jimmy_84

hi guys just been and got 5 more rollers still in need of a block of 4 boxes but my temprary mesure will work hopefully so i have now decided i am sticking to rollers no racers for me at the min till i get another loft up and running

it was taking in a stray that got me started with pigeons 12 months ago i found a bird that was in real ill health and i contacted the owner who said " kill the thing it is worth nothing to me if it doesn't make it home in time i have hundreds of birds" to which i replied do you mind if i keep the bird alive and well which i did and he was with us till the 1st hawk strike. but i know this man was in the minorioty as many guys on here take great pride in their birds and will travel length and breadth of the country to get a lost bird back

hi gangster yes there is 1 there it's to big for me that looking for 1 about at the biggest 10x6

will check now I bought 8 rollers yesterday for the lads

hi guys still had no luck with getting hold of shed or loft any1 know or here of any can you let me know want to get a 2nd shed so the boys can keep there birds seperate from mine

do you only fly it with the racers as i had this problem in reverse last year i had 1 racer in with my tumblers any he would tumble with them and when i got more racers he wouldn't range with them not sayin that is your problem but that is something i would maybe look into

i have had them before and changed to racers but when the hawk struck we then decided my son and i to get rollers again i am going to get a few racers for my self and the boys will take care of the rollers

cheers duncan i am trying to figure out the sexes i have put some boxes in and bowls hoping they will pair them self

how should i keep them grounded

Hi guys just a quick question i got 8 rollers yesterday 10/06/08 there is a mix of yearlings and this years young how long should i keep them in for before i let them out usually i only keep them in for a few days but these times i have had other birds flying in and out this time no birds flying and was told last year when i bought some old birds to pluck flight feathers or band them till they were broke but that seems cruel to me any advice on breaking them to my loft greatly taken Cheers Jimmy

ok cheers pal do they need to be in boxes or just on the loft floor

ok thanx for advice i have young bird mix. does anybody know how to sex them so i can pair them up i need a block of nest boxes if anybody has a block of 4 for sale in manchester can you let me know i only have 3 boxes at the min which are made from old rabbit hutches

the feed i am giving them now what i got in has maize wheat and some sort of pea in it the tumblers we had before used to eat it and flew fine only had these a day but when i fed them they left the maize but the chap i got them from said that is all he fed them so i am in a pickle over what to do will wheat on its own be enough for them and is there any way to tell cock from hen i can tell in racers but these i just cant tell there a mix of yearlings and this years young and i want to try pairing the yearlings up and get a round of young from them before they fly out

sorry to but in on this thread but what is best to feed rollers i have just bought 8 of them i had racers before but have had a hawk strike a few weeks back so i found an advert with birmingham rollers for sale so i bought some for my son and a friend of mine is breeding me some racers for myself but the seem to only pick certain bit out of the mixed corn i am feeding them

Hi amanda i have heard of them but heard mixed opinions of them that if a hawk is hungry it will strike anything anywhere I have been helped out by people on here before but not sure what we gonna do yet gonna get the racers of the chap who has bred them for me and take it from there Jimmy :) :)

cheers amanda it was something i heard well before i got any pigeonsand am curious to know now as we used to have a couple of pure black tumblers when we kept rollers tipplers and tumblers i was thinking of going back to these type of pigeons and just keeping a few racers for me and my son the local chap has 6 for me which he had bred before my problem started and have spoke to a pal of his who has rollers and said to let him know if i want any of them he will breed me some

is it true that if you have blacks they can act as a sort of deterrant to the hawks i have lost all my birds i have athread with a problem i had turned out to be down to a hawk stalking my place and then the attack happened killed 2 of my ybs and the other 5 not returned since i dont race in a club just me and my son i had 5 he has 2 we just competed for fun with each other on doubling his pocket money if his 2 beat mine home we are getting some more from a local fancier but just wanted to know if this was true about blacks

i had 7 and 2 killed by hawk and so i am missing 5 i sat out for hours last night in the rain waiting no sign of them looked on all the surrounding roof's they not about anywhere

i haven't got any birds left none have returned since just keeping my fingers crossed hopefully they may return 2day

manchester

my other birds have not returned but the bird is back defanatly a sparrow hawk saw the little expletive removed just pass over now

I now know the problem and it was nothing i have done or to do with the birds unfortunatly 2 day 2 of my birds were ravaged by i presume a hawk it was my neighbour who brought this to my attention and said they had seen this bird about for about a week now whish would tie in with the time my birds started dissapearing from letting them out and coming home as dark approached do you think i may loose my other birds or will they come home at dark only time will tell i found the carcasses of 2 of them on the field at the back of the house i have new birds coming in 2 weeks and am now very worried about this happening again any idea's how to deter these birds of prey

I need a block of 4 nest boxes does anybody know where i can get 1 from cheap as possible

cheers every1

only about 10 miles because i dont drive i have to rely on pals to lift me around with them i am really thinking about the problem and am sure if i were to get rid of them and start a fresh i have 2 weeks to break there habbit if i cant do this i am gonna have to pass them on to a friend of mine who shifts them on to a pal of his