Durham corn merchant video

Plenty of choice, all kinds of everything:

Corn merchant link

Never been there yet but I might just have a trip out. Went when in wingate years ago

barnie wrote:

Plenty of choice, all kinds of everything:

Corn merchant link

Interesting Barnie next time your there thou just pick up one of every thing etc could you & just send it my way as such. Just wonder also, being curious how it would compare with what Tanveer & his lot of merry men would have there to race & breed on for a choice .
*****

great place that colin, could spend a full day there looking around, had one similar in wakefield near leeds a few years ago, went bust or something, shame was a good place .

wish we had something like that around these parts ....lucky to get a bag of grit locally here

Last time I went I ended up spending more on other stuff than I did on corn, probably 3 times more when I think about it

peel bros wrote:

Never been there yet but I might just have a trip out.  Went when in wingate years ago

Good trainer spot for you later in the year

barnie wrote:

Last time I went I ended up spending more on other stuff than I did on corn, probably 3 times more when I think about it

You remind me of my Joyce here etc Barnie     as I hear that type tale here every time she comes back from daily shopping excursions as such     . Now     all that being said, just wonder how he will go there now with importing grain, as I noticed he bought grain in from Russia of all places apparently.

Yes looks ok . Normally stick as close to coast but that would benefit them for definite

Fanciers who like to have a look at nearly everything in the pigeon world were well catered for around here Boddy and Ridewood had everthing, was friends with the owner, Bill, gave me a pigeon that won Borgies, over 500 miles, although he was more interested in Lerwick, himself lived 10 minutes from where I live.

Not been in for a while but told reduced many types items, unfortunately Bill died some time ago and his wife and son run the business.

Regards

MISTY wrote:

Fanciers who like to have a look at nearly everything in the pigeon world were well catered for around here Boddy and Ridewood had everthing, was friends with the owner, Bill, gave me a pigeon that won Borgies, over 500 miles, although he was more interested in Lerwick, himself lived 10 minutes from where I live.

Not been in for a while but told reduced many types items, unfortunately Bill died some time ago and his wife and son run the business.

Regards

Yes they usually have a stall at the shows, their wicker baskets were always the best on the market and you can tell it's an old school family business.

Tell you what used to amuse me barnie, if I just called in there were fanciers with hand carts of goodness knows what even in them days.

Know we all needed grit, minerals etc; but fanciers must have spent  thousands of pounds on things used at the same time could only be detrimental.

There is an article in the recent BHW where a top fancier says exactly what I said wouid happen 45 years ago has happened the immune system has been riuned and most fanciers, including him, would have problems.

Had been using widowhood etc; due to virus changed to natural and did just as well.

The fancier today has a far harder task than ever before, you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.

I would have no idea what was best in todays climate.

If you do not treat you win nothing and lose pigeons though illness, you treat and they become dependant on treatment.

If everyone stopped treating it would take years for the immune system to recover, think you have to do what suits you and just hope it works.

Anyway barnie will be interested in how things go for you, I may not agree with you sometimes but I am sure you as I do resent YES MEN, if we all agreed what point would there be in having  all YES MEN involved ?.

As said will be watching and good luck.

Regards.

Misty I think it doesn't matter how you decide to look after your birds, leave them alone to get a perceived immunity, or treat them to keep problems at bay, nothing will stop them getting certain diseases and viruses no matter what.

If your birds come in contact with pigeons carrying circovirus/herpes then yours will get it regardless of how you keep them, deep litter, farm corn, fresh air whatever. These viruses will decimate your loft regardless of your husbandry.

Same with Paramyxovirus, if yours aren't vaccinated and do come in contact with carriers then the likelihood is yours will suffer.

In the same way some of the healthiest people are catching Coronavirus, eating your 5 a day and shopping at Holland and Barretts won't guarantee anything. Nor will living rough and eating out of bins toughen you up and raise your immunity.

I started racing mid 70's and Auramycin and Terramycin antibiotics were being used then, quite possibly well before then who knows? Like you say it's a long term problem, along with other meds and potions I would guess. Fast forward 50 years and sadly pigeons have become a short term commitment in many lofts, gone and forgotten in 2 years with another family brought in to take their place, fed and looked after in a way however the owner decides. There has always been 2 main types of fanciers, those who kept pigeons as a hobby and sent to races, and those that raced pigeons with an aim to win each week. I liken it to managing a football team, money buys the best, kept a couple of seasons, get the best out them, moved on, buy a new player to take their place. How many players have a testimonial match these days? They've had 6 or 7 clubs by the time they get to 30 years old.

