Natural

[peter pandy]

With the birds scooting through the moult I am having them out on nice days which means they have rarely seen the outside of the loft lately, however when the door is open the Late Breds are away and running for at least an hour whils't the older birds are more content to lie in the bath, only getting the wings going when disturbed by a seagull/crow flying low over the roof tops.

In the past I used to give Yacult in the water so if anybody wishes to try it firstly empty your drinkers then feed the birds wait till all have had their fill then dump the Yacult into your watering can, stir vigorously then fill the drinkers as Yacult settles on the bottom within a minute or two and this way all the birds will have had a good dose of probiotics via the water.

[peter pandy]

Mentioned a couple of posts past that I would not be separating the sexes this year !! Well that idea did not last long with the Hens getting amorous lately so they were shifted through.

Work has commenced on putting straw down again as floor bedding as I am suffering pain when using the scraper.

Paid a visit to Tommy at Blantyre and introduced a couple of friends who spent a few bob on feeding but unfortunately my pleading empty pockets fell on his deaf ear so no commission was forthcoming my way, us OAP's canny git nowt these days

Blue sky to-day saw the Cocks out and they dissapeared into the heavens for an hour before returning for a bath, Dont recall them going so high before so they must be fit.

They say misfortunes comes in three's WELL not in my case [1] Electric Kettle packed in. [2] Telly packed in.

[3] Microwave Oven went. [4] Computer stopped computing. [5] Mary's Dyson vaccum cleaner was next. [6] Jack Frost the other day killed all my flower bed plants. Not bad for the last fortnight

Their was a Number [7] which will be kept in abeyance..

[Delboy]

expletive remove Peter, yer doos dont half flee well round the loft, how did ye not enter the Dunbar race like ye said ye would?

[peter pandy]

It was my intension to do so Derek, However No [7] misfortune was wee Mary saying she wanted a holiday in December before Xmas and I had not the backbone to say NAW. Always next year..

[Delboy]

It was my intension to do so Derek, However No [7] misfortune was wee Mary saying she wanted a holiday in December before Xmas and I had not the backbone to say NAW. Always next year..

 

Thats a decent enough reason Peter

[ALF]

We've got a nearly new microwave if you want it auld yin?

[peter pandy]

We've got a nearly new microwave if you want it auld yin?

That is awfy kind of you Alf however wee Mary picked up yin frae Aldi £34 although it is half the size what we had..

Ye dinnae hiv a hoover spare di yi ?? They do say God loves a trier :emoticon-0136-giggle:

[red dog]

sold my hoover it was just gathering dust

[Delboy]

sold my hoover it was just gathering dust

 

now the jokes on Peters thread have taken a turn for the better

Edited November 3, 2017 by Delboy

[peter pandy]

I do not believe it !!!, The Loft radio has packed in so no more dancing the night away on the perches and nest boxes which brings me to Loft environment and its possibilities.

How important is the space the birds spend most of their lives in "Loft" and is happiness endemic to success ?.

I suppose their can be differing forms which are all part and parcel of the individual fancier however not being a mob flier and taking more pleasure in the ability to pick the first one home from my small team gives me most satisfaction.

The older one gets the more difficult things become and even handling with hands which are no longer supple or bending down without falling over is quite frustrating and I wont mention failing eyesight as they all start to look the same apart from the colour however I digress as the mind wanders and I forgot what I started writing about.

Can we tell if our birds are happy in the loft ?? Well I think we can by observation, When they are lying about on the straw deep litter and you have to step over them they are at their most happiest and contentment oozies from them, The opposite is when they avoid you like the plague.. Slow deliberate movement is a must to create the bond we all desire.

To be cont;.

[dal2]

I do not believe it !!!, The Loft radio has packed in so no more dancing the night away on the perches and nest boxes which brings me to Loft environment and its possibilities.

How important is the space the birds spend most of their lives in "Loft" and is happiness endemic to success ?.

I suppose their can be differing forms which are all part and parcel of the individual fancier however not being a mob flier and taking more pleasure in the ability to pick the first one home from my small team gives me most satisfaction.

The older one gets the more difficult things become and even handling with hands which are no longer supple or bending down without falling over is quite frustrating and I wont mention failing eyesight as they all start to look the same apart from the colour however I digress as the mind wanders and I forgot what I started writing about.

Can we tell if our birds are happy in the loft ?? Well I think we can by observation, When they are lying about on the straw deep litter and you have to step over them they are at their most happiest and contentment oozies from them, The opposite is when they avoid you like the plague.. Slow deliberate movement is a must to create the bond we all desire.

