are very timid and they are not very confident to fly at all and even if you let them loft fly, they just stay on your house roof like sitting duck. *And when they do fly, some could eventually get lost.* 
Yes getting lost is very common, especially young birds. 

Since you said that your birds just took off and didnt return, i have to agree with some members here that they may got prey on or maybe lost. 

I suggest that next time, maybe let momma and papa with them. As this do happen in the wild that the parents need to teach the off spring how to be a bird. At 2 months old, they should still follow papa bird around and bag feed. (but anything could happen if a predator shows up.)

Here is what i always do with my young birds. I tend to make a lot of interaction with them when they are about 1 months old so they can know me better and feel more comfortable when im around. mostly whenever i have free time with my birds, I like to let them out in my yard and let them explore on the surrounding area at this young age and of course keep a close eye on them. yes its worry momma and papa bird but i found that this is one of the best way to make young birds home/traces your loft quicker as they grow older.


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

IF you have NO hawks ect Then getting them out at 35 days is easy. They would sit the loft more likely. As many will sit for about the first 5 to 8 days. Or you can use the first ten days trap training them and getting them to respond to your feed call. Routing at 35 days is a little soon. Now short loft flights yes. But routing sound odd. And routing happens after they are loft flying well and have learned to group fly with all the zig and zag flying when they are getting the wings under them BUT when spooked yes they can jump out and get lost. ARE you sitting and watching them fly it is a good idea as you notice things. When weak in the wing and they fly off They wind up setting down and getting lost. ^0 days well there wing is getting stronger And they could jump up and fly off. People lose plenty of young by holding them in to long every year these days. When letting them out at least 30 min to an hour before dark works when hawks are on the roam. AS long as you stay and watch.. Might even have a neighbor getting them Who knows. Tell us more on how you train them


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## jtronics (May 6, 2012)

as i notice every morning lot of bird routing in my place.. maybe neighborhood catch them.. this time i will be very carefull.. i let them out at 60 days.. 

so sad cause after waiting for a year to hav an inbreed offspring they just lost..


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## pooch88 (Nov 17, 2013)

sev3ns0uls 
Sorry, but I am confued. What is the diffrence between a homing Pigeon and a Racing Pigeon?


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## tick and twitch (Sep 26, 2012)

Lots of birds have the ability to home but a bird that comes out of the basket with a group of birds and has the courage to break away from the flock because it knows the straightest way to the loft. A racer will have the determination on those hot days or terrible head winds days not to stop and rest or get a drink .


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## sev3ns0uls (Jul 2, 2011)

pooch88 said:


> sev3ns0uls
> Sorry, but I am confued. What is the diffrence between a homing Pigeon and a Racing Pigeon?


A homing and a racer is just the same bird but they both have differences for breeding purpose. I know many people will have their own perspective on this homer vs racer but what i trying to say is that they both are pretty much different in term of quality. A homer is just a homing pigeon and so is a racing pigeon but what really distinct them apart is that a racer is a athletic bird compare to a normal homer. A racer bird is a bird that have been breed from generation to generation holding a strain of racing bloodline that have won many races in its family tree. They are born to race. The keeper will start training the bird at a young age and render out any bad one and only keeping the real fast and good one.(I know this is sad but its their birds.) Now a homer is just typical homing pigeon. Yes, it look exactly like a racing pigeon and will still come back from a toss of distance miles away. But flying them will not win any race.

yes, if you happen to have a homing bird with pedigree than its a racing bird or at least it was claim to be from the person who sold it to you.

Also even though you if we got a bird with 10+ winner in its pedigree does not guarantee that its offsprings will do the same.


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## M Kurps (Mar 19, 2009)

Jtronics, I would look at all possibilities. Is there someone close by flying birds and are catching your birds ? Is it a predator ? Is your loft hard to see from the air ? Do you sit outside calling them all day ? I have sat outside when a bird goes missing and hours later they come flying over and hear me before seeing me. Do you have droppers ? Birds routing at 35 days is strange to me. 
Kurps


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## R-Tune (Oct 26, 2010)

if u loft fly or do training tosses and have one that comes back there should be no reason for others not to come back... The reason is they are not good , got picked off by hawks , or injured..... that is the simplest explanation to me.. people who race pigeons make everything harder and more complicated then it is, these days...


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