Flagging

[Diamond dave]

Just wondered if anyone out there flags their birds around the loft.

Tonight, my birds flew for just about 30 minutes when every one elses on this forum seem to be flying for an hour.

My birds are widowhood cocks and are clapping and gliding o.k. but no real prolonged flying.

- Should I flag them or not?

[MsPigeon]

Hi D Dave, I don't fly widowhood but I do flag my birds. I can't always get them down the road so I flag them instead. I get them used to being flaged as YB's so they know what it's all about. My OB's fly natural and there are always some that want to get back to their nest, so I flag them for 45 min when I can't train them down the raod.

MsPigeon

[Guest]

Dave,

 

My widowhood cocks don't fly much at all, I know what you mean everyone else says theres constantly fly for 1 hour mine never have. They do go on and off clapping about and I think this makes them fitter than just flying in cirles for an hour. Sometimes the cocks seem to have just sat on the roof most of the week and still came and won at the weekend. Unless you are bottom of the sheet week in week out -dont worry about it. just let them out same time every day and let them do the rest.

 

[slatey]

Hi dave i flag my widow cocks 1 hour morn/night mon/tue/wed/thus fri dont go out sat race day sun just let them out for bath.

tomo

[sapper756]

I too fly widowhood, and my cocks don,t fly for long periods when out, but I was told by a top widowhood flyer, that you build your cocks up on feeding as the week progresses, and that it,s race day that you want the cocks to use up thier energy, and not at nights when out of the loft.

[Guest]

I think when people say they fly an hour they do (and I do to an extent) exagerate a bit. I only ever get mine to fly an hour on the run up to channel races and that is forced on them approx. 2 weeks b4.  A top fancier once told me that his pigeons never do an hour and he would never try to get them to do more than 40 mins, but a lad in my club flags his for an hour every time there out and he took the first 8 positions in our club last night, so who knows.

[T_T]

Ever since I've been on widowhood, my pigeons have NEVER flown for an hour just raced around home for 15-20 minutes.  If you live on an estate of sorts, it's difficult to get your birds to fly and flagging them only pushes them to the housetops.  If you're fortunate enough to live in the wide open spaces, they will exercise naturally.

 

I remember a champion pigeon called " FIREFLY " his owner ( a friend of mine ) told me that EVERY day when the cocks were let out, FIREFLY would go straight to the TV arial and never move until the other cocks came in. Put him in the basket at week ends, nothing to touch him.  Just showing that all pigeons are individuals.

[Guest]

I think it also depends on the weather aswell, if its fine outside, then they will freely fly, but on dull damp days they tend to want to stay in, which is only natural when you think how pampered racing pigeons get.

[westburylofts]

 

Most fanciers i know who fly widowhood all say the same thing

there birds only fly for 15- 40 min's.

 

i would not worry about it,  if you do want them to fly a little longer then

put them in the crate after exercise round the loft and take them for a toss.

 

also no of a fancier who only take's his birds trainning 3 times a week

but never lets them fly around home,  he has won plenty of red cards in both

club and fed.

 

RAY

[snowy]

hi,

we flag our young birds for an hour & they do fly for an hour now, but the odd day they get tired before the hour, & as soon as they start dropping towards the roof or the neighbours roof i call them in so they dont land on the roof. but you have to be constantly watching them all the time, & it does work great for us, but can tell the odd day they have just had enough, so i call them in.

when flagging for an hour plus, just give them plenty of food for stamina.

regards

[westburylofts]

Hi Snowy

 

USED TO FLAG ME BIRDS  BUT THEY WOULD JUST GO OFF ELSE WERE

 

THEN COME BACK.

 

HAVE BROUGHT IN SOME NEW YB'S THIS YEAR FROM A LOCAL FANCIER

AND THEY FLY FOR THE FUN OF IT   1-2 HR'S EVERY DAY

BUT I ALSO THINK YOU HAVE TO FEED THEM WELL,

NO GOOD HAVING THEM HANGING OFF THE WIRES WAITING TO BE FED

 

RAY

[Diamond dave]

Thank you all for your interesting comments - most helpful. Its nice to know that others birds are the same.  

