Cocks Flying In Dark ?

[eastcoaster]

Looking for a bit of advice ! let cocks out at 6.45 and 2 are still fying !!yes in the dark !! this happened three days ago the same 2 cocks (brothers)were still flying at 11 pm could see them with my spotlight , one is a latebred the other a yearling , they were clapping about even in the dark , am i letting them out too late (i have no choice ) ?? help please .

[kirky]

Looking for a bit of advice ! let cocks out at 6.45 and 2 are still fying !!yes in the dark !! this happened three days ago the same 2 cocks (brothers)were still flying at 11 pm could see them with my spotlight , one is a latebred the other a yearling , they were clapping about even in the dark , am i letting them out too late (i have no choice ) ?? help please .

yes it is a bit late mate, if due to work cant you get someone to let them out for you before you get home, not good for them to fly in the dark.

[geordie1234]

Very intresting looking forward to replies

[eastcoaster]

yes it is a bit late mate, if due to work cant you get someone to let them out for you before you get home, not good for them to fly in the dark.

 

i get home at 6 let the hens out for 30 or 45 mins then the cocks ! i leave at 6.30 in the morning so still dark and no one else at home till i come in , the rest of the cocks come in no probs ! and if they have been spooked why are the clapping about as if not a care in the world ! doing my head in .

[Guest cloud 9]

av your birds bin to specsavers

[eastcoaster]

av your birds bin to specsavers

 

good id name (CLOUD 9)

[Guest cloud 9]

ha ha , its the name of r scooter club , me being an old mod like

[Guest cloud 9]

coudnt u take ur cocks or hens to work with u in the morning , an then u just got 1 lot to tend to at night after work

[eastcoaster]

not an option ,

[billt]

If they're happy and surviving why worry about it

[Guest cloud 9]

wot about puttin cocks on open hole 1 day , an the hens the next day

[kirky]

i get home at 6 let the hens out for 30 or 45 mins then the cocks ! i leave at 6.30 in the morning so still dark and no one else at home till i come in , the rest of the cocks come in no probs ! and if they have been spooked why are the clapping about as if not a care in the world ! doing my head in .

try letting the cocks out first, as it seems the 2 cock are being spooked by the change in light as no way would thay fly till 11pm thay run the risk of hitting wires.

[Roland]

Pigeons, like many birds, do fly in the dark, ducks especially.... Kipps had 17 timed in in less that 20 Minutes from Barcelona... after 1 0'clock in the morning. Many train for the distance races just giving the birds barely time to home before dark ...

Canada was the World Leaders in this respect. Many times - in war years -they had pigeons flying 200 - 300 miles and homing of course, in the dark.

Indeed from 5000 feet released from aircrafts. The pigeons were released in Paper Bags.... they fell clear of the wings etc. and the 'Wind' released them. And again sometimes in the dark. The list is endless...

[eastcoaster]

try letting the cocks out first, as it seems the 2 cock are being spooked by the change in light as no way would thay fly till 11pm thay run the risk of hitting wires.

 

the reason i did this is the hens fly that bit longer and being on roundabout the hens get out then trap into the nest box section after the cocks have been moved through to the other section , once the light mornings come i will be ok .

[ovy1255]

dont worry-i put lights in the loft and they trap ok ,never had one hit the wires in the dark and the sparrow hawk doesnt bother them.

[geordie1234]

Pigeons, like many birds, do fly in the dark, ducks especially.... Kipps had 17 timed in in less that 20 Minutes from Barcelona... after 1 0'clock in the morning. Many train for the distance races just giving the birds barely time to home before dark ...

Canada was the World Leaders in this respect. Many times - in war years -they had pigeons flying 200 - 300 miles and homing of course, in the dark.

Indeed from 5000 feet released from aircrafts. The pigeons were released in Paper Bags.... they fell clear of the wings etc. and the 'Wind' released them. And again sometimes in the dark. The list is endless...

