Hawk Resistance >Author: Bob Rowland

THE FIFER · February 19, 2012

Author: Bob Rowland Title: Hawk Resistance

Date: 2003-12-13 00:38:41 Uploaded by: webmaster

Message from Jim:

Do you think that if a bird has been hit by a hawk and makes it back should be culled? I always stitch them up with the though that they may have learned a lesson, but your birds that kept hitting the wire got me thinking.

Jim

Reply: Jim,

I can't prove this but I do believe there are pigeons that are more hawk resistant or at least more able to out fly them when being attacked. Just my thought.

A pigeon that has been speared by a hawk may have some serious internal damage we may never be able to notice and 2 or 3 years ago, my best young one was knocked down near the end of the season and although my neighbor saved her from being dinner, she never flew another good race and because she had been my best, I stocked her thinking she may give me a few good ones. She was found dead on the floor so I suspect that some poisons or bacteria or something else got into her or some kind of rupture or other problem that ultimately killed her.

My advice, if they are exceptionally good and you would have no problems keeping them, then give it a go. There is always time to eliminate them but before you start stocking every injured bird, make sure they were something special before getting hurt.

In my loft I try to put my top 3 or 4 young hens away after the young bird season and get rid of an older hen that has not stacked up to be what we think they should be. Always limit your number of nests so for something to come in......... something must go out!

In the long run we need to continue to improve or we will be going backwards.

Bob Rowland

SpringHill, FLorida

USA

victorious · February 25, 2012

i heard before that they dont go for the jet black pigeons as they think ther crows and also they dont go for white as they think there gulls but they always pick out a red or mealy why i dont know.

Posted February 25, 2012 · February 25, 2012

THE COLOURS OF MINE THAT COPPED IT WERE 1. DARK CHEQUE 2, LIGHT CHEQUE 3. CHEQUED PIED, SO AS FAR AS IM CONCERNED ITS THE SLOWEST OF THE MARK THAT GETS CAUGHT NO MATTER THE COLOUR, A POUTER FRIEND OF MINE 2 STREETS AWAY HAS ALSO LOST 2 THIS MONTH.......

andy Burgess · February 25, 2012

i heard before that they dont go for the jet black pigeons as they think ther crows and also they dont go for white as they think there gulls but they always pick out a red or mealy why i dont know.

we have more whites than any other here , they all get taken ,regardless. :emoticon-0127-lipssealed:

Dave barrie · February 25, 2012

JUST A THOUGHT I HAVE HAD MOST COULORS NOT RETURNING BUT I DONT BREED A LOT OF REDS AND THE LAST TWO I BRED OVER THE LAST TWO YEAR ONE RETURNED HOLED IN BACK BY HAWK AFTER 250 ML, I DONT KNOW HOW THEY GET UP AND DO IT, BROKE MY HEART TO DESTROY HER THE OTHER WAS LOST ONLY TO RETURN 3 MONTH LATER WITH RESET LEG, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE LAD THAT DONE IT BUT DONT KNOW AS THERE WAS NO MESSAGE ON DOO, THE DOO IS NOW A FEEDER, I TRY TO NOT BREED REDS NOW. DAVY.

Posted February 28, 2012 · February 28, 2012

I had a strike early last week, three hawks attacked my young ones together it caused mayhem. I lost 9 off the loft I had two back both with holes in them after several days, I truly do not know how one of them escaped it had holes either side of the head, and virtually no tail feathers left. This one was a black, the other a white grizzel, I also lost another black in the main attack.

Today I had just got them in and bop struck at the avairy, lucky nothing was out. By the time I got there he was up and away. So I dont thing any colours are safe, but just my opinion as our area is covered with different seagulls and many crows. These birds seem to give cover when hawks up high which seems to give my birds a chance, but when the attacks are low the bop is in and out. I hope you all have better luck than I did.

poppy · February 16, 2013

Ironic, just come out of a Region meeting. On car park a sparrow Hawk was eating a little collar dove. One for raptor alliance. The Hawks are really on the move at present. Gorging themselves before sitting eggs.

cemetary · February 16, 2013

Ironic, just come out of a Region meeting. On car park a sparrow Hawk was eating a little collar dove. One for raptor alliance. The Hawks are really on the move at present. Gorging themselves before sitting eggs.

A hope you didnt hesitate to run overand kick the heed aff the sparra, :emoticon-0167-beer: :emoticon-0140-rofl:

Posted February 18, 2013 · February 18, 2013

when does the hens go down on eggs?

tiger · February 18, 2013

when does the hens go down on eggs?

about mid april but beware of any spare hens that dont get a mate

hawked again · February 23, 2013

JUST A THOUGHT I HAVE HAD MOST COULORS NOT RETURNING BUT I DONT BREED A LOT OF REDS AND THE LAST TWO I BRED OVER THE LAST TWO YEAR ONE RETURNED HOLED IN BACK BY HAWK AFTER 250 ML, I DONT KNOW HOW THEY GET UP AND DO IT, BROKE MY HEART TO DESTROY HER THE OTHER WAS LOST ONLY TO RETURN 3 MONTH LATER WITH RESET LEG, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE LAD THAT DONE IT BUT DONT KNOW AS THERE WAS NO MESSAGE ON DOO, THE DOO IS NOW A FEEDER, I TRY TO NOT BREED REDS NOW. DAVY.

4 or 5 years ago there was only about 2 red youngsters left in the whole of the Forres club. Last year I was back up to about a dozen with only 2 left after the racing. I only have 2 red uns this year and 2 mealys, I think it' would be best to have no red types at all from what I've seen over the years.

buster151 · February 23, 2013

just had a falcon hit, as they were landing on loft, came from nowhere straight on one

Pompey Mick · February 23, 2013

Last year I lost two red cocks, a mealy cock and a mealy hen from 20ml training flights (OBs), reds & mealies are the minority colours in my loft, (even more so now)and there is a chain of thought that the hawks can 'fix' more on a colour that stands out from the rest of the birds than one of the more predominate colours. I read that in the USA they colour train by putting the pigeons into colour co-ordinated groups when training.

sharkfin · February 24, 2013

Were I live in the Scottish Borders Reds, Red chs & Mealies dont last the training for me, re-started in 2008 bought in Marcelis stock birds all Red checs all broken bred 14 ybs all red checs for 3yrs, only a couple made the first race never to be seen again even the stock birds were picked off.I dont realy know if it was the colour or they were just crap with fancy peds.Last year has been my best year bred from birds that are Dk chs & lt checs and nothing special even won a couple of race's which gives you a buzz to carry on

Posted February 24, 2013 · February 24, 2013

could be the coloured ones go first,suppose when these perrys are getting into a stoop they target one and this would prbably be one that stands out from the flock.i wonder if any of these perry nests have lots of racing pigeon legs with rings on them.i bet there is but would the rspb report this to the pigeon clubs?i wonder if the population of bops would decline if the fanciers packed it in.