How To Reduce Yb Losses

[walterboswell59]

two or three weeks after the last race

[dal2]

These are my reasons for yb losses and how I would remedy them.

 

1. YB Sickness, this can be helped ( but not entirely cured )by going back to basics and getting everyone to bring ALL their ybs down to their club to get vaccinated for pmv all at the same time. It has been proven that PMV is connected with YBS and I think if we went back to what we used to do before the sickness happened, it would reduce the outbreaks by a large margin. Also, every member should have their own baskets at the club for training and racing in yb racing, this reduces cross infection dramatically, especially in the first 3 or 4 races.

 

2. BOP, they scare the living crap out our poor ybs and cause devastation when they strike. I differ from most and do not believe we have to learn to live with this massive problem. Remedy-I think every single racing pigeon marked in Britain on one specific weekend should have a repellent on their back / neck going to the race. BOP problem sorted in ONLY ONE DAY !!!!!! .

 

3. Clashing, undoubtedly we have a great deal of clashing especially on the east coast. Remedy is- Every Governing body ( SHU, RPRA,NEHU,NWHU, WHU etc etc ) should be controlling the yb races. They should communicate with each other and decide what races we fly from and on what day of the weekend.There would be minimum clashing if it was executed properly through the Governing bodies.

 

4. Origin, I definitely believe we are losing the plot when bringing in all these sprint/middle distance pigeons from Europe.If you think back to the 70s, every single fancier had distance/all round pigeons and everyone had similar goals ( to score from the distance races ).Losses were minimum because the pigeons had stronger constitutions then. NO MEDICATIONS , only the spade was used to eradicate weaklings regardless of parentage and pigeon racing was definitely easier. Food for thought.

Point1. Not sure that PMV has much to do with it and would be VERY interested in just how many fanciers vaccinated!! Yes this could be the reason but also we should look into modern grain production and also darkness?

Point 2. Ye canny disagree

Point 3.If everybody raced on the correct route rather than dog legging about the country then it would be much easier??

Point 4. Erradicating pigeons with the basket is very easy now lol. I have a original family but also have klaks and vandenabeeles and van reets?? Cant say that one stands up better than the other but find I have to mollycoddle the Kirkpatricks more than the rest??

 

 

Well done on yer thoughts Derek and I am not trying to poke holes just a bit of debate

[dwh]

Point1. Not sure that PMV has much to do with it and would be VERY interested in just how many fanciers vaccinated!! Yes this could be the reason but also we should look into modern grain production and also darkness?

Point 2. Ye canny disagree

Point 3.If everybody raced on the correct route rather than dog legging about the country then it would be much easier??

Point 4. Erradicating pigeons with the basket is very easy now lol. I have a original family but also have klaks and vandenabeeles and van reets?? Cant say that one stands up better than the other but find I have to mollycoddle the Kirkpatricks more than the rest??

 

 

Well done on yer thoughts Derek and I am not trying to poke holes just a bit of debate

1. got to agree steve pesticides insecticides, storage etc. are the new fangled mixes etc. any good? is darkness actually interfering with nature affecting the birds natural compass?

2. BOP is a major problem and till the problem affects the money men nothing will be done

3.clashing imo is the problem along with too many under trained correctly educated yb's going in the baskets

4. many of these continental strains are only sprinters because thats all the breeder races lets face it VR'S have bricoux and how many more have distance lines in them in them so why can't they fly any distance

and to be honest there's not man YB races you would class as real stamina sappers

[dal2]

1. got to agree steve pesticides insecticides, storage etc. are the new fangled mixes etc. any good? is darkness actually interfering with nature affecting the birds natural compass?

2. BOP is a major problem and till the problem affects the money men nothing will be done

3.clashing imo is the problem along with too many under trained correctly educated yb's going in the baskets

4. many of these continental strains are only sprinters because thats all the breeder races lets face it VR'S have bricoux and how many more have distance lines in them in them so why can't they fly any distance

and to be honest there's not man YB races you would class as real stamina sappers

Loads of so called sprinters timing at 400+ Davey. They dont know they are sprinters only they are pigeons lol!!!!!!

