This page will feature articles on all aspects of Show Pigeons. Some will have been penned by myself others may be material that I consider to be important or of interest.
24 - 7 - 365
written by Joe Grimes 2001
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Of course this is exaggerated but those of you who want to win better keep it in mind. Breeding and showing Show Rollers is not a simple task, but if you plan well and are willing to do some work you can raise a lot and eventually win a lot. In this article I'm going to run through my system. Some things I will detail more than others but if there are questions, I will be happy to try and answer them. I'll start out at what I consider the beginning of the year, even though I truly believe that each segment overlaps and there is no start or finish.
I begin when I leave the all age National; this is usually my last show except for the Classic. I already know that I have to cull a few birds, so my mind is whirring with final decisions as soon as my butt hits the truck seat for the trip home. I only like to keep the cocks that I'm breeding from, no extras. I do keep a few extra hens because I like to switch mates periodically. I will admit we don't all see eye to eye, but when I look at a pigeon I look at it as a stock bird first because I'm constantly trying to improve my line. Some stock pigeons are not show pigeons. A show pigeon should be very balanced in all areas. Half of your stock birds need to be strong in something, not just balanced. Pigeons will always breed down, balance to balance will eventually breed down. You must keep stock with strong features to keep it set in your family.
I don't keep birds to sell. I cull heavily. If a young bird is not good enough for me to show I cull it. I don't keep it to sell; I put it in the trash. At the end of the breeding season if there are old birds that did not raise any quality young, they go in the trash. I don't sell them. I do replace good breeders every year with young birds however, this is a must if you are to move forward. I try to replace a third of my stock loft every year with "my" young birds. I do like to help people out with pigeons and if some needs help and I see them trying to help themselves, I will do what I can. I hardly ever sell pigeons without giving away a few also.
When I get home from the National I cut down to what I'm keeping. I put my birds under 16 hours of light for two weeks prior to mating them up. The light stirs up the hormones and makes them think its springtime. Most people think that animals get frisky in the spring because of the nicer weather but it is actually the extended daylight that gets them amorous. My old hens are housed in tight quarters after breeding season, so now that the shows are over and I can move the show birds around, I bring the hens in and let them have more space to fly around. I also try to knock weight off of them at this time as fat birds do not breed well.
I run my birds through a medication schedule at this time also. I give them Global's 3 in 1 mix for five days, then one day of vitamins and a probiotic. The next day they get clear water. Then I treat them with Furaltodone for seven days. At the tail end of this seven-day treatment they get vaccinated for Paratyphoid and PMV-1. I do both vaccines at once. The day after the seven day treatment they again get vitamins and probiotics. The week prior to all of this I give the hens a calcium supplement, Calcium Gluconate. I also add this to the water every other day until they lay the first round and then once a week throughout the breeding season. This is all I do for medications unless something else arises. I try not to medicate during the breeding season because it is hard on the birds and the young need to develop their own immunities. Cull out the weak.
Now I mate up. My breeding sections are 5' x 8' and are set up for eight pair each. My nest compartments are 24" x 30" x 16". They have removable wire fronts and I can divide them down the middle with wire also. I decide what pairs I want where, trying to put any old cocks from last year into their old boxes, but yet trying not to group the young cocks together. I put each pair in their nest compartment but keep the cock and hen separated by wire for the first few days. The cocks have been inactive sexually for a few months and this allows them time to build up sperm. If you let them together right away they will copulate several times the first few days completely depleting the cock of sperm. After the initial day of pairing I let every pair out one pair at a time. They have time to eat and drink and maybe tread once then I chase them back to their box. I never chase them out though, I let come out on there own. This early settling of the pairs will save you from lots of fighting and nest box switching. Make sure the cocks allow the hens to eat and drink. I usually keep grit in her side of the nest compartment as well because she will start drawing on her reserves quickly until she adjusts her diet for breeding. Once the pairs are settled, usually only a couple of days, it is time for patience. Usually within 10 days the hens will start laying, sometimes some of the young hens will be slower. I check my eggs for fertility seven days after the second egg is laid. If they are infertile I will leave them until the tenth day and then throw them out.
