peter pandy

I posted earlier that I had some really good performances from birds that had wintered out. Memorable ones were a Red Hen who was something special. It all started with a drinking session at Macmerry in 1975 when I woke up in a lay bye around Tranent surrounded by eggs and squeekers on the seats. When I finished the journey home I staggered down to the loft and threw out all the eggs and replaced them with Eddie's. Went to bed and stayed in it for three days with alchohol poisoning.. Wife was not amused.. A week or two later the eggs started to hatch and it was a case of matching the hatching eggs with a nest that would have been doing likewise naturally. A deep blood Red Cock was 18 days old and started treading the hen that was feeding him and it was obvious that this was going to be a once in a lifetime pigeon..It was the spitting image of Eddie's Red Rock, Fantastic is nothing like the superlatives I could exceed on.. At around a month old I had told Eddy about him and he asked me for a look so I took it over. Eddy had one look and asked for it back to which I replied that I had never in my life had a bird like this and it would break my heart to return it but as we had been friends for a number of years he gave me Marie his 1st Section 3rd Open Rennes winner when Bobby Kennedy won it in 1972. I was to take the first pair and Ed the second pair so I had two Red Hens And Ed had two dark Cheq Cocks from him and was chasing Marie for a 3rd round when he flew straight into my T.V. ariel breaking both legs his keel and vent bones. Mr Macrae the vet from Perth said he could nothing and it would be a kindness to put him down but I persuaded him to plaster the legs and I would fit up a hammock which I kept him in for six weeks. He seemed to recupriate and I decided to remove the plaster cast but his bones had not knitted with them being hollow above the joint and it was one of the saddest days of my life. He was the only Pigeon I have ever Buried.

Steve, I cannot remember having a bad hatch and I certainly dont go breaking open any eggs for examination at any time unless its to give them to the dogs. By pairing up in March all should be well if you have prepaired them for such an important excercise. Perhaps the odd latebred will be a wee bit later laying but that can be expected.

When I kept chickens Steve the poultry magazine always referred to worms when it came to pale yolks.

I have had the Hens in the Aviary loft for 6 weeks now and this morning I have a couple laid so I just said to myself time to have you out off here. I brought the Cocks in at mid day and shifted them into one section and gave the Hens their freedom. Sounds like Braveheart.. anyway off they went tearing about the sky including those that laid last night and after a couple of hours they were back into the race loft and looking mighty pleased with themselves. For the remaining time before pairing I will treat them like roundabout to keep them fit.

Pale yellow yolk indicates worms and you will know the last time you wormed them.

Used the freepost service and included a stamped addressed envelope for a reply.

That's a bit Irish to me Ian could you please be a bit more axplicit please !!.

Go on Derek You know you want to !!! LOL :emoticon-0136-giggle:

Well thats them all Hair wormed as per Belgica instructions and are handling perfect so will keep them on 100 grams Barley 300 grams Mix for 30 Birds and they can top up with Chicken Layers Pellets as much as they want. Each section also has 20 grams of "All in One" in the trough during feeding. The Cocks are not flying so freely now as they know where the Hens are and are down clinging onto the aviary wire waiting for me to open the Hens trap to let them into the aviary. I think half of them have already chosen their mate for the year so should have no problems come the 23rd.

Surely when a system is interesting all year round with differing variables happening all the time it becomes more intense. Sifting the wheat from the chaff makes you a better and more knowledgeable fancier to my mind. If you are unable to observe what is happening in the loft then you can be missing an exceptional degree of form and pleasure knowing you were able to spot and act on your observation enabling your first bird home you have picked out beforehand with confidence in a race gives greater satisfaction than wondering why it performed so well. It may only do it once in its lifetime but you were able to recognise and act on it. Thats what Natural does and other systems dont.

Steve, I have in the past went into the loft and let the Hens out then cleaned their section. When done I have moved the Cocks through and cleaned their section before letting the hens return into the loft. When all the Hens are in the Cock section I let the Cocks out and give the Hens a light feed then move them back into their own section. When the Cocks are ready to come in they do so into their section and given a light feed. This is repeated in the evening and is not only TEDIOUS BUT BORING. what is their to see in the loft ? Nothing but birds doing nothing. I could not do this any more as I miss the Natural events of things such as Cocks and Hens playing with each other, Hens trying to get back on nests in the afternoon. Chasing each other about the sky and clapping wings to-gether. HAPPINESS and CONTENTMENT not only for the birds but me as well in April May June July August sitting in my conservatory or in the sunshine on the lawn. That is to me what Racing Pigeons is about and it dont include Roundabout any more. I hope that answers your question.