I don't think there's an answer, it is was it is, sign of the times perhaps, do what you think you need to do with your birds, at the end of the day it's your money.

Folks this may be of interest. Royal Toroto Museum. Study on Coronas viruses starting. Bit of background. They have samples preserved in achol and liquid nitrogen. 15.000 samples collected from the 140 plus bat species world wide.
Tissues etc,.
Bat crap is mined in some countries for fertilizer. Some bat caves hold over a million. 14 species of bats in North America. None carry the Corona virus.
OK. The Corona virus has a protien with a spike. When that is transmitted the spike penetrates the cells of the host and the virus grows.
Fear is NA bats get infected from humans disaster will happen. i
Now, the chief science guy in the ROM intends to analyse many of the samples.
Ones isolated further will be made to make a virus that is ready to go when the next/different virus hits. Virus negating effects of another deadlier one.
Pigeons immune sytem. Mine are immune to many health problems. However, if I see one or two looking sick I use Oxytet or some other antibiotic in the water. They can build up a good immune systen if antibiotics are used when needed. Not constantly. My thoughts any way. If it did not work would not do it.
i

All diseases have a cause barnie.

I started with pigeons in the late 1930s when only a kid.

There were none of the serious health problems of today, pigeons were winning into their teens, today yearlings win most races and are spent forces.

I have corresponded with several  continental fanciers for many years.

I was warned that the Belgium pigeons were not overall in the best of health and suffering health problems.

I wrote in the BHW that we would be  well advised to avoid importing their pigeons, and adopting their methods.

I was told that if every fancier did not treat their pigeons once a month with a new treatment, Bytril ( came out I believe the late 60s) they would have no pigeons left.

I also said that would not be the last problem with the health of our pigeons if we went continental and all adopted anti nature practices.

In 2014 parathyphoid came on the scene, diseases and health problems have a cause and these I can assure you will not be the last such that arrise, as did YBS.

As for the health of my own pigeons just ask Graham Critchley he is on Facebook and he will confirm I never had any health problems with my pigeons 
and he vacinated my pigeons every year.

If fanciers continue to adopt anti nature proceedures the problems we have now will be insignificant as to what will come.

The only way to have healthy pigeons is to keep as close to nature as possible.

I wrote an article in cage and aviary regarding keeping canaries, I bred them for 40 years never had any health problems by ignoring all that the experts said you had to do, never treated them looked up what the wild ones did, one bright spark wrote that I had just been lucky, another wrote later he wished he had been that lucky.

Keeping pigeons in clinical conditions, as I wrote 45 years ago is not good for the pigeons and a certain way in which to ruin their immune system.

The studs have been a major player in ruining the pigeons health.

Always interested in others opinions but what I predicted has has happened and not in retrospect.
#
Regards.

hal your a stock man and understand that at times livestock do need a bit of medication to help them through. Used not abused.

My belief is the only reason why many fanciers of +50 years ago didn't use all this stuff that's marketed now is simply because it wasn't available back then.

Wish that place was local

i'll be going one day next week but not for the belgian mixes, their own stuff does for me at £5 a bag cheaper for same corn, maybe not quite as shiny though

Forgot to say earlier barnie.

Had a cabinet full of pigeon stuff, everything under the sun, a friend died who had a shop and his wife gave me all the pigeon stuff.

Gave most away but kept a lot and would have used as you say if a problem arose.

The only thing I used was Old Hands  white pills for going light.

Never actually lost one to going light though.

Makes sense to treat if you have a problem but better if you can avoid having to do so.

Regards.

barnie wrote:

i'll be going one day next week but not for the belgian mixes, their own stuff does for me at £5 a bag cheaper for same corn, maybe not quite as shiny though

Don't be fooled there now etc Barnie with all the gloss & the glitter whatever grain you buy, just make sure you get the most important part of the deal no matter what as such as without a pigeon on the bag you could maybe find yourself in trouble somewhat looking down the track . & take care.

Maybe different way to look at matters barnie.

Could well be  that those who have no problems could be the culprits.

Their pigeons can deal with matters and show no signs of having it and pass it on to others via baskets whilst racing, most problems arrise I believe in the baskets one way or another.

Whilst shopping barnie look to see if they have a book on how to debate (not bake) pigeons and  stay alive.

Remember Mr Kirkland saying his preference for keeping pigeons was dry deep litter droppings.

Think there are too many ingrediants involved to come to a firm reasonable conclusion.

Keep your hand on your wallet.

Regards.