Pompey Mick

Sometimes the threat is much worse than reality, if we can get by this outbreak without any further problems ,then the Public fear of Avian Flu will be much reduced and hopefully DEFRA will react accordingly. At least it has happened when there is no pigeon racing on the go, so we can't get the blame for this outbreak.

They say the chicks came from a UK hatchery but I've not seen any other surveilance areas in force . I would have thought that seeing that the turkeys were in a contained building then the source of the chicks should be considered a risk.

I totally agree with Bruno ,the policy of mass slaughter, especially in confined holdings gives no hope of this disease ever being beat. Their is no natural disease in the world that has a 100% kill rate of their host,otherwise they will make themselves extinct. Unfortunately Common Market policy whereby compensation is only paid out on uninfected stock, no farmer is ever going to wait and see the outcome.

Are the Dutch rings issued earlier than GB rings, I think Belgian rings are issued on 1st Jan allowing December hatched YB's to be rung. The RPRA issues rings at a slightly later date to try and ensure that the YB's are hatched at the earliest in January. They may have been used more as a means of having YB's at a suitable age for selling if the Dutch rings were available on 1st Jan. You cannot have GB rung YBs ready in time for Blackpool.

When I flew north the furthest Young Bird race was approx 200 Mls+ and on the South the furthest we go is about 150 mls or 180 mls West. It seems Federations today look to economic racing and leave the longer races to the Classics/Nationals. I can see no problem in jumping young birds as long as they have had a series of races under their belt The distance that you race in the Club has no bearing on preparing pigeons for the Nationals drag-wise, whatever distance you fly the birds are still homing to a compact area. Your best national candidate could be the YB that comes home on his own ,well after the batch, and has obviously 'had a go'.

I've got two inches of sand on the floor, I rake the top and clean under the perches once a week, every couple of months I put it all through a garden sieve. I brush Stalosan F on the perches and sweep the excess on to the sand. I top up when necessary with kiln dried sand. I wouldn't like to say how old some of it is as I bought the sand from my old loft when I relocated in 1984.

They are £5.00 each, 3 for £10.00.I normally buy 6 for £20.00 I don't think there is any limit.

It's a pity that DEFRA is not a bit more like their Irish counterparts. They currently have a much less stringent licence and are allowed Channel racing. Also their risk assessment would seem to substantiate our claims that the threat of pigeons mechanically carrying the virus on their body from across the Channel is non-existant. www.agriculture.gov.ie

Good news Debbie, it looks like it was given a bit of an ear-bashing for being a dirty little stop-out. Still it seems as if they have kissed and made up.

Hopefully news like this will reduce the FEAR of Avian Flu by the Public ,and likewise the Authorities and help allay the general panic that is associated with this virus.

Well said Peter Bryant,but it would have been better if Peter had issued an Email on the subject of the change to the DEFRA licence earlier. It was dated 22nd Jan so he had plenty of time. It is hardly an irresponsible rumour when we get a new DEFRA licence with no inkling that it is an interim Licence. Hopefully Peter Bryant's optimism is well founded and that we get a much improved licence soon.

I posted a thread on the Clanfield weather station before and to follow that up here is an interactive map of similarly based weather stations in Europe. These give LIVE weather reports. http://wdworldmap.com/europe3.html paste it in your favourites.

This is no prophesy, this is fact. At this moment, and for the foreseeable future we have no Channel Racing, we have ,at the moment, no indication whether there will be Channel racing this season. DEFRA currently have the Avian Flu risk as HIGH. We will be trying to work out a Race programme for the Solent Fed in two weeks time, this is a Fed that normally has 12 Channel races for Old Birds. Unless we get some directive we will have a very disruptive meeting.

Here's a local news snippet from Blackpool http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=62&ArticleID=1985722

Anyone else used Actimel. I've used it in the water once when I had a bout of YB sickness, the birds got over it OK and were 1st,2nd & 3rd next time I raced them.

It may be early days as far as the more Northern fanciers are concerned but it is a hammer blow for the South coast fanciers. We, in the Solent Fed, race almost entirely across the Channel and it leads to a lot of internal squabbling when we have to choose an Inland route. Hopefully DEFRA will give us advance warning if they will allow Channel Racing later in the season to allow us to formulate a viable race programme.

The DEFRA website is www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/keptbirds/genlicence.htm

Am I reading DEFRA's new licence conditions correctly, It has been updated on the 22nd Jan and supercedes the August 1st conditions and there is no provision for Channel Racing as far as I can see . I hope I have read it wrong, but it doesn't look good.

I think next year we'll make the badges a nice flourescent orange so we will spot them a mile off, what do you think Wiley. (how about a sample)

Break the cocks off first, open the loft with the hens locked in their boxes, don't let any hens out until the cocks are returning and they are all settled to their new nest boxes. My cocks only returned once to their old loft, once they were settled it took another two nights to settle the hens. Don't let the cocks out hungry , the lure of the hens should be enough.

Travelled up Friday on our Pompey coach ,arrived at the 'Sutcliffe' at 3.00pm. Got to the show early Sat, visited Stuart and Raymond and gave them their badges then dropped the rest of them off at the PB stand. I must admit that it was only the fact that I saw Richard that I realised it was the PB stand. Only met Sammy & Jumbo wearing badges but it is a very big show and I knew there were other members around but it was hard seeing them when you are busy looking at the stalls. It's the first time I have been since 1986 and I really enjoyed myself but would have liked to met a few more members for a chat, hopefully next year we can get a bit more organised and sort out a meeting place central to everybody, if the members want it and Wiley agrees to produce a badge for 2008 we'll make sure that they will be easy to collect.

Hi Mark, I'm the same as you regards work and I rely on other fanciers to take my birds for me. I am sure you would be able to find BBC members in your area to transport your birds. If you contact the BBC secretary he will let you know where the nearest Club that sets BBC clocks is. The BBC has a Gold Ring scheme for YB's. Mick The website is: www.britishbarcelonaclub.co.uk

I am shutting down my computer by 9.30pm Wiley so this's definately the last shout.

I just want to be competitive every week, pigeons to stay healthy and be satisfied with my birds performances even if they haven't won.

Just done the last two Wiley sent me, Sammy and we can't leave the Webmaster out. See all those that are going at the weekend, I'll be leaving at 8.15am tomorrow on our Jolly boys Outing.