It appears to be the same as Colombine "All in One" Tony.

If their are twenty people in a room and its 10 for 10 against the Chair has cast his vote and would then have a casting vote to make it 11 for or against versus 10.. Simple really.

1st of the month and the birds were given FlightPath on the feed as per my routine, I dont know if it does any good however I get peace of mind knowing that they are having a bacterial boost. Over the years when success was easily gained I always paired up on the full moon in March for the simple reason of having the distance candidates on their third round of eggs and while doing so other forces would come into play. (1). The young will be opening their eyes on the April full moon and the nestlings will be going on to hard feed with 15 hours of daylight one week later. (2). The second round of eggs would be dummies with me attempting to have them sitting either 21 or 28 days depending on which race they would be going to so would have all their preparation work in that period of May into June. (3). All going to plan they would go to the Gold Cup sitting third round 7 to 14 day eggs at marking. Red tickets and Averages do not interest me any more and a result where I am trying is all that fulfills my ambitions.

Perhaps I could reply if you were to elaborate on the question !!!.

When I retired and moved back up to Scotland I had to have a change of address on my existing shotgun license and applied for same to Central Scotland Police. They knocked me back and it took a great deal of persuasion from a QC friend to have it reinstated. The Firearms officer told me I was the only official shotgun licence holder in the District of Camelon. Now I dont want to disappoint any of you guys that have an air gun but I am afraid you will struggle to get a Firearms Certificate for a built up area discharge ie, garden. A Firearms Certificate is twice as hard to obtain than a shotgun certificate so it does not look to good and is as I said in another post the Pellets will require showing your certificate for face ID. The Doctors report will be scrutinised with great care and if you have been on any medication that could be classed as detrimental to your stability. Drinking alcohol more than a stipulated amount of units will be classed as misuse likewise Diabetes etc etc. Unfortunately it all goes back to Dumblane..

Just clocked what you are on about and if you look closely their is a "T" after Bernard and no "T" after P&H DEWEERD and DEWEERDT

Sorry Geordie just notice your post and must ask who are Piet or Henk ??.

I said to the Mrs here's one for you and read out Tammy's !! Her reply was how would you like to wear a frying pan...Gulp,, Nae sense oh humour.

Mouse, Rat or Man Trap. :emoticon-0136-giggle:

Have my sample results to hand and am all clear apart from a light Hairworm problem which will be cleared up as soon as the cure is delivered which will be to-morrow. No blind treating in my loft pays dividends in fact I dont have a medicine chest. Whilst on the phone with Belgica he was telling me they are introducing a product for water treatment and I think I may have upset him when I asked how they could produce such a treatment when the water content through out the U.K differs from area to area ie, Hard, Soft, Acidic or Alkaline surely we would require P.H. meters to define what's what. The phone suddenly went dead.. I kid you not.

Are you sure ? I had them down as Peri, Buzzard and Gos.

It looks like nobody lost a bird yesterday to the scum of the sky and hopefully it will remain that way. I watched the birds to-day when they all cocked their heads skyward and lo and behold the very answer to all our prayers if we had the balls to do it. It was a parachute attached to an engine with a propeller for manouvrability which I am sure most of us have seen at one time or another. Now just imagine "I am good at that" when the scum are sitting their nest flying close to them would have them off and more future scum would be lost. Before anybody posts it It could not be me as I dont like heights as already demonstrated in an earlier diatribe. :emoticon-0136-giggle:

I recently had a youngster interested in my pigeons from viewing them over the gate but as the wife was not in I would not let him into the garden far less the pigeon lofts. I am sure you will know why if you think about it as you just never know where it can lead to in this day and age. Why do you think there are 2 teachers in every classroom these days.. If there is a future it has to be with people made redundant, invalidity or old age pensioners not youngster from outside the family. Get their hands dirty cleaning sh#t you must be kidding.

If the gun licence is expanded to include air guns then no one with a criminal record will have a gun. You will have to produce your licence to buy pellets. And you will also have to have a secure steel locker to keep it in.