Kyleakin Lofts

Well done all.

Well done all.

Well done all.

Well done all. Good to see your son putting some speed into your doos Frank. :D

Well done all.

Well done all.

Well done all.

10 / 14 a bit off the pace, but happy with the way they came. 3rd and 4th bird timed before the first two, but 10 back within 20 minutes.

Happy birthday.

Lovely sunny morning, cold, but it will warm up.

Good morning all. Best of luck to the racers.

Glasgow Fed at Dunbar, 79 miles to me, sent 8 cocks and 6 hens.

Should be ok. We train our birds east to west and race the south road programme and they cope. You are just talking about training in the opposite direction.

Happy birthday.

Happy birthday.

Good morning all.

Dull, overcast, cold and wet here.

Happy birthday.

Dunfermline - E Reid - 01383 726681

Avonbridge - J Graham - 01324 861596

Good morning all.

Grey clouds and cold, but not overly.

What about contamination from air entering the vaccine bottle via the needle, once the syringe is detached to carry out the vaccinations? You are fairly close to David Parsons, what are his professional views as a vet?

My statements were purely voicing opinions already mooted by others. As to the use of vets, again I was informed that at one time vets came to the clubs to carry out the vaccinations. Personally I have tried lots of different ways. I have vaccinated, discarded unused vaccine. I have vaccinated, saved used vaccine and re-used at a later date. I have vaccinated YB's coming out the nest and also done this with a repeat at 12 weeks of age, so 3 weeks and 12 weeks. In all cases I noticed no difference whatsoever, but that is just my personal situation. Now I vaccinate and save. If when the time comes I feel flush, I buy new, if skint I use the saved vaccine. I used to have a nurse vaccinate my birds while I held them. He said there was no reason why the vaccine wouldn't keep, in his opinion, but he also stated he knew nothing regarding the make-up of this particular vaccine, so I was no further forward. From what I know of pigeon people we will never agree until agreement is forced on us. I also feel vaccinating pigeons is the least of our worries. I think our greatest problem is the lack of new blood coming in to the hobby and BOP decimating the pigeons we have. Looking on the bright side, we will soon have full RSPB protection when the racing pigeon species number less than 1600 and the way BOP are taking them out combined with the fall in members, we are heading to endangered species level.

There are various views on this. Some say if you put a needle into the bottle you introduce air, thus contamination and the bottle life has began, 2 - 3 hours then finished. Others say the rubber lid reseals itself and if kept refrigerated the vaccine stays good. The manufacturers recommend use with a few hours, others say this is to boost sales. At a cost of say £27 for 50 doses it breaks to 54p per bird. If we continue to get this wrong MAFF will intervene and put us back to having to use the vets and the cost will rise. Surely it makes sense to use a fresh bottle and if you know there will be spare left get together with others to use it up at the one time. Make this at Federation level then all birds will be done at the one time and if there is anything in Walter's theory a lot of problems may be eradicated; if there is nothing in his theory, at least overall you will have saved money.