Open hole in winter

[Frazer]

Hi first season this year had the birds on open hole but what about through the winter is it best to keep them in on the really rough days or just leave them open all winter regardless of the weather any advice please

[chickadee]

Hi first season this year had the birds on open hole but what about through the winter is it best to keep them in on the really rough days or just leave them open all winter regardless of the weather any advice please

 

We have a section that is open hole all year and if the weather is too bad they tend not to come out, the only thing I would worry about is very strong winds :-/

 

[Shortcut Lofts]

Watch out for the BOPs as they will be hungry. We tend to let out only on good days now just for a bath. the birds do need rest and time and peace to moult.

[pigeonscout]

All you will be doing is feeding hawks and there is no need for the birds to be out in the winter.

[Frazer]

Not sure about that pigeonscout when i started in january i let the birds out in the morning and then again in the afternoon and lost loads to the peregrine watching them being chased regular,since i put them on open hole 5 months ago i have only lost one even saw the birds fly directly at two peregrines and go up above them definetly beleive they get streetwise to percy very sceptical about this before i put them on open hole but the proof is there with the numbers just my opinion.

[BLACK W F]

frazer  you put them on the open hole if you want mate  you will only do it 1 year you will get off lightly if you only lose half of them sparrowhawks and percy will have a field day  best of luck  

better locking them up and only let out in afternoon at weekends when your there

[Frazer]

Dont have any trouble with the sparrowhawk but the peregrines are a different story but dont see that being there to watch them makes any difference been outside before clapping and jumping up and down like a loony when there being chased and its made no difference when they are in hunting mode theres bugger all you can do.Is the peregrine more or less active during the winter months surely they are not feeding young but i suppose you get the extra numbers with the offspring hunting aswell.

[blaz]

i have my birds out most day,s in winter. i believe in letting them exercise right through the winter .i also train some birds for a short race in December the xmus race .the way i look at it is racing pigeons or dogs or horses still need exercise even when their race season is at an end. i also think that it is needed more by the long distance fancier. hear is my view on say a human IE Paula radcliffe if you keept her in a living room all winter then told her she had a short time to prepare for a marathon she would tell you she could run it but that she would not win it.this is just my view on it .

[Guest]

Hi first season this year had the birds on open hole but what about through the winter is it best to keep them in on the really rough days or just leave them open all winter regardless of the weather any advice please

 

If you live in an area where the population of bop is dense you will get annihilated.Lock them up for the winter it will do them no harm.And will do the bop a lot of harm.

[chickadee]

We are lucky in the fact that so far we have never had any peregrines in our area and only occasionally do we get trouble with the sparrow hawks, so I would not use open hole if this was going to be a problem in the future :-/

[Guest Owen]

I have never given my birds open hole. But a very good friend has had open hole for about two years. He thinks that he has lost far less birds to the peregrine than the people who live nearby. As far as I know, the sparrow hawk has not been near him. Of course that could be just a piece of luck. The Guy concerned is a fantastic flyer with both young and old birds, so it has nothing to detract from his results.

[pigeonscout]

i have my birds out most day,s in winter. i believe in letting them exercise right through the winter .i also train some birds for a short race in December the xmus race .the way i look at it is racing pigeons or dogs or horses still need exercise even when their race season is at an end. i also think that it is needed more by the long distance fancier. hear is my view on say a human IE Paula radcliffe if you keept her in a living room all winter then told her she had a short time to prepare for a marathon she would tell you she could run it but that she would not win it.this is just my view on it .

You should not compare the fitness of birds and animals to the fitness of humans.

If we where to lay in bed for 6 months without moving we would waste away.

Yet some animals go into hibernation for months and at the end  come out with the same level of fitness as when the first went in. I am not saying pigeons are like that but pigeons can reach race fitness within a couple of weeks of the first race. There are to many fanciers who lock their birds up all winter and then come out and win the first races  to say locking them up does them harm.

[pigeonforce]

Surely it would be a good idea to let them out in winter to get used to the weather, not all race days are sunny, thats just my opinion , im lucky not to have had a dealing with a Bop yet, maybe if i do ill change my mind.  :X

[billt]

Mine have been on open loft for 23yrs, lost 2 to sparrowhawk early this year and thats all, I've got most breeds of Bop here, they do get streeetwise

[ALF]

Mines are locked up for the winter now.I go on holiday on friday and that's them all sorted out

[Guest IB]

Can't do open hole, but after my birds are through the moult, they will go out at weekends, cocks Sat, hens Sun.

[Guest kev d]

its like every question on here you will get 10 different answers do what you thinks best

mine are on open hole at the moment 7.30 till 5.00pm but ive never tried it over the winter months

and yes they do get street wise .

[ritchie1]

keap them in until they have moulted then let them out as long as the winds not to strong better using your head not a open hole in the winter months

[Frazer]

So many come on saying all you will do is feed the bop if you have them on open hole but for me the proof is there by the numbers i lost when i had them out mornings and afternoon as aposed to the few i have lost since i put them open hole wonder if the guys who come on saying this have ever tried open hole.

 

[ALF]

So many come on saying all you will do is feed the bop if you have them on open hole but for me the proof is there by the numbers i lost when i had them out mornings and afternoon as aposed to the few i have lost since i put them open hole wonder if the guys who come on saying this have ever tried open hole.

 

YES AND THAT'S WHY THEY ARE LOCKED UP ALL WINTER NOW!!

[Guest kev d]

fraser, like i said in my post do what you thinks best if your not getting trouble from BOP

carry on , all the best .

[Guest Hjaltland]

My birds are out whenever its reasonable weather over the winter, that means on days of moderate or light winds. Needless to say it might be a week or more when the weather is so bad the birds are never out. I'm lucky in that we hardly ever see a BOP, the odd merlin during the summer.