BREEDING/CONDITIONING

I have been asked by several different people in the hobby to write an article on what works for me. I certainly don’t profess to have all the answers, but I’ll explain what I do. Last year, I ended up with three years worth of George Petro’s calendars. These calendars told what he did in the water each day of the entire year. With my current practices and the information I gained from him, I put together a pretty good game plan last year for conditioning birds, and this year for breeding them. It must have helped me last year with the show record I had! I know it helped me in the breeding season this year because I banded 200 birds and had almost all pairs broken up in June! I want to share the following information with the hobby.

After show season is over, I select the pairs I want to put together. I then put them on Dacoxine for about 7-10 days to prevent any paratyphoid and e-coli. I always use this drug first because it hurts the fertility of the cocks for a while. I then put them back on my regular vitamin program for about a week. This consists of Vita Preen on Monday, Biotin Stress Pack on Tuesday, Probiotics on Wednesday, electrolytes and amino acid on Thursday, Global Bounty and Global Lugols on Friday and clear water on Saturday and back on Probiotics on Sunday. I also give them tamed iodine twice a week in the water to help fertility and hatch ability. The next week, I put them on Baytril. I buy this from Global Pigeon Supplies. It treats respiratory disease, e-coli and paratyphoid. Then I’m back on my vitamin program for about a week. The last thing I do is worm the birds with either Ivomec or Wormmix.

I increase the amount of daylight hours I give the birds by way of electric timers. I wrote about this in an earlier article. This seems to put the birds in a breeding mode. I think the two main things to help produce young birds are 911 Plus, Probac, and iodine. I also mentioned in the earlier article my concern about our modern Show Rollers not feeding the young well anymore. My opinion is that we bred this problem into our birds over the years and this is why I have to use a lot of feeders and also have to switch eggs around.

I never expect much out of my breeders for the first round or two. I do, however, let them sit the first round full-term whether the eggs are fertile or not. This always seems to help the second round. Some pairs may have to sit unfertile eggs full term the second round before they finally fertile. If they don’t fertile the first round, I cut about 1 inch off their tail to assist in copulation. I don’t seem to have much trouble with the young getting out of the egg. I think the iodine twice a week helps.

I am still working on the problem of the parents not feeding the young and letting them die. I sometimes watch the young coming out of the egg for a day or two. I feed them some Exact or pigeon pellets that I grind in a blender. The parents seem to feed them after that.

As far as conditioning my birds, I repeat the same steps as I did at the beginning of breeding season after breaking them up. I cut the amount of light down by about three hours. This puts them into a hard molt. I then put them on my vitamin program. I increase the amount of protein I give them to help put them through a good molt. When the molt is about over, I increase the amount of hemp, safflower and pigeon candy I give them. Right before show season starts, I begin giving them raw Spanish peanuts to add extra weight. These are very expensive, but you will see a difference that will be worth the extra expense. Also, don’t forget to give your birds a bath twice a week. I use bath salts and 20 Mule Team Borax in the bath water to get rid of any feather mites and lice.

I usually don’t mix the two products. Some breeders use Ivomec in the bath water. This is very costly, but it does work. Be careful to use a very small amount as not to harm the birds.

All nine of my conditioning pens are about three feet off the ground and have wire floors. I have openings at the bottom and also at floor level for good ventilation. I have two ventilation fans at the top of my loft to help pull air and dust out. This is not only healthier for the birds, but also much healthier for me. Water for the birds is about three foot up and on the outside of each pen. This makes it much easier to water them and keeps the water much cleaner. I clean my water containers about once a week with Clorox. However, I never put Clorox in their drinking water.

I know after most of you read this article, you will feel I do go a bit overboard! I’ve often thought maybe if I didn’t do so much, the birds might even get in better condition. I do feel that Petro and Emerson did a lot of the same things to condition their birds. This is why I think people would buy birds from them and the birds would fall apart a week or two later. The birds were treated with all the little extras and then they had to adjust to someone else’s conditioning methods. Some birds even died. Please remember after reading this article that this is what works for me and is only my opinion. What works for me might not work for you.