To be cont;.

The ones that are lying about the loft in the spring/summer? Are they the ones that are home first on Saturday? Or are they wee favourites that her just happy to see hame?

[peter pandy]

All my birds are wee favourites Steve just like everybody else on Basics and when you see them lying on a bed of straw it's sheer contentment for them and me.

With the amount of squibs banging away from early evening I have closed the loft up tight with the memory of a rocket entering a loft a couple of years back resulting in it being burned down.

[peter pandy]

At this time of the year with the moult almost complete apart from the later breds which still have 6 Secondaries to throw I attempt to study if all has developed well having changed my regime in an endeavour to produce a better quality feather than the previous years, By consulting my diaries from years gone past "2004" where I produced feathering which was silky and gave excellent racing results the following season I do believe I have achieved the finished product I was after.

It has been said that I am always chopping and changing and that is true as I stated at the beginning of writing ""Natural"" that I had won all I wanted to win as I am a realist and recognise that only Lady Luck or a move to the East can produce regular National positions and breeding countless numbers of Pigeons is antithetical to me.

With the air disturbance over for another year it was noticable last Sunday "5th" that all the local birds flew like devils in the sky for ages and one can deduce that the exploding rockets locally the night before may have something to do with the phenomenon.

If some of the youngsters which I had down as Hens keep changing into Cocks then I could end up with equal numbers of 30 each which will make a pleasant change from the norm however I am waiting till all the cover flights are back in before giving a couple of training tosses out to 40 miles probably around the end of this month which will no doubt upset the equilibrium.

At our regular Satuday afternoon coffee meeting we have discussed the different aspects of racing and losses compared to the past and concluded that changes in our pigeons could have a bearing on why they are occuring.

What we did agree on was THAT the old Scottish Pigeon is no more.

Our combined years of experience is 190 years,, Aye we are old foggie's.

[peter pandy]

When going through all the birds in the loft I was aware that a couple still had feather lice although the bath had been well used every day with "T" Tree oil included. I was made aware last year at Clarkston show that lice was suposedly present on the birds however on closer inspection it transpired to be thin black lines on the feathering NOT LICE,

Being a fastidious person I thought to make sure all was devoid of the little beasties I filled a pail with 9 Litres of warm water and emptied a packet of Chlorocarb in. Proceeding to give every bird in the loft with a 20 second soak it was noticable that the mixture in the form of water droplets ran off them like the old saying "Water off a ducks back" I was quite amazed as I had even included puting in a couple of drops of Fairy washing up liquid. With the loft heaters on at 30c they were not long in drying out. To cut a long story short I have 9 Litres of used dipping liquid for sale at a very reasonable price, Extra if pedigree is suplied.. ..Hopefully I will be at Clarkson Show on Wednesday with a couple of entrant's NAE LICE..

[Kyleakin Lofts]

Is the dipping liquid's pedigree a proven one? What has it done for you? :D

[peter pandy]

Is the dipping liquid's pedigree a proven one? What has it done for you? :D

Perhaps the guarantee they are not carrying passengers when racing LOL

[peter pandy]

Let the Hens out this morning and they were out of sight in 10 seconds with 4 older Hens returning after 20 minutes and the rest later doing 50 minutes going like bats out of Hell zipping around the area which was a real pleasure to watch, all in all they put in about 3 Hours flying in their 4 Hours of freedom which also included having a bath and a pick about the garden, It fair gives them an appetite boost.

The Barley straw on the floor has finally bedded down to about 4-6 Ins deep and is absorbing the dampness entering the loft through the atmosphere making it a pleasant environment for the birds and me.

[peter pandy]

Having finally removed traces of Opiate painkillers from my body I have discovered pulled muscles in my lower back and am unable to lift my arms above my head due to Athritis after consultation with my Doctor, so the conversion to the loft roof is sidelined although I have a couple of double glazed windows which will be going on the South/East wall when I can persuade the Son in Law to fit them.

 

With the birds looking splendid in their new coats and transforming body wise into a different more mature look all is as hoped for, The Padfield influence has certainly taken place with a different look to them as they have changed completely now their third moult has been completed with bolder heads and larger wattles.

[peter pandy]

Not a lot happening in and around the loft at the moment as it is only daily maintenance chores with the inclement weather and the birds loft bound most days, Thursday's "Racing Pigeon" and I was avidly reading the Jim Emerton Column when I suddenly realised he was following my methods TIC..I always knew others "top men" would pick up on my methods and follow them.

