# trap training ybs



## PhaLee (Jul 3, 2010)

rite now i have a few ybs and i would like to train them to fly around. i was wondering how i should trap train them and how long it would take? please help with any suggestions. thank you.


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

First make sure they can associate some sounds for feed (feed call training). To trap train them, you basically just shoved them from the outside towards the entrance hole and reward them with food with your food call. Do that couple of times in a day. You can do that training for 1 week. My birds can learn it in 3 days. Some needs more time. Some don't even need training if you have a sputnik trap. The trap that is difficult for them to partly figure out is that wire trap. They are very hesitant to enter on that one.

To test if your birds already learned it put some cage in front of your trap to prevent the birds taking flight, put your birds in there, call them in with your feed call, and hopefully they will go inside. If they don't, feed call train them again and try trap training again.

At my loft I start training when they still can't fly so I just put the birds in front of the trap entrance, and call them in. I don't need to put some cage to prevent them from flying out.

You can also try the lazy method which I used in the past. I just basically just put the pigeons in the cage in front of the loft trap entrance and let the birds figure out how to enter. Do note that the cage has one side fully open that faces the trap entrance.

Hopefully you are not skipping steps. First training is that feed call training followed by environmental exposure using a settling cage and finally that trap training.


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## bicklebok (Sep 29, 2010)

One other thing to consider right now is hawk season. not sure how they are where you live, but Im not letting any new young birds out for the first time right now because they are easy picking for a hawk.


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## Pigeon0446 (Apr 22, 2007)

bicklebok said:


> One other thing to consider right now is hawk season. not sure how they are where you live, but Im not letting any new young birds out for the first time right now because they are easy picking for a hawk.


That's the first thing I thought since the hawks would be pretty bad this time of the year. I know they are really bad here and he's not far from me so I'm thinking he'd have the same problems.


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## PhaLee (Jul 3, 2010)

did the lazy method work?








RodSD said:


> First make sure they can associate some sounds for feed (feed call training). To trap train them, you basically just shoved them from the outside towards the entrance hole and reward them with food with your food call. Do that couple of times in a day. You can do that training for 1 week. My birds can learn it in 3 days. Some needs more time. Some don't even need training if you have a sputnik trap. The trap that is difficult for them to partly figure out is that wire trap. They are very hesitant to enter on that one.
> 
> To test if your birds already learned it put some cage in front of your trap to prevent the birds taking flight, put your birds in there, call them in with your feed call, and hopefully they will go inside. If they don't, feed call train them again and try trap training again.
> 
> ...


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## lmorales4 (Jul 8, 2010)

Its worked for me but it took longer than if i would have done it the right way


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## PhaLee (Jul 3, 2010)

how im going to do it is just put them in a cage, put them on the landing board in the cage and feedcall them then let them enter the trap to get food in the loft. this should work rite?


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## yvannava (Jul 10, 2010)

when you train them the first day how long did it take for all the birds to trap in.


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

Yes, the lazy method works. If you have the wire trap thing (which I also used before), it would be hell of puzzling to them because they wont know what to do. So what I did when I used to have that trap system is to raise all the bars initially and let the birds come and go. Then couple of days later I lower 1 bar, let them enter, then couple of days later I lower another bar and so on. I also tried the drop trap and that was easier. Just call them in and they will drop hesitantly. Funny thing is that some birds will just enter the loft trap when you put them in that settling cage even if you are not calling them. I suppose they get scared and want to get inside right away.

First day of training for me will take them 30 minutes or so or even less( some just go in right away without feed call). If they don't, then that means they don't know your feed call yet. When they hear your feed call, they will perk up and react and try to get inside. Some birds are really smart. The dumb birds are pain in the ass. I have to grab them from the inside of the loft because they wont go in when I feed call them.

PhaLee, that should work. As you may surmised I tried many trapping system. My favorite is the sputnik now because even a damn feral birds know how to enter without training. And if they can do that I assume that my birds can do the same thing. Roller pigeon and stray homer pigeon did the same thing.


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## yvannava (Jul 10, 2010)

do any of you use the elbow pvc pipe trap. if so how long did you guys take to get them to trap how did it go day by day? i dont know what type of trap to use.


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## Ross Howard (Nov 26, 2009)

*Trap training*



yvannava said:


> do any of you use the elbow pvc pipe trap. if so how long did you guys take to get them to trap how did it go day by day? i dont know what type of trap to use.


I have both 4'' coffee cans (old kit bxes) & 4''pvc 45% elbows. Put them thru twice by hand then half feed them & put in settling cage twice & in two days trained. Control of the feed can is the way to get them to trap. I find that they train easier with this method than bobs & harder for predators to gain access if you don't close landing board right away.


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## Action (Oct 18, 2009)

*First year!*

Never had Hawk problems settling YBS. Now I am trying to settle some late hatches-Hawks are a real problem but it does teach them to trap fast!
jack


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## Guest (Nov 4, 2010)

late hatches are the hardest to train just because of all the hawks  pigeons have no clue somehting is out there is trying to kill them til it happens, but they are and well if it does happen you will be lucky if your bird finds its way back to the landing board after the hawks hit them so hpefully you wont be breeding birds this late in the year to begin with


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## PhaLee (Jul 3, 2010)

I dont even have my trap installed onto my loft yet but hopefully i can get it installed very soon and start training them. thanks for the help everyone.


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## Action (Oct 18, 2009)

*Drop trap*

Build yourself a simple drop trap. They are cheep and work very well.
Jack


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## PhaLee (Jul 3, 2010)

im going to use a trap with bars because i have alot of prisoners in the loft and other birds im not flying so this is why im going to use a bar trap.







Action said:


> Build yourself a simple drop trap. They are cheep and work very well.
> Jack


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## yvannava (Jul 10, 2010)

can you guys post pictures of the traps you use cause i dont know how they might really look. i want to build one but dont know how they look from up close. the one i have is good but i can build better.


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

The easiest is this flap trap which acts like a drop trap: http://www.redroselofts.com/step_10.htm

This is a home-made sputnik trap (not mine):http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sputnik_Trap.jpg


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