Novice

Yes after last week's 75% losses from about 70 miles the fed changed the programme and had a short race. Most fanciers who sent this week have 100% returns and the birds now all have transporter and big batch liberation experience. The purpose was to give the birds a race and restore some confidence---pigeons and fanciers.

Personally I would have preferred to race the previous programme but the birds were not ready for Longtown this week. Perhaps if the birds had a decent race last week from Lockerbie then we would not have needed to change the programme. In my opinion 3 races is enough for youngsters and distance is not really that important.

so far about 38 home from 46 from a Carnwath lib into Ayrshire. I didn't really see batches as I thought I would from a 38 mile race. Perhaps clashed with Glasgow.

I visited Jock King this year and I would say thet his birds qualify to be called a "strain" more so than a great deal of the fashionable names quoted on here. No there is a point------when does a family of pigeons qualify to be referred to as the owner's "strain"

Antone interested should speak to Abbeypap on here. She or her husband would be only too happy to advise.

Ayrshire federation will liberate at 08:00 from Carnwath

I think the spelling is Berlangee. I believe there was a particularly good line of these flew into Baillieston on the outskirts of Glasgow many years ago. I believe this was the origin of Mason's 1210. I think this pigeon was also connected with Ireland as the fancier moved there.

Ayrshire are at Carnwath in South Lanarkshire.

I don't know the nature of the objection yet but I think the federation was faced with a situation that sticking with the agreed prog. would have led to reduced birdage. I think you may be correct about the foundation of the objection but will look for clarification. However---I think the management committee took the correct action reviewing the situation.

We all select racepoints at AGMs which is fine but on the day the line of flight weather dictates how the race is going to go. Falaise on a different day may have given better returns. This comment would apply to any race point.

I had a family of Grizzle delbars at one point in time---good all round pigeons racing up to 500 miles. Ian Axe has a stud of them which are mainly Blue Pieds. They were lovely birds but just slightly bigger than I am looking for. In the past J.L Roberts of Marple had a super family of Delbars and John Robilliard kept the grizzle line.

Latest information suggests that we will be at Carnwath this Saturday but that there has been an objection to the changes raised.

Peter Virtue I believe

Hi sorry if I worded my response to make you think that Dennis Anderson was chasing averages. That was not what I implied. I meant that any fancier chasing club and fed averages especially committing all their youngsters could have devastating results for their loft's future. Racing from west ---I am not sure about the logic behind this years programme but I believe there will be a special meeting tomorrow night to consider the way ahead for 2009.

We started the programe with a disaster on Saturday. I would suggest only 20% of the convoy are home with many reported in the area of liberation---Lockerbie. I have 6 home from 9 sent. It was a difficult day and I would bet that many of the youngsters were ill educated and failed to leave the racepoint so in answer to your point I would say give them minimal racing but select your races carefully. Chasing club averages is a recipe for disaster. Put the future of the loft first.

As far as I can remember this is Ayrshire's first race ever from this race point. They certainly went east last year. However having said all that Ayrshire birds cross over before the borders. I have had 3 reported this year. One lost from Newbury was in Clitheroe. One lost from Leicester was in Southern Ireland. One lost from Wanstead Flats was in Whitehaven. I have never had a pigeon reported on the east side of the country.

Perhaps that is what we should follow up now---the comments of David Bills. We have donated thousands to charity and it has not improved our image one bit. We are still deemed the lowest of the low. Even doubling the donations to charity will never raise our image from where Jack Duckworth put us. Albeit he has a great deal of assistance from ourselves.

I hope they have better returns than Ayrshire did yesterday.

At clock checking 4 hours after liberation approximately 90% of the convoy were missing.

I really don't think there is anything wrong with my attitude. If a disasterous race threatens I won't send---that is putting the birds first. If my or any other federation are so inflexible that this hurts their balance then they really need to get their house in order. There is no point in sending birds down the road to sit for days before release. The race controller does the best he can given the conditions on that weekend. However there are occasions when he just has to salvage what he can. Now on a purely personal note I feel that I will have supported my federation much more than you have yours over the past years. Whenever you can even come close to my racing record then you may just have earned the right to criticise my attitude. You should also be aware that I drive faster than Hotrod.

Is Moxidexin a wormer?

Keeping pigeons is actually about the welfare of the birds and if neighbouring federations have different race programs offering different options then the fancier should have the right to choose whatever suits his birds on that weekend and his ultimate goal. This also includes the option to leave the birds at home if the prevailing weather conditions don't suit. It's not about committing birds every weekend simply to make a balance sheet look good.

The book Loft Stock and Barrel recomends Benzyl Benzoate 250 mls available online for just over £5.00 plus carriage. This should be enough to treat your entire federation. Don't ask for this product in a chemists as it could be embarassing as it is also used for Pubic Mite (crabs). If you say it's for animal use Boots will refuse to sell it to you (even if they have it in stock).

Don't get mine till tomorrow but I hardly expected support from someone who had made the decision to donate the money in the first place. He was chosen before the post was advertised via the old pals act. How many vacant posts find a successful candidate on their doorstep waiting to step in.

I gave mine a full 48 hours in the basket this year hoping that they would all have taken a drink. The baskets were in their own section. They were then liberated in my garden.