Roland

Had the tinkling tin foil on allotments for yonks between the rows. I had discs galore fluttering about .... Any good? I don't know, but certainly no harm. Had the Eagle Owl disc blaring out in the night ... Neighbours often asked if I heard the terrible screeching? Lol. But I've only had one sparrow hawk attack... and one on fence when building my loft. But am sure that it being under the trees is a boon for, against many not so goods. Now one can YouTube S/H etc. being used to cull the crows. Indeed in harsh winters they are a sauce of food. One will never see crows bother a hungry Crow etc. But a week last Sunday - was going to post but thought no one would be interested or believe - a Red kite turn on the crows and go for them! They scarpered quick. But only time I've see that.

So the world Rugby board say that Wales disallowed try should have stood. - Mind it wouldn't have been enough to win the game ... However the fact is it shouldn't have stood. More so if the Ref had done his job properly and asked 'Is there a reason the try shouldn't stand'. He didn't, but the TMO Decision was corrected any way. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/43026443 End off eh. Maybe the World Rugby should also state that! Besides it is to be a 'Touch Down' not a push aside lol.

I have no doubt that she would willingly swap her world records for a Olympic medal. Especially gold. Records are to, and get broken. Olympic titles last forever. Let's hope the next two races, the 1000 and 1500 bring her, her well deserved glory. Here's hoping and fingers crossed.

1. Elise Christie is British. True. But No one will, or ever DO forget, LIKE IN all walks of sport, that the 27-year-old IS Scottish skater AND IS one of Team GB's best hopes for a medal in Pyeongchang, so it makes perfect sense to get behind one of our own and cheer her on!

Was by far the best and most exciting game this week - end past. Very well done Scotland. Laidlow an inspiration as expected. The scots showed their famous tenacity, which the Scots are renowned for very well. AND as a team. Food for thought here on reading past two weeks and results. On yesterday's showing it well looks like the Irish may have played the BOTTOM two nations! On these games played the Standings would be: England Wales Scotland Ireland France Italy Now there is a thought!

Well, Ireland did what they was going to. Now only once was the TMO used Even more alarming BY far was the fact that Italy only got awarded ONE decision. Now that means that Ireland play was Perfect and one even one mistake did they make. Strange I see quite a few NOT least when I took back the palay and one step forward to prove the last but one try was SIX inches Short on the line, but the Reff gave a try!!! .... etc. etc. Yes I was certainly rooting for the Irish, but like all watching was dismayed at such bias reffing. Indeed my guest got fed up going back so many times to prove a point. England ground out a decent win against 16 PLAYERS. Again the Ref was diabolical. Says for instance 'Play on' then changes his mind when the ball bounced to an English player. Yes I realise that any and every side playing England treat it as a must win at all cost Cup Final. But .... Here's a thought now. England beat Ireland. Game over. Ireland beat Englad Game over. Or is it. What if Ireland beat England - which is quite possible - and Wales already have beaten Ireland.... Then the all important points will be all important! Come on Scotland, you could beat the French! Mind it depends which French side turns up. Can't write the French off and could well be a thorn in the side factor.

If pigeons were absolutely wild they wouldn't live in such a location, I think we must all put our minds into thinking how the pigeon thinks and adjust accordingly - migrating birds are of course subject to nature tooth and claw - we as fanciers have to get away from thinking we can control everything - obviously we can't when to comes to falcons and loft near quarry's. John C That is a proven myth and not correct. Nowhere in even a smidgen. The BBC, amongst many others, have documented and proven that BOP can't and don't frighten pigeons away from anywhere. Coastal or towns. Best ever done is to move them on / off for 100 or two yards then they go back. Often thought John is far removed from the real world. And still do.

I have my loft under trees. Has some disadvantages... hence better for birds to have an open loft etc. Good side is I don't get many strays at all, or S/H. Can't have every thing, just do what one has to for best... accepting it's not perfect. Yes my force roofs helped. Now a tiled roof over a false roof on bricks with aviary is far better. Now it is the best it could be. If I lived ....

How True. Have met Mr Clements at a Moot etc. But I would liken him to scenario we had, indeed often still have. Was then just a department manager at Tesco. Every department had a memo from the higher ups telling us how to do out jobs and best way forward and ;Must Do's'. One was that all provision departments MUST Not sale middle back Bacon, but to do as the London shops do ... I.E. SHORT BACK and Streaky'. I just laughed and threw it in the bin. It came more and more often ... But only good for lighting a fire with in reality. One day a higher up gave our store the once over... I was asked if I never received that mandate. I laughed and joked about it. Then explained that here about for yonks, though some older folks bought short back bacon, and those feeling the pinch bought the streaky By far and large the number bought Middle ... which many undoubtedly cut in a half etc. who had kids... BUT if I only sold short back and streaky not only they wouldn't buy it, but would go where they could NIGH any and other store. Which inevitably would mean they'd buy other provisions there too, look cook meats, pork pies etc. etc. He agreed and said 'Carry on'! It all very well and good behind an office desk spouting what his mum and family like in London, even if not partible elsewhere.

