stevebelbin

Its a belter - can I have it LOL ;D ;D

Some belters there - Well done to them all

Holly Vallance of PrisonBreak - Id love to tread her all day long in my stock loft ;D ;D ;D ;D

Ive had a few birds with feather-rot and was told to use lighter fluid on the infected area, which did work well. Also theres a permethrin based product called easitox that I used last year and this year and any lice they had were gone within a few hours, incredible stuff. Not seen a lice since

Good luck paul , dont forget to make the lofts as high as poss off the ground - I think the minimum advised is 600mm

If they are dutch pigeons bred buy a dutch fancier who has a loft here, then I cant see the prob. But if its a british fancier using dutch rings then he is using the fact that us brits will buy any foreign birds, then its a con.

Mind I do have heating in the loft LOL, but only to keep it dry, not actually to keep the birds warm, which I know sounds a bit daft, but mine are chased into the aviary to sit in the cold while the loft is heated ;D ;D ;D!! Rose do you leave your YBs on open hole?? If so how do you stop cats getting in?? Im gona put mine on open hole this year and have made an opening as high as possible but im a little worried the may still be able to jump up!!

My god - what next - f--king blankets for pigeons, now ive heard it all lol!!!! I prefer mine to experience a bit of cold weather as it toughens them up for head winds. I can just see it now, tucking them up in bed with there blankets ;D ;D ;D

I like medium shaped cock-birds that are calm in the hand and feel like silk, with nice bold heads. And for hens I like small to medium that also feel like silk. Ive had big pigeons that win, but only in sprint races as they seem to burn out really quick if pushed any further.

A cat or hawk may have scared them in the hutch when you wernt about, this would cause them not to come back! There is always still chance they will come home :-)

Ive used it in the past, but my thought was the same as you, surely its too much. Or is it that its only a small dose of each as more of a preventative than cure etc. So I binned it, and stick to single treatments. Ive seen on a dvd that an american flyer uses it, but he seemed to be using the dvd to advertise it as he owned the company that produced it, so im a bit dubious!!

Very good point LOL - I didnt look to see where he was from :B

If you do a search for boddy and ridewood on the the net, they do a plastic v-perch that are really cheap and can be removed for ease of cleaning/washing

Sounds like that you have a pair . The cock (male) will sometimes peck the head of the female when pairing up. Its weird as its the opposite for humans ;D ;D

Sounds good Mark, nice to here someone so kean - Good luck for 2007 - Luck forward to seeing piccies of loft

So why are we always going to the continent to buy their birds and their medication products and videos etc :-/

Yeh, sorry meant to mention that, best to get them tested first if you feel theres a prob. But using something like gemthepax on the corn will tighen the droppings, if theres not a major prob. Or a dose of probiotics

If it is cocci then you can treat with Appertex from harkers whilst they are rearing

If it was a choice between having a £1000 in the back pocket or a day bird from our longest channel race - I would pick getting a bird home ;D. I only ever pool, to keep people happy in the club, so I dont get known as being tight LOL

I built my own lofts and never really thought much about what I was doing until the loft was up and in use. It was my first loft ive built so I can use that as my excuse. But since they went up I reallised that I should have planned what I was doing first. The things I would say if you are going to build one are:- Make it at least 2 foot of the ground. Make sure you think about how to ventilate it - ive found that I would have been best facing mine south to catch the wind flowing down the garden. I faced mine east and west and have had to fit chimneys and fans to expel unwanted air, something I wouldnt have had to do if I had build them higher and facing south. Put roof lights in, with slides under to control the amount of light the loft gets in, face the loft south and you will get the sun most of the day. I faced mine east and west so they get the light only half the day. So ive spent this weekend putting side windows in to catch the light from the side. Get a profesional to felt your roof, I got a mate to do mine and I need to get it re-done already (loft only been up 2 years). Use louvred windows, that are used on greenhouses etc, just fitted them to mine this weekend and it means I can get loads of air and light in, and the rain is prevented from entering, they can be totally shut off in damp conditions and any light can still enter. Put an aviary on, my birds are in much better condition since I put one on and they can sit in fresh air all day and have a bath any time they want . Make sure you have a corridor, I havent and its a nightmare in winter . Make sure you paint any sides you wont be able to get to after the lofts up, with a really good oil based paint, I didnt and have had to purchase a spray bottle and lean over the roof to paint it (bloody nightmare). Pay loads of attention to how the roof will work in cold weather, Ive had to insulate mine (and all the walls). Hope this helps, as there all things I would never have thought of. Ill try to get a piccie on for you - as ive just painted them this weekend and they look brand new ;D ;D

And if you really dont want them to be crossed strains - Ill have em and test them for you ;D ;D ;D

Forget about strains - as long as the birds are both happy and are from winning stock then whats the prob. Staf Van Reets birds were crossed in originally and so are Jimmy Whites

It maybe a good idea to use parastop as a preventative from now on, to prevent it happening again. I had the same problem a few years back and it was because I put damp sand in the loft (f--king stupid I know) and got a bit lazy with it during the winter months. I had to treat all mine with Bayflox for 10 days, then for worms, cocci and canker. Mine were literally dropping of the perches - bloody depressing time that was. I think certain birds can handle it and carry on to be good birds, but it re-occured in a few birds, when my racing partner took over the loft.

I sent mine last night, but you may not get it till tmrw morn, as I think I was just a little late for the postie

Cheers Jimmy, thats what I thought, but thought I would check , as its sat on my shelf and it treats cocci, respitory and ecoli in one. At least its there as a just incase, I suppose.