Why Do I Bother Reporting Birds?

[holmsidelofts]

Im really angry, i have had 8 youngster come to our lofts over the last week or so. i have had to ring gail for 2 details of welsh birds with no wingstamps or address rings. one fancier was 8 miles from me and wouldn't pick the bird up. and told me just to throw it out. the other fancier said he would come a collected his and never showed up and in the end after trying to contact him again without any joy i had no choice but to throw that one out. We had 4 come into my lofts today all wing stamped so we phoned them up and reported them. one was another welsh bird the other 3 were gb birds, again the welsh fancier said just throw it out its had plenty of training and has been raced. the other 3 gb birds the fanciers wanted me to dispose of them as they didn't want them back.

What has this sport come to, we are not here to dispose of anyones birds, its the responsibility of the fanciers to collect them not for me to kill them or feed them up and throw them out. one of the gb fanciers even said i was the 4th person to report this bird to him so could i kill it, to which i refused.

I have lost some birds this year myself and I'm hoping they WILL be reported so i can go and collect them as they were lost through no fault of there own.

Ive got to the point now where I just can't be bother to have the same conversation with these people regards there lost birds.

 

Jas

[JADE]

And you wonder why sometimes the sport gets a bad name. I tend to try to get strays tossed in the direction of their home loft where possible so hopefully they can get home under their own steam. It is difficult now with the cost of couriers as many fanciers cant afford to pay £35+ to get a yb back which could go down at the next toss. However it is wrong to ask someone else to dispose of a pigeon.

[andy Burgess]

i understand your anger ,but feel you should just go straight back to the relevant union and tell them .they have rules and should enforce them , best of luck.

[RyanDavidson]

agree with you mate i had kinda the same problem last week , i got a youngster in and phoned the guy who did not want to collect the bird, he was only few miles away. it keeps coming back when i release it so stray basket it goes on fri. i just hope u get any my lost babies in i would be down in a flash mate atb

[frank-123]

Have you ever thought the guy might just not have £40 as he needs it to buy food for his kids. In an ideal world everyone could send for lost birds. Jas if you are going to get so bothered about it don't let them in your loft.

[Guest Gareth Rankin]

And you wonder why sometimes the sport gets a bad name. I tend to try to get strays tossed in the direction of their home loft where possible so hopefully they can get home under their own steam. It is difficult now with the cost of couriers as many fanciers cant afford to pay £35+ to get a yb back which could go down at the next toss. However it is wrong to ask someone else to dispose of a pigeon.

Thats why every fancier who reports a bird should always offer to dispose of it for the owner. Or offer to take it training along with your unrung latebreds. Not all strays are bad, sometimes there is a honest reason why they have not been able to make it home, but the vast majority of strays have not made it home because they are just not good enough, that's why fanciers grudge paying the 35.00 to 40.00 to get it home.jmo

[andyyy]

If you can't afford to send for your lost pigeons then don't train or race them and risk loosing them! Some people who actually care about there birds would like to have birds reported! Idiots who say 'kill it' Just give us decent pigeon flyers a bad name!

[billt]

If you can't afford to send for your lost pigeons then don't train or race them and risk loosing them! Some people who actually care about there birds would like to have birds reported! Idiots who say 'kill it' Just give us decent pigeon flyers a bad name!

 

Couldn't agree more, we've chosen the parents and bred the bird why then would we wont to dispose of the bird, should be looking in the mirror

[Delboy]

If you can't afford to send for your lost pigeons then don't train or race them and risk loosing them! Some people who actually care about there birds would like to have birds reported! Idiots who say 'kill it' Just give us decent pigeon flyers a bad name!

 

I had a disaster this year, 62 ybs training and never got a bird back for 3 days.Seemingly they collided with jets but ive ended up with 12/62.I have one reported in Bolton, 200 miles away, imagine I had the other 49 reported there.Alot of money to get them back so I think we all must be helping each other in this sport as this sort of thing could happen to anyone.If it was a newstart or young person then surely you wouldnt expect them to pay 40 quid a time to get there birds back.Everyone should help each other instead of causing problems for each other.I understand that you shouldnt be expected to dispose of a pigeon for someone but if you are not prepared to do that then put the pigeon out or into a stray basket.There are transporters going all over that can be delivering strays anywhere in Britain, help each other expletive remove.jmo

 

ps.All my ybs are bred from proven stock

[billt]

I had a disaster this year, 62 ybs training and never got a bird back for 3 days.Seemingly they collided with jets but ive ended up with 12/62.I have one reported in Bolton, 200 miles away, imagine I had the other 49 reported there.Alot of money to get them back so I think we all must be helping each other in this sport as this sort of thing could happen to anyone.If it was a newstart or young person then surely you wouldnt expect them to pay 40 quid a time to get there birds back.Everyone should help each other instead of causing problems for each other.I understand that you shouldnt be expected to dispose of a pigeon for someone but if you are not prepared to do that then put the pigeon out or into a stray basket.There are transporters going all over that can be delivering strays anywhere in Britain, help each other expletive remove.jmo

