DOVEScot

I think they should be more relaxed in the loft when you go in rather than tame, Chickadee can walk throughout the lofts and they do not bother, some are hand tame but not all, but all are confident she means them no harm. if I walk in they behave entirely different because I am rarely in the lofts, so they know the difference to different people :-/ This is too tame ;D ;D ;D

Never seen her shake the living daylights out of them or chuck them in a pond or water, must have missed that episode :-/

I agree that you should train and control your cats to behave themselves around the birds, there is a guy in Dumfermline who has a cat that quite happily sleeps in the doorway to his loft. He bought it as a kitten and trained it that the birds were out of bounds to it. Any other cat that came near the loft it seen them off. Bilco, I am glad, you have your own way, not mine I am happy to say, and you are a member that does not throw a tantrum because someone disagrees with you. All the best Dovescot

This training took the form of a smack on the *expletive removed*, a shouted "NO" in their faces while I shook the sh** out of them, followed by three somersaults through the air to end in the middle of the fishpond. It took three such dips before my favourite Xuxa got the message, and when he did it stuck. Sounds more like you scared the sh#t out of them, rather than trained them, sounds more like bully tactics than tough love to me :-/

Bilco,that's what I like to see, a cat lover like you

Amature ;D ;D ;D

WRM have you found out how it or they got into your birds yet?

Timbara, I am all for freedom of speech on the site and you have a right to your opinion, whether it be the majority or minority does not make it right or wrong, it just makes it yours, Personally I would not kill anything for the sake of it, but I have a right to defend what is mine, whether it be an opinion or piece of property. I have asked neighbours who sympathise with me on the cats pestering the birds and asked them to put a bell on the collar to alert the birds(thanks to Ferry). Those that do not sympathise then they deserve the same treatment. I know you have a vested interest in cats as you are a cat breeder http://www.timbarra.co.uk/

Pharmacutical companies who research diseases do not want to cure them, they would go out of business. British heart foundation and Cancer research rely on public donations to study cures. Todays headlines are that a study of anti-depressants show the same results as people taking fake ones. Despite the NHS spending millions each year on them. Looks like the pigeon industry are just following suit :-/

Very good I like this one ;D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_uuN5kuq74&feature=related

You only have to report a licensed amimal, I do not think they are classed as vermin. Also you do not have the rights to kill vermin it seems

We have never done any releases, I was just thinking from a photographic point of view, I suppose the general public that hire your birds would not know any difference :-/

It looks like a slab floor he has from the pics, good thick spread of lime below anything you have deters the tunnellers and will any nasties that that get washed in

Thanks for all the replies and the wishes from Billy. I printed them out and took them into him tonight. Good news is that the cancer is not progressive and he got the all clear for TB. The doctor said the only thing they could find wrong with so far is he is a Glasgow Rangers fan ;D ;D ;D

Use white or yellow rings with your details on it, only need official rings if you plan to race, the bird may get lost and you may get it back if it has your details on it. White because it will contrast with the bird and yellow (gold) being symbolic of weddings :)

Do you mean this one

Nice birds, don't let Chickadee se the white ones :'( :'( :'(

Aye, we looked at them but heard they can be very grumpy :-/

Just let them settle and relax, or take loads and pick the best one, use a judging stick (old car arial does), patience or just sheer luck. Our birds are quite use to us handling them and sometimes put some peanuts in the box so they are not scared to go in it or of it. All new birds are kept in a quarenteen hut are fed everyday so they become used to us as well. Chickadee is better with the birds than me, but she cannae take a pic ;D ;D ;D

;D ;D ;D

Aye, jack russel 1. bull dog nil ;D ;D ;D GLAD THEY ARE ONLY PLAYING ;D ;D ;D

The racers are Busshaerts, Logans or Rollands, thanks for your comment Digital, either a Fuji s9600, s5000 for quality or an fd50 for easyness as it can fit in your pocket, pigeons are tame so yo can get right up close to them. It depends on what you want. I enjoy taking pics of the birds in all situations, where if you want to sell birds then this is good enough If you want to impress and look professional then you can crop and add it to anything you like, depends what you want to sell I think at the end of the day buyers want to see a nice healthy pigeon, and you can only do this when they are happy and relaxed the rest is just marketing. THE HEADLESS ONE IS NOT FOR SALE, WE FOUND AGAIN ;D ;D ;D

Sounds like a mink or polecat, maybe someones ferret. A mink killed 30 ducks in one night at the local fish farm, never ate any just slaughtered them. It will be back, set as many traps as you can good luck

That's what we thought as well, we have never seen a rat here or had any reports in the area, we emptied the loft and set traps. It was a squirrel we caught, we never have had any trouble since, the sad thing is we used to feed and encourage the squirrels A squirrel is just a tree rat :-/