During breeding season my breeders get no medications. They are given vitamins and minerals twice a week, probiotics twice a week and iodine once a week. All my birds get fresh grit every day and they all have pickstones in front of them at all times.
I will mention at this point that I do use 10 pair of homers as feeders. They in no way can keep up with the 28 pair of rollers that I start out with, but they do help in many ways. They are great for those early youngsters. Another trick I've learned is that any young roller cock that I use has to raise a pair of homers his first round, whether his eggs are fertile or not. This goes along way in making better parents out of them. I try never to foster more then two consecutive rounds from a pair. I think the hens need to go trough the normal cycle and sitting a full round lets their system rest also. If a pair isn't filling eggs, put fertile eggs under them. They will never get in cycle if they just keep laying every ten days.
As the eggs begin to hatch watch for those youngsters that need help out of the shell. Pick off just a little shell at the spot they are pipping, if it bleeds, let it alone, its not ready. The timing is such that by the time that baby has pipped all the way around that egg, the supply of blood to the inner membrane will have dried up. So if its bleeding don't rush it. Healthy babies will get out of the eggs on their own and will be stronger as a result of all their work. I check my breeders at about 10 PM every evening, if a baby that hatched that day has not been fed by that time, I feed it. I use a dental syringe, used for flushing your gums, filled with a runny mixture of Kaytee Exact Hand Feeding Formula. If this is not available, the watered down yolks from hard-boiled eggs works well also. The feeding is easy to do. Some say its to much work, but they also lose a lot of youngsters. You have to be willing!! I hardly ever have to feed the babies a second time. Once they get through that first night they seem to be over the hump. As the babies grow, I watch out for those nest mates that seem mismatched in size and simply try to move them around to other pairs. The homers help out here also as they will feed three young and do well feeding youngsters that are different sizes. I handle the young every day to keep them used to me and to check for health. I make sure they are on the floor by 28 days and in the weaning pen by 40 days.
Once in the young bird pens I make sure that they find the water and I feed them my breeding mix. I let them enjoy the small seeds but try to make them clean up the peas every third day or so. Once every other week or so, all of my birds, including the breeders, get brewer's yeast sprinkled over feed that has been moistened with wheat germ oil. My young birds get the same weekly water treatments as my breeders, however after they are two months old I give them Globals 3 in 1 mix for three days once a month.
I have four 5' x 6'young bird pens. As young are weaned, I fill up pen #1, usually about thirty birds. As I'm getting close to 30, I start pulling out obvious culls and hens. The culls go into the trash and the hens go into pens #3 and #4. I never move the young cocks!!!! Once they are weaned they stay in that pen until the show season is over and I've selected my breeders for the next breeding season. I ultimately want to end up with about 18 cocks in pen #1. When I get to this point I start weaning into pen #2. I repeat the same procedure. By the end of the breeding season I finish my weaning into pen #4. After I split up my homers (in pen #5), I pull the last hatch of cocks out of pen #4, and put them into pen #5. I guess I shouldn't have said never, this is the only time I move young cocks. I don't recommend moving any young cocks once they have dropped their fifth flight. I move the young cocks out of this pen as a group and it has always worked for me. Any time I've moved a young cock later they struggle with condition.
Let's speak about condition for a moment. I believe it has a lot to do with genetics. I also believe that certain genetic makeup's do better under certain conditions. The only way to really find out what genetic makeup will work for you is to select your initial stock with some thought going into their condition. From these breeders pay close attention to the youngsters who carry the best bodies under your system. These are the ones that have what it takes to gain weight under your care. Consider this when you're selecting the young that you will keep for the following breeding season. Sometimes in order to keep this desirable trait in your loft you have to keep birds that may be inferior in other respects, but condition counts for 25% of our standard and you must have birds that YOU can condition. Pay closer attention to the young cocks, as the hens are much easier to fatten up.
