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#Post#: 11157--------------------------------------------------
ages of baby weaning/kits
DIR By: Steve49
Date: June 10, 2012, 9:26 pm
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hey all,
how far apart in age do you allow each round of babies? all
members within 2 weeks of each other, or can i add some babies
to an already settled baby kit, which would have birds almost 3
weeks older?
#Post#: 11159--------------------------------------------------
Re: ages of baby weaning/kits
DIR By: windjammer loft
Date: June 11, 2012, 12:06 pm
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Steve..... good to chat with you again.... I use to keep each
round of young in their own separate kit box. But, soon ran out
of space or didn't get enough of a 2nd round to complete a good
kit. Now, I usually keep the 1st and 2nd rounds together and
the 3rd and 4th would be in their own separate kit box.. Hope
this helps. By the way, the floor grid panels are well worth
the time and effort. Just thought I'd let you know.
#Post#: 11163--------------------------------------------------
Re: ages of baby weaning/kits
DIR By: Steve49
Date: June 11, 2012, 8:43 pm
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hi Paul,
one of the problems i've encountered is I rushed into
building my new loft (took a year to design what I thought was
the best for me). If I had to do it over again, I'd have at
least 4 kits within the loft, with one big door opening to allow
all 4 kits to fly into their respective boxes via that one
opening. very popular in the UK and Europe. now, i have my
original double kitbox, and then 4 kitboxes in the breeding
loft. if I want to move any birds from the double kitbox, its a
pain, as they want to go back into their old box. i've moved
some birds over, by simply allowing them to trap into their old
box, and then moving them into the new. eventually they get the
idea, and enter their new box on their own. got sort of off
track here LOL
so, even though i prefer each round together, its hard, as
you have found. there just arent' enough in each round to fill
the box, so i guess i'll just have to move some new babies into
the slightly older kit. the settling cage will have to go back
on, and they'll have to be trap trained and learn my whistle.
they will get help from the already settled birds too. its the
effect on the older kitbirds that i'm concerned with. will they
be unnecessarily delayed due to the newer babies? the new babies
will not fly for a couple of weeks, as they get used to the lay
of the loft and yard. once the older kitbirds start flying, they
might take the younger birds up too soon, and they may get lost.
damned if I do, and damned if i don't. ugggghhh
#Post#: 11166--------------------------------------------------
Re: ages of baby weaning/kits
DIR By: wishiwon2
Date: June 12, 2012, 12:52 am
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Steve a couple of things here.
Same as you I have to mix ages to fit all the offspring in
boxes. The early rounds are easy cause I have extra space. Once
a group is flying and kitting, it is far easier to blend them
together and consolidate into a couple larger groups. Sometimes
I may have 30 in a kit for a few weeks to give me space settling
new ones into a box of their own.
Eventually towards the end I have to mix them as I am weaning
and training them. I pull the older ones out and let the younger
ones have better access to feed without having to compete for
it. I will fly the older ones while the younger ones are sitting
in the settling cage. I try to never fly birds that arent
kitting yet with those that are. Once they start to kit up and
fly 15 minutes or more, Im ok to mix 'em.
I try to put birds together that are alike. When i have enough,
15-20 that are coming into rolling, I'll put them together in a
kit and sort the rest into another. I try to put easy keepers
and fast eaters together, etc etc you get the idea. The only kit
that doesnt change much is the holdovers or A-team. I dont think
flying young birds with older birds (born in same yr) has much
influence so long as they are ktting well before they mix. I
have a theory that is unproven that birds will develop better if
they are with others that are performing too. One year I kept
all the rounds together with their common aged sets til onset of
winter. I felt it hindered the development of some more by doing
that than mixing like with like along the way.
I was lucky in designing my first loft, that I flew out of the
same bulding as I bred in. I flew English style without traps
for 6 or 7 yrs. I liked it but eventually had to install traps
for the times I couldnt be there. It wasnt by planned design,I
was in such a hurry to fly birds that I just started that way
and it has proved to be a great way to fly. I built a kitloft (5
kitboxes attached to a 4'wx8'lx6'h building) in 2006-7 but
incorporated the idea of a common trap with it. There is one
trap in the mandoor. Once the birds are inside the building they
can fly to their respective kitboxes. The boxes have a door into
the building and a release door to the outside. I did this
because in the winter, I have to feed in the dark lots of the
time and I didnt want to risk a bird slipping out of the kitbox
into the night or into bad weather. It has worked out that it
gives me a place to observe the birds that is out of the
weather. I can store some feed in there too. It is all in all,
nearly ideal for flying from. I just wished I would have built
it with a bit more craftsmanship and better materials instead of
trying to cut costs. I use myold kitboxes in the breeding loft
as weaning cages and seperation pens for cocks and hens or sick
birds.
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