stevebelbin

Haha im afraid the featherless bird has taken over matey!! Aye the hen boxes will have to go, unfortunately not for free though as they cost me enough

I am trying to get the numbers down in my loft to just 2 pairs. I packed in last year and kept 6 pairs for a bit of interest, but really the interest has gone! So if anyone local to Teesside fancies a really nice pair of Dark Corbett Busshearts, and a few other various Busshearts through winning families please feel free to message me on here. Due to lack of time to wait about at home the birds would have to be picked up i.e. No Amtrak. Alternatively to messaging me on here as im not on here very often:- Email me sbelbin300@hotmail.co.uk

Since packing in racing the birds ive been a little lazy with a small number of birds that ive kept. I have them on deep litter, using hemp straw and heavy wood chippings mixed together. Mixed into this is Stalostan F and the birds seem to be keeping in fine fettle, as good if not better than when i was racing etc. I must point out though the birds free to go in and out of the loft at will and only roost in the section at night, which does contribute to their health I think.

Think this thread should also include the increasing cost of fuel and corn etc. Fuel is apparently set to rise to approx. £1.50/litre in the not to distant future and corn is going up and up to etc. The old days of putting a few birds in a basket and riding a pushbike a few mile up the road may return (which may not be a bad thing lol)

Ive still got my two, ive packed in now though so havent tested them properly on the road, but they turned out to be two belters mate. Both on big YBs at the minute.

Other lights I mean not over lights lol, its late you know hahaha

I have the same in my garden and with all the over lights from the houses round about have found it a good idea to use blinds in the loft, cane ones from Ikea do the job and are fairly cheap etc

I raced to both and for the atmosphere and race aspect the allotment are best, but you cannot beat having them in the garden in winter, with the opportunity to light the loft up etc. You do tend to get a lot of bickering down the garden mind, but if you can live with that and can put up with the winters give the allotment a try.

Hemp straw, it keeps the floor really dry, it does blow about a bit, but mine hasnt been changed for months and still looks like new, and the loft smells dry all the time ;-)

coey, any good breeding mix will do, i just hopper feed a breeding mix + hormoform in their boxes and then give them a breeding mix twice a day. The droppings around the YBs nests are always firmer when you use maples etc

I used maple peas last year and bred some beauties on them

The overhang at the back on those blakes lofts are not enough i feel, put a new roof on in the summer and you will be sorted ;D

I made my own lofts and thought i had done a good job until the first downpour!!! In the end i sealed all the corners of with solicone and put additional timber over the corners. But guttering would be the best solution.

Looking good mate, like to see plenty of vents

The building regulations state for a flat roof to work, you need to in general have your ceiling level then say 50mm of insulation then a 50mm void then your roof covering of say plywood then your waterproofing layer. the 50mm void needs to be vented at the front and back.

Maybe all new members should have to put a picture of themselves on, so if they were scamming people, at least someone may recognise them at a show etc

I would make life easy for myself and spend that bit extra and get some up and over next boxes with the pull out trays for ease of cleaning etc

Just a quick word of warning it anyone does think of using heaters, i use simple bar heaters that Boddy and Ridewood sell and i didnt cover them with mesh when i fitted them. A few of the birds perched on them and burnt their feet, so make sure you get the mesh frame with them.

Ive packed in racing now, so im kinda relaxed about the birds condition etc, but what i have found is that my birds in my main loft which is 12ft x 6ft and heated and has fans that come on when the humidity is high are in fantastic condition, but they seem to chuck flights too early in the racing season etc. My hens are out in the aviary in all weather and they too are in excellent condition, so it seems to be 6 and two 3's, or basically the birds just get used to the conditions they live in etc. I will point out though that my lofts are kept very clean in winter as well as summer which makes a big difference, but i have lights in them so its makes it possible to still clean them out after work etc

best thing to use is the stuff they use when scaffolding, the green netting stuff, it still lets the air in but stops the floor getting damp. Or simply put the birds in an open aviary, like my hens are, they are in fine health and see every weather possible, whereas the cocks are in a pretty much closed loft with heating and controlled vent and dont look anywhere near as good as the hens. And i know what your gona say, put the cocks in an aviary, but ive packed in and they live where the live now lol lol

i have used it all this year in my loft and havent had to treat for anything, only problem i can see is now that the winter is coming up and the loft will be more closed in the dust will be greater etc

Ive only got 6pair left, gave most away to a lad in our club, who has them well settled already lol. Best thing i ever did, got loads of time for other things, and still got that little bit of interest there with the ones i have left to breed a few YBs off etc ;D Ill have to look over yours Paul matey, to see what you have left etc

;D ;D, Aye cheers for helping me out there Paulo matey. Sounds a good young'un, one that will hopefully continue to show as it gets a bit older. The Grand-sire certainly did some scoring for me from all distances. The bird i did the swap with Mac1 was showing real promise from training but unfortunely disappeared when let out for exercise one day, presumably taken by a hawk. I was given two ybs and the other one is still there and is a very tidy pigeon, but didnt get the racing it deserved as i packed in racing completely after the second YB race, but i will breed of him next year and will keep Mac1 updated with the performances of his offspring etc.

Ive always wondered if the difference between sprint and distance pigeons wasnt actually in their blood as such and was more down to the time of year the bird actually comes into the right condition to perform, i.e. pigeons may perform better in sprint races as they come into form earlier in the season and channel pigeons may peform better later in the season as the weather changes etc. If you keep a record of the way the birds look throughout the season certain birds seem to come into condition at different times, even when fed and treat the same etc. My best channel cock used to tell me he was on blob in june as he used to go off for hours on his own and this happened at the same time each year and he still does it now at 9year old even though he's not racing, whereas his son does it slighly earlier and goes off on his own around about mid-may.

Ive seen it done and done it, it relaxes the birds in the basket, so they sit and preen themselves rather than fighting etc