Rooster J. Cogburn

and like a coiled viper he strikes

The SNFC programme next year should be Wanstead Flats,Reims,Tours,Arras and Peterborough. Joint liberation may not be possible?(i don't know the technicalities involved with mimicking another organisations programme and liberating your birds at the exact same time ) Even if it wasn't after two or three seasons of this programme copying with two clubs flying into the exact same area and lorries driving the exact same routes you'd like to think common sense would provail Alternatively everyone concerned(stubborn members,governing bodies,arch enemies)should just behave and reap the rewards financially and birdage wise.Hopefully restoring the prestige "national" racing into Scotland has held for over a century. ONE NATION,ONE NATIONAL!!

Can't really see any benefit at all in making small birdages smaller. I don't know overly much about the reasons for the split but in today's sport its quite sad clubs are dividing instead of uniting(that also applies to fed racing) There are fantastic fanciers in both clubs and some of the performances over the last while in the SNFC and in the SNRPC since its formation have been immense.Its just a shame they weren't against ALL the fanciers who want to race at National level in Scotland. ONE NATION,ONE NATIONAL!!

If you keep an eye out for clearance sales over the coming weeks.There can be a lot of good bargains to be had on the basket front at them. Obviously its sad to see members leave the sport for whatever reason but I've managed to get hold of a couple of really good quality baskets for next to nothing at these kinna sales.

Aye pigeon racing is a 365 day a year sport as they say

I had grills in one loft but not anymore. I'd only ever use them again if it was a section where I kept hens to discourage pairing-I didn't think the pigeons liked walking on them at all. I always had a tendancy to drop stuff down them rings,pens etc. which was a bit of a nuisance. With nesting pigeons as well I found that a lot of the nesting materials were wasted as they just fell through the grills. Suppose though if your a stickler for keeping your pigeons away from droppings and short on time or arent able to clean out they could be suitable

Its been a dull day but really starting to notice the nights closing in earlier. Goodbye Summer

A wee bit out of my price range

Yeh a non fancier asked me about it but I'm not sure Think invincible spirit went for £77000? Can't remember Superben's price.Tempted to say £106,000 Wouldn't be surprised to hear of dearer though.Some of the money spent by asian buyers is frightening

whats the most expensive pigeon ever?how much was paid? Is it "Superben"? cheers

Its a bit of a *expletive removed* to be honest Its harder to condemn a breeding pair now compared to when I started with the BOPS and racing we get. I lost what I thought my best yearling at Maidstone this year his half brother was my time in though and his nest mate won Ripon and was 5th Leicester.So think its the cock thats the breeder out of the original pair I tried last year as I put him to two hens and both nest threw winners.

Awch tell me about it martin Had a blue,a green and a red hut. Ma maw got the paint for green shed last year-think she was under the impression it was the forth road bridge I was paintin with the ammount she came back wi

Yip it will be good havin a bit more space to play with Am not too bad.Some of the youngsters are starting to look the part with their new feathers.you'll be noticing the same? In the middle of painting the huts at the moment-Forest Green .I had some left from last year so it would have been silly to waste money on other stuff and at least now for the first time they'll all be the same colour cheers

You'll no get better guests than those guys.A few more of Scotlands finest will be at the presentation as well

Breaking a full team is a bit harder but it can be done You thinking about moving your doos somewhere else or you getting a lot in once you get the new hut in your garden? cheers

Can be tricky.Done it in the past and some of them won the same season. Depends if your breaking one or two doos into a loft that already has homed doos in it or your trying to shift an entire team to a new loft and location. Best method I've heard for breaking a doo into your existing loft with your birds was from a fancier who claims to have broken any old pigeon hes ever got easily. He treats them like strays which quite often once they've come in your hut are hard to get rid of.Basically once he gets them in his basket or whatever he just leaves them there for two or three days-no food,no water he'll sit the basket outside when his doos are out so the new doo can see them going in through the trap to their feed.When he's about to shout them in on the third or fourth day he lets the doo hes trying to break out the basket with them and it drops in the sputnik for a feed in a drink. Bobs your uncle,fanny's your auntie. It'll be interesting to hear some of the more experienced guys views on breaking doos though. cheers

Aye Saturdays are a bit of a rollercoaster in the summer. Its good fun

Yip the jump might be the answer after one or two Lockerbie/Longtowns.The pigeons will do it I suppose if they're getting away with a clean start.A jump would maybe help down the east route as well.From what you read on here a lot people seem to think theres a danger zone to be avoided down that side also. The folk who race with the Up North Combines first race will be near enough as far as some feds YB open race but suppose they'll be getting a good help for the first half and a bit of the race.

If you look at the guys who have dominated the young bird national for the past few years a lot of their pigeons are NEHU rung and race with the Up North Combine. How far does that make their first young bird race?and how far would Lanarkshires first race down the West need to be to jump the "danger zone"?

Its difficult nowadays to boost your membership without poaching from other clubs but heard a couple of the older guys who still keep pigeons in the area are coming out of retirement. Hoping this turns out to be the case

Ahh painting.My favourite Got a blue hut,a green hut,a red hut and s*** load of green Cuprinol left from last year. No prizes for guessing the colour the huts will be for next season Only painted the inside of one loft last year but hoping to do them all in the coming weeks with white paint and duramitex mixed. Also need to hang 8 nest boxes in the red hut and thinking about another louvre in the biggest loft. No rest for the wicked

To an extent George aye but wouldna worry about it just now with your young pigeons going through their first moult.A lot of of folk give their doos as much as they want at this stage of the season. Doo well

That ship has sailed Steven Your right in what your saying about race routes aswell!!! Look at the results of the West section when they flew down the West/South route in comparison to the east years. The east was viewed as the safer route BOP wise at the time but is it still??

Obviously there'll always be somebody in a better position than somebody else but if you take wind etc into consideration you can still roughly work out the performance of the race. Inland National racing does seem an especially unlevel playing field though.So does anybody think the SNFC should just leave the inland racing to feds and amals and focus purely on channel racing?? Inland nationals have seen some great performances in recent years and the top names are still often there regardless but if you look at why the SNFC was founded the inland races don't really carry the same prestige as the channel races no matter what spin you put on it. Of course the Inland nationals are a good selling point for a a lot Scottish fanciers and big money spinners but they do steal from other organisations and races. what would people say to the national dropping them from its programme?

Arite Stevie well done today I saw something that if the the two outside toes are the same length at ringing then its a hen if they're not its a cock.Never really payed too much attention to it but the ones I have took note of have turned out to be correct.Dunno if it was just a coincidence though might take note of a few next season.