pigeonscout

There is nothing fair about the timing of birds as it stands. Two men in a partnership will clock 3 birds that come together faster than one man. The sport is about the fastest bird from A to B If a bird takes of at A and is timed when it lands at B then whether it is in loft or not makes no difference as it has reached B. In all races there is a finish line and the one who gets to the line first wins. They don't have to cross it then wait on their trainer to take a rubber arm band. How many life long members are forced to leave the sport every year because he or she is no longer able to catch the birds and take rubber of them? I here people say it is unfair because the people that can afford it will have an advantage. I never hear them say the people that can afford a car or pay to train their birds have an advantage. ETS will not make your birds fly faster but it will time them faster is that a bad thing? No because it is showing the time it took the bird to fly from A to B not how fast the owner caught it removed the rubber and clocked it. For me the fun is making a bird fly the fastest from A to B. The name of the game is pigeon racing not rubber clocking. I was talking to a man last night on phone he was saying he could not afford ETS and I ask him how he could afford to keep 200+ birds I am still waiting on his answer.

I think it is all about training, If you are going to breed a late round do it in September 7 mounts before the first old bird race. They will be like darken young birds going though the body molt then stop because the days are short. They must be trained every chance you get as good days are hard to find at that time of year. You will get the first 4 or 5 old bird races out of them before they start to molt the flights. This is a good system if you need more numbers in your old bird team because of smash. If you do not have the time to train these birds as you would a young bird team then forget about it you will be wasting your time. Can they fly as fast as old birds? well when you have trained this year young birds and about a week before the first young bird race take some of your old bird team training with the young birds 25 mile + toss and see what comes first.

I have had hawks attack my birds when they were walking about my feet. There is very little that will put them of an attack. Even a blast from a shot gun will not keep them away they keep coming back. All you can do is make a small cages out of cheese or piano wire as theses wires will not obstruct your view of the birds and will keep your birds safe.

If you have sticky birds and want them to fly feed then 75% barley + 25% flax for 14 days, but they should be flying 2 to 3 hours in about 7 to 8 days. One other thing are you sure your birds are healthy?

You do not need to darken until end of March that is 10 weeks on dark until 21 June. Some guys in holand are getting away with 7 weeks but I would give them 10 just to be on the safe side.

could you train it as a trapper that can call your birds in? and say silly boy to the bad trappers.

Methods: Two full/half brothers. one mated to the other's daughter Two full/half brothers. one's son mated to the other's daughter Two full sisters, or half sisters bred from the same father. one mated to the other's son brother and sister mating, both bred from same father but different mothers. This is the janssen brothers way of doing it and I can think of no better family of pigeons.

Gently break open the egg if there is a perfect yolk then the hen is ok and the cock is not filling, if the yolk is broken and mixed with the white then it is then hen at fault.

How do you know it is the cock and not the hen

We can buy ornicure here in N Ireland over the counter. http://www.oropharma.com/en/duiven/html/ornicure.html

why not just make your own? Malt barley is normal barley sprouted just soak it in water until it sprouts. There are lots of sites telling you how to make it.

Juat spit on the eye 3 times aday

If he was racing he could say his bird was 4000th beaten by 3999 loft mates.

My very first race ever I took the first 7 in the open out of 7852 birds I dont think anyone has ever done that in their very first race.

Steve you do not have to leave the sport just because you have to give up keeping pigeons. My friend had to give up keeping pigeons but he still races pigeons and gets great fun out of it. Just get some friends to breed you a couple of young birds and enter them in a one loft race. You can log on to the one loft race web site everyday and see where the bird had finished in training it is like having a race every day. My friend says he gets more fun out of it than when he raced himself.

I would like to know what is holding that loft up? there is not much in the way of support

I thought it was interesting that the humidity in the loft and temp difference affects the cocci level etc. A blow touch and scraper will have more effect on cocci and will cost a lot less. The only heating I would get is under floor heating just to turn on now and then if the floor got damp.

I do not agree with the flying vet it is only his opinion that a loft needs to be kept at a temp of 20 degrees and have a humidity of between 50-65 percent and not a fact. The facts are a lot of winning lofts do not have heating or humidity control, and lofts that do fly no better. I do not believe something just because so and so says so, take a look at the facts then form your own opinion. Now If you look at what the vet is saying, it would stand to reason that all the tops lofts had a temp of 20 degrees and have a humidity of between 50-65. Now ask yourself is this fact? If a bird is well fed it will maintain its own body heat fact.

The fanciers in those days must have had birds with great homing ability to do what they did without a car to train. How many birds would we have left in our lofts at the end of an old bird program if they had not been trained by car as young birds?

Maybe a drop of wheat germ oil poured over their feed for a couple of days will help.

You can get it anywhere in uk. I would get it from someone that will put it on for you as it can be tricky trying to lay it on contact glue. http://www.diyroofing.com/ There are lots of people do it.

No it makes no difference for first round but if you are flying widowhood then getting the timing right for 2nd round can be important so that all hens are taken away on same day.

I would lock her in one half of box paired to any old cock then let her be with the best cock in the loft for an hour a day when she lays let the any old cock in with her to sit eggs. If she does not want to pair there could be a health problem with her.

Messenger pigeons in the 2nd world war where trained to fly at night in the dark. The where trained in corn filed's in the middle of the night. The corn fields where to learn them to get height as soon as they left the basket. If they did not then no harm came to them as they just hit the corn and could then be pick up. The lofts where lit up home end the. Birds can get above the fog on flight home but if the fog is at the home end then you are asking for trouble. Thunder over a team of young birds even when flying out round the loft can spell disaster. Strong head winds make the birds fly low and they have a greater chance of hitting wires. I think a nice head wind not to strong is the best for training and racing.