mushroom

I only got the bird yesterday his feet didnt even touch the floor so it is very unlikely he will return under his own steam. My loft is in the Eastriggs area of the solway fed.It would have been pointless letting any other birds out as the bird in question was bought from Louella and wouldnt know what the rattle of a corn tin was, nor would it know one to one with a fancier,but we live in hope! I should have taken more care myself. As the old saying goes YOU PAYS TO LEARN !!!

Yesterday this bird escaped over my head I would be grateful if anyone gets this bird in and contacts me please on 07830275757 thankyou.

most clubs and fanciers would do well to give all of their birds a little more room in the baskets, then perhaps the birds would have more room to avoid each other. I have seen fanciers cramming birds together in the baskets while the transporter is half empty,and they could have used more baskets.

The best way to get young birds to come straight home is via the corn tin. I do not mean by starving them, but by discipline, teaching them that feeding time is related to the basket. You can do this from your garden when you begin to basket train and carry it on to your road work. They will get to know what is expected of them this way before you go on the road, then all they need to worry about is the way home.

Ron Williamson Bondhill the best winning Busschaerts on the planet.

If you are going to draw the flights from this bird cut the flights you are going to draw and leave them for 2 weeks to die back.Draw one feather out of each side equally, If you are drawing them from both sides that is. When these are three quarters up then draw the next one etc; Do not draw them all at once, a little patience will give you better results. The bird will also be less stressed if it can still get up to a perch, instead of being a flightless target for predators.

After I have cleaned the bowls out I usually give mine a lime wash inside and underneath the bowl. All it consists of is water and hydrated lime from the builders yard made into a watery emulsion. I also do the nest box floors and nest compartment walls. It works very well on the loft floor and YB perchs as well. However if your birds are not clean inside then disease will soon contaminate the bowls. The birds dont seem to be affected in any way by the lime wash as I have used it for years.

Sometimes at this time of year I occasionaly hear some of my birds rattling in the throat. It is usally because they have been kept in whilst in the big moult and dropping flights 7 to 10. The sudden change in their exercise regime and a full hopper 24/7 makes them fat, which as any fat person, like me, will tell you,impairs your breathing. so dont rush to the medicine cabinet just yet!

Perhaps theres been a mix up with the letter before the numbers I would check first before you do anything. I have had birds reported that have had the ring letter wrong.

Regarding vaccination for paratyphus . You must make sure that you have given your birds a course of treatment to clear the infection BEFORE you vaccinate them. You should not vaccinate infected birds.

my birds can eat as many peanuts as THEY want as long as they exercise as long as I want

Early bred youngsters, hard trained and sexually mature,wing ventilation that can beat effortlessly all day long. Then they are sent to races of 40 miles. I would imagine a race of 100 miles would be easy for these young athletes. At least 100 miles would take a little bit of fire out of them.

For the past three years I have given my breeding pigeons a 7 DAY course of NYFURAMYCIN from rhonfried 2 weeks before pairing up. I then give my YBs a further 7 day course 2 weeks before I start to train. For the 7 days following the treatment. Day 1 on the corn is garlic oil and powdered sheep colostrum one flat teaspoon per kg of corn which is available at most farming outlets for around £3 per sachet. From Day 2 and 3 they get garlic oil and brewers yeast. For the remaining days just good corn. The garlic oil I make myself by halving 2 cloves and dropping them into a bottle of rapeseed oil which costs about 30p at the supermarket.I have not had any sickness in my loft since I have done this . However, I do not race my youngsters I just train them so I cannot tell you how they may be affected during contact in the race basket as yearlings they can certainly hold their own with the competition.