Breed Pairing Racing Pigeons

Pairing up good breeders is a definitely a good thing to know how to do. Without knowing, you could keep producing the exact qualities that you do not want in a racing pigeon. And of course, you can produce exactly what you want if you know what you're doing.

You want to find extremely successful racing pigeons to start off with. Ones that have won many races, long and short distances. When you breed those two together, you have a very high chance of producing another successful pigeon. Of course this sometimes is easier said than done, nothing is perfect, so if a successful pigeon, now has a disease of some sort, you won't want to breed that pigeon. As an example that is. Some pigeons will have great speed, but no stamina. So they can't race any long distance races. So you will want to bring in a successful long distance racer whether they are the fastest or not. As long as they can race well for really long distances. That way you bring in genes for long distance racing, as well as having your original speed gene. Pairing your pigeons with each other will bring a mix of a good qualities, or make good qualities better, if you do it correctly.

The more you breed with successful and healthy pigeons, the stronger your loft will be. Just imagine having a good size loft, and all of them can win races. You will be near the top of your club, and winning tons of races, and probably lots of money too! Once you get to this point, you can really pin point the exact genes, and skills you want in your racing pigeons. You will be able to get calm and focused pigeons as an example. If you want to keep speed and strength in your loft, you can consider line breeding, which means you will be breeding directly related pigeons with each other. It is something that is looked down upon for us humans, but for pigeon racing, you can send you to the top if done correctly. Line breeding is something you will not want to do all the time, but doing it periodically to keep good genes within your loft is a great idea.

This is why learning about breeding racing pigeons is so important. You should have a goal of what your outcome should be in your loft, whether if they specialize in long or short distances, or both. What skills, genes you want to have. Since the sport of pigeon racing is growing, there is more competition, so it is best to be prepared! So go and do your due diligence and learn about stock selection and breeder selection as well. It is important to learn about both of those, as well as about the different types of breeding. They all play a part in producing a champion racing pigeon loft, that will make you lots of money, prizes, trophies and most important, success!

Good luck!

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Portable Bird Air Purifier - 5 Features That It Needs To Have

Birds don't stay still so an air purifier designed with them in mind should be just as portable when the need arises. Here are 5 features a cleaner needs to have that will make it the ultimate in portability.

Self-Contained - A cleaner that can be easily moved across the room, through the house or across the country needs to contain everything inside that it needs rather having to be accompanied by various filters, sprays, chargers, cleaners and other paraphernalia.

Frequent filter changes and other maintenance requirements will dictate that a lot of other stuff will need to follow you and the cleaner wherever you go. It's no fun to have a high maintenance cleaner when all you want to do is spend time with your bird.

Opt for a cleaner that has a long filter life and needs very little in terms of maintenance other than occasional vacuuming of the outside. This means your cleaner is easily moved and literally doesn't have a lot of baggage that needs to come with it.

Sturdy Casters - Whoever invented wheels did us all a huge favor, and putting them on an air cleaner is nothing short of genius. Rather than lifting or having to have someone to lift it for you, casters that are sturdy can roll across all types of flooring with the push of a finger. Pushing beats lifting every time.

Common Plug Type - How often have you bought an appliance only to find that the plug type is not compatible with the outlets where you want to use it? A sturdy yet convention to prong plug assures you that you will be able to plug your unit in anywhere. And isn't it a relief to know that your birds will always be able to enjoy clean air because filtration is always as close as the nearest outlet.

Flexible Placement - Where your unit needs to be placed in order to function effectively is a feature that should be considered very carefully. A purifier should be able to be placed out of the way and not call attention to it by having to be placed in the middle of a room.

A unit that can pull air from all sides is the feature that indicates flexibility in placement. Units that have 360 degree intake need only about 6 inches of clearance to allow the air to be pulled in, slowly filtered and returned to the room. This allows you to place your unit high or low, or even in a corner and still work effectively without causing a draft for you or your birds.

Sturdy Construction - A well built unit is more likely to survive moves that one that is daintily constructed. A cleaner made of steel with a powder - coat finish in a variety of designer colors is similar to an iron hand in a velvet glove - pretty on the outside but tough inside.

These 5 features are the best indicators of how portable a bird air cleaner really is. And the more portable a unit is, the more control you can provide for you and your birds.

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Chicken Tractors Plans - Wise Investments for Chicken-Keepers Both Novice and Expert

To the hobby farmer, taking care of animals is not just for profit, but also for emotional gain. Many a hobby farmer continues this activity because of the enjoyment that it gives him or her to see animals well taken cared of under their wing. One of the main livestock involved in such activities is the chicken, an animal that is not only fairly easy to maintain but can also produce a valuable product, in the form of eggs.

