bullcock

it's getting them to fly home 1st thats the trick then they can trap there heads off.

Well I wasn't going to mention it but I over herd someone saying to someone else that they asked what time they may go at and he said his reply was something along the lines of Ive not checked the computer yet! So with that in my mind I thought it was a touchy subject and wasn't going to ask for a similay reply so I left it.

I'm only pointing out that if we had marked in the morning and saved the birds being off there eggs for so long unnesesarily and there was no mention about a mid day lib i wrongly assumed that because they basketed the night before they would be up in the morning if possibe, like i said more information would have helped. I didn't expect it to be an all-day and evening shot. Anyway the birds seem to have got home safely and it was a good race in the end. Maybe I'm the only one moaning because all the Glasgow members have been to this race before and know the times.

The birds were marked the night before they should have been up 1st thing in the morning, I like the idea of a race on bank holiday monday but I don't want to spend the whole day tied to the race, if they had been up in the morning we would have done the check by 13:00 or 14:00 leaving the rest of the day and evening with my family. The lack of communication regarding the race was poor I like everyone else wasted the morning waiting on word of the liberation and the birds probably hadn't even left chryston! If we knew it was going to be a mid day lib we could of at least done something in the morning. you have got to keep the wife sweet aswell you know. P.S. who won and what was there velocity?

Probably about 12 but some are going for the time on the wing but if there my 1st timer I'll be just as glad to time them in.( if so i'll probably be late) some of my bird we out last week but some haven't been out for two weeks so we will have to see how they do.

I practically got all mine within about 5 mins (18) I had about ten flying around then within a few minutes they were all there, the problem was they wouldn't come down out the sky and i lost time. I eventually timed 3 after opening all the stall traps as there was birds dropping into 3 at the same time. My 2nd & 3rd bird was timed at 14:39 my 1st must have been 14:38 doing approx 1385 velocity. I am not taking my clock over though after lossing some time the chance to win was gone. PS I'm not happy with the lib time, the birds should have been up 1st thing this morning if possible, we may as well have marked the birds this morning for a mid day lib. Then the clocks are at 19:00 the whole day has been tied up on this race when it could have been done and dusted by 13:00 and the rest of the day to ourselfs. any way the bird got a 2 hour fly and they are all safe so alls well that ends well.

Whats the early times / velocities from ottersburn todays ?

You should use your own judgment and common sense, but feed a mixture containing a variety of grains such as breeding or widowhood. I feed my young birds breeding mix at weaning and for the next month or so I will give extra maples for protein if i feel they need it. when they are a bit older and start to fly a bit I give half breeding and half widowhood and sometimes some small trapping seeds. I feed twice a day, in the morning the feed is a light one and in the afternoon I feed until they look as if they are starting to leave certain grains and dont feed as frantic as at the start. Remember at weaning they are still growing and need more protein but later more carb like maze is needed for energy. This is written a bit rough but you should get the idea and I hope it helps, but remember common sense use your own mind to decide how mush and when.

We give a small amount of a mixture of trapping mix & peanuts evertime they home from the basket in training or the race (they get a bit more from the race).

Glasgow & Renfrewshire at Newark 240 miles

Sent 40 with the Glasgow/renfrewshire convoy I had 14 widowhood birds for 14:00 and 1 later my naturals came home good and steady by the end of the day I was waiting on 1 out of 18 naturals and 7 out of 22 widowhood birds ( still waiting on 6cock out of 12 sent) so the ones that got home were home very fast and the rest are still flying? The widowhood birds are so blinkered that they fly hard and fast and sometimes don't think about what direction they are going in. I think they clashed and the ones that got caught up with other feds have been carried away at speed were as the naturals take the time to think where they are going. This happens to us every year at this time between Tow Law & Weatherby 130 - 180 mile? I think there are too many Feds in these areas around this time all going in different directions, the widowhood birds home in good time but the losses are far higher than the naturals.

I remember reading this article I think he actually raced some birds to a "meat safe" box type thing and did realy well with them.

Racing from ottersburn 101 miles with Glasgow last one home at 21:20 thats 36 out of 64 Gulp. 28 to come, this has got to be one of the worst races for years. Gutted.

After the RPRA allowing members to cut off the lugs from the new ETS style rings, the SHU have now decided that these ring having been tampered with wont pass them for use. This means that after cutting the lugs off all these rings,birds will not be elegable to fly under the SHU or the SNFC, this is the most ridiculas situation which is going to create even more controversy something the sport has enough of at the moment. All I want to do is race my doo's without all this cr@p! >

nice birds the parents look great what strain are they ?

more ventilation ;D its out side with no protection from anything how much more air flow can you get. ;D

yes if you have bred very early you want to get the birds separated around 8 - 10 day eggs second round, this will check the moult, but I like to see birds throw there first flight and we have found that when you check the moult they struggle to throw the first flight even by june, I think its the high carb diet and low protien that causes it.

Spot on, training just now will give benifits in the early races but the birds will be finished before 250miles. I race widowhood and love to win the early races but mine will not get a toss until the temprature is up, i like it to 12 degrees min for early training and train around 13.00 - 14.00 when the temp is at its hottest.

niffty with the old camera, spend more time with the birds. ;D

nice young bird,hope you can fly it as well as you can photograph it. ;D ;D

P,S. on the subject of grit we feed pink, black & brown grit as well as grit and Homaform, so it can still happen but definently give a variety of grit during rearing.

every year there is always a pair that does this, I think its down to the parents and after a couple of days they usually go hard again, as long as the young birds look alright they should be ok as its only the parents giving too much water, I have no answer as to why they do it, and we don't like to see it, but they should be ok.

the only pill a sick bird needs is a "neck pull"( and maybe a wee twist) ;D ;D

Ian Noble the SHU President has/had what was left of the original Barless Blues.