sad state of affairs

[Guest]

Haven't got a clue what your talking about regarding Pete as it seems irrelevant to the other posts unless there are some that have been deleted?   Are pigeons even covered by the Animal Welfare Act?

 

Yes it applies to any living vertebrate animal

[Guest]

 

Yes it applies to any living vertebrate animal

Thanks Bob.

[ch pied]

"This in my eyes sums up why we "pigeon fanciers" have such a bad reputation with 'Joe Public' and makes me wonder why any of us spend our time trying to gain public favour, when ass holes like this scum bag are allowed to be in the hobby. "

BOB ,  if your region sec iant doing the job as it should be done , throw your hat in the ring , with your region .

          & yes iam up to my neck in within region .

[Guest stb]

In the present economic climate i would not force anyone to send for a bird.

 

Have managed to get at least 10 birds home this year simply by asking about and and finding someone or a lorry or transporter thats going to the area the bird comes from and letting them of,

with so many unemployed at minute and jobseekers allowance £44. a week

 

and the cost of a pigeon return anything between £40 £50  i think fanciers should do more to help get birds back. not just like Owen says just make them send for them.

3 or 4 birds reported for some people and there out the game. and not just pigeons.

[Guest]

I couldn't say whether my region sec is up to the job or not, as I have not had personal reason to test his ability. Even if I had, I do not have the time to undertake such a position, as much of my time is taken up caring for my wife. Besides I have spent 40+ years in official capacities for club and federation.

[grizzal]

In the present economic climate i would not force anyone to send for a bird.

 

Have managed to get at least 10 birds home this year simply by asking about and and finding someone or a lorry or transporter thats going to the area the bird comes from and letting them of,

with so many unemployed at minute and jobseekers allowance £44. a week

 

and the cost of a pigeon return anything between £40 £50  i think fanciers should do more to help get birds back. not just like Owen says just make them send for them.

3 or 4 birds reported for some people and there out the game. and not just pigeons.

 

 

[Totally agree with this  statement ]cant remember last bird that I reported was sent for,always managed to get them some where near home for the fanicers.

[ch pied]

In the present economic climate i would not force anyone to send for a bird.

 

Have managed to get at least 10 birds home this year simply by asking about and and finding someone or a lorry or transporter thats going to the area the bird comes from and letting them of,

with so many unemployed at minute and jobseekers allowance £44. a week

 

and the cost of a pigeon return anything between £40 £50  i think fanciers should do more to help get birds back. not just like Owen says just make them send for them.

3 or 4 birds reported for some people and there out the game. and not just pigeons.

i agree with you , the whole country is going to hell in a hand cart & no light at the end of the tunnel . as you say there are mean's & way's to return bird's, at little or no cost . but the fancier's that BOB refere's to . i think its down to the region sec , to throw his or her weight about

 

 

[Guest]

i agree with you , the whole country is going to hell in a hand cart & no light at the end of the tunnel . as you say there are mean's & way's to return bird's, at little or no cost . but the fancier's that BOB refere's to . i think its down to the region sec , to throw his or her weight about

 

 

I think he probably would have thrown his weight around if he had been informed, but the gentleman (a non fancier) in question did not keep the necessary details and took the bird miles away and released it. Joe Public can hardly be expected to know the procedure, when many of those within the hobby seem oblivious to the rule and plead ignorance, when confronted.

[ch pied]

 

I think he probably would have thrown his weight around if he had been informed, but the gentleman (a non fancier) in question did not keep the necessary details and took the bird miles away and released it. Joe Public can hardly be expected to know the procedure, when many of those within the hobby seem oblivious to the rule and plead ignorance, when confronted.

 

" He then went on to tell me that he had reported 13 pigeons this year alone, and NOT ONE FANCIER HAD BOTHERED TO COLLECT THEIR REPORTED BIRDS."

 

you'd think the man had a hot line to the RPRA if they where all from that org . 13 bird's reported , none collected , he must have had the patience of a rock .

[Guest]

 

" He then went on to tell me that he had reported 13 pigeons this year alone, and NOT ONE FANCIER HAD BOTHERED TO COLLECT THEIR REPORTED BIRDS."

 

you'd think the man had a hot line to the RPRA if they where all from that org . 13 bird's reported , none collected , he must have had the patience of a rock .