[Guest big slim]

I agree with Derek on all points. Point B is the most important. I remember posting on pigeon chat that we should all listen to Bilco as he is a very wise man. He wrote at the time that flying ants were a big problem and we should all go out and get some ant or wasp powder. Wise words but shortly after this his house was raided and his PC confiscated. We have to watch what we say as big brother is watching. Keep up the good fight Delboy.

[duncow]

GET A FISHING ROD AND F..K THE BIRDS

[Pego]

Several good posts on this topic. Also i watched a TV prog lately about bee keepers who stated that hives located in areas that had good mobile phone signals only around 40% of the bees return to the hive, but areas with a poor mobile phone signal over 90% of the bees return to the hive.

[columbo]

great topic with some good posts,but there is no point in talking about it,unless we are all willing to get off our backsides and make an effort to move forward or it will just get worse.

[Guest stb-]

Brilliant post Del, very true and honest with a bit of controversy thrown in as per usual. LOL

Might add just one point, we should keep our birds in between October and February, the BOP's are good but they cannae survive withoot eatin'AW THE BEST I realise your original thread was about YB losses but whenever I read a post about BOP's I like to get ma tuppence worth in

the biggest problem is peregrines i get plagued with then from march to sept seeing 6 in different parts of the sky at one time going diffo directions, in october i could leave my birds out all winter till end feb and never see 1 peregrine . once the supply of trainers and race birds dies down they soon disapear to other feeding grounds like river estuaries etc where wading birds congregate for the winter they also move of into france and sspain eyc where easy food is more available . They are nomadhs of the sky move where its easy to survive . Peregrine means wanderer or nomadh], The only predator thats a prob from oct till fed is sparr hens who move in for easy picking round pigeon sheds . They in themselves are only a minor problem

[bullcock]

These are my reasons for yb losses and how I would remedy them.

 

1. YB Sickness, this can be helped ( but not entirely cured )by going back to basics and getting everyone to bring ALL their ybs down to their club to get vaccinated for pmv all at the same time. It has been proven that PMV is connected with YBS and I think if we went back to what we used to do before the sickness happened, it would reduce the outbreaks by a large margin. Also, every member should have their own baskets at the club for training and racing in yb racing, this reduces cross infection dramatically, especially in the first 3 or 4 races.

 

2. BOP, they scare the living crap out our poor ybs and cause devastation when they strike. I differ from most and do not believe we have to learn to live with this massive problem. Remedy-I think every single racing pigeon marked in Britain on one specific weekend should have a repellent on their back / neck going to the race. BOP problem sorted in ONLY ONE DAY !!!!!! .

 

3. Clashing, undoubtedly we have a great deal of clashing especially on the east coast. Remedy is- Every Governing body ( SHU, RPRA,NEHU,NWHU, WHU etc etc ) should be controlling the yb races. They should communicate with each other and decide what races we fly from and on what day of the weekend.There would be minimum clashing if it was executed properly through the Governing bodies.

 

4. Origin, I definitely believe we are losing the plot when bringing in all these sprint/middle distance pigeons from Europe.If you think back to the 70s, every single fancier had distance/all round pigeons and everyone had similar goals ( to score from the distance races ).Losses were minimum because the pigeons had stronger constitutions then. NO MEDICATIONS , only the spade was used to eradicate weaklings regardless of parentage and pigeon racing was definitely easier. Food for thought.

Great post Del, if anyhting it has got people thinking.

1 I believe YBS and Darkness YB are linked, maybe the extra stress of moulting while growing at such a young age has a lot to do with it.

2 BOP, I like the idea, but what is this repellant, does it put the BOP off as they attack?

3 Clashing, your right in with modern day computer technology I'm sure we could have a liberation nerve center that all uk organizations would have to go through coordinating all libs North and South( even for Old Birds), I would also say if we reduced the number of lib sites to a minimum and having more feds at the same lib sites it would be easier to manage, and joint libs after say 100 miles, for instance the whole of the west of Scotland could lib together at agreed race program after 100 miles?