 

ps.All my ybs are bred from proven stock

 

A disaster can happen to anyone and as you say we should all be helping to get lost birds home in every way we can

[andyyy]

I am a new starter, everyone should be responsible for there birds, If a pigeon is wearing your ring you should sort it. asking someone to kill a pigeon for making one mistake is out of order in my opinion, If some one goes to making an effort to reporting your pigeon the least you can do is make the effort back. I'm not saying send for everyone pigeon you have reported, but sometimes that's the only way but most times a rest and a drink and something to eat will see the bird back on its way! this year we have had some terrible races, the amount of stray birds i've had in is unreal, none of which i have killed. all have made there way some way or another. Pigeon racing isn't a cheap sport, And if if sending for a pigeon is the only option you have, then that's what you got to do. I had a pigeon reported in Germany, I was willing to send for that as it was my bird and therefor my responsibility

[Delboy]

I am a new starter, everyone should be responsible for there birds, If a pigeon is wearing your ring you should sort it. asking someone to kill a pigeon for making one mistake is out of order in my opinion, If some one goes to making an effort to reporting your pigeon the least you can do is make the effort back. I'm not saying send for everyone pigeon you have reported, but sometimes that's the only way but most times a rest and a drink and something to eat will see the bird back on its way! this year we have had some terrible races, the amount of stray birds i've had in is unreal, none of which i have killed. all have made there way some way or another. Pigeon racing isn't a cheap sport, And if if sending for a pigeon is the only option you have, then that's what you got to do. I had a pigeon reported in Germany, I was willing to send for that as it was my bird and therefor my responsibility

 

 

I think youll find 99% of pigeon keepers are responsible for their birds but dont be so naive to think you would want to send 40 quid for a pigeon that goes into another loft. The fact of the matter is, 99% of strays are sh ite and if ye breed off them, ye get more sh ite.

[andyyy]

'I think youll find 99% of pigeon keepers are responsible for their birds' Not according to this site there not, Don't be so stupid to try and argue that, 9/10 pigeon keepers don't want to pay for nothing, They constantly moan about the price of corn never mind the price of sending for there own birds back! But like i stated above, If the bird has your ring on.. it's your responsibility.

[Delboy]

lol, Im not arguing with ye but wait til ye have kept them for 40 years and we will see how ye fair lol.

[andyyy]

I didn't say arguing with me, I said arguing the point how pigeon flyers are responsible when you know full well they aren't thats why pigeon men have such a bad name, All they wanna do when they get reported is fob you off with some rubbish some way or another! I do race pigeons, and the stories fellow club members have used just so they don't have to send for birds is just ridiculous

[buster151]

If you can't afford to send for your lost pigeons then don't train or race them and risk loosing them! Some people who actually care about there birds would like to have birds reported! Idiots who say 'kill it' Just give us decent pigeon flyers a bad name!

I lost 14 all stamped and ring numbers about 6 weeks ago off top of loft not one ever reported wish someone would

[Guest Scaramanga]

Good morning, we are just starting back in the sport after 10 years so maybe our view on this subject is a bit behind the times. I apologise if this is so.

 

Since starting back we have seen quite a few changes, some good some not so good. We have also had experience of strays that have not been good even though we have offered to get them right before either liberating them, putting them on our own transporter or waiting for collection. We must admit that some of the strays would not have made it from the nest to the YB loft. Most fanciers that we have made contact with breed so many birds to race (even those that may have other commitments that may be more important), yet are unwilling to provide identification other than the registration ring. Listening to the reasons we hear “Hawksâ€, “Difficult Locationâ€, “Serious YB losses†etc. There used to be mob flyers, but these were mainly respected fanciers that had a reasonably proven track record racing and could afford to keep many birds, big lofts and manage any mistakes made by their birds. The small team flyer that had good pigeon stock sense could still (and we believe can still) hold their own at the prize table. Breeding many birds used to be a good thing to do as long as you were severe with selection of the offspring. This meant having good stock sense to only put birds in the YB loft that met previously successful criteria. The training basket was one of those criteria, however fanciers put less birds in the basket and arranged for collection if they went wrong on fear of suspension if they did not. The rule regarding suspension still stands and we would offer that if the fancier contacted is not being reasonable, the bird should be reported to the RPRA / Union concerned!!

We would also offer that some of the behaviours like not following our own rules or displaying lack of care for our birds, do give the RSPB the higher ground when we come to discuss protecting our racing pigeons against raptors.

[JohnQuinn]

IMO, NO YOUNG BIRD should ever be reported, as stated in an earlier post there are stray centres all over the country and the bird should be sent there to be repatriated with the owner.

