How to avoid inbreeding

[nxd10]

I had originally bought four unsexed birds with the hope of breeding a small flock. However, all of my 3 remaining birds are female (one was lost during a flight). I was going to buy a sexed male. However, if I do start getting babies, how do I keep the next generation from interbreeding? I would only want to maintain a small flock of 6-8 birds. Just steal the eggs?

 

[Tippler]

Yes take the eggs and toss them to the dogs, then replace with wooden eggs which you can order from any pigeon supply house.
You want to replace with fake eggs so they don't lay quickly again which will end up being more stressful for the hen then raising babies would be.

 

[Lofty Dreams]

Quote:
Many top lines were created from inbreeding.Pigeons usually breed in pairs.

An Example
A1= new cock
A2 = A1*B1
A3= A2*B2
B1= hen
B2= hen
B3= hen

Take A1 and breed him to B1 take the best cock from this mating[A2] to breed to B2 from this pair select the best cock [A3] to breed to B3.
Brother*Sister mating is the closest related and I would breed only Grandmother or Grandfather to Grandson or Granddauther, or at least 3 generations.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Keep records. If you see the kids start inbreeding, separate them and pair them up with an unrelated (or not directly related, as in brother/sister, cousins/aunts/uncles/etc are not bad) bird.

 

[lilhippiemomma]

I know you can get those wooden eggs from Foy's Pigeon Supply. You can order their catalogue off the internet.

 

[BAMABIRDS]

Let them all go figure it out on their own. I have had pigeons for years and years and I have never separated them from inbreeding and have never had ANY problems.

 

[Tippler]

Quote:
That's not good advice to be giving. Sure you may be okay if you start off with many birds from different blood lines. However you will run into problems. I have seen the results of too much inbreeding it is not good for the breed. This is why you always here people say 'mutts' are better dogs with less problems.

 

[Lofty Dreams]

Quote:
How closly did you inforce strick culling, as with extremly close inbreeding you are more then likely to have culls as the genes good and bad become more commmen.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
yes you can do that ,if you don't care what you get. after years of inbreeding without control..you get common pigeon ,like all the feral ones flying around the barns ,and parks.