THE FIFER

deep litter may be ok for the pigeons (which i do not like) but how good is it for the fancier, they say pigeon droppings give off germs if left lying, i know deep litter couse a lot of dust. bloom etc around the loft i tried it once but did not like it and as far as being too clean in the loft i dont think so as the birds are always at sometime got theur own droppings about them, as u would have to clean out every 5 minutes to stop this, and youngsters in the nest must have droppings about them in and out the nest bowls so u are not depriving them of their imune system as far as that goes.

wild birds are the biggest threat to spreading the flu if it comes as they are eating other birds, crows seagulls and birds of pray, and any scavenger birds, these are the birds which the public should be getting warned about not clean well kept homing pigeons,

TAKE A FEW SMALL BULBS FROM UR MAIN ONE AND PLANT THEM IN A POT, WHEN GROWN THE BIRDS LOVE PICKING AND EATING THEM, EVEN NICE TO CHOP UP AND PUT IN UR COOKING

YES MEALYBAR THE LINK U HAVE FOR THE SCOTSMAN HAS THE SAME ARTICLE AS THE COURIER, SO ANYONE WANTING TO SEE IT click on >>> http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=328462006

I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ATTACH A COPY OF THE PAPER ONTO THE FORUM WITHOUT SUCCESS, BUT HERE IS A BIT FROM IT, THE HEADING : FEAR OF PIGEONS SPREADING VIRUS, IT SAYS THAT "PIGEONS COULD CARRY DEADLY BIRD FLU INTO CITY CENTRES" I THINK HERE THEY ARE REFERING TO FERAL PIGEONS, QUOTE: "THE FERAL BIRDS ALREADY CONSIDERED A HEALTH HAZARD IN URBAN AREAS, CAN BE INFECTED AND KILLED BY THE H5N1 STRAIN SCIENTISTS HAVE LEARNED" QUOTE: "AN EXPERT YESTERDAY WARNED THAT IF H5N1 WAS CONFIRMED IN BRITISH WILD BIRDS, ALL SPECIES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AT RISK" QUOTE: Dr. BOB McCRACKEN FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH VETERINARY ASSOCIATION SAID "IN THE EVENT OF THE INFECTION BEING PRESENT IN OUR WILD BIRD POPULATION THERE IS A DANGER TO ALL AVIAN SPECIES--- WILD, FERAL AND DOMESTIC--- AND THAT INCLUDES PIGEONS" UNQUOTE THIS IS ONLY A SMALL READING OF THE ARTICLE, BUT TO THE PUBLIC I THINK WILL PUT ALL PIGEONS AS A DANGER TO THEM, I WILL e-mail A FULL COPY TO PETER BRYANT AND ALSO TO THE SHU THE LATER I THINK SHOULD GET OFF THEIR BACK SIDES AND DO SOMETHING, ABOUT ALL THIS PRESS DOWNING RACING PIGEONS, ANOTHER QUOTE FROM TJHE ARTICLE : PIGEONS ARE ALREADY KNOWN TO SPREAD PSITTACOSIS IN THEIR FAECES--A FLU LIKE ILLNESS THAT CAN LEAD TO PNEUMONIA,LIVER DISEASE AND DEATH." SO COME ON DO U NOT THINK THIS WILL SCARE THE LIVING DAY LIGHTS OUT OF THE PUBLIC.

HAS ANYONE READ THE COURIER THIS MORNING, ITS ALL ABOUT PIGEONS IN GENERAL AND IF THE PUBLIC READ THIS PIGEONS ARE FINNISHED, SOMETHING MUST GET DONE BU OUR GOVERNING BODIES, I AM STUCK FOR TIME JUST NOW BUT WILL POST IT LATER, BUT THIS WILL PUT THE FEAR OF DEATH INTO THE PUBLIC, THEY ARE EVEN TELLING ABOUT OTHER DISEASE PIGEONS CARRY, THIS IS A WORRIE AND IF LEFT TO CONTINUE, THERE WILL BE KNOW PIGEONS PERIOD NEVER MIND RACING,

hi westy, dennis sanders is a friend of mine, it was him which delt with the birds for the queens golden jubilee, i also sent him a white hen for the inmates to the prison he goes to who keep pigeons,

STAY ON THE FORUM, AND GET INVOLVED, ALL THE BEST AND WELCOME ABOARD

DON'T GET DOWN HEARTED KEEP TRYING, AND LISTEN AND LEARN

been looking for rpra rules can't find them at the moment, but there is a rule reffering to organisations using the word national,

somtimes race them, i do race ones which have been crossed with others , ch etc, but do not see any reason why they could not race, i gave a pair to a friend of mine and he raced well with youngsters from them, one of the ones i gave him was the cock whick went down to NOTTINGHAM from the nest, and came into me when the fancier from NOTTINGHAM raced it from BERWICK,AS A 2YO it was sent back to him, and homed from BERWICK the next year but he then put it to THURSO, AND THAT BIRD CAME BACK TO ME WHERE IT WAS BORN, AND IS STILL HERE YET, I GAVE IT TO A FRIEND,

its a funny one rose the rules need to be looked into, as to what defines a national.

MUCH SIMMILER TO WHAT I DO, ONLY I USE PLASTIC PIPE, CLEAR PLASTIC IS BEST AS U CAN SEE WHAT IS GOING ON, SIMMILER TO WHAT U GET IN THE PET SHOPS FOR FISH TANKS,

KEEP THEM HUNGRY UNTIL THEY LEARN TO TRAP, IF U GET THE ODD LATE TRAPPER THEY DON'T GET FED, SO WILL SOON LEARN IF THEY ARE LAST IN THE FOOD IS GONE,

I UNDERSTOOD THE RPRA RULE RELATING TO THE WORD NATIONAL, MEANT IF USED MUST BE OPEN TO ALL RPRA MEMBERS???

THE GOOD SCOTCH MIST WILL GET U BACK ON COURSE, (OR MAYBE THE SCOTCH WISKEY)

YES RICHARD THE FIRST THREE PHOTOS ARE WITH PURDAY (AT THE START OF THE POST)

THE SHU SHOULD TAKE THIS ONE UP,

DOING WELL MEALYBAR, HOW U DOING KEEPING WELL NOW I HOPE, STILL AT ST ANDREWS

MOST WELCOME ED, LOOKING FORWARD TO UR POSTS.

TRY THEM WHEN ITS DAMP OR RAINING, NOT THE BEST TIME BUT THEY WILL JUMP IN THE BATH,

GO ON LADIES PUT "BIRD BRAIN" IN HIS PLACE, (THAT'S IF U CAN FIND A PLACE FOR HIM) "I BET U CAN"

GOOD THING FOR A BROCKEN LEG IS A PEICE OF PLASTIC TUBE JUST THE THICKNES OF THE BIRDS LEG, CUT TO THE LENGTH THEN SLIT IT ALL THE WAY DOWN SO U CAN FIT OVER THE LEG, PUT A BIT OF PLASTER ROUND THE MIDDLE ,NOT ALL THE WAY DOWN SO AS TO LEAVE PART OF THE SPLIT TO ALLOW AIR, THIS MAKES GREAT SPLINTS,

WE ARE GETTING CLOSER TO THE RACING PERIOD, AND STILL NO FLU IN THE UK, SO LET'S ALL JUST HOPE IT CONTINUES.

WELL SPOKEN JIMMY