1. Blue Bar X Silver Bar = All Blue if cock doesn't carry Silver. If so both colors in both sexes.

2. Silver Bar X Blue Bar = Silver hens, blue cocks. This is a sex-linked mating.

3. Mealy X Blue Bar = All mealy if cock carries no blue. Otherwise, both colors in both sexes. Could also get cream or silver hens if cock carries silver.

4. Blue Bar X Mealy = Mealy cocks, blue hens. Mealy hens are sex-linked to all intense colors. Silver could result if cock carries it.

5. Mealy X Silver Bar = All mealy if cock carries no blue or silver. If cock does carry Blue then both colors in both sexes. If cock carries silver or cream, you can get blue, silver, mealy or cream in both sexes.

6. Silver Bar X Mealy = Sex-link. Mealy cocks, silver hens.

7. Blue Bar X Cream Bar = If cock carries no silver, mealy cocks and blue hens. If cock carries silver, then mealy or cream cocks and blue and silver hens.

8. Cream Bar X Blue Bar = If cock carries no blue or silver then cream hens and mealy cocks. Otherwise, cream or silver hens and blue or mealy cocks.

9. Silver Bar X Cream Bar = Sex-linked. Silver hens, cream cocks.

10. Cream Bar X Silver Bar = If cock carries no blue or silver, all cream. Otherwise, both sexes. Blue cock that has silver mother mated to silver hen will produce 50% each color and sex.

11. Recessive Red X Recessive Yellow = All red if cock carries no yellow. Otherwise, both colors, both sexes.

12. Recessive Yellow X Recessive Red = sex-linked, red cocks, yellow hens.

13. Black X Recessive Red or Recessive yellow = Depends on what color is masked by red or yellow. No reds or yellows unless cock carries it.

14. Recessive Red or Recessive Yellow X Black = same as above.

15. Recessive Red or Recessive Yellow X Any bar or check = same as above.

16. Any Bar or Check X Recessive Red or Recessive Yellow= same as above.

17. White X Non-white = depends on the backgrounds of both birds.

18. Non-white X White = same as above.

19. Pure White cock X Black = White hens with yellow specs on head.

20. Recessive Red X Blue = All blue young.

21. Silver cock X Black hen = silver hen and black cock.

22. Grizzle X Any Bar = Grizzle and bar in both sexes.

23. Any Bar X Grizzle = same as above.

24. Grizzle X Any Check = Poorly patterned grizzles may appear along with checks. Bars and good grizzles only if check is carrying bar in its background.

25. Any Check X Grizzle = same as above.

26. Grizzle X Any Solid = Depends on the backgrounds of both birds.

27. Any Solid X Grizzle = same as above.

28. Brown X Blue = Blue cocks, brown hens, sex-linked. If cock carries dilute, then khaki hens also.

29. Blue X Brown = If cock carries brown, then both sexes in brown. If cock carries dilute but not brown, then blue and silver hens and blue cocks. If cock carries dilute and brown, then khaki hens also. Otherwise, only blue in both sexes.

30. Brown X Silver = Blue cocks, brown hens. If cock carries dilute, then khaki and silver hens also.

31. Silver X Brown = Blue cocks, silver hens, or possibly khaki hens and brown cocks if cock carries khaki.

32. Brown X Mealy = If cock carries dilute, then khaki and brown hens. Otherwise brown hens and only mealy cocks.

33. Mealy X Brown = Mealy in both sexes. Possible blue, silver, brown, khaki and cream hens and brown and blue cocks if cock carries brown and/or dilute. Otherwise mealy only in both sexes.

34. Brown X Cream = Brown hens, mealy cocks. If cock carries dilute, then also khaki hens and cream cocks.

35. Cream X Brown = Mealy cocks, cream hens. Possible blue cocks and silver hens if cock carries silver. Brown cocks and brown and khaki hens if cock carries khaki.