Conditioning your show birds is not something that starts before the shows. It is something that happens everyday of the year. The young birds will want lots of protein so keep giving them the breeder mix, but watch them. If they clean up the safflower quickly you should add more for them. As the youngsters finish up the molt, they will want less protein and more fat. You will need to add more corn or some other source of fat, some use peanuts and hemp. After you split up your breeders you will have to treat them in the same manner. The breeders actually start molting after the second clutch of eggs, so keep in mind that they are growing feathers for next years show season while they are breeding.
The end of my breeding season is based on the number of young that I want to raise. I need to split up all pairs at once because my breeding sections break down and become the old cock pens. In order to split up I try to move the last round of eggs under my homers. When I take these eggs, I place wooden eggs under the pairs to keep them from laying again or sometimes give them homer eggs. Once all of the pairs are ready, I split the sexes. I also turn the timers off on my lights and allow the birds to return to natural light. I have two sections each for the old cocks and old hens. I place an equal number in each section remembering that my homers will be added when they are split up. I usually try to put the old bird show team in one section and the rest, including the homers, in the other section. I treat all equally, its just easier at show time.
The couple of weeks after splitting up the breeders is a very stressful time for them, especially the hens. All of the birds will go into an extremely heavy molt but this is more draining on the hens after producing eggs all season. I pamper them and feed them what ever they prefer for a week or two. Baths are also very important at this time, as they are through out the whole year. I don't really do anything special for the birds once I've gotten the old birds through the break up. At this point the breeders just need to rest and recuperate and the young birds need to grow. I handle my birds frequently to keep me aware of their condition.
While waiting for the show season culls are removed as soon as development warrants, but I do give the young birds time. The time frame and age for culling will depend on your bird's rate of development, the seriousness of the fault and how well you know your birds. I'm very familiar with my strain of birds and I know how they develop. This allows me to cull for certain thing early and yet forces me to be patient about others. You need to know your birds and have a goal in mind. Cull as soon as possible because the less crowded the young are, the better. Keep in mind that culls eat just as much as the good ones. Be careful not to thin your young cocks out to much as to few in a pen will lead to some of the older cocks establishing territories and cause more fighting. With young cocks there is a fine line between to many and to few.
As the show season arrives I treat the birds in much the same manner as the rest of the year. Keep watching what they are eating. Feed them what they want as far as the protein and fat is concerned but don' t spoil them. They will get to picky if you let them. I clip the toenails and beaks quite often in preparation for the shows. Keeping the hook trimmed off of the beaks also helps prevent the young cocks from tearing up each others necks. I do nothing special before a show; if you have taken proper care of your birds they will be ready. When I return from a show, however, I do put the birds on an electrolyte mixture. A lot of times upon returning from a show the bird's droppings are slimy green, especially the young birds. This is normal for stress. The electrolytes help them rebound from the stress of the trip and also help with dehydration caused by not drinking well at the shows. As long as their droppings return to normal in a day or two, I do not get concerned. I repeat the same routine after each show. Showing is very stressful on the birds so plan your show season wisely.
This article has now reached full circle. Good luck with your Show Rollers. They have entertained me as well as intrigued me for over fourteen years. If you don't have them now, you should try them, the challenge of such a popular show breed is very rewarding.
- Top -
California Here I Come!!
written by Joe Grimes 2001
(pics to follow soon)
Last year I took to the air for the first time with my show birds. I've traveled far and wide to shows, driving 20 hours or more one way on several occasions but I had never flown anywhere with my birds. The occasion was the URCA/PRC Combined Grand National, to be held in Sacramento California. I judged the previous years national in DeMoines, Iowa and not having won an all age national (I have won two Youngbird Nationals) I did not want to miss showing two years in a row. So I set out to make plans. The first item on the itinerary was to get a flight. In reading a prior issue of the Pigeon Debut I recalled seeing something about a contact person for the NPA. This person turned out to be Gypsy Hummel (800-264 0557 ext.117). This lady can get the job done if you need to make arrangements flying with pigeons. Delta is the only airline that will carry birds as extra baggage. For $100 each way your crate of birds is loaded on the plane with you like an extra suitcase. The other airlines treat them as freight and they don't fly on the same plane as you do, you can see where the problems could quickly pile up in that scenario. Anyway Gypsy booked me on a flight West with a stop and a plane change in Salt Lake City. Coming back East, I again stopped at Salt Lake City, but this time because of some last minute work on her own, Gypsy had switched me to a flight that was simply stopping to pick up more passengers. I did not have to switch planes nor did my birds. Thus reducing the risk of the two of us ending up in separate places at the end of the day.