I usually feel a little deflated when they only fly for 20 odd minutes during the week

because Im sure Ill be down the list on Saturday but if you all experience the same, then I shall just have to wait for the form fairy to come and land in my loft.

 

D.D.

[jimmy white]

i would say pigeons are creatures of habit, i would flag them at the beggining of the season [with no training] with the loft doors closed, for say 15 mins then open the door and let them land, i would extend this to 45 mins with the door closed, once they "cottoned on"they would fly as long as the doors were closed,with just a reminder now and again [ widowhood cocks]they needed very little training, as they would have been trained plenty as ybs, i would rather see them do 45 mins to an hour freely, than force them down the road ,and put them through stress by basketing , travelling an hour, then them flying home in an hour, this would take approx 3 hours, when they could be in the loft resting after 1 hour with no stress

[seagull]

100% aggree with you there jimmy white

[speedbird]

one thing about basket training at least you know they are flying & loft exercise how mush flying do they actually do in that hour round the loft!!! as alot of the time they are glideing,clapping ect

[Mike Lycett]

Ours are never flagged - they've gotta be near the loft for me to flag 'em & generally they aint !

[TheSaddler]

Speedbird,

 

When you get widowhood cocks on form they fly in straight lines and at pace. When a kit of 20 cocks split into different directions it's a joy to see. Personally it's my favourite part of the season because you know you've done your job.. It's then down to the birds and the motivation.

 

Widowhood cocks that circle and clap around are not what you want, these birds are often off form or tired. Training does ensure that the birds are doing the 'time on wing' but if overdone it will retard the birds even more.

 

This is just my opinion though - I know people who win out of turn and they train every day of the week.

[jimmy white]

i used to love watching the widowhood cocks ,at 6 am hit the skies ,way up like dots and off, just like ybs , used to clean all lofts clean water then sit back with cuppa , then maybe seeing them still high, flying over the loft in a differant direction, and away again , no training, birds come in to form themselves theyll tell you, training cocks early in the season, might win you first race but its a long season and these birds" burn out quick"

[snowy]

Thank you all for your interesting comments - most helpful. Its nice to know that others birds are the same.  

I usually feel a little deflated when they only fly for 20 odd minutes during the week

because Im sure Ill be down the list on Saturday but if you all experience the same, then I shall just have to wait for the form fairy to come and land in my loft.

 

D.D.

 

the odd time ours just dont want to fly at first, the first 10 mins they just want to drop back in, but once the flag is out & they have warmed up, they usually have a good hour.

[speedbird]

yeah they do fly off in ones & twos all im saying is they dont fly like that for the full hour!! dont know if they are actually flying the only way you can asure this is by basket training

[schouwman71]

When i was on the allotments i always flagged 1 hr morning 1hr evening and fed them accordingly,they were amazing winning to 1st combine and getting 5 or 6 widowers together every week,since flying in the back garden and not beeing able to flag my results have dropped by 60 % and thats flying the same birds,you have to treat pigeons like athletes and work them and when the weather gets warm you will see super form on them,without work you will never be consistent at combine level .

[hooky]

just curious as i have never flagged or seen it done but d oyou wave something towards the loft ect when it looks like they are about to land?

[speedbird]

i use some king of buntin accross & keep out the way!!  even if ive had birds on the natural ive flagged them too as training is not enough when your competing with widowhoods which can fly up to 8hours per week!!

[westburylofts]

THIS WEEKS VELO ROSE WILL BE  1966  LOL

[Guest slugmonkey]

I dont flag or even force exercise as of yet on new loft I dont even have door on yet my birds come and go all day they are probably flying too much though they are very wild I keep food in front of them full time I came home the other day and found 30+ of them on top of loft in driving rain they are on the ground a lot but the good thing is they dissapear from sight for periods of an hour or more the first time I noticed they were all gone I was very alarmed but now it happens with regularity and I am convinced its a good thing they have brought anothers birds home with them 3 times now ( one guy was almost 5 miles away ) another that lives over 2 has reported seeing them regularly at his place going over I dont know if this is good or bad but I am not going to change anything right now most in our club are complaining about the birds not flying in the heat