Help Required

[Bobthegas]

Hi,

 

I have been keeping pigeons for about 4 years, and every year i seem to loose about 15 - 20 young birds from the top of the loft. ( Before Training Starts).

This year i thought i was taking it easy, i lost 1 two weeks ago, three last Friday, and 10 today, i never have these birds reported and they never come back.

I am now seriously thinkink of packing it all in, as i cannot keep going on like this.

Flyers in the same road and around dont seem to loose birds, why me? what am i doing wrong?

Some help would seriously be appreciated!!

 

Bob

[Merlin]

I am sorry to hear about your losses Bob,I seldom have such bad luck with youngsters,and hope it continues,my system is when weaned,birds acclimitise for roughly two weeks in and out,till they start to fly,when they are starting to fly strong,still in vicinity of loft,they are then confined till late evenings only,when they will do most things they would do when given all day liberty,idea being if perchance they roam too far,picked up by trainers,etc,come morning they might not be too far from home loft,and capable of returning,dont know if you do it but to give youngsters unlimited freedom,without being educated is a recipe for trouble of many kinds,just my way,and hope there is something that may be of use to you.

[Tony C]

I remember reading an article (think by Patrick Bros. not 100% sure) where they run copper wire around their shed and earthed it, think they called it a Faraday cage, this apparently helps to stop losing young'uns of the loft.

[Guest chrisss]

Hi,

 

I have been keeping pigeons for about 4 years, and every year i seem to loose about 15 - 20 young birds from the top of the loft. ( Before Training Starts).

This year i thought i was taking it easy, i lost 1 two weeks ago, three last Friday, and 10 today, i never have these birds reported and they never come back.

I am now seriously thinkink of packing it all in, as i cannot keep going on like this.

Flyers in the same road and around dont seem to loose birds, why me? what am i doing wrong?

Some help would seriously be appreciated!!

 

Bob

 

ask the local flyers [if they will tell you]they are in the same environment as you have a look at their setup,what methods do they use for their ybs [do they put them in a basket to have a good look around/have they got an aviary? all basic stuff that you probably done already,are your birds overfed?/are they too old?

[ch pied]

I remember reading an article (think by Patrick Bros. not 100% sure) where they run copper wire around their shed and earthed it, think they called it a Faraday cage, this apparently helps to stop losing young'uns of the loft.

de-gaussing the loft , don't know if it work's , we have a copper wire half inch thick , running along the roof and down sides , and earthed with a spike at both end's , our y/b's are in the avary untill the eye change's this work's for us , loss very few y/b's , words of wisdom in merlin's post

 

 

[REDCHEQHEN]

Hi,

 

I have been keeping pigeons for about 4 years, and every year i seem to loose about 15 - 20 young birds from the top of the loft. ( Before Training Starts).

This year i thought i was taking it easy, i lost 1 two weeks ago, three last Friday, and 10 today, i never have these birds reported and they never come back.

I am now seriously thinkink of packing it all in, as i cannot keep going on like this.

Flyers in the same road and around dont seem to loose birds, why me? what am i doing wrong?

Some help would seriously be appreciated!!

 

Bob

 

How many young birds did  you have to start with?

How big is the section you are keeping them in?

How old are they?

When and what and how much are you feeding them?

What time of day are you letting them out?

 

(A few questions that might be relevant)

[Peckedhen]

I'll tell you what I do, taking very steadily.....

 

As soon as they are feathered, tails about 1" I put them up into the sputnik for a short while everyday so they can look around. As soon as I wean them I put them in the sputnik, open the  trap and, one at a time sit them on the landing board. They don't like being out on their own and straight away trap in. I give each bird three times at this trapping. I start to train to the rattle of the feed tin. Next I sit them all out on the landing board with the trap shut. I stay with them as they are vulnerable to predators, after twenty minutes or so I open the trap and call them in.  First they all sit on the landing board then over a few days they begin to flap up onto the loft roof and then take little flights around - all this before they become strong on the wing.

 

I have not lost a young bird yet doing it this way.

[Peckedhen]

Just a thought - is there anything scaring your birds away?  A hawk? Cat? Motor bike revving? :-/ :-/

[just ask me]

i put mine in a aviary hat on front of young bird loft then put them into a hamper and leave it on top of sputnik and they will walk in then i put hamper maybe 6 foot away from loft them and let them fly over to the sputnik  then 12 foot or so they always get fed when they come in do this for a for a week or two and start as early as possible i do it every day i don't lose many off lofts lost 1 two young but that was due to pergine attack i think may help any one else have a opion in this think i am advising the right way about this or would u disagree about what i do

[Guest shadow]

take up some of the suggestions on PB if that does not work try some different pigeons 3 years ago I had a pair of stock birds and could not keep y/b's out of them as soon as they were strong on the wing they disappeared all the others stopped could be in their make up

[Guest]

To be honest Bob it could be many reasons, but i would say that its something to do with the way you manage the birds and needs to be changed. As i think someone has already posted it may be best to ask the local area fanciers (who don't lose birds) have they treat their Ybs and copy that.

 

Part of keeping pigeons and becoming a success is changing things that don't work, if you have been having these losses for a few years then something wrong that needs changing.

 

 

[bewted]

i put mine in a aviary hat on front of young bird loft then put them into a hamper and leave it on top of sputnik and they will walk in then i put hamper maybe 6 foot away from loft them and let them fly over to the sputnik  then 12 foot or so they always get fed when they come in do this for a for a week or two and start as early as possible i do it every day i don't lose many off lofts lost 1 two young but that was due to pergine attack i think may help any one else have a opion in this think i am advising the right way about this or would u disagree about what i do

 

done this the same as you many years ago when i was in pigeons,never lost any then,did not have much time this year to do it,but,will be going to from now on !!!!

             you have a good method there,stick to it !!!

[timbarra]

Hi Bob,

feed your youngsters some small mix in the morning like budgie mix, a couple of teaspoons,

let youngsters out after 6pm for an hour,  feed them as much as they want on return.

if possible fit a small avairy to youngsters loft , so they can look around during confinment hours. move around the loft slowly and calmly.

 

plain water at all times with minerals in pots.

 

thats it mate,

 

do you also have a good family of birds?

 

regards spencer