The next thing was to figure out how to transport my birds. I had seen several setups and after lots of thought came up with my own system. I spoke to the airline and they said that they preferred the standard airline dog crates. I'm sure that most of you have seen them. They can be purchased at most pet centers and come in several sizes. The airline also said that they were the safest. So my system started with one of the large crates (Photo 1), approximate outside dimensions 28" wide x 34" tall x 40" long. This gave me roughly 24" x 30" x 36" inside to work with. I would use this crate basically as the shell for a smaller crate that I would build and put inside of it. I purchased several 2' x 3' sheets of perforated aluminum very similar to what the aluminum pigeon crates are made of, these sheets were actually made for covering the bottom half of screen doors to keep small children and pets from running through the screening. The perforation comes in several designs. I used these sheets to make the sides and ends of my inside crate. I simply turned lips on the ends and bottom edges and then riveted them together. I used a piece of 1/4" luan plywood as the bottom. Photo 2 shows the aluminum crate sitting inside of the bottom half of the dog crate. Using the same luan plywood I then made vertical dividers (Photo 3) approximately 10" high to create space for ten pigeons. Each "pigeon hole" was about 8"x 12"x 9" high. A little smaller than I wanted but all that I could stretch out of it. Over this set of dividers I placed another piece of plywood the same dimensions of the piece that I cut for the floor. This piece became the top of the first layer and the bottom of the second layer. I actually cut this piece in half so that I could slide it either way when getting the birds out. To create the next two layers I just repeated this procedure. Photo 4 looks down on the top layer, showing the dividers and part of the lid. The lid fits right into the top edge of the aluminum sheets. To keep it tight I cut several pieces of stiff foam rubber and laid them around the edges before I attached the top half of the crate. This created a nice snug fit. It also provided room on the top of the inside crate to lay feed for the show in Ziplock bags. The top and bottom halves of the crate snap together with a few turn buckles. I also added a few cable ties just for safe keeping. I will admit that the crate is a little heavy, not unmanageable, but heavy. I will make a fold up wheel system for it before I use it again .
Carrying the crate from my loft to the truck was a chore. Lifting the crate into the back of my truck was a real chore! Once at the airport I parked curb side and gladly tipped the baggage boy for his help. The ticket counter was a breeze. The attendant checked me through, took my $100 and added a sticker to my crate that would be brought to me on the plane once my birds were safely loaded. She even commented, "that's the most well behaved dog we have ever had. He hasn't made a sound."
I just smiled.
At my change in Salt Lake, they again brought me a sticker and assured me that my "pets" were safe. Upon arrival at Sacramento, I picked up my birds at the baggage gate and met John Geiger at the curb. Off to the show!! I was a little apprehensive as I began to open the crate. The birds had been in there for the better part of 11 hours had made two overland trips to and from the airport and had been loaded and unloaded off of planes twice. To my satisfaction all thirty birds were in great shape. One had a slightly bent tail, which was easily fixed. There were several breeders as eager as I was to open the crate as they had all wondered how it was going to work. I think all were impressed.
The show was great. It was good to see friends that I had made on a previous trip to judge in Fresno and it was good to add to that list of friends. My birds and I packed it in and headed home Sunday morning. My 6:30am flight was delayed until 8:00am for of all reasons, the plane hit a bird. This didn't turn out so bad though because Steve Olsen was on the same flight and it gave him and I time to chat. I did have a little trouble when I landed at home. After picking up my birds, I found out that the crate would not fit into the parking lot shuttle bus very well. I managed to get it into the isle way but no farther. I only made one lady uncomfortable but I helped her with her bags. We made it to the parking lot and out of the bus without much more trouble. Again I had to lift that crate into the truck, but it was all worth it because in that crate was my first All Age Combined Grand National Champion.
- Top -
Please Keep Checking Back For More Articles |
