pigeonscout

Ask them why the queen keeps a loft full of flying rats then send them this link. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/4497/famousfanciers.html

Ask them when was the last time they heard of someone paying £100,000 + for a rat

do you use baytril?

The bird in your 2nd pick has definite checker markings and in my book that makes it a checker. The first pic I would call a chocolate, muelamens was famous for them.

I was asking about mac1 first pic

whats the ring number of that red ch in the pick you posted

That is a red checker and your are right the pic of my bird is a slatey but can also be called a schalie depending if your in the uk or continent. The best way I can describe a slatey or schalie is a washed out blue checker. How can you have a slatey coloured red?.

They all look like different colours to me so how can they all be red? the 2nd one is not a Schalie it is a checker. Here is a pic of a Schalie a grand son of the 388 I have 5 or 6 of them.

Is that down of the 388

What one is the 06

Yes paul it is good, I think it is better than straw for young birds. Once my young birds are of the floor and up into boxes I then use scrapper. All news papers are made with sterilise paper because if there was any contamination of the paper just think how many people would get sick. It is also good to cover clay nest bowls with sheets of it then put nest felt in on top.

Jimmy it does not matter what the bird looks like or what way it was bred it could have 4 legs two heads and one wing if it has a foreign ring on its leg it must be a good bird that's how some fanciers think.

I crossed a shitszu with a bull dog and got a bullshit.

I think the best method for young birds is dark system then young hens paired to old cocks and young cocks paired to old hens then split until motivating for race. That way the young bird always has its mate waiting for it on return. There is nothing as bad as loosing young hens that were paired to your best young cocks or vice versa the week before the big race.

I think the best dropper you can have is one called motivation get that right and your birds will fold the wings half a mile out.

You learn something new every day. Is this a game you pouters play with each other.

Wiley they more than likely took eggs from it.

Lance if you have a bird that is putting other cocks out of their boxes here is a tip heat a nest bowl hot to touch but not to burn and as soon as he puts the other cock out of the box put in the bowl he will dance on it to show of soon as he feels the heat he will be out and never want that box again. The other way is to lock the cock that is getting put out in one half of his box and in the other half put in a hot plate or bowl. You should be able to hold the plate or bowl in your hand never have it to hot.

Roland you say Natural contented bird beats W-hood , etc. on hard and distance races. Especially the hens. I don't think it is about contentment that natural hens birds fly better than w-hood cocks on the longer races. Here in the UK the longer races it is normally 2 or 3 days in the basket. The hens spend two days in the basket resting and the cocks spend two days fighting. In Parts of the USA where birds only have to spend one day in a basket for 500 and 600 mile races the W-Hood cocks do most of the winning. If you send hens and cock to a 250 here in the uk and you have a 3 day hold over you will find the hens are the front runners.

Well said

Bert Brass, said that about reading a book and I could never understand why the birds needed to read.

How do you motivate a team of birds if they do not have their own space or box?

If you can get two of my cocks to share a shelf or sit within pecking distance without pecking, you can take them home with you.

Jason what you are doing with your kids and getting them involved in the sport is first class. They will remember building that loft with you the rest of their lives. I remember building a loft with my son he was 12 years old now he is 6ft 3 and brings me to the blackpool show and comes to stay at my house to look after birds when I want to go on holiday, etc. My two girls age 13 and 15 would not miss a race, all the family is out in the garden on race day and on good days we have a barbecue, etc. I try my best to make it a family day and not just my day. I will let my wife and kids pick a bird on friday night and the one who picks the first bird home to my loft wins a small prize that way all the family get fun from pigeons racing.

In a 6 x4 loft for breeding I would put in 8 breeding boxes on the 4ft wall 8 pairs = 16 old birds and 16 young birds in nest total 32. I think that is more than enough for a 6x4.