jimmy white

yes, these ones have caused probs in the past,,, , i find a handful of easybed, at the bottom of the nest pan,,, then tobacco stalks,is as good as anything , plus keepiing the nest pans " airy" by keeping the bottom rim of the nest pan off the floor of the nest box, either by a folded grill, or a couple of slats of wood, [they put air holes in the bottom of the nest pan, then make a rim , so no air can get through these "air" holes :-/ :-/ :-/ ]

hedgehogs are the gardeners best friend they will eat slugs, but salt will rid of them quick,,,, a "slug pub" ;D a beer can with a little beer left in it, will attract them,, it might not get rid of all the slugs,, but the ones that escape will be happy ones ;D ;D ;D

well done tommy, lovely birds,, keep the keenness going, and you will do well ,, all the very best

stick in micko, not only for yourself but the wee falla , jack ,, i hope things improve for you

i would say poss. a cock, , but one thing for sure, you wont be long in finding out now ;D

good luck paul,, i hope all works out for you

good luck jack i hope they sit these eggs, at worst, if they dont, they wont be long in laying again,,best of luck with your new hobby

dont know about that ;D ;D ;D,,but thanks ;D ;D ;D but would advise any new starter, to get to know a good long time flier, that has won over many years, befriend him or her, gain their trust and friendship,, and be able to return this, ,,learn and take in all they do, ask questions, , be prepared to work hard with your birds,, be prepared to take the knocks,,,then rejoice when you see your first bird coming home

it was posted by the now deceased b h w scribe [vet] [name slips my mind at the mo ] that one cubic metre per pigeon,, or slightly more, depending on ventilation

dont know if its been posted b4 ,, but sound sense with yb,s nowadays "never put all your eggs in the one basket" it pays off in the long run

very true as the old adage goes "theres nowt as strange as pigeons" ;D ive bred great birds in the past, from "that rubbish pair in the corner" ;D,, ,,,,,and bred rubbish from birds ive paid a fortune for

i have often found this the case,, but in "homing" any pigeon, it will always be far easier if it can see the surrounds [whether it be aviary or even a crate, on top of the loft]

{MOVED-MESSAGE-PLACEHOLDER}

in my opinion ,,the above in a nutshell,, some interesting posts here, i think theres a big difference with a prevention, preventative meds,,, and a cure,,, you cant cure something thats not ill :-/ prevention meds. are sometimes a must [by the rules of some organizations] paramyxo vaccination etc, but prevention is a great thing, not all can be prevented, but much can,, as owen says about keeping the grit/minerals etc fresh , clean and dry , as damp dirty grits/minerals can be a haven for cocci worms etc, ,, also keeping stress to a minimum,, i,e overcrowding , ventilation, dryness etc , i believe management has much to do with prevention, so the question "what should i treat my stock birds for?",, in my opinion, spend your money on a swab and droppings test,, its a lot cheaper than treating sometimes, for nothing,

{MOVED-MESSAGE-PLACEHOLDER}

i would most certainly agree with wee david here, i say this as i know david did exactly this as a very young lad,, then after only a couple of years, david won young fancier of the year,,, david learned a lot in blackpool, ;D,,,,,speaking with , and taking in, all that was to be learned from most top fanciers, also visiting them, constantly taking everything in, watching and listening very carefully,, as his post reflects,, a very good sound post

{MOVED-MESSAGE-PLACEHOLDER}

{MOVED-MESSAGE-PLACEHOLDER}

they will be back tomorrow ok blaz, posted many years ago about hens being spooked at this time of the year , especially approaching 3pm,[was boohood in being wrong] ;D], one starts it off then it seems to spread to the rest,, for unknown reasons,, [but can understand blaz,s reason , as the fog came in so quick],, hens best being out [if need be] and back in by 12,, my opinion only :-/ 4 phone calls in the last 5 days of this happening,, birds out all night back in next day,,?,

{MOVED-MESSAGE-PLACEHOLDER}

rest in peace charlie,,,,condolences to the family,

;D ;D ;D ;D

;D ;D ;D the scots do this ;D ;D ;D using ikea pencils ;D ;D ;D

tobacco stalks,,,, straw can become damp and produce fungus, these fungi spores can cause aspergilliosis,,

i think theres no right or wrong here,, i would EXPECT to find the dearer bag better quality,,and if it wasnt , i would soon complain. i have seen cheap bags really unfit for pigeons,, rubbish,,kept in the most unhygeinic, damp dirty conditions,,, but have also seen cheap bags, stored and kept in the proper conditions, and of good quality, well worth the money, but very rarely nowadays