Novice

If that was the case it would still be lost!!!

Great stuff Steve I hope the remainder of the project goes as well as the first part.

Lets just hope for an improvement before the weekend but as things are it's not a good forecast.

I am in the same position as Mike and wondering whether I have missed the boat, Now the youngsters are weaned I will give them some wellie when the weather changes.

It's unlikely to be much warmer next week.

Well called Stuart I was worried for you!

I believe the met office suggests that it will feel about 3 degrees cooler in the NW wind. I have a family commitment so a combination of both factors mean I will wimp out and keep them in the loft. Most are feeding big youngsters so that also points towards keeping them home.

Benzyl Benzoate will help.

Thanks for the link. Seeing the bird "live" was a first for me I will probably stick with walking around gazing into the sky as normally do. The location here is between 2 lochs so it may be a regular visitor.

I think that most of your experiences relate to the peregrine falcon. However I remember reading years ago that tossing within a 12-15 mile radius of the loft can be problematic as this can be what is referred to as a "zone of disorientation". This was based on experimental work and published in the Pictorial.

The enemy (RSPB) report sightings of one fishing at Lochwhinnoch over the past 2 years.

I haven't seen a swallow yet but a huge bird of prey went over my garden this morning much bigger than a peregrine, with a very lazy wing stroke and pursued by 2 crows. My thoughts are that it was a returning Osprey. It never bothered with the pigeons but they seemed drawn towards it flying close to it as it continued it's journey.

I like the Blue

patience lads is what's required here tossing in temperatures of about 5 degrees into 30 mph winds. That's not for the feint hearted. Never mind the first boys races and the dates set by the dinosaurs at AGMs Instead set your sights on competing from the longer races. Don't stress your birds by training too early.

I m in the wrong area to compete in this race but I read earlier that they are prepared for this race and this race only. Some days in December are better suited for training than in March. I had my first stray of the year in last night. It was a latebred with 6 nest flights and showing signs of respiratory disease. It was fed, watered, rested overnight and released this bright morning into a temperature of about minus 2 degrees.

feral pigeons are not asked to fly a possible 30-40 miles into a cold head wind. they are similarly not asked to fly several hundred miles later in the season competing against quality birds properly prepared for the job. pigeons which are forced to face cold head winds early can be irreversibly damaged for later in the season. Why take the chance of ruining them for later in the year just because of impatience.

chickens carry loads of red mite but you can control that.

Lets be truthful this thread is not about football it's about sh** stirring,gloating and bigotry and should not be allowed. Even his choice of words is derogatory and insulting.

Personally I am opposed to using this chemical in the drinking water. It is simply an aggressive chemical with a pH value of about 2.2 (it's pretty acidic). It may well kill internal bacteria and viruses leaving you with a clean pigeon but that same pigeon may well have damage to it's internal organs and be unlikely to come into form. Vrkon S contains potassium but there the similarity to Potassium Permanganate ends. I have a friend who was employed as a gamekeeper and he suffered a major health scare. He was advised that this problem may have been caused by spraying pheasant huts with Virkon S without respiratory protection. We would give this to our birds to drink!!!!!! On a more positive note I believe there is now a product called Virkon H2O specifically designed for use in the water of poultry flocks. http://www2.dupont.com/Virkon_S/en_GB/h2o/index.html

I had an attack today from 2 peregrines. obviously for the next couple of weeks the loft routine will be changed slightly.

cheers Tony at one point in time I was told that the blue tip was caused by a vitamin deficiency. I think the deficient vitamin was one of the B group. cheers Tony at one point in time I was told that the blue tip was caused by a vitamin deficiency. I think the deficient vitamin was one of the B group. so good he said it twice.

bumblefoot can be the cause of this. it is a bacterial infection.

thanks for that. I had a pigeon with this years ago and was told by the Scottish Agricultural College that it was only pigmentation and nothing of significance. I felt at the time that it was more serious than their diagnosis suggested.

I note the pigeon in the picture also shows a discoloured tip to it's tongue. Does anyone attach any significance to this?

enjoy your retirement. One thing is certain you will never miss work. Retirement in summer is great but slightly boring in winter.