BIGPETE

I used to live in the South East, so North Road racing held a lot of appeal and most local fanciers flew that direction. However, now living in Northampton which is pretty much middle England so wondering if anybody can offer any insight into what route most people in this part of the country would fly? Is there much difference in South Road as opposed to North Road? I would imagine over the water the losses might be heavier? Any advice and guidance welcome.

Ron McKelvey is a fantastic pigeon man and a true gent to match.

I once visited a fancier called George Burgess from Wraysbury (this is going back 15 odd years). He was a very good fancier and won the National before sometimes in the 80's (from memory I think it was Pau). He knew his stuff and had a lot of birds K.Hines x Fear bros sort of lines and rated them amongst the best fanciers the UK had ever seen.

Thanks for the replies lads. Masonary paint I actually have half a tub knocking about from last year so will use that. Soaking cardboad in creosote sounds like a good idea too, makes a lot of sense and inexpensive/disposable too. How often would you change that? After each round of YB's has been reared?

Fantastic setup. Good on you fella

Hi Guys, New member here so excuse the basic question and hoping this is in the right section of the forum.. I am in the process of converting a shed into a small pigeon loft. The exterior of the shed has been painted in Creoseal (a Creosote alternative). But the inside walls and floor need coating with something. Would it be advisable to coat it with Creoseal (I have a lot left over). I know this stuff takes ages to dry and stinks for a while but this is no issue as the shed is currently empty and I have no birds so in no massive hurry to stock it just yet as still got to build some nest boxes etc etc. The only thing with this stuff is it is very dark, so the loft might look a little gloomy? Alternative would be to paint it with regular paint. But what sort of paint is ok to use? Matt? Emulsion? Anything to avoid? A wise old man many years ago told me to add a product called, "duramitex" to the paint and stir it in pre painting to kill any bugs and keep them gone. Is this something that would work or a bit of a wifes tale? Any info much appreciated. Cheers, Pete

Thanks for the welcome guys. I raced for a few years as a very young boy with my Father back in the early 90's. We were novices and sadly never won a race before he passed (we did reach 2nd though in quite a strong club). Anyway, long story short. Always had the bug and still can't walk into a garden without thinking where I would build a loft! Bought my first home last year so now settled and lucky to have a decent sized garden and the former owners kept chickens and left a shed that is apx 10ft x 6ft which they used as a coup. So been busy converting and currently building an aviary on it. Not sure whether I will get a few fancy pigeons to start with or a few of racing blood. But at some point certainly plan to race again, feel like I have unfinished business having never won a race (haven't kept a bird over 15 years and still bugs the hell out of me!) lol. Look forward to chatting with people on here both experienced lads and other new starters. Cheers, Pete