Leroy

Can you get a photo of the bird so we can see what sort it is please?

I would give it a go. Don't bother with buying old birds for breeding your own youngsters because I think you would struggle for room, but buy a dozen young birds at the start of next season from a good flyer who gets results. You can fly your yearlings naturally rather than widowhood,the year after. Give it a go, nothing ventured nothing gained. I only race to a 10x6 :-) All the best Lee

I've got 9/9. Had two appear then go off again. Everyone else at the club has birds missing, and quite a few had birds come back and sit out or circle for a while, more so than usual apparently. Lee

Welcome to basics mate! I don't think there's a right and wrong answer to how many young birds you can have, except don't overstock your loft! My team this year is only 12 strong. The smaller the team, the easier it is to monitor them health wise, but in a bad season you might end up with only a handful of yearlings for next year. It depends what your future plans are. I did it the same way as you and bought stock birds in to breed my own young. I wouldn't do it again. I would buy my young birds from a top racer in my area and go easily with them. If they do well, breed off them next year as yearlings. If they don't, buy again but from someone different. Ask 20 different people you'll get 20 different answers! You've got to take a chance and decide what suits you best. Best of luck Lee

I just single tossed my youngsters for the first time this weekend. Only about 4 miles. I intend to only single toss them, as I want them to have to think for themselves. I also think as their confidence builds they'll clear quicker. Less likely to attract the hawks than tossing a large number too. I'm doing it out of interest to see if I get better results. It might work it might not but I've nothing to lose, as my current system doesn't get the results I want. If you're undecided why not single toss the same half dozen youngsters every time and see if they come any better in the races. Lee

Irwell Valley are at Kingsdown, due to go up at 11am in a light NW wind Lee

Hi Wiley, if you can't find any figuritas look out for Portuguese Tumblers, they're the same size as the figuritas but do the odd tumble or roll when flying, thought the lad might like that! Lee

I only race to a small loft and this is only my third year but so far this year I've had hens back first in both races. The strange thing is, I didn't even train the hens this year, didn't race or train last year, so their last fly was as young birds. The cocks were trained to 20 miles this year. In my first race a hen landed and as she was about to trap a cock landed as well, so they took off on a lap of honour or two. I lost a couple of minutes but I think it was a one off and is less likely as the races get longer. I just can't believe that my hens have flown better than the cocks without any training. I do fly them out with the youngsters though so they fly better around home. Lee

When I kept budgies with my dad years ago we had problems with the sparrowhawks. They'd sit on the aviary or cling to the wire and scare the life out of the budgies. Even had some kill themselves flying away in panic. Also still a chance of breathing problems for the fancier from the feather dust. Stick with the pigeons! :-) Lee

If they've flown out they'll be harder to break but they are still young enough to do it. An old fashioned way of breaking birds which I've done before is wiping washing up liquid on their flights before you let them out. It prevents them getting lift off but it does knacker the feathers. If you don't want to soap them or cut the flights down make sure they have been on the loft top in a cage and that you've put them through the entrance so that they know where they are and how to get back in. Lee

How old are the birds and did they fly out where you got them from?

If it was me I would breed a full round off both pairs and then try to break them to the loft when rearing the second round. At least this way if you lose them you still have some of the breed to fly out and start again. I have tried various ways of settling fancy birds over the years and a lot depends on the breed. For flying breeds my most successful way of settling them was to cut down most of the flight feathers, and then as the birds moult in their new feathers they gradually get stronger but are used to being there and stay at home. Only problem with this method is that they are very vulnerable to predators so you have to be very cautious doing it. Lee

Been like that since 6am Lee

I would take the small ledge down. What breed are they? Lee

I'd also find a local solicitors who deal in Medical Negligence just to get some advice. You can find them on the Law Society website. Nothing wrong in finding out whether the Hospital has been negligent. Lee

I'm all in favour. If mankind destroys something, it should do everything it can to put it right. Lee

Sorry guys only just come back on. If you get any more I can cross post on their forum! Lee

Yep

Is it not some breed of pigeon that stands with a different posture putting pressure on the centre pads, causing them to flatten more than the rest of the foot? Just a thought. I have a pair of nuns that have chubby little feet like that Lee I'm even more certain seeing the thickened hind toenail

I used them a few years back and had the rings in about 5 days Lee

Cheers. I've left a pot egg in there, the wife stopped buying potatoes!!!

I had a strange situation this year. One pair ended up with 3 eggs, so I thought another hen had slipped in and laid hers when the resident hen was out. I figured the culprit would end up with a single egg, but every other pair laying at the time had two eggs of their own. Anyway, the first two have already hatched, and when I came home tonight the third was chipping. Luckily I have a hen who smashes her own eggs every year so I had her sitting pot eggs until today and I've slipped the chipping egg under. Hopefully she won't squash the chick like she does the eggs!

I've had my first 5 hatch out today, from both stock and racers. I'm just glad it's 5 degrees warmer than it has been recently. I can't wait for the rest to hatch. One pair is a week behind, another 2 pairs have only just laid, down to smashed eggs the first time around. I'm hoping this will be my first season where i put more effort in and hope to see the same from the birds. I'm concentrating on a smaller number of young birds, probably about 12. I'm going to see if less really is more!!!! Good Luck to everyone else this season. Lee

Hi Ian, whereabouts are you?

Hi guys, I will donate a nest pair of Meulemans, likely to be chocolate or chocolate pied depending on which pair they come from. My birds have pedigrees rather than race results as working full time and being new to racing hampers my ability to compete. BUT I'm entering the same young into the RPRA OLR to put my money where my mouth is! Ready around mid March. Burnley in Lancashire Lee Hammond