In light of this, both the amateur and professional farmer must put effort into constructing a safe shelter for their chickens. Although the materials and time needed to make such an endeavor may prove rigorous, he or she can think of it as an investment that will do more good than harm to the business or hobby down the line. For people wishing to start a chicken-keeping hobby without having to spend too much on lumber and tools, a fine set of chicken tractor plans can be the perfect option.

The popularity of the chicken tractor plans can be summarized in three main elements: cost, effort and convenience. A common tractor costs less to build than the conventional chicken coop, as it imposes a minimum on the items needed. In particular, lumber count is significantly decreased, as the floor of the chicken tractor does not require covering of any kind.

Effort is also greatly cut down when following the tractor plans - no intermediate or advanced training in carpentry is required - all that's needed is the will to complete a job and a wholesome concern for the shelter of one's chickens. The size of the chicken coop makes for less need to go back and forth, collecting plywood and hacking off pieces to complete the shelter.

Lastly, convenience comes in a threefold advantage for the typical chicken tractor. For one, the lack of aforementioned floor covering enables chickens to directly obtain food from healthy soil and grass. For another, owners can make use of the tractor to isolate a specific area that requires cutting of grass.

Once the chickens have cut down the height of the grass, one can simply move the tractor to another area. This brings forth the final convenience of the chicken tractor: its lightweight build can allow farm owners to lift the tractor and move it to another part of the farm or yard with ease. These advantages are what make chicken tractor plans a definite favorite among chicken farmers and hobbyists from all around.

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How To Properly Suit Up A Finch's Cage

Finches make wonderful pets. They tend to be cheerful, interesting and lively companions. They are beautiful birds with a happy voice. They are easy to care for and relatively easy to keep healthy. They do not require the constant social interaction that some birds, like parrots, require. For birds to be happy in our homes, we need to give them an appropriate home of their own. They need to have a properly sized and equipped finch cage.

Cage Size: Finch cages need to be sized large enough for your birds to be able to take small flights. It should be at least 30 in length, and 20" in height or more. Finches are active birds, and need to get some exercise by flying around a little, so it is recommended that your finch cage provide enough room for that. The bars on the cage need to be close together, as finches are small birds. You don't want them to escape through the bars, or be injured getting stuck trying to escape. Many owners have a second smaller cage to use when cleaning out the main cage.

Food and Furniture: There are a few items you will need to have in your finch cages to keep your bird healthy and happy. Food and water should be provided in separate finch feeders at all times. It is good to have some extra dishes that can be put periodically for things like treats or grit. You can also put a small dish of fresh water for your finches to bathe in a few times a week. Finches also like things like a small box to nest and sleep in and a perch to rest on. Perches can be made of wood or concrete, and it is good to have varying sizes to exercise their feet. Cement perches are good to help keep their nails trimmed, but can be hard on their feet if used exclusively. Some popular wood types for perches are tree branches from trees like elm, maple, poplar, or cherry. In the bottom of the cage, you should put some paper, sprinkled with grit, or you can use a commercially available grit paper. There is also an optional product called a bird protector disk, which attaches to side of the cage to prevent mites.

Toys: Another important item in your finch cage is to have some toys in the cage for your birds to play with. Finches like shiny objects, bells, or plastic rings for entertainment. Retail pet stores also have other items like ladders, mirrors, swings, and beads. You can put a couple of toys at a time, and switch them out often to provide variety and keep things interesting for the bird.

Cleaning: Your finch cage should be cleaned at least once a week. Use hot soapy water to thoroughly clean the cage and all accessories, then make sure to rinse and dry. Lining the bottom of the cage with newspapers, paper bags or paper towels helps make the job of cleaning the cage easier. I personally prefer newspapers.

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Bird Dust Air Cleaner - 5 Features To Have In An Air Purifier For Birds

Bird dust for some types of birds is a normal part of their growth and development. African Greys, Cockatoos, and Cockatiels are all known as powder down parrots. And if you love and own one, you are all too familiar with the white powder that can cover everything in sight.

Using an air purifier is one of the most effective ways to keep these fine particulates under control, and here are 5 features the cleaner should have.

24 Hour Cleaning Capability - White wing dust is what helps keep powder parrots' wings healthy and beautiful. And so these particles will be a fact of life for as long as you have your pet. Bird dust is produce continually and so to be effective a cleaner must be able to take it out as continually as it is produced.

