YB Season....

boosey,
There is nothing more unnatural than the widowhood and darkness systems, you go against nature at your peril, since the vast majority changed to these systems so did all the problems begin and vacination for several possible problems along with preventative and curative remedies became the norm.

I know one well known stud owner who told me if his birds wre not treated woth Baytril every month they would not survive, I never treated my pigeons with anything.

With regard to garlic, my pigeons had the opportunity to drink from the pond or from the drinkers containing garlic, they chose the drinkers,I think the pigeon knows better than any fancier.

Garlic is eaten by many wild animals in particular rabbits, when caught and eaten when the garlic is young the rabbits taste of garlic.

When I read of what some fanciers put down their pigeons throats it is no wonder they have problems.

boosey, just give it a try.


Regards.

I am going down that route Misty, my young birds have had nothing but Ropa b and flightboost since they were born. Greens water once or twice a week.
And inoculated once.
De lived once on back of neck.
We will see how they get on after this Saturday, their first race.

David wrote:

redrog wrote:

David wrote:

what natural anti-bacterial would you use Darren...?

I use fennel, grab it from supermarket, good for crop cleaning

thanks for the info r/rog, is this made into tea ...?

you can buy fennel tea but I just make my own leave it over night in saucepan then dilute it in the drinkers, stinks of liquorice so birds do have to get used to it, mine have it as y/b so they brought up on it, it is a good crop cleaner and totally natural

Around 60 odds years ago we used to make numerous concoctions, using Johnsons iron tonic, mallases, etc; also many herbs and vegitables etc.

Then the penny dropped, to attain the best health feed the correct food containing all the basics necessary to enable the pigeon to carry out that required of it.

The wild birds fly thousands of miles and never visit a commercial enterprise.

Get a pigeon in good health feed for the task asked and give it the best motivation the love of home and BINGO, the latter is the most important regarding winning races if that is your sole concern.

But then there is always an alternative, use the pigeons as robots and eventually ruin both their health and longgivity as the present trend proves.

The fasnciers who first formed the sport would not be interested in it's present form, anddispondent at the methods adopted by some fanciers.


Sad, so very, very sad.

Regards.

Around 60 odds years ago we used to make numerous concoctions, using Johnsons iron tonic, mallases, etc; also many herbs and vegitables etc.

Then the penny dropped, to attain the best health feed the correct food containing all the basics necessary to enable the pigeon to carry out that required of it.

The wild birds fly thousands of miles and never visit a commercial enterprise.

Get a pigeon in good health feed for the task asked and give it the best motivation the love of home and BINGO, the latter is the most important regarding winning races if that is your sole concern.

But then there is always an alternative, use the pigeons as robots and eventually ruin both their health and longgivity as the present trend proves.

The fasnciers who first formed the sport would not be interested in it's present form, anddispondent at the methods adopted by some fanciers.


Sad, so very, very sad.

Regards.

I`m hoping your theory s right misty, my ybs do not fly for hours like some fanciers do.......instead they are left out for around 5 or 6 hours and they come and go as they please, going off for a while then coming home, they do this all day, so I`m hoping its doing some good.

time will tell I suppose, will pigeons roosting in a tree and pleasing them selves make it as racers ....

I think for long distance that’s ok David, I’m not so sure about sprinters.
Time will tell.

David wrote:

I`m hoping your theory s right misty, my ybs do not fly for hours like some fanciers do.......instead they are left out for around 5 or 6 hours and they come and go as they please, going off for a while then coming home, they do this all day, so I`m hoping its doing some good.

time will tell I suppose, will pigeons roosting in a tree and pleasing them selves make it as racers ....

Not a problem David as long as you can get them out of those trees come race day etc . & from another tree dweller type I wish you all the best as such .
*****

This is why my birds (YBS) are out at 6.30 am. Cooler. 8.40 now and still not back.

Blimey Hal, if your cooker breaks down you can throw a couple of eggs on the hood of your pick up.

Note on methods people use. It is whatever works best for them. I stick with 'natural' approach because it is much simpler for me. Obviously cheaper! But natural is what? Pigeons do not race themselves in the wild! People send them. So racing itself is unnatural to the birds.

Boosey wrote:

Blimey Hal, if your cooker breaks down you can throw a couple of eggs on the hood of your pick up.

Don't worry about the cooking issue Boosey I suggest. Prey his air conditioning system works there or poor old Hal      may just be the one being cooked etc .
*****

Knackered wrote:

David wrote:

I`m hoping your theory s right misty, my ybs do not fly for hours like some fanciers do.......instead they are left out for around 5 or 6 hours and they come and go as they please, going off for a while then coming home, they do this all day, so I`m hoping its doing some good.

time will tell I suppose, will pigeons roosting in a tree and pleasing them selves make it as racers ....

