Nearly that time again

David wrote:

yes I started straight away phil, but I think its going to be a long job.........

In my humble experience, it takes about 4 weeks to get the y/b's used to a whistle or tin or 'come-on'.

Good luck with it.

Can I just add, it is best JUST to use sort of call - not a whistle and a 'come-on'.

Phil

not sure what call to use, one continuous blow, or small short blows on the whistle........

I would prefer to whistle my self, but as ive got older ive found I cant whistle

I think what ever you do, do it the same all the time. I whistle short bursts while shaking a coffe can with peas in it, works pretty good.

yep, short bursts seems to be best I think, whenever I blow it the ybs are all curious and seem to be getting the idea a little bit.....time will tell if its a good idea or not eh

Young birds can be encouraged to enter the loft on a call or whistle or whatever. Just a matter of conditioning to relate to sound equals feed. Remember years back on the allotments birds homing from a race. Whistles, cans being shaked, fanciers calling and yelling. I doubt if the birds could even diffrentiate. Young birds here I just talk them in. Old birds..they need encouragement to trap they have lost anyway.

I disagree with Morb - I think whistling and shaking a tin is too confusing for the birds.

I have seen people use a whistle, then shout 'come-on', then shake the tin - WHY!!!

One type of call is enough.

Also - Don't over do the whistling - I blow the whistle TWICE - toot - toot then WAIT - don't blow and blow and blow. The birds can hear you perfectly well and blowing too much just makes them unresponsive.

A very good friend of mine, blows his whistle twice - toot - toot, then waits a bit. Then if the birds don't come in, he does it again, then WAITS to give them a chance to come in. If they are not all in, he gives one final double blow on the whistle. Any that have not come in by then, he locks out until the next meal time.

They soon get the message!

Phil

all only learnt response to food,brainwashing more you do it the more they respond,you could just as easy use a duck call.
Got a mate uses a cordless battery door bell inside his loft (traps thru raised bobs) setting is a dog bark
sounds abit like he's saying ''how how how' they go in champion

I just used to shout dinner, no problem.

Regards.

I used to whistle them in, but now just shake the corn tin, but to be honest as soon as they see the corn tin they start to come in, even before I shake it, but I’m also struggling to whistle as I’m getting older.

At this time of the year I call them in but in the race season we sit down the garden and watch the trap to the Sputnik them selves no need to call or shake the tin

MISTY wrote:

I just used to shout dinner, no problem.

Regards.

I used to shout last one get's nothing worked Ok  once they come out of my gum trees etc .
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