Diamond dave

Sorry to hear that yours wasnt a good first race Max. _ Dont be too despondent. It wasnt a good day for racing pigeons yesterday. I sent six experienced birds and got them all but most of the fanciers thast sent yearlings lost a good percentage of them. The Northampton Northroad club suffered badly as well and I think they were at Cheltenham.

Harrowden Fed at Basingstoke - up at 12 noon in a light variable wind

South Northamptonshire 8:30am Full cloud cover - no sun - very slight Easterly breeze

OH DEAR - I HAVE JUST FOUND OUT THAT MY FURTHEST RACE THIS YEAR IS 153 MILES!!!!! CAN ANYONE BETTER THAT? IN THE LIGHT OF THE CURRENT SITUATION OF OUR SCOTTISH FRIENDS I AM HAPPY TO EVEN BE RACING BUT IT STILL COMES HARD TO SOMEONE WHO PREFERS THE DISTANCE.

Alan Wilkins, I am interested to know whether or not you keep all your younguns together. You say you have them at three different ages - do you let them all go out togethr or are you keeping three teams?

Piggy, I think it would make a difference if you fly widowhood. If you train on the line of flight they will head home straight from the basket wheras if you mess them about they will have to circle to establish a position. If you are a natural or distance flyer, I think it would help them to take them off line on a regular basis. I'm sure some will disagree, but its only my own opinion. Good luck anyway piggy!!

Sean Was this a race or just training?

I can confirm what Silverwings says about Ian Axe - I have had birds from him too.

LIKEWISE - IM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY BETWEEN MILTON KEYNES AND NORTHAMPTON - BUCKINGHAM IS 8 MILES AWAY - oN LY TOO PLEASED TO HELP!

Westy - hatch them out you might get a baby chicken!!!!LOL

Have 15 thats been going out for nearly two weeks and 10 just taken away. I say the same every year too - Ray. Those that are going out have all done thier "maiden" flight and are starting to come in nicely to the corn tin. SNOWY - I hope you havent made us all talk too soon!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sean Try www.xcweather.co.uk as Rose has pointed out. Its a great site !!

Hermans

Hyacinth, BEER IN PUBLIC - thats disgraceful!!!!

Barry, just a thought, -can you change the times you let the birds out ?

Hi Socal, The best way to evaluate your birds is fly them against opposition - Keep your three pairs as stock birds and enjoy the sport racing the young ones. Young birds are best raced in the year of their birth even if its only one or two races. Just my twopenneth Socal - good luck with them whatever you do!!

Widowmaker, I had the same problem through my plastic roof lights - I used some sandpaper on the inside face to make it opaque - You can still see the image of the birds through ity but it is only a sillouette.

Thanks Bruno.

Fair comment Bruno - but now I am confused - I have checked out the Defra website as advised by Pompey Mick which states that they are not interseted in isolated cases and your advice is contradicting that statement. If you are suggesting we all be more vigilant then I must agree but surely not to counteract the Defra statement ? From all of your previous postings on this subject, I think you are very well informed and I would welcome your comments Diamond

Westy, I put a training crate up to the sputnik and let the just weaned babies find their own way into it. After a week in their new loft I take the crate away and open the trap. I leave the stand for the crate there so they can hop in an out of the loft. They quickly start to come down to the floor then start to fly around. I give them an open loft from 2pm till I come home from work at 5.30. when I feed them in. At this age they are NEVER hungry and I am happy that they go out with a full crop. I dont force them to go out, they will all find thier own way out in thier own time and they always find thier way back in again. I start to discipline them to the corn tin when the clocks change and I can let them out when its light when I'm home from work. Every one will probably be different to suit their own circumstances. One good tip for you Westy is never shut your youngsters out of the loft when they are out flying in case of hawks - they need to know that the loft is thier sanctuary and thats why I never PUSH my babies out. It's a nervy time for all of us mate when they start flying but try not to be too anxious!!!

I agree shadow - I only have 10 widowhood cocks and a couple of stock pairs and that takes up all my spare time!!!!!

I agree with the wicked witch. If you do a bit of gardening you'd know that a lot of the delicate plants like Wisteria etc should be on a south facing wall. This maximises the warmth and light on them which should be the same as your birds. RockonRockingRick

Bruno, Thanks for that info mate, but I think you have slightly misinterpreted the situation. Lady phones me with a dead pigeon in her garden worried to death that the bird has got AI. I, knowing that pigeons dont die from AI, try to tell her this while examining the bird, still warm. (With gloves on as I dont want to take anything back to my own loft). Having tried to reassure these people that it is not AI, I now want to try to back that up with some documentation. I wasnt sure what to do with the carcase but it appears that defra would not be interested in this isolated incident anyway so I have buried it. Now all I am trying to do is a PR job and put these peoples mind at rest.

Pompey - Good advice, thanks. Thats also put my mind at rest !! I have printed off that defra statement to show them but I would also like to give them an official statement to say that pigeons cant get it - does anyone know where I can download it from? Hyacinth - Thanks for that advice too, I intend to give them the defra statement and that of Gordon ???????? the vet. I also want to find out where the pigeon was from and the circumstances in which it went missing - by the end of it, I will of hoped to turn them into fanciers, least of all sympathisers!!!! I will also suggest your probable prognosis. Tony - I can now dispose of the carcase without worrying after Pompey Micks advice Incidently, I wonder if the bird belongs to anyone on the PB network- it is MNFC rung - GB05 Z 92816 Gay Pied - was a lovely bird. (wing stamped B420)

Thanks Tony - I do want to deal with this in the correct manner but am not sure what I should do with the carcase - do I take it to a vet or do I have to inform Defra directly or can I do it through the RPRA? I would prefer not to have Defra here because that would really set the gossip mongers going ( I have visions of men in white coats and masks turning up). If there is somewhere I can take the carcase then thats what I would prefer.