Being the stray officer for Lanarkshire i come across birds who have almost flown themselves into the grave, and others that could win a show class never mind fly home. Young birds imo, get confused easily when flying in a batch that gets hit by Percy and they will seek refuge where ever they can when they realise they are lost, as pigeon fanciers, we should as a body of men, tend to these birds until the opportunity arises to put them into your club stray basket on a Friday night. The owner would probably have it back for the Sunday, then it is his decision as to the birds fate. JMO John.

[Guest Owen]

Just like other people I have had stray trouble. Owners who will not take responsibility for their birds. So as a result of all this hassle I have worked out a strategy to suit me and to try to reduce the bad name these idiot Owners have been giving us with the General Public.

Regardless of the excuses such as,"I'm a pensioner", "I don't have transport", "I can't afford to send for it" and the really nasty ones like, "Kill it", "Keep it" and plenty of variations on the theme I will isist on the Owner having the birds back. I have made a small section to hold strays while I sort out their return to their Owners and when I speak to the Owners I always make it clear that I am not even stightly interested in their problems. I think it is important that we all stamp this rubbish out because it is harming our wonderful sport. It is one thing to be helpful and co-operate with sensible and decent people but surely for the good of the sport we really must stop Rogue Owners from ruining things for the rest of us.

It might be an idea to alocate a section of this Forum to list the names of the people who try to impose their stray birds on the rest of us.

Finally, I find it sad that many of the strays I see are in very poor condition and some are ill. Certainly many of them will never win anything and they show us all what sort of low standards some Fanciers are working at. I reckon most Clubs have their share of people who have no idea of how to look after pigeons so maybe we should try to stop these fools from doing damage by stopping them sending birds to races when the birds are obviously not fit to cope with it. By the way, if some desides to try to get me involved in their stray problems be assured that I will report the matter and pursue the matter so the the result will be a bann because the sooner we purge the Sport of this horrible practise the better

[Delboy]

Its all about helping your fellow fancier, not *expletive removed* hindering them.I would never ask anyone to dispose of a bird for me nor toss it up or whatever.I would always send for the pigeon BUT, expletive remove lets work together here.Owen, your attitude is all wrong as you are out to make it a pain for your fellow fancier.If that is the case, dont report strays or let them in your loft.

[OLDYELLOW]

'why Do we bother reporting strays' well simple you are a fancier who has pigeons on the realisation that someone's property has entered your loft , firstly as a animal lover you have a duty of care to this birds welfare treat it as one of your own and give it the same care and attention as you would your own , this aint a rule you'l find in a book but a unwritten rule of that of a animal lover and a ambassador for our sport. Now the second job is to report it , if not stamped report it to the union , then ring the fancier up . My rule is this I do not kill birds that are healthy , I try to get the bird near home as possible , I go at least once a month up north and take Nehu and SHU and Scottish strays up north , any southern birds I give to driver to liberate . I suggest that all the wingers that can't do the above have other serious issues .

I believe that all birds should be stamped with at least the Town and county of where the fancier lives , so then the birds return is speeded up . I think all Clubs / feds should provide 2 baskets 1 each for cocks and hens in order to return strays , we al know the courier service it's not as easy to find a courier as it has in the past . All strays shouldn't be allowed to mix with your own birds to reduce cross infection , a simple empty section or a rabbit style box or even a old basket will do . True sportsmen help each other not rip each other apart , yes there are some that are rude and beyond contempt , but on the other hand the good ones far out number the few that give us all a bad name , remember your an ambassador for our sport , cost nothing to be polite and courteous , do you bit and help rather than been a part of the problem in this sport , Regards Mark

[holmsidelofts]

'why Do we bother reporting strays' well simple you are a fancier who has pigeons on the realisation that someone's property has entered your loft , firstly as a animal lover you have a duty of care to this birds welfare treat it as one of your own and give it the same care and attention as you would your own , this aint a rule you'l find in a book but a unwritten rule of that of a animal lover and a ambassador for our sport. Now the second job is to report it , if not stamped report it to the union , then ring the fancier up . My rule is this I do not kill birds that are healthy , I try to get the bird near home as possible , I go at least once a month up north and take Nehu and SHU and Scottish strays up north , any southern birds I give to driver to liberate . I suggest that all the wingers that can't do the above have other serious issues .

