Trapping Problems

[chrisbonnie]

hows it going lads

 

just after having our second race of the season, just like last week, my first pigeon dropped in great time, with the first group of birds that went over, but again, just like last week, the bird took over 4 minutes to trap!!!!!!

 

im trying 2 different things this year, one is training, and the other is feed

 

training wise, i trained them on the road, up to 40 miles before the first race, but have now stopped training by road, and introduced a "belgian system" of letting them out first thing in the morning for an hour, and the same in the evening.

 

then feeding wise, ive been feeding them until 2 of them go to the drinker, so id imagine they are getting more than i used to give, i used to feed say 2 soup spoons each per day, one in the mornign, and the other in the evening after training.

 

any ideas lads, ive done ball park calculations for my velocities and i should be in the top 5, if not even better, or am i just being too fussy with these youngbirds?

 

thanks in advance

[WulDon]

hows it going lads

 

just after having our second race of the season, just like last week, my first pigeon dropped in great time, with the first group of birds that went over, but again, just like last week, the bird took over 4 minutes to trap!!!!!!

 

im trying 2 different things this year, one is training, and the other is feed

 

training wise, i trained them on the road, up to 40 miles before the first race, but have no stopped training by road, and introduced a "belgian system" of letting them out first thing in the morning for an hour, and the same in the evening.

 

then feeding wise, ive been feeding them until 2 of them go to the drinker, so id imagine they are getting more than i used to give, say 2 soup spoons each per day.

 

any ideas lads, ive done ball park calculations for my velocities and i should be in the top 5, if not even better, or am i just being too fussy with these youngbirds?

 

thanks in advance

 

to much to eat on a friday, more so if an early lib... young birds must be strictly controlled!

[greenlands]

Usually when training young birds will come in a batch and eager to trap,race days it's a different game,they are up tight to start with and when a lone bird gets home it's scared stiff and to top it it's use with several birds being with or at the loft when it drops. I think you'll find the later birds trap no bother.Are you doing something on race days that you don't do when training ??

 

Lindsay

[Guest tyke]

clip a couple of stock hens down and have them ready to throw when bird's arrive from racing & training and dont get stressed out the birds will sense it.

[chrisbonnie]

thanks for the replies.

 

the only thing ive noticed since exercising them around the house is their indiscipline, if they are out for an hour so, i dont belive they fly for the full hour, i flag them and all, but they simply scoot off to another roof, so calling them in has been a bit tricky,

 

so i reckon its a mix of indiscipline, and perhaps too much food, but more so the indiscipline of not returning to the loft say if they where trained by road.

 

someone else asked do the later birds trap ok, yeah, thats a good point, they're super, only theyre 30 minutes too late

 

they're going back training on the road from monday, ill try and get them to a stricter regime.

 

thanks for the replies, theyre all food for thought

[greenlands]

If they are sitting about on rooftops there's an underlying problem somewhere,if it's not a general health problem are they overweight.Add some barley to their feed,some people feed till they leave the barley I like to give them barely first and feed till four or five go to the drinker.A couple of days on barley only won't hirt them,say Monday and Tuesday.Trap with a seed,or the odd peanut,don't overdo the peanuts.

Worth a try.

 

Lindsay

[chrisbonnie]

If they are sitting about on rooftops there's an underlying problem somewhere,if it's not a general health problem are they overweight.Add some barley to their feed,some people feed till they leave the barley I like to give them barely first and feed till four or five go to the drinker.A couple of days on barley only won't hirt them,say Monday and Tuesday.Trap with a seed,or the odd peanut,don't overdo the peanuts.

Worth a try.

 

Lindsay

 

its definetly not a health issue, as they have just had droppings and throat swabs done, and all came back clear from the vet.

 

the loft is in my fathers garden, there's a few other factors as well, one was a local tomcat, (no longer a problem ), another is space, he lives in a terraced house, so houses are extremly close.

 

the feed as well we're happy with, its a tried and tested system of a good friend that regularly tops his fed over here, we could be giving too much though, so i think a slight reduction in portions wont go a miss.

 

just another question, this will be our first year racing using the "sliding door system", we are going to seperate them either this week or next, should the youngsters be then trained seperate, or together?

 

thanks again for the replies

[JohnQuinn]

Never let them rest on a roof, no matter how far from your house they land get after them and throw something suitable at them until they fly off. If they go to another do the same, the only place they should get peace to sit is on the loft. If you consistently chase them from the roofs they soon learn it is not a place to land.

Give them 2 beans short rather than 2 extra, keep them keen to be around the loft and your trapping problems will be sorted.

My late father used to keep them to this motto, Young birds can only be in 3 places, the Loft the Basket or the Sky if you achieve this you will beat all before you.

[geordie1234]

Never let them rest on a roof, no matter how far from your house they land get after them and throw something suitable at them until they fly off. If they go to another do the same, the only place they should get peace to sit is on the loft. If you consistently chase them from the roofs they soon learn it is not a place to land.