 

Not for me to question the individual, I have only posted what the gentleman told me. Perhaps I should have kept my mouth shut and let this hobby go deeper into the mire as far as the Public are concerned.  :-/ :-/ It is a shame that some cannot accept a story at face value and in the good faith that it was posted, rather than trying to become private investigator.

[ch pied]

 

" He then went on to tell me that he had reported 13 pigeons this year alone, and NOT ONE FANCIER HAD BOTHERED TO COLLECT THEIR REPORTED BIRDS."

 

you'd think the man had a hot line to the RPRA if they where all from that org . 13 bird's reported , none collected , he must have had the patience of a rock .

my heart goes out to that man having to deal with that situation , BOB , i take it you wised him up how to make a complaint to the org's to which he was reporting bird's . who should then take the correct course of action .

 

 

[Guest IB]

In the present economic climate i would not force anyone to send for a bird.

 

Have managed to get at least 10 birds home this year simply by asking about and and finding someone or a lorry or transporter thats going to the area the bird comes from and letting them of,

with so many unemployed at minute and jobseekers allowance £44. a week

 

and the cost of a pigeon return anything between £40 £50  i think fanciers should do more to help get birds back. not just like Owen says just make them send for them.

3 or 4 birds reported for some people and there out the game. and not just pigeons.

 

As you know, in Scotland from this weekend we do have the annual YB stray repatatriation centre at £3.50? a bird. Surely such a service should be provided UK-wide during the full racing season, when the stray problem is likely to be at its height? We have the transport network, seems its commitment that's lacking.

 

It may also be that a different system should operate when it's a member of the public that's reported a bird. Letters take time, and the owner might not be in a position to get the bird home quickly, for varying reasons - work or unemployment. Maybes a telephone call to the nearest fancier 'official' to uplift pigeon asap would be better.

 

And the real reason that folk who don't want strays back has nothing to do with cost, its just that they don't want the bird. If they did want it, they'd move heaven & earth to get it back, and when its a member of the public, that's what should happen, no exceptions..

 

 

[Guest Owen]

A couple of years ago, I met a guy who had been made redundant. He was living in a bad place for unemployment. During our conversations I found out that he was the Top Prize Winner in his Club. Later he asked me to visit him about something other than pigeons. I jumped at the chance and off I went. Well, when I got there, I could'nt believe my eyes. He had 5 widowhood cocks. Three of which were brothers, one was a half brother and the fifth was'nt related at all.

Those birds were in remarkable condition and they had all won goodness knows what. I think the fellow had ten youngsters at the time.

Later we talked over a cup of tea and he told me that he simply could not afford to keep the sort of numbers most of the other pigeon men in the area kept. In other words he ran his sport within his means. Very successfully. After seeing that, I realised that I had to change the way I did things, and concentrate of keeping good pigeons and managing them properly rather than playing the numbers game. As I was soon to reach retirement age I did not want to be always broke, due to my pigeons. And I definately did not want to spread my failed birds all over the place, without having the means to get them back if they got reported. I have done all this except that I keep more than 5, but I am within my means and I can always get any bird that strays back here. However, I can get very irritated with the people who try to impose their strays onto me. I will never want their birds and neither will they ever get into my loft. In addition, I will not agree to kill birds, ever. So what is the alternitive? They have to be claimed by their owners because I will not have them here. I will try to be helpful in tossing the birds and if the bird is injured I am quite willing to treat it. But after all the exeptional circumstances are finished the Owner must retrieve the bird.  

[Guest]

 

As you know, in Scotland from this weekend we do have the annual YB stray repatatriation centre at £3.50? a bird. Surely such a service should be provided UK-wide during the full racing season, when the stray problem is likely to be at its height? We have the transport network, seems its commitment that's lacking.

 

It may also be that a different system should operate when it's a member of the public that's reported a bird. Letters take time, and the owner might not be in a position to get the bird home quickly, for varying reasons - work or unemployment. Maybes a telephone call to the nearest fancier 'official' to uplift pigeon asap would be better.

 

And the real reason that folk who don't want strays back has nothing to do with cost, its just that they don't want the bird. If they did want it, they'd move heaven & earth to get it back, and when its a member of the public, that's what should happen, no exceptions..

 

 

Possibly because so many fanciers these days have been brainwashed into thinking that a bird that makes a mistake and strays of course, cannot be any good, and is rendered as useless. Generally speaking none of us know exactly what the bird has encountered on it's journey home from a race or training toss, not to mention that the condition the owner sent it to the race in, may not have been the best.