Diamond dave

Help, help help, I have 5 pairs of stock birds that I need to rehouse. Does anyone know if there is a second hand shed that i could purchase in the Milton Keynes/ Northampton area or surrounding areas - I only have to 2 weeks to rehouse them. D.D.

Many carriers are only regional concerns and they use the bigger carriers to do the main distance "corridoor" runs up and down the motorways. Then these bigger carriers don' t do the regional runs. when i was a lad I seem to remeber we used the rail network - it wasn't door to door but that might be better in some ways. It would be down to you to deliver and collectb from your nearest station. D.D.

Think you will need a damp proof course. D.D.

Hiya Pigeon - I sent 10, got 5 on the day and one next morning. The losses generally are very bad in our club with a couple of fanciers not getting any birds at all. Two of the birds that I am missing are experienced birds, been over the water 8-10 times and yet one of the birds that I got back is a yearling which hasnt been over before - how do you explain that. Sometimes I think there is no "logic" in pigeon racing D.D.

Today I took my widow cocks on a 50mile chuck which was going to be back to their hens. But the weather was so bad, I ended up bringing them back home. I would like to ask the members if I should have still shown the hens bearing in mind they were in the basket all day.

Fantastic advice - Thanks to you all - I will get mine on order straight away. D.D.

Thank you all for your good advice. Terry - This looks perfect. Do you know if this is a two way trap or do you think I could just leave off the bobwires? IB.- what other things do you think can get in a trap like this?

Does any one have a design for a cat proof open hole. I race widowhood cocks but have a couple of pairs of yearlings in a small compartment that I would like to leave on open hole while I am at work Thanks D.D.

Hi Craig, I hope to be talking to him sometime in the near future. I can ask him if he sells old/young birds if you like. -Do you have any specific requests? D.D.

Be careful with your timing okitsme, cos I doubt you will get rings in time if she lays eggs now. Better to try and seperate the sexes if you can until early Jan at least. Prepare and condition your birds before you start breeding. Then you will have more chance of a good crop of youngbirds. D.D.

Anyone know whether Dean Pallett has a website or better still an e.mail address? D.D.

Does anyone have the PLO soft software - I need to know how to transfer my bird photos from another programme. Technophobe D.D.

For years our club has held a B.B. competetion over all the young bird races. It's always been great competetion and a great source of healthy, enjoyable banter from the actual auction of the young birds in the pens through to the final young bird race. However, over the last 3 years enthusiasm has begun to wain, with the main excuse being some fanciers now breed early and and some breed later youngsters. and now only 6 -8 members contribute. The B.B. comp. is (was) also a great fund raiser for the club. Does anyone have any ideas how we can get this comp. back on track? Do other clubs run a similar comp.? If so how do you do it? Are there any other succesful competeions that clubs run which may benefit other clubs? D.D.

See you there 883 girl friend - Thanks for the info - I'm goin tommorrow morning - I'll buy you a cup of tea if I see you!!! Also had a text from the MNFC to say that they will be there for subs and ring orders, so it would appear that the stall holders will be there even if the sales don't go ahead. D.D.

1st Pen 6 2nd Pen 4 3rd Pen 3

Any of you good people ever tried the light system? I have a couple of questions that I would like to ask of someone that has tried the system - My main concern is ensuring that the birds are through the moult prior to young bird racing. I have just watched an American video on the subject but their season is slighltly different to ours......... D. D.

Can anyone tell me if a holdover takes the edge off of a widowhood cock or does it make him keener? D.D.

I've sent 4 - 3 that went to Falaise and 1 yearling that hasnt been accross the water yet but I fancy it to be my first bird back. I'm looking at xcweather.co.uk and the weather looks fine for a liberation tommorrow. This is a pilots weather station which I have always found to be spot on! It gives Alencon as sunshine and showers, the channel looks good too and England is fine all the way up the country - this between the hours of 7am and 4.00pmso I dont see why they should be held over. Good luck to all the PB members who are sending over the weekend. D.D.

Hi Susan, If you manage to find something appropriate, you are welcome to use a couple of my birds to experiment. I have a couple of older, more experienced birds that are just past their best as racers (meaning they are still racing birds but are just off the race winning pace). They have been to France on many occasions and are consistent and reliable if nothing else. I expect you will have to consider Logistics but just to let you know that my location is in the Midlands in between Northampton and Milton Keynes. If I can be of any assistance, please let me know if and how I could help. Regards David Lyden.

Bart, Check the rest of the race result - I bet there were still plenty of yearlings clocked in. Dont molly-coddle them, you might still lose them as 2 yr olds. -Look after the ones that you have got back - pick the right weather for them. You dont say if you have them on natural or widowhood???? If they are on widowhood, either dont show them the hen before basketing or give them the hen for about 3hours before basketing. Or split the team and try half one way and half the other. The crux of the matter is dont wind them up too much before basketing if you want to keep them, especially in a tailwind as they will go over and keep going. D.D.

Northamptonshire - bang in the middle. Glorious sunshine, not a cloud in the sky and not a breath of wind. D.D.

Wow, - and we worry about our birds getting accross the channel!!! Great Vid Paul - poor little buggers.

Okay, what about one that reurns home next morning, does he still deserve his hen?

If a widowhood cock has returned absolutely battered from a gruelling 9 hour race, would you still let it have its hen? D.D.

Martin, Have you any idea what happened to the MNFC birds. I only fly 8 cocks - I sent 6 of them and only ahd 2 back. 4 of the missing birds are experienced channel pigeons 3 & 4 year olds. I have to agree with Peterpau and Tubbles, looking at the great video, the visibility was good enough to cut the strings but this seems to be more than just a hard race. 2 of the birds that I am missing are what i would call "hard" day pigeons and have scored in such weather but they are still missing...... The rest of the club members are all saying much the same. I dont think its so much a question of if they should have gone up or not but more a question of what happaned to them when they were up. This isn't just a question of the MNFC liberation Because it affected most of the libs from the south coast and beyond........Perhaps Bilcos theory is correct!