Okitsme Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hi I must be doing something wrong as I am losing youngsters faster than I can breed them. They are literally taking off and never come back. One had even been flying for about two weeks and then on Wednesday it just never came back. At the moment I have lost a total of 4. Can someone please advise? Regards David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete57 Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 hi david here are 3 things i do that help me keep hold of my young uns 1 PUT SOME SORT OF CAGE OR AVIARY ON FRONT OF LOFT SO T :)HEY CAN SEE OUTSIDE 2GET YOUNG ON THE LOFT BEFORE THEY CAN FLY AND 3 DONT LET YOUR YOUNG BIRDS OUT BEFORE 3 INTHE AFTERNOON I THINK IF THEY GET TO KNOW THERE OWN BACK GARDEN YOUVE GOT SOME .GOOD .IFYOU RUN OUT OF BIRDS GIVE ME A RING AND IL BREEDYOU SOME PETER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okitsme Posted March 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 THanks Peter. At the moment I have a Sputnik on the front of the loft with the three remaining youngsters. One of them is already tearing the skies apart although the other two are still not flying. I have another 6 in the nests and three pairs on eggs. THanks for the offer of youngsters but I think I should be ok once I get the pigeons to stay home. :-/ Last year I had no problem bringing up 4 youngsters, they stayed and are now part of my yearling team. This year....totally different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest j.bamling Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 you are not feeding them before you are letting them out are you ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest karl adams Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 i have the same problem 1 had 28 young birds they had been flying for 2 weeks then they stsrted wondering off the next time i losed then out they all went for hours and came back in 1s n 2s and i lost 13 that day and ive not seen them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okitsme Posted March 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 you are not feeding them before you are letting them out are you ? They get their food when they get back in the loft. Have been taking away the food in the morning hoping for them to be hungry enough to want to come back. Of the ones I bred in January I have none left. I only three Feb youngsters left. Dreading the moment the last two start flying. :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Youngsters love company,this could be part of your problem,try have them out together,late evening only till they are very sure of their surrounds,with hardier young these are capable of taking younger just that bit too far in their wanderings,ideally similar ages should be flown together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjc Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 they could also be suffering with hawks etc chasing them off or even cats around the loft uspetting them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HHHH Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 sounds like hawk problem to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 I also use a cage sits on landing board and not only enables them to see outside but also they get use to bob wires before being given thier freedom but i also have a tumbler and fantail in with youngsters and these seem to hold ybs back only go as far as house roof best birds ive ever had as if a yb does go off i leave these 2 out allday and often bring yb down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shadow Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 try putting some old hens out with them should keep them close to the loft until they get their bearings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDCHEQHEN Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 They get their food when they get back in the loft. Have been taking away the food in the morning hoping for them to be hungry enough to want to come back. Of the ones I bred in January I have none left. I only three Feb youngsters left. Dreading the moment the last two start flying. :-/ Does that mean you are leaving them with food all night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vic Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 if you have troulbe "anchoring" ybs. Try this to stop the drift. Keep them in an aviary, flight, sputnik, call it what you want, until they have thrown their first flight. By this time they will have lost the dark pigmentation in their eyes. Then, you can put them out with confidence. I have done this many times in the past successfully. But in these days of the darkness, I prefer to have them under control, outside of the loft, before they can fly strongly. Only Vics View. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wings Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 They get their food when they get back in the loft. Have been taking away the food in the morning hoping for them to be hungry enough to want to come back. Of the ones I bred in January I have none left. I only three Feb youngsters left. Dreading the moment the last two start flying. :-/ Try not feeding them for a day, Throug the belly to the brain is what a good old fancier once told me and it works, you need to be getting the birds out before they get to strong on the wing if they are older try damping there wings down so they can't fly to strong, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch pied Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 if you have troulbe "anchoring" ybs. Try this to stop the drift. Keep them in an aviary, flight, sputnik, call it what you want, until they have thrown their first flight. By this time they will have lost the dark pigmentation in their eyes. Then, you can put them out with confidence. I have done this many times in the past successfully. But in these days of the darkness, I prefer to have them under control, outside of the loft, before they can fly strongly. Only Vics View. if i was to do anything but the above , the old man would have my life , we only loss 1 or 2 at most Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spin cycle Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 gale force winds and sub zero wind chill. it's to bl**dy cold for me to be out ther never mind squeekers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vic Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 if i was to do anything but the above , the old man would have my life , we only loss 1 or 2 at most Nice to know, that some great guys agree with me, Thanks again, Vic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 gale force winds and sub zero wind chill. it's to bl**dy cold for me to be out ther never mind squeekers. wood pigeons and ferals can survive in it why not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wba_paddy Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 feed them diet mix only. no protein. only 20 grams per pigeon.until roaming.then give more the longer they fly.then more the harder they are trained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IB Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 This time last year new threads going up every day about early youngsters getting attacked by hawks. Reckon if your birds are disappearing daily, then theres a hawk about. Said to return next day same time same place of a kill / near miss, so if you are letting them out same time every day - you've set up this pattern. Keep them confined for a few days, get some control over them, make sure they come to the feeder as soon as you call them, then change your pattern to out an hour before sunset, they won't wander as far. If you are feeding twice per day, small feed in morning, main meal after they come in at night. Handle mine much same as Vic suggests. Split at around 4 weeks, spend 2 weeks in aviary till I get them under control and they get a fix (home bearings) they go outside in the basket, sit for an hour in it, they are then put through the open door one at a time. Next day after the OBs have had their fly, YBs walk out the door themselves. OBs usually hold them at the loft, and for a day or two YBs will go up on the roof for a look round, they will then go for a spin, strong enough on the wing to stay sky-high, and out of trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeonscout Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Get them out on the loft before they can fly and stay with them until they go back in. Make sure the winds are not to strong for young birds first flight. If you cannot be with them when they are out then do as Vic says and leave them in the loft until the colour starts to come into the eye about 9 weeks. If they are hungry when you let them out they will start to look for food on the ground and young birds feeding on the ground are easy meat for cats and hawks. A young bird does not come back to the loft for food it comes back because it is home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 they could also be suffering with hawks etc chasing them off or even cats around the loft uspetting them. This probably the cause with them coming back in ones and twos. A hawk bomb attack. The birds just scatter ! In general, I think you are trying to learn to many different aged pigeons at the same time. Dont change their feeding. They need to be in a Routine ! or nothing will ever work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spin cycle Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 wood pigeons and ferals can survive in it why not thats true, but woodies arn't racers. try turning thorobred racehorses out on the fells with the fell ponies(during the winter when they're barely weaned). ferals do survive but you don't know how many squeekers die. thats just it, if you want your ybs out and be ahead of the game you have to accept losses. woodies are bred to survive not race. last year my ybs were out and ranging by mid march but this year they are not ready and the season is different.if i'm wrong i'll be posting on the lost site come april Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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