At Clarkston show I attempted to relay a TV programme on an individual air crash and the effect Jumbo jet engine wash could have on our birds flying through one, When trying to explain that on take off planes following must leave 5 miles between take off's. The pressure wake from 200,000 PSI would leave a bird shredded into little bits and had ripped the tail and rudder from a following plane with total loss of life brought the reply what has a rudder got to do with a plane or are you talking about boats which brought my conversation to an abrupt close, As one who has been buzzed in a 6 seater flight by a S.A. fighter jet which nearly flipped us over and a French fighter jet which had the Jumbo I was a passenger in rocking I thought I knew a little about what I was trying to put over. Some folk cannae be ejukated at aw..LOL

[peter pandy]

In the loft it would appear the Late Breeds have decided they have moulted enough feathers so almost all will be racing next year holding their last 2 secondary flights.

With gales and inclement weather forecasted for the next few days the windows are up on the veranda till it passes. Wee Mary will be looking after the inmates as I have a heavy cold developing which stopped me from getting up to Clarkston show this evening for the usual torment from so called friend's.

"Get Well" cards with £50 notes included will be appreciated.. :emoticon-0140-rofl:

[airdrie2]

IN THE POST LOL MISSED YOU

[peter pandy]

Sorry about that Charlie, Hope to make it next week.

[peter pandy]

With Wee Mary and I housebound with some virus and not allowing visitors into the house, it has been a week of hell with both of us lower than a snakes belly and missing the Grand weans terribly. We can only hope we can shake the malady off soon.

Down in the loft which has been a struggle, cleaning and general chores has been suspended till I am fit again and not so tired, The mind is willing,, The body isn't.

With time to reflect on the future, I have came to the conclusion that time is not on my side so next year all my Yearlings and late breeds will go to the coast, Two year olds to 550 Miles and older birds to 600 miles. I don't suppose I will have many left at the end of 2018 but the clear out will be beneficial in the long run and "Natural" will be the only system. Young birds will be bred in Spring which is a natural time for wild birds and raced until the moult decides otherwise and hopefully I will be left with birds that are fed on high protein and the guts to get back. This was the way forward in times gone past and you were only left with the best in constitution and homing ability.

[THE FIFER]

With Wee Mary and I housebound with some virus and not allowing visitors into the house, it has been a week of hell with both of us lower than a snakes belly and missing the Grand weans terribly. We can only hope we can shake the malady off soon.

Down in the loft which has been a struggle, cleaning and general chores has been suspended till I am fit again and not so tired, The mind is willing,, The body isn't.

With time to reflect on the future, I have came to the conclusion that time is not on my side so next year all my Yearlings and late breeds will go to the coast, Two year olds to 550 Miles and older birds to 600 miles. I don't suppose I will have many left at the end of 2018 but the clear out will be beneficial in the long run and "Natural" will be the only system. Young birds will be bred in Spring which is a natural time for wild birds and raced until the moult decides otherwise and hopefully I will be left with birds that are fed on high protein and the guts to get back. This was the way forward in times gone past and you were only left with the best in constitution and homing ability.

 

sorry to hear that m8 hope you both get well soon,

[peter pandy]

Thanks for the kind words Archie.. On getting up this morning I decided to give myself a good shake and put mind over matter regarding the way I was feeling so down to the loft and noticed the straw bedding was sparse in the middle of the floor where the feeders are positioned, obviously where the birds are pecking about for any stray feed that has been dropped so after watering I took myself to the local agriculture store for another couple of bales. The attendant was telling me their was an acute shortage of Barley straw and they could not find another supplier so its back again to-morrow for another couple although where to store them is a problem so the greenhouse will have to suffice.

No doubt some fanciers will be pairing up soon to have youngsters on the darkness !!! To win a couple of meaningless races !!! They need their heads examined IMO. In a recent conversation with like minded sensible fanciers with the sport at heart we concluded that mob racing was detrimental to our sport and it was the view that you can send as many as you like but you have to nominate 10 to compete with, the rest entered as trainers only, therefore making it fairer to all concerned, You can hear the mob fliers screaming as they would not win much.

With the loft at minus 6 and open to the elements the drinkers have frozen over for the first time in many a year as it was all closed up in the past. The loft heaters would come on at zero temp ensuring no ice, but I was talking to John "Tiger" on the phone and he reminded me that in the past my drinkers were emptied 2 hours after feeding as the birds always have a second drink 1-2 Hrs after being given their daily rations. The important things we forget.

As regards the inmates they are given their freedom on alternate days for a couple of hours and exercising well.