YB LOSSES

[Merlin]

Did you always only fly 14 young birds,or was it more,seems very few for season well done.

[Back garden fancier]

I breed about 16 - 18 and lose a few of the top to hawks. 14 will be all I have this year. If you only lose 2 then why breed more?

[Guest shadow]

a lot of young birds are lost in the first few races because some fanciers are to lazy to train their youngsters and send them hoping the rest will drag them back home it does go on as I have heard some fanciers openly talking about it . It happens year after year so they breed bigger teams to help overcome their losses

[Roland]

a lot of young birds are lost in the first few races because some fanciers are to lazy to train their youngsters and send them hoping the rest will drag them back home it does go on as I have heard some fanciers openly talking about it . It happens year after year so they breed bigger teams to help overcome their losses

 

I personally think three tosses ampful IF they have ranged well. One chuck 30 odd miles South, 40 - 50 miles North then down to the East coast 60 odd miles.

For instance last time ... 4 years back,23 started with ... 22 in race, 22 home way before any other member, that isn't getting fit and letting others show them the way home. ... Actually I just clocked 5, and one was a stray lol. Done this the five times I've actually sent y/b in the last 13 years or more.

[Roland]

Now I personally don’t honestly think – outside of smashes etc. – that a healthy pigeon gets lost.  They just don’t want to return home. Now may be, that too closely paired birds produce impaired youngsters, and for every 1 any good, a dozen are no good.

Easy way to find out… when in ;loft and moved from nest box in to adjacent compartment… after a day or so just open the door, any good and they are back in the nest, so this is where ‘Merit’ first starts.

For instance, a fellow down Oxford way went to Sweden. Picked up straight from the loft a few y/b’s! Never been outside, of course, and are hardly weaned. Brings them back --- easier a few years back eh, and put them directly into his new stock loft to be. These are for his future, so never lets them out as they cost a few quiddies eh! After two years one gets out. A few days later the fellow in Sweden informs him to say it is back with him and what does he want to do…? Any way long story short, it is to be collected… It is out about and returns back to Oxford way, where it proceeds to win a few races….

No one can train a pigeon, get it fit, no one can teach a pigeon how to home, or to navigate etc. How can we eh? When we don’t even have an inkling how they do it in the first place. Yes thesis etc. full stop. Fit birds become conditioned. If contented and a love of home, they will home, if not, then they will after a fashion of hop it. Sometime circumstances alter either way, so that has to always be noted why … or they are coming into song when the performance improves. JMO

[Guest MBpigeonguy]

i lost 3 YB in 2007 out of 32 and none of them were lost in flight they just dissapered of off my loft.

and most guys in my club loss alot of races.

in 2007 alot of YB were lost win our club as we had a really hot summer and spring, anywasy thats what they think.

but i know 2 other guys including me who lost not more then 3-4

[Guest]

a lot of young birds are lost in the first few races because some fanciers are to lazy to train their youngsters and send them hoping the rest will drag them back home it does go on as I have heard some fanciers openly talking about it . It happens year after year so they breed bigger teams to help overcome their losses

 

some in our fed only train 5/6 miles,