The key to a successful breeding season is to prepare properly. Plan your matings in advance. Always keep a couple of extra hens and dispose of any surplus birds. You will need all the space you can muster if you want your birds to do well. I like to remove my Jacobins from the loft at some point before breeding season at which time I completely clean and scrape out the loft. I then disinfect the loft using a bleach water solution of one cup of household bleach to five gallons of water. I apply this with a hand held sprayer. Don’t forget to do the feed and water utensils as well as nests,fly pens etc. I then apply a sprinkling of lime over the floor, nests and flypen and brush it or rake it in before applying fresh bedding to the loft. I prefer wood chips. Always wear a good mask to protect you from inhaling any of the dusts or fumes.
If you did not do so after the show season it is a good idea to treat your Jacobins to get rid of any external parasites like lice or mites. Infestations of these can distract birds from breeding, incubating and parenting duties. Try to make your birds as comfortable as possible.
Vaccinate your birds against PMV-1 and paratyphoid prior to breeding season. PMV-1 is everywhere and paratyphoid is one of the most common secondary infections and can cause all kinds of problems from poor fertility and hatchability to birds going light and vertigo just to mention a few. The paratyphoid vaccine will help give your birds some immunity to some of the more common strains but booster shots should be given at six month intervals to maintain high levels of resistance. Treating with antibiotics may be necessary. Tetracycline based drugs are usually most effective however a culture and sensitivity test may be required to identify the best antibiotic if you feel you have a problem. Another common problem is canker and this is easily treated with emtryl. This should be done prior to breeding season because emtryl will lower fertility for a short time. There are also pills available to treat individuals which are very effective and are not emtryl based. Always follow directions when medicating and never underdose or overdose and make sure you treat for the proper period of time so as not to create a drug resistant disease. I try not to medicate my Jacobins during the breeding season unless a problem appears. It is wise to never introduce any new birds to your loft after you have finished medicating and disinfecting. Once you start breeding your loft should be closed to any new birds.
I give my Jacobins Vitamins and electrolytes in the water regularly to make sure my birds are not lacking anything in their diet. Make sure your birds get a calcium rich grit such as oyster shell or limestone leading up to breeding season to ensure quality egg shells. Individual hens can be given calcium pills from your local drug store of they are laying soft shelled or chalky shelled eggs. Make sure the calcium source for the pills is oyster shell because pigeons cannot absorb many other forms of calcium such as that derived from milk.
I like to let my cockbirds claim their own nest boxes before I introduce them to their mate. The mating process seems to go a lot smoother this way. You will find a few good pair of feeders will more than earn their keep. They must be kept seperate from your Jacobins but close enough that you do not have to carry the eggs or youngsters you are switching too far.
Keep good records. Try to check your birds at the same time every day to record which pairs have laid, which eggs are fertile,band numbers of youngsters, who their parents are where eggs have been switched etc. The more notes you make the better you will get to know your birds and how best to manage them. Proper records are critical to success.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROSE ON A JACOBIN
The rose of a Jacobin is not directly allotted any points in the Jacobin standard but has such a profound impact upon the appearance of a Jacobin that it can and does influence the ability of a Jacobin to place at a show. On many of occasions I have heard Judges comment that a bird has an irregular shaped rose or uneven roses and thus place the Jacobin with this in mind.
Let me try to describe the rose to you. When viewing the Jacobin from the side in profile the rose should lie directly in the centre of the entire head formation between front and back but slightly lower than centre in relation to top and bottom. Tom Reich best describes the rose and I will use his interpretation “ Defined as the focal area where the outer-most side profile feathers originate and radiate around, each rose somewhat resembles the centre of a small whirlpool”. The rose should be perfectly round and relatively small in relation to the rest of the head formation. The roses on each side of the bird should match each other. A smaller lower set rose helps to create the illusion of longer feather. A Jacobin with a small, round, low set rose appears taller, smoother and more finished. It is a major component of a winning Jacobin and I have yet to see a Jacobin judge who doesn’t pay attention to this feature.
Common faults I see in roses are roses which are elongated or crescent shaped or roses which are too large or set too high or are uneven.
Pay attention to the roses in your Jacobins when you are planning your matings. It is just one more feature that challenges the breeder.
Clint Robertson Email: clint@jacobins.ca