Have no problem with Rain, hail and even snow. Have let birds out when ever where is snow white... Fog etc. Have released in thick fog at 50 miles and they have been home and trapped before I got there... Abover the fog it's clear enough. Released I heavy winds and rain... nary a problem. Gosh pigeons were released in Paper bags at 5000 feet in the pitch black still of night and still flew 2 -300 miles during the war years. The Canadian Corps were heralded as tops in this regards.

Tend to agree with that. Have always believe that out all weathers does more good than harm. Mine if not out flying now a days would still be in an aviary. However a further point, and one which I believe strongly is that these birds will endure more than one hard race / harsh conditions. Those that have been protected can, and do excel, in their first hard race. However these are the ones that next time a round go down early and don't / won't battle on, but take their time. It's like the Scenario of birds having a 'Night Out'. Many brag that their 'Bird' has never had a night out ... However others say 'Best thing for them, as in future they don't panic and are up and away way before the others (First tinkling of the milkman) that once happened. Over the many years in this game, and still learning, I would say Best out all weathers. Good to have had a night out ... fly on not to have another. Given just enough time before dusk to get home a boon ... if night out then they learn. Besides wintery weathers harden the birds up. JMO.

Last two seasons the Scots have tremendously improved. But have AGAIN changed their manager, much to the detrimental to the Side. First off they played well, early on when looking good, they made two not so clever mistakes, which meant an up hill battle and a confidentt boost for the Welsh. They lost their way in the second half. Wales are also a tough experience and professional side. Think this Saturday when England and Wales meet, will show what state the Scots are in...

Have had sometimes a pigeon's crop filled with air. After reading some on it and remedies, I followed in the main ... just a *expletive removed* and gentle squeeze. You will hear the wheeze as it is coming out. It worked wonders quickly and put to right in no time, and certainly seemingly not any stress regards the bird. I am a Diabetic, and it is no different that than when I *expletive removed* myself and test for my blood count each morning.

Good read that Kyleakin, also that he passed it on. Thanks.

A medicine (such as penicillin or its derivatives) that inhibits the growth of or destroys microorganisms. ADJECTIVE relating to, involving, or denoting antibiotics. Antibiotics are medications used to treat and, in some cases, prevent bacterial infections. They can be used to treat relatively mild conditions such as acne, as well as potentially life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia. However, antibiotics often have no benefit for many other types of infection. Using them unnecessarily would only increase the risk of antibiotic resistance, so they are not routinely used. Well beside pigeon fanciers I guess. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Antibiotics-penicillins/Pages/Introduction.aspx Antibiotics may be used to treat, or in some cases prevent, bacterial infections. However, your GP will only prescribe antibiotics to treat: (I wonder why lol). conditions that are not especially serious but are unlikely to clear up without the use of antibiotics, such as moderately severe acne conditions that are not especially serious but could spread to other people if not promptly treated, such as the skin infection impetigo or the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia conditions where evidence suggests that antibiotics could significantly speed up recovery, such as a kidney infection conditions that carry a risk of more serious complications, such as cellulitis or pneumonia But again except the pigeon fancy lol

