Chairman

R.I.P. Jimmy ould pal, always in our hearts and never forgotten

Have you tried the product ZENOSAN LOFT TREATMENT, its effective against E.Coli 157, Bird Flu H7 and keeps the loft dry, clean and disease free. Useage is recommended at the rate of 50gms per square metre.Its classified as being a dry powdered disenfectant which also has Cinnamon Leaf Oil added to give the loft a pleasing odour. A 25kgs sack costs @ £23.50. If interested take a look on www.osmonds.co.uk or email info@osmonds.co.uk. Hope this may be of some interest.

The last hen i tried to break, I kept her in for a while bred 2 beautiful babies from her and then let her out, for the first time in 2 years Wot happened next was predicted she got on the no.27 bus and went straight back to her mothers complaining about me. thats gratitude for you! No seriously though I would not try to break the hen is she is of some value to you.

Well done Wayne & Debbie, many thanks for a job very well done, time to put your feet up and now its PARTYTIME! Enjoy, Enjoy,Enjoy to all the couriers many thanks for the service you provide.

Many thanks for a concise and factual answer, yes I do like your comittment to your cargo and yes I suppose you have a good point to raise the awareness that your cargo is livestock and not parcels (of which some firms have linked up to form a shuttle service). I do think that there shall be a good business volume for all the couriers and your probably right to assume that they would, like to see their own collections delivered by themselves if not for peace of mind, but for job satisfaction. I took onboard points raised and I thank you Julia for dealing with the issue with honesty.

I would have thought the stock birds may have gone to his friends Prost Roosens or Felix Pauwels, maybe Derek Pedley could be the man to enlighten us all?

I think the way forward would be a unison of all the couriers, that would work together and provide transport network nationwide. Where a company collects and delivers to a geograhic area, then uses a shuttle network to get the cargo to its destination in the quickest and safest period of time.The business volume will dramatically increase upon the offset of the breeding / racing season in 2009 and I think it would be near on insanity for a company to try to offer nationwide coverage and I also include (Scotland, Ireland & Wales as well as mainland UK).I see a way forward for the affiliation of proving a nationwide service and for all couriers to receive an equal share of the projected volume of business, maybe registering as a united company? there are a lot of people trying to give their utmost of providing a satisfactory service to the fancy, the man hours alone on the road with cargo spread across the country and vans running half empty will not only take its toll on finances but on their vehicles too. I think the way forward is a united one, this is only my opinion and maybe it could be the way forward.This pigeon courier business, is at the moment at rest, just wait till the season commences, would the businesses be able to cope with increase in the market? Food for thought, I would like to thank you all for providing us with so far a very good service but with anticipation can you cope with the stringent demands, I would not want to see any courier firms business fail due to the demands of the market.

A merry christmas and a very prosperous new year to everyone on here and also to our moderator who comes in for unsolicited provocation from time to time, yes it comes with the job, but without him we would all not have the friendships that we have made with each other if not for this site. I suppose the normal service will prevail once the shock of what we all have spent on presents has kicked in. "Peace and Goodwill to all Men" and I suppose to be totally politically correct "Women as well", God Bless em!

I read your latest novel entitled "The Perfumed Allotment" what an enchanting read, but who did father all those babies, I bet he's on the Most Wanted list of the Child Support Agency? or is that why you've come on here to hideaway. I thought you might have re-released your "Back Skuttle" in time for Christmas, it really gets them in the groove down these parts. See you later Chubbs you fat bas...d.....?

MAN FLU is a much severe infection and it takes all the strength out of us so much so, that we cannot find the strength to moan and complain like you less beings-WOMEN. We just get on with it without any trouble to those around us, you cannot even comprehend of what we real MEN have to endure whilst being brought to near on death like symptoms that cause us to suffer whilst infected. It has been clinically proven that the strain that is caught by you lesser beings-WOMEN is a watered down version that is why we have to put up with your complaints, snappyness and darn right ingnorence to the point that only YOU exist, well you don't we have to put up with it till we have had enough, slam the front door on the way out and meet up with our fellow suffering married mates down the pub. Get a grip, its only a cold, am I right fella's, have to dash she's banging on the floor again, this is the umpteenth time I been up them stairs with the Ferro roche, "I'm coming Dear".

