Reducing Numbers....

after a lot of thought, ive decided I need to reduce numbers of birds I keep, as most will know, I bought some Caudwell van reets a couple of years ago, but thinking about it I bought a few too many as I already had some pretty decent janssens, which had raced well over the years and had bred some decent birds for other fanciers.........so seeing ive probably got a lot more janssens than I`ll ever need, ive decided to let some of them go, so if any member would like to give a pair or two a go, to breed off next season either post up here or message me.

the janssens are hofken based originally, bought at auction in 1986, with a few introductions along the way.....they are still taking some decent/acceptable positions in the mnfc.

the birds are heavily in the moult, that's why im letting them go now, otherwise I wont want to once they have their new feathers and looking nice

great offer david I know these are holding their own in the mnfc

yes Darren ybs are just privately trained, not raced in a club.........then jumped into the two mnfc yb races over the channel , and done good.

Ive had a pair of these jansenns of David one the hen raced very well in club and fed and are well worth giving a try the hen also bred me prize winners
Ken

Great offer David come on lads fill your boots

friendsloft wrote:

Ive had a pair of these jansenns of David one the hen raced very well in club and fed and are well worth giving a try the hen also bred me prize winners
Ken

thanks for the info ken, good to see you on the forum, hows racing being going for you ....?

Don Webb wrote:

Great offer David come on lads fill your boots

don, you watching boxing tonight ...?

No mate wont pay to watch boxing, should be free to watch

Dont ask ive never known a season like it couldent wait for it to finish never lost so many birds bred 36 younguns finished with 6 lost 12 old birds on channel but im not the only one this year
Ken

Don Webb wrote:

No mate wont pay to watch boxing, should be free to watch

no me neither don, but hope to get it on the apple tv for free.........

Hope you do mate, problem for me Im not computer minded with all the live streams everyone talks about

Live Streams to me are what you fish

friendsloft wrote:

Dont ask ive never known a season like it couldent wait for it to finish never lost so many birds bred 36 younguns finished with 6 lost 12 old birds on channel but im not the only one this year
Ken

seems everyone was the same ken, all ive heard and read is fanciers having bad races and big losses.......surely it cant be all down to bops/hawks etc, I`m thinking clashes have been a major factor in losses, I could be wrong but I`m thinking it is.

Don Webb wrote:

Hope you do mate, problem for me Im not computer minded with all the live streams everyone talks about

Live Streams to me are what you fish

I`m sure you`d get the hang of it don, its only like using the remote on the tv

David wrote:

Don Webb wrote:

Hope you do mate, problem for me Im not computer minded with all the live streams everyone talks about

Live Streams to me are what you fish

 I`m sure you`d get the hang of it don, its only like using the remote on the tv

Trust me David i'm completely crap at technology mate

who do you thinks gona win don, I hope ggg wins........

David this is just my thoughts on losses my veiw is there as been something in the atmosphere effecting the homing ability every man women boyand girl has a mobile phone just think of all the radio waves in the air at any given time yes there as always been losses but not on this scale
Ken

and the losses seem to be getting heavier every year I think ken.......

Think it will be GGG as Canelo has put on loads of muscule and it may slow him down

But either way its going to be a great fight

friendsloft wrote:

David this is just my thoughts on losses my veiw is there as been something in the atmosphere effecting the homing ability every man women boyand girl has a mobile phone just think of all the radio waves in the air at any given time yes there as always been losses but not on this scale
Ken

I tend to agree some what Ken in some ways. Atmosphere filled with junk & it's going every which way type of thing .

The only problem with all the theories for losses relative to atmospheric interferences is that it would affect every animal that depends on then staying constant.

There is no evidence that any other animal is being affected to the extent fanciers pigeons are being affected.

Then the fact is that if just one can return why cannot all the others?.

Of course the weather will affect racing pigeons because they are totally dependent on the fancier for their treatment when wild animals know themselves how to adapt to changes.

There are several real causes for losses, Raptors. to what extent is pure guess work, poor quality unhealthy pigeons fed numerous medication of one kind or another, too many bred from paper pedigrees and others sold based on one or two good pigeons in a loft, the ruination of the overall health by using unnatural means of interfering with the natural functions of the pigeons life cycle, for short term gain with no thought for the future, transportation, dehydration being in my opinion one of the main causes, upsetting the pigeons digestive system by using numerous different products etc;.

If fanciers looked more inwards and attempted to identify what they were doing wrong then matters may imrove.

The fact is also that not all faciers lose most of their pigeons, why notlook into why?.

Regards.

We have birds flocking here to go South. Swallows left weeks ago. Hummingbirds just recently. Butterflies are gathering for their trip to Mexico. They seem to do it every year, huricanes, sattelites or super sonic traffic. I lose very few pigeons. Compared to others in the Fed. They ship full allowance. 60 one week different 60 another week. No limits on old bird shipping simply because there are too few to fill the Fed trailer. Young here not flown will be trained to 40 miles often regardless (within reason) of weather. Weak will perish. Lights turned off, heavy moult now. So will wait a week. No young bird flying next year. Open loft much as possible. Raptors on the move also. Usually not too many around here. My birds watch the Feral pigeons avoid them. Winter at 40 C below. Summer (as today) at 35 C plus.
Depends situation for many the number to keep. Usally more is better. Some big shippers do have excellent birds, old and young. But each to their own.

Hal,
I think the nearer you keep to nature the less problems.

It is indisputable that the vast majority of pigeons bred will not come up to the fanciers expectations or desires.

We all know that the percentage of real good birds from any loft is very small, so one would think that all things taken into account the more you breed the more good ones you will have.

The only problem you cannot give the attention needed to a large number as individuals as you can a lesser number and I feel to get the best out of what you have you have to consider each as an individual in particular if you use the natural system.

One of the reasons for losses is fanciers sending large numbers in hope rather than expectation and no doubt lose many realy good pigeons through lack of individual attention.


Funny old game.


Regards.

Yes true. Now this my wife and I witnessed this morning. From the kitchen window. Hundereds of birds (black ones, Robin size) Sitting on two electical wires crossing the feild to the back barns.
Sudden scatter and down then immediately upwards. Hawk after them. They circled getting higher and higher. Hawk did the same but could not gain. Pigeons do the same manouvere. First time I have seen what happened next! The birds en mass dived down at the hawk!! The hawk tried to out run them but the smaller birds were on it pecking it!! Safety in numbers? Then they were out of site towards the Lake.
Oh yes. Missed a pic. Feral blue check white flight in loft with young ones this morning. Quite a while since I had one in.

You are so lucky Hal to have so many different small bird populations.

We now find sparrow hawks taking what small birds are left from back garden feeding tables.

Once I could count maybe 15 to 20 different species now it is down to wood pigeons, doves and house sparrows with the occasional visit of the t**s and the odd robin, this year we have had too many starlings that empty all the food containers within minutes and I do not think the raptors would be interested in killing them.

It must have been a nice experience to observe the antics of the small birds, I feel there is much in nature we have still not learned.

Regards.



.

spoke with Darren on the phone yesterday, was telling him I rarely see a sparrow hawk, every once in a while maybe.........let my birds out this morning and what did I see, a sparrow hawk

should have kept me mouth shut


p.s. last time I saw one was about a month ago, it swooped down at the Mrs's slippers while she was sat in the garden, it must have thought they were some sort of small fury animal ........