# breeding and feed questions



## Elinore (Mar 14, 2005)

First off, i just have to thank you all for all the wonderful information that i read on this list almost on a daily (nightly) basis.. I feel as though i have come a long way with my pigeons... I have a few more questions, that i hope someone can/will answer..

I started off with being given 6 homing pigeons, and in May, I purchased 2 pairs of rollers... I have them all (-1 that escaped and never returned) in the same loft... one pair of the rollers were not a true pair, as they ended up pairing up with 2 of the homers, and have started a family ... My question - Is this exceptable to allow them to cross breed? Or show i remove the rollers into a seperate loft (space is not a problem for me, i have a HUGE barn just for my birds... mind you the white roller cross homer babies are SO BEAUTIFUL...

What i have been doing with my babies is moving them to another loft when they are 4 weeks old.. and now have 7 of them in that loft.. I have some new youngsters almost ready for me to move, though the oldest birds in yb loft are already 14 weeks old, and the youngest is 7 weeks old. My question here Is it ok to keep doing what i am doing with bringing 4 week olds into this loft? Or should i open a third section? And if so, at what age would be better to put them into the loft with the yb's? Seems as though my 14 week old male has paired up already with a female and looking for a place to nest.. 

My question about feed is, my older birds (there are 9) i give a pigeon mix to, twice a day, 1/2 cup. Though everytime i am in the loft they all fly to their flight pen, where i feed them and coo non stop at me which i usually give in and give them more food... I am thinking they are doing this becuase they are still hungry, they are either sitting on eggs, or raising young.. I have recently started giving them scratch grain in between thier 2 feedings, and they eat it all like there is no tomorrow... I have read that 1/4 cup of feed a day is plenty for this amount of birds, yet they would simply not be satisfied with this... 

Any help with any of these questions would greatly be appreciated..

Many thanks..
Elinore
Waupoos, Ontario


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

I give my breeders with young birds in the nest all they want. I usually have food in front of them all day. If you leave food in the feeder overnight you may get rodents, but they need all they food they want. You will see when they leave peas or other grains that they do not like. Wait until they have finished all of it and then give them some more. This way they will be getting a balanced diet and you will not have food all over the floor. If food is always available, the young birds will wean faster if they have grains to peck at. Feeding is an art. When feeding the youngbirds on the other hand, regulate their food or you will have troubles. I feed my breeders at sun up and then again at about 5pm. By dusk the feeder is empty. This works well for me. 

As for your crosses, I do not have a clue what you will get.


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## upcd (Mar 12, 2005)

*Hello*

If these birds are eating all the srcatch, then they are really hungry. Birds normally don't like scratch that much. They usually leave the cracked corn. Since the birds are breeding I would make sure they are get 18% protien. A good quaility pigeon feed. I raise 6 different breeds. I try to keep them pure. If some pairs mix. I let them be foster parents. Until I can get them a mate of the same kind. If mix babies are raised. I sell them at reduced price. To better your pigeons keeping the line pure would be best. But the choose is yours. And nobody can judge you because they are your birds.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Here is an excellent website that shows different mixes, for racers, breeders, and youngsters:

http://purgrain.com/products.htm

Treesa


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## Keith C. (Jan 25, 2005)

*Mixing.*

Whether you want the homers and rollers to mix or not is up to you and depends on the purpose you want the birds to breed for. There is no absolute right or wrong answer. 
You can get some pretty and interesting looking offsping by letting them cross, but the offspring will probably not home as well as a homer or roll like a roller. 
If you intend on racing your young birds or training them to kit fly as rollers, allowing them to cross breed would hurt their performance.
If you just want to enjoy their variations and colors, crossing would be fine.
Pure bred pigeons typically sell for considerably more then mixed breed pigeons and are easier to find homes for. 
If your intent is to sell the offspring and if a higher profit is important to you I would reccommend not allowing them to cross.
If you want to keep the offspring or give them away, crossing is fine.
Always raise birds you like first before worrying about how others will view them and you will enjoy them more.
Keith


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## Elinore (Mar 14, 2005)

*thank you everyone*

who replied to my questions... Seems as though all my young birds have flown the coop, and moved back upstairs on thier own with thier parents anyhow... For most of the day anyway.. 5 of the 7 are still leaving that loft and going into thier own in the evening... The breeding loft is on the second floor of the barn and thier door is open all the time. The loft downstairs is opened in the morning, and then closed after they all are out, with only the bobbed entrance available to them, which is closed up at night to keep out preditors....

I have more babies that have left thier nest in the past week, and am thinking i might as well just leave them up with thier parents rather than put them downstairs... I appreciate any input in this regard... Many thanks..

Elinore
Waupoos, Ontario


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## Jiggs (Apr 1, 2005)

seems as if your loft is open all the time?
If they are born there they will return there. If you would like to move them they should not have flown and keep them cooped up in new loft for two weeks they should then settle.

I would not cross unless you would like to see what happens to the colouring etc. As each is its own right is a different bird, homers home and rollers roll.


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## Elinore (Mar 14, 2005)

Yes Jiggs, the breeder loft (2'nd storey of barn) has been open for a couple of weeks, was originally not open at all though, as i was certain that the old birds i was given would be prisoner's their whole life, and then one day i got brave and opened it up.. I am amazed that i have not lost a single bird, they must love home...

The yb loft is opened daily, sometimes with an aviary attached, and some days not... The 7 that were downstairs had been flying for weeks, the youngest 2 birds were flying already atleast 3 weeks and returning back to thier loft (main floor of barn).. 

I finally got my dh to install a landing board on the second storey, then opened the loft up there, and it was not long after that 2 of the birds moved back in upstairs.. I believe the little female was coaxed up by an older male who had no mate... The other one is one of the youngest, so almost 9 weeks right now... 

I can see now that i will have to open another section if this is going to work.. I have an area downstairs that is probably 6x8 feet, and is next to the yb loft, there are already 1/2 walls, so i think i will wire in the other 1/2, and cut a hole in the wall into the yb loft with a door that i can open them into when they are a certain age... Now would I only have to leave them in thier a few weeks? or should i make it longer, maybe a month? Or will they even still go back upstairs? Should i not let the 2 lofts out together? I think i make myself crazy wondering what is best, and hoping i am doing a good job..

I absolutely love all my birds, If i want to keep the 3 breeds seperate, i can see that i am going to have to open up another section, if not 2, or would i be better to leave each young with the parents and do away with the yb loft altogether..

Appreciate as many comments as you care to give... 

One more question.... The air upstairs in the barn seems quite dry... I have open windows on all 4 sides of the barn, could you tell me what i might be missing? Many thanks in advance..

Hugs..
Elinore
(who wants to do her best for her birds)


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## Jiggs (Apr 1, 2005)

It depends on how you would like to run it - if you pair birds up then you can keep different birds together (if the space is large enough as the homers will probably give the other birds some gas  )

And if they do cross slightly it is not the end off the world you will just never be able to race or show them as they will be different


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