Kyleakin Lofts

Happy birthday.

Good morning all.

Ayrshire North Road Federation is a very small Fed with just over 30 Members. The largest send is around 700 pigeons. There are BOP on the North Road. The Federation stretches 60 miles from North to South. The races are short sprints. I am the shortest flier, the longest being 60 miles further than me. We start around 30 miles to me and after 4 or 5 races I am still below 100 miles. The velocities are slower at times because being a sprint race, depending on the wind and drag, they can overshoot. Another reason could be liberating too early and racing through the hills they meet banks of mist and are shut out causing them to have to re-route. Having said all that, returns are generally good. Whether it would stay the same if others turned North is a different matter because, as has been stated, BOP follow the food. It has been mooted previously, I remember Baz Nicol highlighting it, that following a route for a set period of time then changing to a different route should give better returns because the peregrines have migrated. I doubt this would work now since we know we are at near saturation levels in some areas. Latebred training through the months of September to November would help.

Well done.

Well done.

Paul, your previous post just answered this. Thanks. Every day is a school day and with knowledge, eyes are opened.

Paul, would you say that in the same manner that the BOP terrorise the pigeons, they have also managed to terrorise the trainers? Because we are not training our YB's properly, we are adding to the confusion at the race point and flagging to the BOP that meals are available. Most are trying to keep YB's for the following year, you are trying to lose them. The quality within your loft is without doubt. The quality of these YB's we keep is very much in doubt. This point highlights the need to train and test our pigeons so that we improve the quality. Walter, whilst health issues are without doubt a factor, you train your pigeons hard, just like Paul. The quality in your loft is without doubt. Whilst health, lack of training, other human errors are factors, I would say that these factors have always been there to some extent. Not to minimise these factors, but John is addressing the BOP problem. It seems clear that talking about it is a constant thing come this time of year, but action is never taken. John's suggestion flies in the face of your training regime and would therefore seem to have the effect of dropping the standard of quality within our lofts and for this reason, it will never happen, leastways, not in a blanket fashion. Derek Hay raised the point of a "think tank" to look at the ways we can overcome this problem. I would suggest that this is the only way forward. Preferably on a National scale, but certainly on a regional scale. This "think tank" would have to be hand chosen and safe in the security of anonimity. There findings and discussions would also have to be kept secure until they managed to reach their final conclusion.

Good morning all.

Happy birthday Peter.

Well done.

Well done.

Well done.

A good constructive post from a very experienced pigeon man. Point 2 has been done in England for some time, to what extent I am not sure, it may just be certain races. Point 3 makes a lot of sense particularly if in conjunction with Point 4 and this could be furthered due to the good work you done earlier in the season in starting the Combine, albeit we only managed joint conveying, but that at least, is a positive and a building brick for the future. I think all of these are reliant on Point 1. We have to find an effective method of dealing with the problem. When the pigeons "mill around" for whatever reason they send up a flare, "come and get us". Even if they don't "mill around", they are often sent into panic because of these attacks. The SHU does have a good bank balance and over the last few years they have put money back into pigeons by keeping costs down and even reducing costs to previous years' rates. I have been told that this needs tackled at Local Council level since it is they who rely on the local vote and it is they who have the powers to limit the nest sites, etc. I don't know the truth of this as yet, but hope to find out. Perhaps, if someone who holds a lot of respect takes the "bull by the horns", as they have done before, some movement may arise from what, as John has already stated, has only been a talking shop.

And that is why the programme would have to be looked at very carefully, with perhaps a midweek programme designed for these pigeons starting in the better weather, albeit not guaranteed, around late May, June, early July. If we were not racing our Young Birds to save them from BOP, then we have to allow for their inexperience as Yearlings. Yes, a form of cossetting, but dividends could be there when they are mature Two Year Olds. Have we the patience and desire to attempt something new or do we just want to carry on with the same old same?

Good morning all.

Well done.

Well done.

Well done.

Well done.

Well done.

Well done.

Good morning all.

Happy birthday.

Ricky, here's one and a positive reply. Thanks JimC for not trying to demerit my answer to John Quinn.

That's simple and I'm sure you know the answer. I have never won any races, I've raced them out to 300 miles, and I've not built a team of Old Birds yet. Ask the same question to others who are only around 11 years into pigeons. Many will be in a similar position. Does that devalue my or their opinion? You have kept pigeons for a lot longer than I have, how about a positive comment? Ricky, you should be able to give an opinion on these questions. How many races do you think you could win with un-raced Young Birds. What distance do you think you could race them to? Could you build a team of Old Birds from them? I know there are top National fliers who train later bred Young Birds during October and November and given time, they also time them from Nationals over 500 miles. I am no where near as good as them, but you should be.