MsPigeon

;DLOL ;Dhehehe ;D gosh!!! wouldn't that be a surprise! ;D ;D

What about a few drops of bleach Doc White?

Thats what I figured, the De Scheemaeckers type must be ok for pigeons if they eat it?

The IF rule says: ) The scanner shall be placed no more than six inches from the opening in the loft from which said loft was surveyed to determine the airline.

Here is the AU rule about placement of the antenna Symbro. 16.06 System antennas shall only be installed in the loft entry of the competitor using the system. The majority (more than one-half the width) of the Electronic Band Scanning System sensor/antenna must be within the entrance of the loft. (This may be an entry into an aviary or into the face wall of the loft, as long as it is considered the entrance). The race bird does not need to be contained.

It IS fun Westy. I don't know if you can still get them, but I bought some army surplus message holders many years ago. They snap on the leg and have a capsule for the message. The way it works is you have to exchange birds with your friends. Release the bird belonging to the friend you want to send the message too. I would imagine it to be good single toss training as well. Tell your friends and maybe the sport will have some new members.

Thank you for sharing your story with us Gary, Believe me, the politics of pigeon racing never goes away, even in the smallest and friendliest of clubs. But perhaps if they had made special Jr awards the kids would have only been cometeing against each other and ould have done better and not gotton so discouraged. Do you belong to the AU? If so they have a beginner program that would help you and the kids out. Linda/Hyacinth, on this forum, is in charge of this program, you should contact her. In fact I am a mentor for the program and I have a beginner in Daggett, MI and yes, it has been cold, too cold for me to send him some birds. I tried a week ago and they sent them back, never even left WA. Glad to hear you have joined the sport, best of luck to you. I think you will find the members here are always willing to help. Yours in the sport. Carol

Jimmy wrote the best sprint birds are bred down from a line of the best sprint winners . van winneranybreeds mated up with van managements Rose wrote Whatever wins for you im sticking to my heinz 57 Im new to sprinting and after looking at the birds for sale at blackpool i came to the conclusion that every breed going on what was said about them was the best I agree wotih Jimmy, Alan and Rose!!! 100% ;D

This is going to sound funny but it works! : I ordered mexican jumping beans off the internet last year and the plastic nest eggs that come apart. Put a bean in and it does the trick slugmonkey, just like your bug but it is good for the whole season. They are still till they get warmed up and then they start jumping like crazy in there.

Thanks Speight, I just wanted to have a look at the stuff, the ingredients and such. ?It sounds like nice stuff. Does anyone know if it is the same type of stuff as clumping kitty litter?

Very funny Westy, but I think a better idea is he can just have you catch them all Mr tall guy ;D

I agree to some extent Snowy, pigeons aren't for every kid but there is still a few kids out there who would rather be involved with pigeons than technology and all they need is to be introduced to them as you were and then it's pigeons, pigeons, pigeons for them too. Spieght there are not many jr members here in the USA, our club has four and that is unusual. Out of those 4 I would say for at least 2 of them that there life revolves around their pigeons, both show fancy and racing types as well as their show chickens. The third is in it more to compete with her brother I think. And the fourth is very young yet and is involved because her mother flys, but I do believe pigeons have taken a hold in her life too.

PC sometimes it helps to let them loft fly before basketing to go down the road, kinda tires them out a bit.

I did a web search for this De Scheemaeckers loft litter and turned up nothing. I don't suppose this is something I can get in the USA?

Oh, and for catching the birds in big tall lofts > as I have, and I'm only 5'5" too, I have a system that works for me. I have a crate that just fits on the landing board in front of the flight pen with drop door open. I chase the birds into the flight pen and into the crate. In this way I catch 20 or so at a time ;D, transfer them into the training crates and then do it again. Granted it does take patience :-/ till you get them trained to do this, but then it is so easy and quick ;D and no ruffled feathers, mine or theirs. ;D

I have both ^ and narrow box pearches. For sure you can get many more box type in the same space. If the box type are narrow, no wider than 4", less is better, then they are pretty easy to clean. On the ^ type we made the top row slightly wider and each row below slightly narrower so they would not poop on each other. But I really like the look of those horizontal pearches w/cut off dividers. Look very easy to clean. I also saw another type that look easy to clean in the new issue of Racing Pigeon digest. They are just 2x2 horizontal pearchs like you might see in a chicken coop. Long, as wide as the loft, no dividers.

Jimmy and Speckled, rockets sound like a good idea for the hawks I know I have used them to break YB's from tree sitting too. Sounds like it pays to keep a few around and handy.

Congradulations Linda and Steve! Well Done!!!!!

I was introduced to pigeons by a dear old friend Tom (Blue Mountain Loft). Coinsidently he came from Cumberland County near Scotland. In is eighties and losing his sight, he needed a driver for training and getting to meetings and shipping. It was not long before I had 10 pigeons of my own in a little loft I made by converting an old out house. Thus "HalfMoon Loft". Tom has been gone some ten years now. Together, his birds and mine, I fly under the name of BlueMoon now. I didn't get the bug till I was in my late 30's and it eased me right through the empty nest syndrome when my kids left home.

Carl, On your monthly vet visit durring the race season do you just take in dropping samples from the loft in general or from specific suspecious droppings or take birds in or what?

I didn't know either Hyacinth till I checked out the meeting info for Astropigeon. I don't attend them but I have heard they they usually have good speakers at their meetings. Maybe the next one would be of more interst to Astropigeon than city ordinances.

I have also had good luck with a brother/sister mating, but it happened accidentally and I would not have mated this way on purpose. I think that anything is possible but just as you would wish to double the good traits by the pairing you are just as likely to double the bad ones.

It works well for me Westy as I have dirt floors. My lofts are pole buildings. I also live in a VERY wet climate and it seems to help to keep the lofts drier. I also torch the sand after cleaning with a propane weed burner. This kills any nasty germs or worm eggs and keeps it as dry as possible given our environment.

That's a good question. I never considered it wouldn't be good for them and mine get it. It hasn't done them any harm that I can tell.

I'm very happy to hear you recruted a new member Slugmonkey, and women is even better. A partnership like that could be unbeatable!!!! Firebug ;D