The Light System of Racing Young Birds:

Put your breeders first week of December.  Make sure the light is turned on 24 hours a day.  This way the young birds are used to the light in the loft.  After weaning the young bird put them on 24 hours of light until the end of April.  You can do your normal routine by loft flying the young bird everyday.  Try to train and educate your young birds up to 20 miles this way your young birds will know their surrounding before locking them.  On the first day of May turn off the light and young birds will start to molt because of the change in the environment.  Cut the 9th and 10th flight of the young birds on first day of May also.  You can still loft fly the young birds when their flights are cut.  They will build their muscle and fly harder.  On the 13th day of May, pull the 9th and 10th flight and lock the young birds.  Pull every other tail feather of the young bird.  After it grows ¾ in length, you can pull the remaining tail. Give them high protein diet so they will molt heavy.  Try not to handle and disturb them to avoid breaking the new flights that are growing.  By the first week of July you will see the young birds look like an old bird because they are done molting.  Start giving them low protein diet by mixing barley to the feed.  When the molt is done and the flights are complete you can start loft flying the young bird again.  Once the young birds are flying for an hour and in good condition you can start your training.  If you have 2 compartments you can separate the young bird by sexes.  On shipping day put them together for 10 minutes for motivation.