Loft Time

[Wiley]

Now that winter is drawing in and the nights are getting dark on average how long do you spend in each loft.and how much attention would u like to give each loft.On average i know the cold hasnt really kicked in i spend at least 2-3 hours out in the lofts.For the two sections of the widowhoods,this season is the time i like to create more of a personal bond with cocks,cos its much harder to get a bond with hens then it is cocks i feel,as hens will literally pair up to you i find once rank while cocks wont.so in each widowhood section i spend at least 45 mins in each section.they are fairly tame from young birds,but when there transfered into the widowhood section i try to get them that one step tamer.Cos for me pigeons eating out of my hand aint enough.Last yr i had 14 cocks n when i used to say 'come on then boys' some would land on me,and have fights on my shoulders heads u name it,and others would spin round cooing waiting for me to give them a fight with me hand.This is how i like my widowhood cocks to be so in the winter i work on it.I spend alot of time just sitting in there making sure there used to me around the loft and they can rest while im in there,they young cocks aint used to me saying 'come on boys',cos as young birds i never put my hand to fight with them in there boxes,but they'll soon get to grips.With the stock hens and racing hens shed i spend at least half hour,as i just potter about in there cleaning out ect,and just sitting there watching how they hens that are prospect for racing,react inside the loft,and get to know there characteristics.Finally in the stock cock section probably i spend a maxium 10-15 mins cleaning out ect,handling and looking at the pigeons,i dunno i think stock cocks are brillant looking pigeons specially the retired racing ones that uve had with you for the past 6-5 years,

[mark]

i always thought while moulting best to keep it low profile  plenty of baths let them out for a fly feed and rest,

[Wiley]

ive never kept low profile,when u spend alot of time in the loft and there tame/fairly tame, they should rest while your in the loft and take no real notice of you,and consider you as one of the team.

[ACE LOFTS]

i always leave them alone go in there quikly as posible clean feed and water then im out let them get on with the moult and get em used to there box, ones moulting has finished and when i come to pair them thats when i play with them.

during the moult i never let my birds out.

[Matthew]

this year i aim t get my whidowhoods cocks tamer, in past years most cocks when entering the shed would fly down off ther boxes on to the floor, so this year im splitting the 12ft section in 2 and bringing the boxes a bit forward so tht ther isnt loads of room for them to fly round me. ....Wiley if i had the time to do the same as you i deffinately would

[jimmy white]

i think i would rather do it wileys way , birds are better in my opinion tame and easy to handle they go through just as good a moult as the birds become used to you, they go through less stress , i would be doubtfull of actually handling them as theres new feathers growing all the time and possible be damaged, but this way theyll be a lot easier to manage when the time comes

[Beanz]

I dont change my pattern much, only when dark nights come in and i can't go in, up to then just the same amount of time with the birds, let them out clean out feed and water them check a few to make sure all is okay and then lock up.

[Wiley]

O no jimmy nah i dont handle the birds there welcome to climb all over me,or fight me,but i wouldnt handle them incase i ruin the new feather shoots.

[Guest Paulo]

mine are really tame like dogs in their all the time with them as long as you are calm and there is a good atmosphere can't see the problem mine even stand in the perchs and boxes as I clean around them