W.D.

;D ;D ;D The budgie got a cheep trill!!!

Think the best one I heard was to keep it in a budgie cage in the house, even better if you have kids as they make more noise, and only feed it when it will eat its food in front of you,if it flaps about its not hungry enough yet. After a couple of weeks it will be no problem and looking forward to your attention.

Yes thats what I have found as well,told I'll have to get it as clubs' map doesn't go out to where I live.That will be £60+(inc.fees) and not even put a bird in a basket yet!!! One club member trying to help said he got a copy from library, but didn't have a suitable map at my local one the scale was too small. Anybody else able to help,please?

Hi guys,I would welcome some advice on getting a copy of Ord Survey map or similar so I can get my loft pin-pointed? Is there anything cheaper than buying one from O/S ?

Is it just me? But I cant understand why most race progs start so early,and when the major races are on the go at the middle of July theres no club races left just when you need something to keep them fit? Esp in Scotland, how would you like to be stuck outside all night in a cold draughty transporter then expected to race back in the early hours of the morning before the sun's had a chance to warm up the air? Then when the season's at its warmest your racings over till next year,just doesn't make any sense to me? Can someone please explain? Sorry guys if I've upset someone who likes these races.

Latebreds most people either love them or hate them it seems?! Personally I grew to love them as it fitted in with the time I had for the old birds and didn't have the space for Y/Bs.Apart from hawk trouble they had the sky to themselves in sept, and when you did start to race them you find out straight away if they are any good. JMO but hens seemed to be more mature or maybe just better birds than our cocks.

Thinking of just letting my yearlings sit out their 1st round of eggs, how will this affect their moult later on in the season? Will it then be possible to let them go down again on another set of eggs, as would happen with rearing young, and take the eggs away after 10 days? Or what would you recommend doing? Thanks for any replies.

Heard of using soapy water, though never tried it,which stays wetter longer as it'l take the oil out of the feathers.Might be worth a try if you dont want them to fly?

Thanks everyone for the feed back on this, it's always good to hear what the members on here think and know.

3 of 11 my stock cocks are lame after vaccinating them last week for Paratyphoid. They had 15 days on Parastop beforehand, then given 2/3 of the rec dose as I was running short of product to do them all, having done rest of team beforehand.They were vaccinated with the Chevita live vaccine. This is the 1st time they have been done for it, th others have shown no side effects. What I would like to know is if this is normal and if so for how long will they remain like this?

Have you been using nest felts in the nest?

Been one of my gripes for a few years now, the amount of useless stuff being sold on video/dvd and books about racing pigeons. Can we perhaps do a list on here with the 3 best ones you have and wouldn't be without, and the 3 worst ones you have bought and wished you hadn't?

Used to swear by it, also it does give the birds good droppings.But stopped using it so much after reading that high doses of Iodine or Calcium which is in it, can cause infertility in birds, after 3 of my Dad's best racers went this way shortly after being retired for stock. On hindsight this is probably more due to the family line than Provit, though he did put it very heavily on the feed when using it.One packet would do me all year whilst he was using 3?!!!Used it myself mainly during the racing season leading up to the main races maybe 3x per wk with oil on,and about 1x per wk at other times.Hope this is of some use?

If you look in the RP(page 46) there's guys from York called B & C Mason who are winning nearly every week with Delbars, flying in 2 clubs, dont know anything about them though, just noted their names throughout the season.

Asked my mate the same qu. a few years ago when Louella started selling them,he replied I've got some in my family.He'd been up for a look,liked what he saw,bought some,tried them,won with them, and in they went to his doos.He has 4 or 5 positions in the top ten in nat racing this year and i'm certain some of these will have Van Houtte blood in them.He told me Willy is an old fashioned fancier more interested in results than in selling,how else would he have become 4x mid dist champ in a row in his region. The one thing I have noticed is that they dont hang about for long when on sale on Louella's website!!!

try tam bairds in limerigg

Hi Jimmy,I think he stopped racing a few years ago,maybe 5 or 6 now.But the last I heard he still has birds and sells them from the house.I have a write up somewhere on him, but its in french, is that any good to you? From what I remember everything was geared towards Barcelona.

try e-bay

try muttley on here he should be able to help you out

Thats an interesting one Fred,I'd like to know the answer to that myself,please keep us informed of the outcome. Suppose much depends on when you are going to move the Y/Bs in beside them, are you pairing up in Dec,Jan, or later? I would think that they would not moult any more body feathers seeing as they are already going into a natural darkness at present.Perhaps the problem would be when you take them off the darkness next year,they might go into an early moult of their flight feathers, trying to catch up on last years lost daylight hours. It would be interesting to hear the opinion of some of the more oldhands on here, what do you think or know lads?

Try treating for canker 1st then for respiratory,sounds like its picked up an infection.Sounds like you are doing your best for it to keep it alive. Is the wound ok,no smell or puss coming from it? Does the noise sound like its coming from its chest when you hold it up to your ear?

Dr.Anderson had birds from both Paul Sion and Dr.Bricoux,and even returned with birds for Dr.Bricoux after the war, when he had lost all of his,he mentions this in his book. The Sions are still doing a job today on the continent,Yves Van Der Pol from Belg has a line of these still scoring from Barcalona,he said in a moot that he needs them in his team for the hard ones from Barca. In France,Andre Coddeville, Hondeghem,(president of CALC,the distance club) has a loft full of them,he was 2nd nat from Barca a few years ago amongst others,the Natural Lofts bought some from him to add to theirs. There's also another frenchman, Christian Wittendal of Wattrelos near Lille who races only Sions,think he might have been loftman to Paul's son in his youth,he gave his birds a no. when they had scored from Barca,i.e. Barca 1,2,3 etc. he was in the hundreds last time they did a report on him!!! If you want to get some without looking too hard try the Natural Breeding Station,Antwerp,Belgium. Ask them why the Chinese buy them from them,they will tell you they are the ones that win in their 600 - 900 mile races.

My Da always said '' you need a lang spoon tae sup wi a fifer'' Wonder what he means???!!! :P ;D ;D ;D

Ha ha! Think I'd be much better off in one of Muttleys mdf jobs!!! Anyways I've worked in some of the Fife cems and you guys always make sure their pockets are emptied first!!! ;D ;D ;D

Trust a gravedigger to say that???!!! :)