Not a problem David as long as you can get them out of those trees come race day etc . & from another tree dweller type I wish you all the best as such .
*****

always had you down as a sloth type oz so no surprise here that your a tree dweller ,regards garlic and wild animals misty yes I agree some wild animals do indeed eat garlic but rabbits and other burrowers I have yet to see a pigeon eat garlic they are more akin to berries etc.. indeed I have seen them in the elderberry tree and would think it a mild purge for them aswell as a food source,now regards throwing crap down pigeons throats and silly comments about widowhood and darkness all I can say is that it is often remarked down the club that EVERY race my birds are sent to they are in show condition from 1st to last race ,I will care for my pigeons the way I see fit and wont have such rubbish comments about the way I fly ie widowhood and darkness ,I have neighbours to consider and a family to spend time with and for the last time I don't have the time or carelessness to let pigeons do what the hell they like ie open loft ,I like sprint middle racing and I like a plan I don't like distance racing and wont be made to feel i am not doing right by my pigeons ,i value a lot of your comments but we all cant do as we please else the council would come down on you and when they get there teeth in their hard to shake off so best not rock the boat and consider those around you atb

2nd toss today. Early morning. 20 miles. They were back 4 minutes after I pulled
in. So all is well..

good to hear hal 1st toss for ours next week

same here Darren, starting mine Monday my self, then on with club training hopefully.......hoping to enter the 3rd race.

Sent 5 to Peterborough 75 miles for their first YB race.
Good luck to everyone sending this weekend.

Good luck to all shipping. Last old bird race has been moved a day. Many thunderstorms in the area. I have finished flying with old birds anyway.
Fortunately had my young out 2nd toss as stated. August 4 our first YB race. I do hope to get them to the same stage few more times. Does not matter if I do or not.
From previous experience 20 miles a few times will suffice. However, most of the young birds range for 2 hours or more. Obviously they know the way home. Have strays come in the loft also. Just let them out with mine. They go home eventually. Actually with a head count basketing the young this morning have all still here except the one I killed with a busted leg. My goal was to cut down drastically. Old and young. So far getting to be a challenge.

Should be ok if they’re ranging for 2 hours Hal, flying for fun. They will be fit as fiddles.

good luck for today steve our first race is next week

oldstrain,
We all have our opinions, mine I base on experience and facts.

For the fanciers who has everything sorted and are happy with what they do, good.

I try to offer alternatives I know work and are far better for the pigeons well being and their natural life.

To take just couple or so of your comments, you can paint a car up to look a million dollars, just as wth a little seed etc, you can put bloom on a pigeon, but you cannot tell what is undr the cars bonnet nor what the chassis state is in etc;

As for putting rubbish down a pigeons throat, there is at least 200 available, aids to win, that the commercial boys advocate putting down a pigeons throat, are you saying they are all of benifit to a pigeons well being?.

The widowhood system is as unatural as one could go relative to the pigeons natural life and I know fanciers who keep widowhood hens in little boxes and never actually let them out, just use them for the system, as close to a Robot as is possible.

I am well aware that some fanciers will not be able to give their pigeons total freedom, I have been very fortunate that our neighbours and we have always had a live and let live policy and never a wrong word for over 45 years in the present location, but not having the same happy situation does not mean one should not adopt a policy of pigeon first fancier second.

The fact is that a very simple and easily participated in sport where success can be obtained by simple means has been complicated as much as possible for commercial reasons and will be it's ultimate downfall.

Regards.....

no you cant see inside the bird but can you,  the all year round health of your pigeons should and will tell you if you are doing right by them especially over a number of years,what else is there to go on ,I have seen some awful natural set ups with pigeons in poor health hanging about the roofs allday upsetting the neighbours you cant just say go natural and all will be well yes it is a way but I don't think it fair to say widow is cruel feck me what about sending a bird in a basket for 5 days down to Barcelona and letting it fly 800 miles thats cruel to me but I keep me mouth shut else I would be a hypocrite,i don't try and tell people how to race or keep their birds but I will try and help them if something is beneficial for the pigeons based on my own experiences and nothing else,regarding 200 products I would say much more and that 99% is rubbish I like to use a few herbal remedies and nothing more than plenty air space and well ventilated dry lofts and good clean corn atb

oldstrain,
Agree with you 100% regarding bad fanciers and no respect for either neighbours or their own pigeons, I have seen similar situations and also bad practice by widowhood flyers also.

I do not doubt for one minute that you have the best interests of your pigeons at heart but it is those that do not that cause most of the problems.

How fanciers have allowed a simple sport to become so seemingly complicated in many ways is beyond me.

I feel one of the main problems is the chop and change scenario, many fanciers never giving the pigeons they have a proper chance to show their merit but chop and change both pigeons and treatment, they hear Jack uses X and they try it, then Bill tells them he used Y and they try it which ends in nothing but mixed up method not worthy of the name system, and with pigeons constitution put to extreems that cannot possibly be beneficial in the long run.


You can put high octane fuel in a car not meant to use it, for a very short time the car may go faster than that intended by the manufacturer, but within a very short time the car and engine would be useless., the car even with the high octane fuel would still have a limit to it's capabilities.


I would not change the system I used which cost very little, gave the pigeons a natural life and myself more pleasure than one could expect for so little effort.


But old age does have it's problems and when you cannot do the right thing by the pigeons that you have always done to give them less would negate all that went before, so one had to go by present circumstances, my one real sadness is the fact that the opportunity to have an almost lifetime of immense pleasure from being involved with our feathered friends may be denied future generations.


Regards.

fair comment misty ...I agree a lot chop and change too quick and try all the potions and believe the hype that goes with them the less you tamper the better atb

If future generations are not interested (they are in many taking up the sport other countries) then screw them. Why flog a dead horse?