Great post maybe some times we dont give pigeons the credit they deserve

[Rooster J. Cogburn]

Does Herman Beverdam not have doos he calls the "Night Flyers" ??

 

Albeit its in a different context to this

[Guest IB]

I think there must be a lot of 'light pollution' or 'borrowed light' where you live as the birds would end up striking something in the dark.

 

I know that on occasions when mine got spooked as darkness approached they didn't fly for long, and as I would expect, had perched up somewhere safe for the night, coming back from different directions, at first light next morning.

[Roland]

IB the simple fact is that it has been proven many times regards pigeons and other birds flying in the dark. Of course they will do as you say.... But that simply is because they haven't a goal, nor an urgency to do so.

Of course if the deem to they can. Barry used to make sure - from training - that they had to arrive just after dark, and no one is, or has been a more, nor better distance flyer in our Fed. But as you say many will just roost over night.... a driving cock bird on big youngests, or a hen sitting tight on eggs will more than likely fly on at night time. Widowerhood cocks do tend to lose incentives as their ardour lessens, which mostly does after a couple of nights away for example.

[Rooster J. Cogburn]

One of the best long distance fliers in our fed was in the habit of timing pigeons in the dark. A lot of guys thought they used to fly along the river which runs from the East coast right to his loft but we will never know for sure

[Guest IB]

Roland, the point I was making was that in some places it never gets really dark at night thanks to the light thrown upwards by large towns & cities. That was plain in some photos posted on here recently that were taken from space, which showed amongst others Western Europe and Britain at night. We've been told of Dutch & Belgian race birds timed 1am & 2am and I reckon that's why it happens.

 

Opposite of that was from same group of pics, Egypt & Nile, where settlements on the river were clearly visible at night, but the desert beyond them was black as Ace of Spades, so could imagine a pigeon homing during night hours along the Nile river, but deffo not crossing that pitch blackness on either side of it. Pics 16 & 17 on:-

 

http://triggerpit.com/2010/11/22/incredible-pics-nasa-astronaut-wheelock/

[ovy1255]

bought a couple of birds from a good fancier in bridliton and when i collected them and had a chat he recounted one water race when the birds had been held over for days,they where eventually liberated and when it was time for the birds to return he was waiting-seeing a bird in the sky circleing he discounted it as a stray as it didnt dive in but after it had cicled high for a while he shouted of it -the bird turned and headed for him,he kept calling and the bird headed straight at him ,the bird nose dived into the lawn at his feet.

he picked up the bird and examined it-one eye had been pecked out and the other was totally closed,he said he was sure it had homed on something other than sight.

the fanciers name was Mr Chadwick of the loft mr and mrs chadwick.

PIGEONS NEVER CEASE TO AMAZE ME.

[Rooster J. Cogburn]

I can't for the life of me remember where I read it but is there not a type of pigeon that flys for hours on end round home-through darkness??

 

Fanciers used to make sport of it to see whos could fly the longest.Sure they would fly for 18 plus hours at a time etc.

[Roland]

I can't for the life of me remember where I read it but is there not a type of pigeon that flys for hours on end round home-through darkness??

 

Fanciers used to make sport of it to see whos could fly the longest.Sure they would fly for 18 plus hours at a time etc.

 

Still do Rooster, they are called 'Tipplers' and the Judges go to the lofts and time them. Did see the record - is on the Alberta Classic, but that may just be Canada. I thought it was over 72 -77 hours.... but was wrong apparently, but do fly through the night. However they are way up high...

[frank-123]

When we were in Holland they train there birds to home in the dark they release them when light is fading

mark van den berg says he has had many birds land in the dark from long distance races

Also a top Scottish fancier told me he liberated some birds in near darkness for him and a friend only two birds made it home at night one bird for each fancier

the rest all came home next morning

 

of the two birds that made it home that night both had multiple tickets from the snfc races