This keeps your pet's notoriously tiny air passages clearer. And clear airways can increase their quality of life and their life span. As for humans, constantly breathing this dust can cause nodes in the lungs, bring on and/or exacerbate allergies, asthma, and other chronic respiratory conditions.

Low, Medium, And High Speeds - Some days there are going to be more particles in the air than other days. When there are more particles in the air, an air purifier should be able to take out more at a faster rate. This means particles spends less time in the air and that drastically reduces the amount you and your bird are forced to inhale.

Fresh Air As The Only Result - An effective cleaner should be able to send 250 cubic feet of fresh clean air into your room every 60 seconds. This should be without any amount of ozone or ionized particles.

The debate continues about if and how much ozone is harmful; and whether ionized particles do more harm than good. But all are in agreement that there is no down side to fresh, clean air. So selecting a unit that only produces clean air is the healthiest solution.

HEPA Filter - HEPA is a shortened version of high efficiency particle arresting. This type of filter by definition must be able to remove 99.97 of airborne particles that are.3 microns or larger.

That includes not only bird dust but more normal household pollutants such as dust, dust mites, mold and mildew spores, bacteria, and viruses. The benefit to you and your bird is that for every 100,00 airborne particulates this type of technology will remove all but 3 particles down to.3 microns in size with a micron being defined as one millionth of a meter. This type of filter is so effective that hospitals use it to insure clean air.

Numerous Other Particle Filters - As efficient as a HEPA is, having it as the only filter would mean that it would fill unnecessarily quickly with big particles that could be trapped by other types of filters.

Your cleaner should have at least 2 pre-filters that eliminate the big particles before they clog the HEPA. This will eliminate large and medium size particles that can be seen without magnification.

Carbon cloth is another filter that the unit should have particularly with birds. Since every animal has a unique smell, being able to eliminate odors and other gaseous pollutants is a huge advantage towards keeping your bird safe. And because the nature of this filter is a cloth, it gives you a 4th filter for particle removal.

A cleaner with these features will go a long way towards keeping you and your bird happy and healthy for many years to come.

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Zebra Finches Make Wonderful Pets

Zebra Finches have been one of the most popular cage birds for over one hundred years. When we bring them into our homes, they quickly become a treasured member of the family; stealing our hearts with their quirky personalities, beautiful colors and patterns, vibrant singing and their endless activity. They are also one of the easiest pet birds to care for and they are rather inexpensive. They make a cheery addition to any home.

Zebra Finches are so popular you can easily find them at your local pet store or from local breeders. When well cared for, these birds will maintain their happy quirky personalities through their lifespan of about seven to ten years with continuous song and activity.

Never buy a single Zebra Finch, always plan to buy at least two birds. Finch birds need to be socially active with other finches, preferably finches of the same species. Also be sure to purchase a cage large enough for your birds to reach full flight.

One of the wonderful things about these birds is the many different patterns and colors they can be found in. Usually, the male Zebra Finch will have gray wings and upper body with a white belly. Their legs and beaks are reddish-orange in color along with cheek patches of the same color on each side of its head. There are also teardrop markings under the eye that can be fawn, brown or tan. The flanks or sides which are located just below the wings of the male Zebra Finches are either chestnut colored or orange with white dots. Lastly, the male's chest is white and black striped like a zebra, which is how these birds got their name.

The female Zebra Finches are usually white in the belly with a gray upper body and wings. Their beaks and legs are a lighter color than the males, and the females do not have stipes. For the females, the teardrop mark right under the eye is black. Zebra Finches can be found in many varieties such as: Black Cheek, Black or Orange Breasted, Black, Fawn, Chestnut Flanked White and Pied.

In the wild Zebra Finches live in dry areas and consume mostly grass seeds. While seeds are still the heart of their diet even in captivity, you should also supply your finches with healthy foods from your kitchen.

Your birds will have different likes and dislikes, so you may have to experiment a bit to find out what they prefer. Offer your birds a variety of food items like chopped mixed vegetables, mashed boiled egg, sprouts, spinach, lettuce and bread crumbs. Be sure to keep the moist foods in separate dishes than the dry foods. Also do not offer your birds extreme items like peppers or cabbage.

Never leave moist foods in the cage with your finches for more than twenty-four hours. Remove any uneaten food to prevent spoilage and be sure to clean their dishes before providing them with a new dish of fresh food. Your finches need food and fresh water every day, so be sure to always keep their seed bowl full.

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