4 this is a tough one as all these strains are already here.

[geordie1234]

Started the racing season with 55ybs after 5 races I have 30.... 15 cocks 15 hens.... I was planning to continue but the way the racing has became.. I think I have been pretty lucky up to now regarding loses.. so may just stop...

[bigbill]

started with 50 , 6 races gone down to 27 left , not on darkness so will finish up now,

[Delboy]

started with 50 , 6 races gone down to 27 left , not on darkness so will finish up now,

 

That's 27 yearlings for next year big yin

[dal2]

How many do you need? I have 12 widow boxs and 6 natural for old birs racing!!!

[geordie1234]

How many do you need? I have 12 widow boxs and 6 natural for old birs racing!!!

18 widowhood cocks for me nxt year

[bigbill]

That's 27 yearlings for next year big yin

ha ha

[dal2]

18 widowhood cocks for me nxt year

Nae hens? . How many racers have you left from old birds this year

[TheHigg]

took 12 youngsters to lanark racecourse today aprox 12 mile lovely sunny day cleared well got home and only 7 home got another 3 but well spread out expletive remove 12 mile and 2 down think i will need to be training from there more often

[geordie1234]

Nae hens? . How many racers have you left from old birds this year

4 cocks 3 hens

[Guest Owen]

Good post.

[sob555]

started with 50 , 6 races gone down to 27 left , not on darkness so will finish up now,

we started with 45, only 17 left, 2 cocks 15 hens, not on the dark either so we raced our last race this weekend.

[William Reid]

2. BOP, they scare the living crap out our poor ybs and cause devastation when they strike. I differ from most and do not believe we have to learn to live with this massive problem. Remedy-I think every single racing pigeon marked in Britain on one specific weekend should have a repellent on their back / neck going to the race. BOP problem sorted in ONLY ONE DAY !!!!!. :emoticon-0137-clapping:

[Guest Owen]

I was speaking to a friend today about this subject. Martin Jones from Essex. He said that in places like Lyndhurst the Falcons are waiting for the liberations because they know that it will be dinner time.

Martin said that the Americans change their liberation sites all the time so that the Falcons do not know where to wait for the birds. It would be a bit more work for Secretaries but nothing much to worry about in these days of electronics and satellite navigation where distances can be worked out in a very short time. Obviously the birds could be attacked on their way home but when pigeons are flying in groups at speed the falcons would find it much harder to be successful.

[Roland]

I was speaking to a friend today about this subject. Martin Jones from Essex. He said that in places like Lyndhurst the Falcons are waiting for the liberations because they know that it will be dinner time.

Martin said that the Americans change their liberation sites all the time so that the Falcons do not know where to wait for the birds. It would be a bit more work for Secretaries but nothing much to worry about in these days of electronics and satellite navigation where distances can be worked out in a very short time. Obviously the birds could be attacked on their way home but when pigeons are flying in groups at speed the falcons would find it much harder to be successful.

 

Very true Owen. When our club brought out an article regards the Percys wait for their dinner at Portland it was ignored totally. I don't send there, but We have a list of site numbers and coordinates.

Be no problem for the RPRA etc. to print a copy off and send it to any - or every club.

[Guest Owen]

Roland, I think we have a problem with the RPRA. They are very good at keeping records and locating the owners of stray birds but they don't seem to show much initiative when it comes to the practical problems of the sport. In our area there is very little innovation because people want to carry on doing things the way they have always done them.

If we are going to make changes such as varying the release sites I think we might have to take the lead locally.

There are some very important situations we need to sort out.

1. Avoiding sites known to be patrolled by falcons.

2. Providing enough trough space so that all the pigeons can drink at the same time.

3. Ensuring that the pigeons have adequate supplies of oxygen while in transit.

4. Monitoring both heat and humidity during transit.

5. Professional analysis of Young Bird Sickness to identify a cure.

6. Regulating the release of pigeons to avoid clashing.

I am sure that there are other issues that we need to look at critically but I reckon that we have to start somewhere.