I believe that all birds should be stamped with at least the Town and county of where the fancier lives , so then the birds return is speeded up . I think all Clubs / feds should provide 2 baskets 1 each for cocks and hens in order to return strays , we al know the courier service it's not as easy to find a courier as it has in the past . All strays shouldn't be allowed to mix with your own birds to reduce cross infection , a simple empty section or a rabbit style box or even a old basket will do . True sportsmen help each other not rip each other apart , yes there are some that are rude and beyond contempt , but on the other hand the good ones far out number the few that give us all a bad name , remember your an ambassador for our sport , cost nothing to be polite and courteous , do you bit and help rather than been a part of the problem in this sport , Regards Mark

 

I am an ambassador for our sport thats the reason i report them, i am not a rich person i am the one making the phone calls to either the union or the fanciers and when you dont even get as much as a thank you from them thats not sportsmanship. I am happy to help anyone out as i would hope they would o the same for me but i will not kill a healthy bird for no one. Most of the time when you throw a bird out after feeding it and liberating it it either comes back to yourself or some other fancier, as with the one guy i was the 4th person to report this bird to him and on the 3 ohers occassions it was thrown up by other fanciers only to end up in others lofts to be reported by someone else. I had a bird report to myself yesterday the bird was over an hour away from me i didnt tell the person to kill it or throw it up i took the responsibility and drove there and collected, thanking the person who had taken the time out to do the right thing.

There are good fanciers out there that will support and look out for each other but if you cant afford to retrieve the bird you shouldnt be in this sport.

I report a bird to a guy in the rhonnda valley last week and he came over to and collected it and again there was respect there.

All i am saying is we go out of our way to help get these birds reported and when someone doesnt give a sh** about the birds they own it gets to me.

Jas

[Delboy]

'why Do we bother reporting strays' well simple you are a fancier who has pigeons on the realisation that someone's property has entered your loft , firstly as a animal lover you have a duty of care to this birds welfare treat it as one of your own and give it the same care and attention as you would your own , this aint a rule you'l find in a book but a unwritten rule of that of a animal lover and a ambassador for our sport. Now the second job is to report it , if not stamped report it to the union , then ring the fancier up . My rule is this I do not kill birds that are healthy , I try to get the bird near home as possible , I go at least once a month up north and take Nehu and SHU and Scottish strays up north , any southern birds I give to driver to liberate . I suggest that all the wingers that can't do the above have other serious issues .

I believe that all birds should be stamped with at least the Town and county of where the fancier lives , so then the birds return is speeded up . I think all Clubs / feds should provide 2 baskets 1 each for cocks and hens in order to return strays , we al know the courier service it's not as easy to find a courier as it has in the past . All strays shouldn't be allowed to mix with your own birds to reduce cross infection , a simple empty section or a rabbit style box or even a old basket will do . True sportsmen help each other not rip each other apart , yes there are some that are rude and beyond contempt , but on the other hand the good ones far out number the few that give us all a bad name , remember your an ambassador for our sport , cost nothing to be polite and courteous , do you bit and help rather than been a part of the problem in this sport , Regards Mark

 

 

Well said Mark, 100% correct m8

[OLDYELLOW]

I am an ambassador for our sport thats the reason i report them, i am not a rich person i am the one making the phone calls to either the union or the fanciers and when you dont even get as much as a thank you from them thats not sportsmanship. I am happy to help anyone out as i would hope they would o the same for me but i will not kill a healthy bird for no one. Most of the time when you throw a bird out after feeding it and liberating it it either comes back to yourself or some other fancier, as with the one guy i was the 4th person to report this bird to him and on the 3 ohers occassions it was thrown up by other fanciers only to end up in others lofts to be reported by someone else. I had a bird report to myself yesterday the bird was over an hour away from me i didnt tell the person to kill it or throw it up i took the responsibility and drove there and collected, thanking the person who had taken the time out to do the right thing.

There are good fanciers out there that will support and look out for each other but if you cant afford to retrieve the bird you shouldnt be in this sport.

I report a bird to a guy in the rhonnda valley last week and he came over to and collected it and again there was respect there.

All i am saying is we go out of our way to help get these birds reported and when someone doesnt give a sh** about the birds they own it gets to me.

Jas

I can understand the frustration I had 26 ybs I brought down from the NEHU stray centre , a few liberated from my loft even though they were close to me the chuck it up brigade, 1 for a Scarb fancier who had a stray from a person i also had a stray from and got both there together for them to collect as courier was sent for saved them money and yup was my money used to collect and drive around and phone and report all these birds , A few were grateful some weren't , and yes I thought why did I bother , and the answer lies in this I did it for the few that were grateful they out weighed the idiots who couldn't give a toss about there birds , it puts in to question why these people have birds in first place . Most these birds were sent down country and returned to there lofts some actually rang and thanked me others didn't have the same courtesy

[Guest paulrstokes]

I agree we need to help each other out, I have lost 40 plus this year and would have loved to have the phone ring.

 

we all live within a reasonable distance oif a lib site where there would be transporters that can get the birds closer to home etc etc.

 

my pet hate is the guy that says he cannot afford to send for it he then goes into conversation about how he has bred 80 this year and has sent 6 to a one loft race at £100 a pop, no wonder he cant afford to send for it feeding 80 YB