what age to race rin babys?

canfordpigeons said:

hi my babys are 3 days old what day should i ring them?

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Start trying to put the ring on at 6 days. Then check it the next day. If it stays one, you're good. If not, re-ring and check again the next day. Once it stays on for 24 hours, it's not coming off.

canfordpigeons said:

hi my babys are 3 days old what day should i ring them?

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Too soon...and it falls off....wait too long, and you can't get it on. I never go by time, I go by the size of the bird, and I'm thinking it is about 5 or 6 days. I simply stopped tracking time on some things....

Since I have so much to remember, I keep track of hatching, banding, and weaning dates on my computer's calendar. I normally put my reminder at 5 days. If the babies look too small, I just wait a couple more days. Soon you'll get the feel as to when a baby is too big or too small. Just don't forget to check it! Those little guys are pros at wiggling out of bands. And some parents LOVE to carry the bands wayyyy out of the nest, so that you have to stare at the ground and dig around to find it.

I remember last year when I used some NPA bands. They were light gray and smaller than typical racer bands. Boy they sure did blend in once they fell off And now that the birds are grown, those bands blend in with the blue birds

If there are two babies, then around 6 days. If there is only one baby, then 5 days. But the best way to ring the babies are to check by putting the rings on and try to pull them off. If the rings still come off, then the babies aren't big enough. If the rings don't come off, then they're the right age.

I start checking on mine at 5 days. It's always good to be a day early than a day late. If you use the 5 day notice, you'll be fine. That way you'll know if you need to band the next day. It's usually too late by 7 days.

I go with five days, and check on day six, seven, and eight.

SmithFamilyLoft said:

Too soon...and it falls off....wait too long, and you can't get it on. I never go by time, I go by the size of the bird, and I'm thinking it is about 5 or 6 days. I simply stopped tracking time on some things....

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I know the feeling Warren. When you reach a certain age, "time" truely becomes a four letter word!

Dan