Give them 2 beans short rather than 2 extra, keep them keen to be around the loft and your trapping problems will be sorted.

My late father used to keep them to this motto, Young birds can only be in 3 places, the Loft the Basket or the Sky if you achieve this you will beat all before you.

How long you reckon john doing this they will stop going to the roof

[aye ready]

Never let them rest on a roof, no matter how far from your house they land get after them and throw something suitable at them until they fly off. If they go to another do the same, the only place they should get peace to sit is on the loft. If you consistently chase them from the roofs they soon learn it is not a place to land.

Give them 2 beans short rather than 2 extra, keep them keen to be around the loft and your trapping problems will be sorted.

My late father used to keep them to this motto, Young birds can only be in 3 places, the Loft the Basket or the Sky if you achieve this you will beat all before you.

your right there john the only time i allow them onto houseroofs is when they first take flight but they are encouraged to come back onto the loft again in the past i have done the necessary with persistent offenders,a good fancier once told me if they can't fly with the batch round about the loft i.e dropping out and landing on roofs then they'll never be your 1st bird on a raceday

[JohnQuinn]

How long you reckon john doing this they will stop going to the roof

 

A fortnight TOPS if you stick to it and don't let them rest on the roofs. I use my Slung and traips around the streets doing it but its worth it on a Saturday when your doos clean trap. WELL WORTH THE HASSLE!!

[JohnQuinn]

your right there john the only time i allow them onto houseroofs is when they first take flight but they are encouraged to come back onto the loft again in the past i have done the necessary with persistent offenders,a good fancier once told me if they can't fly with the batch round about the loft i.e dropping out and landing on roofs then they'll never be your 1st bird on a raceday

 

Ditto

[chrisbonnie]

A fortnight TOPS if you stick to it and don't let them rest on the roofs. I use my Slung and traips around the streets doing it but its worth it on a Saturday when your doos clean trap. WELL WORTH THE HASSLE!!

 

what are they?

 

i understand exactly what you mean, but i see where my dad is coming from to, he didnt exactly want to go throwing stuff onto the neighbours roofs at 6.30 in the morning,

 

as funny as it sounds, could you imagine your neighbours reaction!!!!

[gulkie]

hi m8. try getting yourself a fantail, clip 1 wing, when your bird

comes on race day flutter it in your hand then let it fly to the

landing board, it also helps if there is birds in the section . I don't

agree with flagging young birds as when they see u on race day they

associate u with being chased .feed them well all week but keep them

neat on a Friday remember their only a young bird for 1 year of there

life. good luck.

[geordie1234]

what are they?

 

i understand exactly what you mean, but i see where my dad is coming from to, he didnt exactly want to go throwing stuff onto the neighbours roofs at 6.30 in the morning,

 

as funny as it sounds, could you imagine your neighbours reaction!!!!

Slung = slingshot

traips = walk

[JohnQuinn]

what are they?

 

i understand exactly what you mean, but i see where my dad is coming from to, he didnt exactly want to go throwing stuff onto the neighbours roofs at 6.30 in the morning,

 

as funny as it sounds, could you imagine your neighbours reaction!!!!

 

I use baby potatoes and clay formed into small balls these days, neighbours around here don't even bat an eye at me i've been doing it for 30+ years so i suppose they must be used to the Nut going round chasing birds off their roof

 

Regardless what method you use it is VITAL that you don't let them sit on any roof. Even throwing a ball into the air will scare them off without touching the roofs

[dooscoo]

Slung = slingshot

traips = walk

 

What makes a bird trap fast well it must become 2nd nature automatic in its action, to improve you must first check which of your young birds are slower, once we know the bird that needs extra trap trainning its a case of spending time repeatdly doing the same trapping action.

Food to a hungry bird dispels all normal responses so if its hungry it will trap like a thunder bolt, do that 20 times in a row you now have a bird that has lost its will in just sitting like a muppet driving you crazy.

Young birds are skittish little bug*ers consign the slingshot for anti cat protection duty, make a plan first accept that young birds have to find there wings so landing on house or shed roofs will happen in the first few days, once they know there loft top then no bird lands elsewhere.

A well trained youngbird grows into an old bird, like any athelete it must train and train for every part of just what it must become.

Part of your plan is putting the disire into a winner, Seb Coe was not the fastest boy at school he just learnt if he trained plus built on his disire he would win some of his races, disire is in my mind a big part of winning.

If you get a bird that will not tow the line do yourself a favour that needs to stop, most of my flying comes from comp Rollers in which its taboo for a bird to land anywhere other than on the loft top.

2 up 2 down houses well in the past they mostly were that, my loft position is hard for the birds to land but they adapt quickly, the biggest bonus is strays tend not to land easly.

Kids playing in the garden well the birds must get use to it they adapt, my birds get use to me as I talk with them they do not fear me nor should they.

Droppers well fantails have never been my thing but I do have a few Spanish Theif croppers, lots of puffing and clapping so a lone hen mates with all now thats more than disire