When one considers how many bacteria./ viruses / fungi could hide in a 1/10 mm crack and that all chemical disinfectants don't work in the presence of organic matter, one comes to the conclusion that a flame is perhaps the best disinfectant. One just needs to watch that one doesn't burn down the loft lol. Then again natural immunity from a sterile loft? Oxymoron, Corpoghraphy whatever. It never will happen. A complete impossibility and waste of money. The natural immunity is a must! However sometimes a helping hand may be beneficial. To build immunity birds have to be exposed to the pathogens first. One can scrape a loft daily and never get rid of all the nasty's. Is that is good? For one can over sterilize the loft so as not not to build immunity. The discovery of antibiotics more than 70 years ago initiated a period of drug innovation and implementation in human and animal health and agriculture. These discoveries were tempered in all cases by the emergence of resistant microbes1, 2. This history has been interpreted to mean that antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria is a modern phenomenon; this view is reinforced by the fact that collections of microbes that predate the antibiotic era are highly susceptible to antibiotics3. Here we report targeted metagenomic analyses of rigorously authenticated ancient DNA from 30,000-year-old Beringian permafrost sediments and the identification of a highly diverse collection of genes encoding resistance to β-lactam, tetracycline and glycopeptide antibiotics. (Oxtetracycline was the only one once for Salmonella, may still be?) Structure and function studies on the complete vancomycin resistance element VanA confirmed its similarity to modern variants. These results show conclusively that antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon that predates the modern selective pressure of clinical antibiotic use." The microb always develops itself to resist antibiots to stays live. Has too obviously. A week after grilling hamburgers in his backyard in November 2011, business consultant Kenneth Koehler became violently ill. He suffered stomach pains, diarrhea and nausea - and was rushed to the hospital emergency room. Days later, his doctors told him that his burger was contaminated with Salmonella Typhimurium, a strain commonly found in ground beef. But Koehler's salmonella was more dangerous than he realized. Records provided to Reuters by Koehler showed that the salmonella strain in the ground beef was resistant to nine types of antibiotics. Three of the antibiotics that didn't work were cephalosporins, including ceftriaxone, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records. Neither Koehler, 56, nor his doctors know for certain whether ceftiofur had been administered to any of the cows whose meat was contaminated. But they knew the drugs that his salmonella strain were resisting. That's because he was among the last of 19 people from seven states sickened in the outbreak, according to Koehler and the CDC records. Based on the CDC's testing of the salmonella strain, Koehler said, his doctors already determined ceftriaxone wouldn't work. Instead, they prescribed ciprofloxacin, a powerful antibiotic in a different drug category. In humans, about 3 percent of all salmonella samples tested in 2012 by the CDC were resistant to ceftriaxone. 'They went directly to cipro,' Koehler said of his doctors. 'To put it bluntly, this salmonella really kicked my butt.' Investigators for the Maine branch of the CDC tested the leftover beef in Koehler's freezer. The tests showed the source of his salmonella was ground beef bought at a supermarket. Koehler was fortunate. He was treated and released the same day. Eight other people with ceftriaxone-resistant salmonella were hospitalized in the same outbreak, according to the CDC records. One thing I have found by those that sell hamburgers is that the customer is often asked 'How do you want your hamburger done?' They don't seem to understand that there is really only one SAFE way to cook hamburgers - and that is THOROUGHLY. At home, proper cooking of hamburgers or tenderized steak means that there should not be any pink in the centre of the meat if it is cooked thoroughly. Cutting boards, utensils need to be disinfected afterward, etc.. It's all common sense, not rocket science. Re: Antibiotic resistance in bacteria, for many years I've wondered if one approach could be to retire specific antibiotics from use as soon as possible when bacterial resistance begins to develop, and store these antibiotics (and/or the moulds that produced them originally) in bio-secure facilities. For years if necessary. Then, as the newer generations of antibiotics start to fail because of bacterial resistance, test these stored antibiotics to determine if they might be as effective as they were originally. Just a thought. For fanciers I'd suggest a few things: As much as possible, avoid the use of antibiotics, and other treatments in pigeons. Instead try to develop strong natural resistance whenever possible. When treatment is actually proved to be needed, use the full recommended dose for the full recommended time. Avoid the so-called preventive treatments that too many fanciers use or recommend just before the breeding and racing seasons. Why preventively treat a condition that may not even exist in your birds? This approach just knocks out the billions of protective bacteria in the digestive system. The gut needs them! Now take Amoxicillin. What is really the right prescribe dosage? It's a question for which there is not an easy answer. It depends what you want to kill with it for starters. (If you know!) Then how resistant these bacteria are to the amoxicillin. Once you know this ( Well what percentage of Vets, let alone fanciers know that?) you will need to know how much water the birds drink at this time of year in your loft. That's why many fanciers give medication over their feed nowadays. The following is therefore based on many assumptions: Let's assume that your birds are not feeding youngsters and let us assume that each bird drinks 50 ml water per day. (80 birds drink 1 gallon in 1 day) (Obviously different quota for different birds due to health, energy or stress, breeding and the individuality etc, of the bird. So how can there be a rule of the thumb! Further lets assume that the bacteria you want to kill are susceptible when exposed to 20 mg amoxicillin per bird per day. (1600 mg added to 1 gallon) - (Again the variations and possibilities are endless) After water is added to the bottle of amoxicillin how many ml would this bottle have now? (There are various formulations of this antibiotic) Gosh and some treat blind or ask a mate, or post on a site for help lol.

I, personally, wouldn't want the Raptures / B.O.P. completely eradicated. But certainly thinned out to a sensible, and manageable number. I believe in their' place, and for others enjoyment, it is quite acceptable. But certainly not introduced and harboured in unnatural habitat and terrains. City centre an town for example also a No No! JMO I, like many more folks, and from many other walks of life, regard the RSPB and their' money making machine has gone many steps too far.

I think that it's myth of an ounce a day (Light mix in morning and an ounce at night, depending on mixmaybe) .... Though many have apparently done as such. - Can't beat a hopper feeding system that supplies what the bird is taking first as long as one puts into effect feed for what they have in mind distance and weather etc.-

Good to hear.

LOL

Had a reason to chat to a fellow fancier yesterday. Asked how his racing season went. Said old birds ok, no more. Was having a cracking y/b season. Then he said for a quim or something he decided not to go to a brought back (distance wise) race. Didn't go and was glad as by the Monday he was hit with the y/b sickness. Gets it most seasons etc. but nothing as bad as it was this past season. So he sent to a fellow in Preston whom he gets on well with and who supplies him with a cure (No preventive he hastens to add). The fellow said 'It is getting worse and stronger every year. Seems today that their immunity is shot to pieces'! 'Birds today lack the constitution that they once had'. I said nowt ... For a change. Cure? I say forget the pedigree rubbish and get back to breeding pigeons for vigour etc. But then who am I?

Mine was £63. Reel of wire and pegs extra. So yes, if one doesn't want to buy those extra's and doesn't wanr to make own, I guess another £30. But then very little for peace of mind eh!

100% correct! ... Biggest problem now is fanciers don't wish to know the truth ....

Just get an Electric Fence (Wire) £70 problem solved and no longer in existence.

:drinking-coffee-200: