Delboy

72 left, pmsl Del, most fanciers start with half that lol. The guys in the Midland fed will miss your birdage when you join Newmains next year lol.

:lol:

Done , me old son.

Your spot on John, when a pigeon loses its tail, as soon as it comes back in its like a blood transfusion to it. It will be in top condition.Im not sure I would pull feathers out to achieve this though.

Upgrading

:emoticon-0137-clapping:

generous MR HILL LOL

is that you using a GERALDY LOL

Nice touch m8

Watch these lads, especially Jim, if they ever decide to join the Lanarkshire fed, top fliers.

The other year I organised 10 Scottish strays to be collected from all over Wales and brought them up to my loft.I found out who belonged to them and asked for £10 to pay the courier and the expenses of the guy that collected them in Wales.( nothing for my own time and effort ) 3 of these pigeons were not paid for and I was out of pocket. I had sent £60 down to the fella in Wales and paid the courier.Never again will I go out my way for pigeon fanciers that I don't know.I try and do a good turn and am £30 out of pocket.

I had a pair of ybs that were badly reared. Unlike me and against the book, I decided to see how they turned out after going through the darkness system and renewing their body feathers. Kirkintilloch had a points cup for Ybs, the 2 ybs were 1st and 2nd in the yb points cup, both never out the top 10.Every days a school day. Mind ye, theres no way they would score in the SNFC oB NATS with a bad moult, omo.

AYE, YE WENT TO A GUD SCHOOL M8

Aye yer right John, but I can guarantee yer wee hen had a great moult before she won 3rd west section SNFC.

Can you lot no *expletive removed* read lol. I ve not changed my route, the Lanarkshire fed are flying on the east this year as opposed to the west last year.Their pigeons are cutting across onto the west route finding there old line of flight, mine are doing the same and trying to find their old line up the east. Please some cant tell me they can follow this expletive remove.

Jock was spot on.The only concern in the wing is when the bird has cast its 5th flight, this is when the big moult is about to kick in. Pulling a flight is a deffo no no. Did ye know that pulling a flight is more painful to a pigeon than putting a scalpel through its chest.

Don't think ye will get many doos scoring from 500 miles with a fretted tail, but plenty score with fretted wings. Now do you get my drift m8. In Belgium, the top fanciers don't look at the wing, only the tail.

That's the only place to look Stephen, imo.

Frets on the wing show times of duress, usually during a race, but on the tail, well that's a different matter.

pmsl.

Nothing exciting for the first nat Tam but im confident ill get them home ok,whether on a different day, I don't know lol.ATB yourself.

I don't care what route Andy, east or west as long as the fed/organisation, sticks to it for at least 5 years imo. In the past Ive favoured east because of the overpopulated BOP in the west but its getting really bad on the east also, so theres no real difference. We must think about the pigeons and not selfish advantages, which is happening in all feds nowadays. WHATS THE BEST FOR THE PIGEONS ????? I stood up at the AGM every year when in the Midland fed and said start racing east( to avoid horrendous losses from the first races ) and then pull round into the centre route.The guys wanting an advantage in the first 2 races voted against this, regardless of losing their pigeons.Pathetic behaviour imo. The same thing happens in Lanarkshire, think of the pigeons welfare, nothing else!!!Anyway, I digress, the point the thread was about is not really about Lanarkshire, it was about my own birds that were on the east last year and how the Lanarkshire convoys line of flight is an unusual one because of the route change.

Tam, these birds your talking about were all flown in the Lanarkshire convoy, mine had to break from the Almond valley fed and had a totally different line from the Lanarkshire birds.Two totally different scenarios.I rest my case ma lud lol. This isn't a debating thread, its a factual learning one.

lol, no Tam yer wrong m8.Half an hour behind from a 100 mile race, my stockies would do better lol. ps. The west section of Lanarkshire topped fed in west winds.Im not going to argue about it m8, its a fact that ive proven without doubt. Check my post about Newark, 6 of my first 7 birds were not raced before this year. These pigeons don't know any better, my good yins are finding there old line and basically doing the race on there own.

Ive sent my pigeons with Almond Valley on the east route for the last few years and then went with Lanarkshire Social Circle ( national ) to the longer races.I decided to go with Lanarkshire for the whole programme this year as they were going down the east route. This has been an education for me and I would like to share it with everyone. Ive been a good bit behind every week,although my birds are completely fit and healthy.( checked regularly ) My returns are very good but never in 40 years have I ever been behind like this.It is well known that the Lanarkshire convoy are crossing over from the east route onto last years west line of flight and according to the top fliers in the fed this is bamboozling my birds. My birds are looking for there old line of flight away from the drag of the massive Lanarkshire convoy. Now, if you change to the west route next year your ybs from this year ( on the east route ) will try and find the east route line of flight.Im positive the losses will be horrendous BUT this would only last 1 year if you decided to stay on the route.I think all the switching from east to west will destroy the pigeon game.Choose a route and expletive remove stick to it, for the sake of the pigeons and not selfishness.