I breed for two purposes. Firstly to improve my breed and come up with one that flies longer and higher, with a tighter tumble, than its parents. Secondly to replenish my lost to the hawks and those that never come back.
To attain my objectives, I pair my best flyers, Those that their characteristics and their inherent genealogies complement each other. If the result was not saticfactory, then I change the mates. Do not inbreed because the genetic fautls would strengthen on offsprings. Line breeding is OK
Pigeon breed all year round.But one has to have a systematic breeding schedule that is suitable to the seasonal temperature and flying season
I live in midwest where its sub-zero in winter and hot in summer. Its nice in spring and between 60 to 80 degrees . So I start pairing my breeders early march and breed until end of may. Pigeon is very territorial bird and fight for its nest until overcomes the others. Due to this nature, the breeding place should either be a totaly sepatare for each pair or there should be enough space between pairs. Otherwise parents would step on their chicks while trying to protect them from invaders and the chicks would die.
A pair should have enough room for moving around, mating, room for breeding nest, and their food and water. Loft should have good ventilation.A test would be if you smoke in it, the smoke should clear after 10 minutes. Ventilation helps loft to be dry, have fresh air, and moisture which is necessary for successful eggs hatch.
When you introduce a pair to each other, normally they lay eggs after 10 days. Eggs would hatch aftaer 18 days. Food and water should be avialable to the parents at all times until the chicks are weaned which is when they are about five weeks old. When squeekers are old enough that can fly a few feet, I hold them a few feet away from the nest and let them fly back to the nest. I continue this and as they get older, I increase the distance. By week six I fly them from about fifty yards and they go straight to the loft. Sometimes they make a circle before they go to the loft. I also put them in a wire cage which is on the top of loft, starting when they are about four weeks old for a few hours a day.
After I made sure they know their home, I let them go to the roof of my house. I send them up with older ones and let them to see the surrounding. They have to be hungry for the first time they go up on the roof. this can be done by skip feeding the day before. After a few hours I call them in for feeding. When this process repeated several times with ease, then I fly them with some older pigeons that would not fly high and for very long time. This would prepare them for the next fly. After a few times they are ready to show themselves. Some do not mature to their ultimate until three to six month old and all depends how often they get to fly. Not always offsprings of a good pair trun out great. The recessive bad gene may influence the outcome. If I do not get one or two good ones off of a good pair after two or three round breeding, I try to chage the mates.
I fly during April to June and skip the hot days. Then again in september until the hawks become active. At this time I separate the cocks and hens clipping thier flying feathers until next spring.
HOPE THIS WAS USEFUL INFORMATION TO YOU.
*****************************************************************************