Goodview

Kelso. Lib site is bang on ...been there often...problem we have is best way out is south....when you stand at the river/or show ground all you can see is hills . East , west ,north .....best way out ...south. H Don't think we have had a race that broke 1000ypm .....even with old birds.

Going to have some young birds next year , train /race them and see what like . Oh one other thing , the wife actually wants me to start them up again .

As I said guys. I am not a new starter , more of a , just had a 4 year break type of starter. We had a bit of success over the years in club ,fed and snfc races , held numerous positions in doo game including club basketing convenor,Vice President, President and run the marking station at fed level . I think I used to get a thrlll even from seeing my doos coming back from a trading toss, but yes. When you see a doo that's trying heading for the loft ..it's a great feeling . Looks like doo hut will go up before end of this month if all goes well and I will get doos shifted as soon as I can . A post says put the work in and you will get the red card,,,,well the worst season we ever had was one of the seasons I put as much work into a young bird team as we ever had ...and it was a total disaster. Was in the garden yesterday working...every now and again I seen wee batches of doos working away into the wind . Brings back memories........ Maybe the doo bug just never leaves you........maybe that's my problem.......

A lot of really good answers guys ...looks like I will breed a round next year and have a wee potter around , just to see the difference in the last 4 years . Think I will do things a bit different this time round with regards to the training and racing , who knows. It might actually work.

Having been in the doo game for over 40years. I took a break at the end of 2014. I kept a few old favourites and some stock doos ...just in case..... We moved house and the garden is starting to take shape , even a nice wee space for the doo hut was planned in . I keep an eye on the results/ returns etc and I am starting to question the wisdom in racing again. This year must be the worst ever for a nat race season. I read the forums on baskets/ geraldy etc . The weather at nationals this year has been horrendous. Percy again .Sparrowhawks hitting doos at the loft. When I became a fed member we had small wooden crates roughly 3'x2' stacked directly on top of each other on the transporter , the outside was a roller door type of arrangement to allow the liberation to take place. There was a perforated panel in the bottom of each about 18" square . When I was old enough and physically able to help load the transporter I did so and the heat in there was obscene,,grown men coming out of there with sweat running of them . My fed ,years later went to larger baskets and or crates depending on club decision.And a new larger better transporter!! Did the racing improve? Not one bit , although it certainly didn't get any worse. Are all the organisations using Geraldy transportation having great or even good racing? .............. Perigrines are now everywhere.. same with the sparrowhawks ...some fanciers giving up because they even go in to there lofts. Nobody has a cure/control/ answer to this problem which we all face . I said many years ago that the weather was as much a threat to doo racing as hawks , the localised weather is absolutely crazy , thunder storms in some areas and 20mls away the sun is shining. Can somebody convince me why I should start up again ?