36. Khaki X Brown = Brown cocks, khaki hens.

37. Khaki X Khaki = Khaki, both sexes. Also depends on what cock carries.

38. Brown X Khaki = Brown only, unless cock carries dilute, then brown and khaki both sexes.

39. Brown X Brown = Brown only unless cock carries dilute, then khaki hens also.

40. Khaki X Blue = Blue cocks khaki hens.

41. Blue X Khaki = All blue unless cock carries brown and/or dilute. If cock carries dilute, then silver hens also. If cock carries brown and/or dilute, then brown and/or khaki in both sexes.

42. Khaki X Mealy = Mealy cocks, khaki hens.

43. Mealy X Khaki = Mealy only unless cock carries other sex-linked genes. If cock carries dilute, then silver in both sexes possible. If the cock carries blue, then blues in both sexes possible. If cock carries brown and/or dilute, then brown and/or khaki in both sexes possible.

44. Khaki X Cream = Cream cocks, khaki hens.

45. Cream X Khaki = All cream unless cock carries silver or khaki, then silver. Khaki in both sexes is possible.

46. Red X Brown/Khaki = Many possibilities, depends on cock's background.

47. Brown/Khaki X Red = Depends on hen. For khaki cocks, dilute hens and intense cocks. All hens brown or khaki if cock does not carry red.

48. Yellow X Brown/Khaki = If hen is brown, then dilute hens and intense cocks. Only dilute colors if hen is khaki.

49. Brown/Khaki X Yellow = Depends on the yellow's background.

50. White X Brown/Khaki = Determined by what color is masked by white. Once known, follow earlier examples.

51. Black/Dun X Khaki = Black, being spread blue. Follow guidelines for blue and silver. All black and dun if cock does not carry khaki. If cock does carry khaki, both colors, both sexes.

52. Khaki X Black/Dun = Same as above.

53. Indigo X Any Other Color = If cock is impure, 50% indigo, both sexes.

54. Indigo (pure) X Black = 100% andalusian, both sexes.

55. Indigo X Indigo = Double factor indigo (pure) 100%, both sexes.

56. Indigo (pure) X Any Other Color = 100% indigo, both sexes.

57. Any Other Color X Indigo (pure) = Same as above.

58. Andalusian (pure) X Black = 100% andalusian, both sexes.

59. Andalusian X Reduced = Produces a laced look, pastel buff, pastel platinum, and silver in both laced and non-laced, both sexes.

60. Indigo X Opal = Antique white bars with a variance background color.

61. Indigo Check X Opal = Antique white bars with a wide range of checks in the wing shield from bronze, blue to white or all may appear.

62. Indigo (carrying reduced) X Reduced Indigo (any pattern) = 100% reduced indigo both sexes.

63. Dominant Opal (any pattern) X Indigo (any pattern) = 25% dominant opal indigo.

64. Dominant Opal X Dominant Red (ash red) = Wide range of color shades of medium pastel. Also possible to obtain birds with a lavender-bluish background with light wing and tail tips along with white bars.

65. Dominant Opal X Dominant Opal = Double factor dominant opal, seems to be somewhat lethal. Only 75% of the eggs hatch; of those that do hatch produce dominant opals at a 50% rate.

66. Ash Red X Blue = If cock is pure, all ash red. If impure, it depends on what it carries.

67. Blue Bar X Ash Red = Sex-linked, blue hens, red cocks.

68. Blue Bar (carrying dilute) X Mealy = Mealy cocks, blue hens, sex-linked.

69. Blue Bar (carrying dilute) X Blue Bar = About 25% pure blue bar cocks, 25% impure cocks carrying the dilute factor. 25% pure blue bar hens and 25% pure mealy hens.

70. Blue Bar X Blue Bar = If cock is pure, 100% blue bar in both sexes, if not, it depends on what the cock carries.

71. Any Other Color X Almond = Almond cocks and non-almond hens.

72. Reduced X Black = Black lace both sexes.

73. Yellow X Red = Sex-linked, yellow hens, red cocks.

Ron Simpson

4436 St. James Rd.

Waldo,Ohio 43356

Phone (740) 726-2960