pjc

they do enjoy a bath, be careful though if you are leaving a bath on the floor incase any youngbirds get out of the box and drown.

Kev, it depends on the development of your young birds, I am ringing the racers at 5 days and the show racers at 10 days as they rings are different sizes. Try at 5 days and if the ring slides back off easily then leave it another day and try again. Phil

they will carry on looking after the young as long as you don't disturb them. If you have spare nest boxes put bowls in them and if the adults wish they will use another box, they may just lay again in there current bowl. They do need fresh water daily, don't just leave a large drinker in there until its empty then refill it!

MBpigeonguy, there are to many people in this country who run small studs etc that are only interested in money! Many years ago I was sec of a small club that had nothing! The old sec had been doing the job for over 60yrs. I tried to organise a sale and wrote to 30 studs, only one even bothered to reply and they would only sell me the youngbirds at a reduced rate to auction! There are to many who forget charity begins at home! Phil

just use your dummy eggs and then seperate the birds when you get your new loft. You don't want to keep disturbing them any more than you have to. Do the birds fly out?

main thing is enjoy them! Do you have room to seperate the cocks and hens?

If you only have a small loft and don't have room to part the adults, you may want to race them paired, not sure what your plan is? When the hen has laid her 2nd egg then put pot eggs in and when the young are weaned then replace the soiled bowl and put the eggs in the clean bowl with whatever nesting material you are using. When you are new, no question is a silly question!

keep it clean around the bowl but don't worry about in the bowl. the young birds will do most of it over the edge of the bowl as they don't like sitting in messy bowls. When the young are about 15 days old the parents will start to think about going to nest again, at this point put them a 2nd clean bowl in the box if you have room and they will lay in there. This will allow you to remove the soiled bowl and clean it ready for reuse after they youngbirds are weaned.

An ounce per oldbird is not enough if they are feeding young! They need plenty of food. There are a lot of minnerals available but easiest to offer the birds pick pots, you may find they will gorge on these at first if they have been deprived them and either use a multi vit like johnsons tonic in the water or use a feed supliment like Aviform.

It would be a good idea to give them some minerals as well with some multi vitamins. What corn are you feeding and how much?

very true Sammy, how many go straight to the bin?

hmmm, yes Vic! I was refering to dogs in general Mark, prob is we have even come accross dogs that have been chipped, pounded, taken in by rescue centres then rehomed without antbody checking for chips! When 1 dog did get scanned for some reason it had been reported lost by its owners over 200 miles away 2 yrs earlier and could have been reunited within hours if t had been scanned. Makes you wonder if they would spot a tatoo.

the main thing is that they are both healthy! How are you feeding and what grit / minerals are available to them?

gardens not big enough for a couple of cart horses!

I would still name and shame them just to warn others!

Mark, far to many dogs end up in rescue centres but there are also a lot that get put down before getting that far. Dogs that are dumped or picked up by wardens etc go to a local pound where they are given a short period of time to be claimed, if they are not claimed and the pound do not have a rescue centre able to take the dogs they are put down what ever they are. Phil

I asume you are refering to Louella! With Louella you pay your money and take your chance, I personaly wouldn't guarentee anything from there with or without a pedigree. You are better of buying froma fancier who is performing at the level and distance you aspire to. Phil

much better with sand in the bottom of bowls and plenty of good dry straw!

they could also be suffering with hawks etc chasing them off or even cats around the loft uspetting them.

I'm not sure what the shed is, but guess its a garden shed you plan to use. If it is you need to put plenty of ventilation in. What you do need to think about is the shed may be 8x4 but buy the time you have put perches and nest boxes the internal space will be redused and are you going to divide the loft so you can split the cocks and hens?

I wouldn't keep more than a dozen in there.

I leant some birds to a friend of mine last year to get him started again, most of them bred well but 2 hens/pairs did not. I had the birds back in the winter and they are all just hatching 2nd rounds, we just put it down to the birds not being settled in a different loft.

BHW, RP's a waste of time! The reason articles are printed in both is down to the scribes sending it to both, neither mag likes to duplicate articles from oneanother! Are the Gazzette and Pictorial still going?

If not, try Mike Horner at Alton he may know somebody in that are or Ted Little on the Isle of White.

theyre looking well Ant, can't see the pretty ones lasting long! Phil