stevebelbin

If you do both they can still fly, but if you just do the one they go round in circles, it the same when you cut them down

You can use washing up liquid, just do it on one wing, just rub work it in the ten main flights. Then when they are done dip them in warm water to remove. Make sure they cant bath outside, for obvious reasons ;D

They still drink the water with the milk in, infact they drank the drinker dry on the odd day last year

Definately not too much weight on mine ;D ;D, they were fed barley to get them down to the right weight. Ive been preparing them for weeks. You nearly always get one or two that do it. The 3 year old in mine thats not laid, is on loan, so shes in a strange loft and that maybe the cause!!! Jupiter, if your flying widowhood, then you will still be able to wean most off at the same time, just move the hens over with the Ybs and they will continue to feed them

I have 2 the same, a late-bred and a 3 year old. The cocks are chasing them hard, so maybe the problem. The late-bred looks like she will tonight, but the 3 year old isnt showing any sign. I think she has been gorging on too much grit and minerals which maybe the cause. Ive put multivits in the water, so they aren't lacking anything, so hopefully they will lay soon :-/, if not ill put the loft heating on as it is fairly cold at the moment

I was told that when the birds are on there second round of eggs, that they shouldnt be allowed to sit for more the 9-10 days or they will start to cast their flights too early. Is this fact or theory??

Its good stuff Mac1, I used it last year, and will be doing this year too. Just one scoop to 2litres is ample

Where are you from J.V.Ward ??

Ive had a few hit the wires, where they rip their front right open, and have found doing nothing was the best solution. Pigeons seem to have an amazing ability to heal quickly, which mine always have with no interference from me ;D

Craig, I would normally have them on widowhood for the channel, but cant get them on the day from bourges, which is my main aim this year (main aim most years to be honest lol). Having read loads of articles etc and talking to a few people, im gona try them natural, with just a few inland races as training, + 15miles every morning and 40miles training 14, 12 and 10 days before their main race :-/ :-/

Nice-one you will get all my baskets in there then LOL LOL LOL!!! Think your hen should be laying just now, I picked her up this morn and she feels ready to drop ;D ;D

lol - Yeh sure, that can be arranged ;D ;D ;D!!!! What motor are you looking at getting ??

You will have to pick my birds up as you go past training ;D ;D ;D

LOL - Sorry thats what being single does to you :B :B !!! I must have done something wrong, because only my mam calls me "Stephen", when ive done something wrong ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :P :K) :K)

Bruno, it depends if your a natural or not ;D ;D, I passed mine when I was 17 and only had abt 10 lessons, as I got my test date back earlier than I expected ;D ;D

He is a belter mate ;D

Well done Paul, you will be able to train the bollocks of your YBs now youve past your test ;D. Not sure what blood the red has in him, ill have a look at his parents pedigree later, he is out of my mates stock loft, and his sire won a good few races for him. Its the dam that the red comes from, so ill check to see what her pedigree says. They wont get much racing to be honest, just a few inland training races and into 400-550 miles ;D ;D

LOL - It was my first time using that photo-shop, just getting used to it :P

Cheers Craig, not many pairs left eh LOL, ill be taking a round of them, the main channel candidates will bring up single YBs, and the others a pair. Have to see what hatches first like ;D. Then ill split them off and send to the first few inland races on roundabout as training, and repair them in stages for the channel races etc. I havent raced hens for years, so it will be interesting preparing them ;D ;D

Oooow ive just cut my finger, can you rub some savlon on for me ;D ;D

Mainly Busshaerts, apart from the Blue cock in the second piccie and the Blue Flipey in the last Piccie, which are van-reets. I was gona pack in this year, so got rid of a lot of birds, but kept the above as pets, but have decided to just race a few channel races with them ;D ;D ;D The dark hen is on loan from Paulo of this site ;D

My Small team for 2007 ;D

Had a pigeon blob on for our longest channel race, and had the feeling he would win, as he had won 2 previous distance races. It turned out to be a stinker of a race, no fed birds home on the night, so I camped out on the board of the loft, as I had a feeling he would be back early. And true to form he came clapping down the line of flight, did 3 rounds of the gardens and in to his hen. What a buzz, cant beat seeing birds come in from that distance, just need one on the day now ;D ;D ;D

Thats all fair enough, but when a combine releases held over birds and has them coming back when Im at work then theres no choice. And if im asked to work on a weekend, I cant turn the money down, as I like the extra money ;D. I totally agree that its nice to be there to see the birds home, and if im there I watch every bird home, even if its my last bird home, it gets treated the same as the others, but its only one part of keeping pigeons. Theres all the planning, reading, breeding, ups and downs that make it a hobby ;D ;D