Blimey mate, there in some good fettle, they is some age on them as well I'd take a guess and say they just might be a tad younger than OLD YELLOW, mind you he won't bed down on straw, he gets nettle rash were it hurts?????? ;) ;D ;D ;D

Many roads lead to Rome or to be politically correct its now Barcelona (they've moved the goal posts. afraid of the British challengers). Fanciers treat as routine because they have not got a decent vet in their vicinity, that knows what he's doing, you require one that specialises in Avian culture / species. I think that fanciers that follow this route get some satisfaction and peace of mind knowing if there was a problem they have flushed it out.Yes, I also agree that if they are not tested how do you know what treatment to use if you have not identified the problem.So there is always going to be two points of view to debate / discuss on this issue, and in my opinion I think that this topic is an important with most fanciers debating as to pair up early at xmas or upon return from Blackpool in mid janaury. A club member, who I shall not identify for legal reasons, allegedly sent his dropping samples through the post to a testing centre, a few days passed only to recieve a letter from the company " Dear Mr ........... we have recieved your request for dropping sample tests, but please refrain from sending your underpants through the post as it makes a mess of our letterbox our managing director is making a right stink out of the issue", well it takes allsorts. > :'( :K)

"Too much ain't good for you baby", as the song goes, but yes its that GIANT commercial empire we fanciers have reared over the years which has now returned to bite the hand that feeds it.WE ARE TO BLAME, if you dont pay it the price usually gets reduced or the bird is kept look at the Goverment, who would have thought it would be pressured into the lowering of the rate of VAT to 15%.this was done to induce the nation to spend,spend,spend this christmas only to be savagely bitten into the new year with MASSIVE debts. I agree with our learned friend that any new starter, coming into this GREAT sport of ours will be shocked at the inflamatory price of not just birds, its everything that is associated with the sport.Take the price of corn for an example, my brand of racing mix (Old Yellow, dont you dare ask?) was £10.30 per 20kg bag, that was in september, I was in the corn store only last weekend and was told the new prices for 2009 are already agreed and the mixture that I use is now going to cost me £18.54 for the same 20kg amount, what happened to the price of oil being the lowered should not this affect the prices charged to consumers? I think not we end this thread were it began "If we are prepared to pay it, they will charge us it" food for thought boys and an excellant thread.

My mates missus started to go black around the eyes, I said look at her she's coming into form you are'nt going to get too much sleep tonight mate, he laughed yeah alright.He sadly rang a week later to say she had passed on.....! the number 29 bus with the bloke next door and had gone for good, the party starts at 6pm and would go on for weeks and to get around to his place sharpish....! No, seriously mate Ive heard all this munbo jumbo and sadly it does not amount to much.The hardest part for anyone starting within the sport of pigeon racing is deciding in what information is factual / mythodical or absolute rubbish, if you have a decent knowledge it should not take you long to sort the wheat from the chaff.Keep it simple, write your findings into a diary and monitor your own chartered course, but above all ENJOY doing what your doing.

Once caught the wife with her purse open, before i could reach for my camera and photograph its contents she clasped it shut faster than a bolt of lightening. Has most married men will know this a very rare occurence. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;)

Before fitting the sheets I would have a 2" gap all around the 4 walls of the loft, cover with small guage galvanised weld mesh, this would aid the birds with fresh air and at the same time carry the stale warmed air out of the loft so would not condense and form moisture. The plus factor would be by providing clear sheets extra warmth and light into the lofts, but dont over do it because in summer it will get too warm induce the moult and your birds would be over heated which could cause you lots of trouble. I wish you well and may commonsense prevail.

Well mark, your the first to show a real silver albeit a chequer but a nice example of one, I dont know about clean out the bottom nestbox you certainly dont have trouble with mice for there is a piece of maize uneaten in there as well, oh and reset the timer in your camera we all know you were'nt up at 06.42am taking photo's in your loft? But nice try I bet you fooled one or two of the punters?

there is'nt any young bird sickness around in the cold winter months, thats why they pair up early myself included and you can get natural darkies with age on them and fly the young cocks on the widowhood system.All youngsters that hatch out of the egg before the end of january will at the age of 30 days fall into a full body moult naturally. It has something to do with the short daylight hours confusing the bird that winter is upon it and projects it into full body moult, this begins to slow up when the daylight hours begin to lenghthen. To be forwarned is to be forarmed, these youngsters need to start training at @ 12weeks of age most fanciers take there old birds training and nearer home on the return journey toss the youngsters, as they say "all roads lead to Rome" or could that be disaster?

The old adage of life "You Pay Your Money, You Take Your Chance" springs to mind, there are no guarantee's in life as we know it only pitfalls, once bitten twice shy? ;D

There are two vaccinations we are considering here, one is against PMV Paramyxo Virus, and the second is a vaccination against Paratyphoid.PMV is a VIRUS and can be very nasty if you happen to get caught out with it. Paratyphoid is a bacterial infection of which there was avery good in depth thread posted on here recently. Paratyphoid is the silent enemy in our lofts, according to the pigeon vet Henk De Weerdt over 93% of the WORLD pigeon stock is infected with this infection.It is very difficult to eradicate out of the hen birds because it lays dorment high up in the birds body and infects the ovaries, so every egg the hen bird lays is in fact another generation of paratyphoid.Cock birds are easily treated because it is shedding sperm all the time.Whether you decide to vaccinate or not that entirely is the descision of the fancier, but what I will say is that those who dont there birds are at a high risk of being contaminated in the race panniers and they become carriers within their own lofts, you cannot see they have it they are usually in excellant condition, its is when that bird breaks into the big moult you'll usually see a bird that cant make it up to its perch or nestbox, you think its banged itself in the loft, another bird may have the thick lump swelling on the wing joint or the more popular "Protein Boils or Blood Blisters"? Sorry lads the birds have paratyphoid, they require treating then vaccinating to clear it out of the loft, some of the birds in the same loft or compartment look like pictures well they have it too, they are carriers too. Unfortunately more and more lofts are becoming victims of this infection but if you have it, it has no bearing on you or your management systems.I vaccinated my own birds again today before pairing up next month.

Old stock hens are simular to old wives, they are'nt worth a tap when it comes to breeding.It has been clinically proven that the quality of sperm in old cock birds is the same quality as when the bird was a yearling. Unfortunately this is not the case with hen birds the quality of the yolk suffers and also damage to the ovaries with many eggs brittle our unshelled are seldom laid by old hens. What some fanciers try is putting a young hen back to an old cock, the only problem I see with this is that you would have to put the eggs under a foster pair to rear the youngsters from such a pairing due to the cock birds milk not being of the top quality, a condition claimed by many called "silver throat". Many roads lead to rome as they say, and what does for one fancier may hinder another which is what makes this pigeon game so fascinating, the main theme is to enjoy what your doing and only be interested in whats going on inside your own lofts.

the best money can buy and its human grade is "Dioralyte" original (plain) it comes in individual sachets and you can obtain it from your local chemist.There are many other brands available at a varying degree of costs but I find this the best and fully endorse the product for use on pigeons.

tried the glue rat pads and they dissappeared overnight, somewhat perplexed as to what had happened, I was walking the dog several days later in the local park and I got my answer a black tomcat was wearing them on his front paws he looked like a scuba diver. luckily I spotted a squirell a few days later trying to get into the loft, a few tasty peanuts marinated in some antifreeze did the trick the little blighter has not been seen since.If rats access your lofts and cannot find corn available they will kill your birds no doubt about it. If the floor is being targeted line the floor with tin sheet and then place some 6mm ply on the top, if you get a *expletive removed* rat with pups to feed she will kill your birds for the sake of killing, then when the pups can leave the burrow she will bring them with her and the will kill every bird in the loft, I experienced this when I kept my birds on farmland many years ago. Good luck but keep on top of your problem, I wish you well.

If they all have it put them on Nystatin for 3 - 5 days, you will have to put @ 5mls onto the corn, if you talking about an individual bird you can give the bird 3 drops down the throat last thing at night and again first thing in the morning it sounds as though it is a fungul infection.If you use 10mls per litre of cider vinegar in the drinking water once or twice per week, fungus has little chance of infecting the birds because there would be an acidic enviroment within the crop, when the internal condition of the crop becomes akaline it can therefore ferment yeast cultures which in turn fuel the fungus infection and allows it to ravish the bird. regular use of Cider Vinegar is beneficial to pigeons and also supplements the condition of the feather making them very silky.

I can verify that anyone wishing to purchase from paul, will get a very good deal, satisfaction guaranteed. I am personally speaking having done business with paul recently, there have been other threads of thanks posted on here. This guy is 100% you cannot go wrong purchasing from him.