WilliamJones

That was mine! I couldn't believe it when I clocked it's speed at 19,030 yards per minute

I'm 99% sure that margerine's illegal now, at least in the UK. They banned it because of those exact reasons!

It reminds me of the Viz columns... those are gold! http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2434/3561890319_00c6ca3af4.jpg

To be honest, if my birds were found after a few weeks of hanging around with feral pigeons I wouldn't want them back. a ) if they did it once then I wouldn't trust them not to just fly off again b ) they'll have all sorts of horrible diseases c ) lost birds are natures way of separating the wheat from the chaff: if a bird doesn't make it home then it's not a good enough bird... it's micro-evolution!

If you know anyone with a decommissioned nuclear sub kicking around then strap the reactor to your pigeons and you'll be amazed with the difference! Seriously though, there's 1000 things that could make your birds faster: different feed mixes might be better for your birds, a different training routine etc. etc. The only way is for you to try different things out and see what works for you!

If they're flying without flagging for 45 minutes around the loft (and you're sure they're not just perching somewhere) then they sound good! I'd recommend feeding them the absolute minimum on their rest day because a hunger will make them perform better when they race and seems to keep them healthier than racing on a full stomach (from my experiences)

I think I've seen your bird rummaging through my bins and shitting on my house!

It's a tricky one... you'll have to be careful because that bread could easily get infected and make all your birds ill. I think the best bet is to ask your neighbour to either only throw food down when your birds won't be out, or to at least ask him to put it on a clean block of wood. That way at least if they eat it they won't get ill. The biggest drawback is that if you're sending your birds out hungry (so that they have more incentive to come back to feed) and then they eat, they'll just hang outside for ages and not be as keen on returning.

Hey Joe, That's great, you're going to love them! Here are my suggestions: The amount of birds you start with depends on how much space you have. Your birds will need about 0.5 meters squared of floor space each and there needs to be enough room for every pair to have their own nesting box, with a few left over (those bloody cocks will definitely try to bag multiple nestboxes so you may as well have a few spare, just in case you can't stop them!) The best things to think about when buying: a ) When you buy your birds make sure you buy them from someone who's well known locally and can show you his breeding records and race results (you really want someone who can show you his loft has had success over the last 5 years). If the guy has a good reputation then he's not going to give you a load of crap birds because it'll reflect badly on him, whereas bird wholesalers won't give as much of a damn. b ) You want to get all your birds from one loft really because it'll make your life a lot easier as you can ask the guy you bought them from for advice on them. Also it'll mean you have a better idea of what outcomes you'll get from breeding. If they're all from different lofts then every egg will be a complete lottery. c ) Your loft doesn't need to be huge or expensive, it just needs to be comfortable. Really it'll need at least two sections: one for the youngsters and one for the older birds. If you have the space then it'd be a good idea to have a little bird hospital where the sick or new birds can stay while you keep an eye on them without endangering the rest of your flock. EDIT: make sure you can stand up comfortably in there and that it doesn't have any hidden nooks or crannys... you'll be spending a good amount of time in the loft so you should make it an environment you're happy to be in. You also don't want anywhere in there that your birds can hide from you in. Those are three good points to think about initially, if you've got any other questions then ask away!

If a woman ever made me choose then I'd know she wasn't the right woman for me! My birds calm me down, give me something to occupy my time with and give me huge satisfaction and love... it's not like I'm spending every evening shooting heroin into my testicles! If she can't stand me spending a few hours with pigeons then what next!

Yeah, candling works a treat! I try and do it for all my new eggs too because sometimes you notice cracks / damage to them that needs repairing.

You want to be bloody sure this farmer doesn't hold shoots on his land or you're going to end up with a lot of swiss cheese pigeons! Is there no-where else you can put the loft? A farm is probably one of the worst places to have one unless it's within eyesight of your house (in the cold winter months you're going to hate lugging all your crap over to the loft... take it from someone who did it for 3 years and nearly quit because of it!)

1) Try to get them mated to some of your current birds, if you have any 2) Keep them in for a couple of weeks and put them in a basket on the landing board every day so that they get used to you handling them and can have a look at their new home 3) Only let them out when they haven't been fed. If they're hungry then they'll want to come back asap. 4) Find out what call your friend uses when he feeds them, or if he rattles a tin, and do the same whenever you feed them 5) Make sure you talk with your friend to ensure that, if they do fly back to him, that he lets you know Hope those help!

I would honestly say that it sounds like they're two hens... I've made the same mistake in the past (many moons ago!). If not then you might have to bin the one the male because he's not going to be much use to you :/

Yeah, my birds LOVE tobacco stalks but they're not so fond of straw for some reason. I always give it a bit of a sprinkle with anti fungal powder as well, just to make sure they don't get any illness from the stalks. As for sexing the birds it does get a lot easier when you start to develop a more homogonous loft. Because all my pigeons look similar it's very easy for me to tell the males from the females just by looking at their head shapes and hip sizes. That mirror tips a good idea, I'm going to try that!