young birds

how many young birds are people having

Well I might go for a record this year gareth If I can get the new loft up, being that I have 200 rings...

ha ha you will need a artic lorry to train them mate wont be long be racing then mater cant wait

200 rings, your joking martyn...............

ive got 40 but some are to go to other fanciers so i`ll be happy to have about 25 - 30 but as usuall it doesnt always work out that way.

im going to have 60 couple for stock gota breed more were im from get smashed every year.id love to be able to have 40 to race just cant copeat

I am joking David but only just, Not kidding you and gareth can back me up, dont care how good a fancier you are down here in wales with 30 pigeons you wouldnt get 30 miles training and you would be wiped out. Once you get the birds to the first race its different as on race days its safety in numbers, but getting through the first 30 miles training is murder. I bred 85 last year and ended up with 15, and I had nearly 100 % returns from racing, I only lost about 12 racing in total up to 265 miles.

i agree martain mate lets hope we get a break this year mate as we could do with it.she was about my place today good job i had nothing ou lol.mine are to fat to fly now

unbeleivable martyn, ive heard about this before and it must be devistating........no wonder some are packing in with this to contend with.

They say your animals turn out like the owners...

Yes david its a bit soul destrying on times, but Im really hardened to it now and sort of agree with Ian on the topic of the hawks, I came into the sport knowing what it was like and I just get on with it now. I breed half for me and half for the perigrines and thats the way it is.

thats it and only the best will come through i find weather its 10 or just 1 its nevea going to get better

i could never think like that martyn, it shouldnt be happening simple as that...........and how many top birds have been took by hawks, plenty by what ive read/heard.

Yes you are right there david, old birds down here usually dont last more than 3 years on the road before there luck runs out, there are a few older but not many, gareth has a good story about his white hen last year...on her way home taken by a falcon and reported in a school dead.

i dont know how you cope and keep focused martyn, it would devastate me...........i dont think i could keep on with them.

24 to 30 max only got 9 pairs but luckily the hawk problem is not to bad and last year only bred 10 and lost 2 off loft they were trained well and had 1 race at 80 miles i had the first bird home in my basketing station and 4th and was 19th open the bugger took 5 mins to come in lol but could not race after that due to a injury to the wife so dont realy know what the birds are made of

im in the same boat darren, mine only had two 56 mile open races plus quite a few 35 trainers so they are very inexperienced to go as old birds..........

will you be putting your 2010 cocks on widowhood with them only having this one 80 miler...?

DAVID wrote:

im in the same boat darren, mine only had two 56 mile open races plus quite a few 35 trainers so they are very inexperienced to go as old birds..........

will you be putting your 2010 cocks on widowhood with them only having this one 80 miler...?

yes i am going to give it a go david luckily the 8 left are 4 cocks and 4 hens they are paired just today will have a round then seperate again but am trying to build a team so will just let them have 4 races ,thats if they get that far lol

yes me too darren,not going to hammer then as i want to build a team over the next few seasons........i did get told to race them on natural for the first 4 or 5 races because they have no experience and that if i had them on widowhood i would loose them

im not sure and dont know what to do for the best........

DAVID wrote:

yes me too darren,not going to hammer then as i want to build a team over the next few seasons........i did get told to race them on natural for the first 4 or 5 races because they have no experience and that if i had them on widowhood i would loose them

im not sure and dont know what to do for the best........

maybe i shouldnt then mate only been keeping them for 15 months so its a job to know what to do for the best

well dont go on what i say but this is what a good fancier told me a few weeks ago, he said their heads are full of sex but their experience is none and they will just go mental and get lost..............he said to send them natural for approx 4 or 5 races and then see how they are doing and if ok then put them onto widowhood.

some of our members agreed with this advise but others didnt so im stuck at the moment on what to do, hope i can decide before the time comes.........

also one thing is i could race hens if on natural as well as the cocks....

thats a bit of good advice david only way to build a team is go easy no need to compete every race mate

yes, thanks birdy......so would you agree that it might be best to race them natural for maybe the first 4 or 5 races and then decide how they are doing as to putting them on widowhood ?

my full old bird team only comprises of 6 2010 birds and their hens.

thanks for that info david it might be best for me also to race the hens on natural then go on the widow next year with them it would be easier i dont exspect anything from them anyway just want them to get exsperience but you never know sometimes they can suprise you if they are in a certain nest position

well thats what i would do and will do once i get started again but thats only my opinion
but i to will need a team and wont push young birds or yearling for the sake of a few races the set back if lost is almost 2 years waisted

yes, with us just trying to build a team it sounds good advise what he told me.........the only downside is that naturals will have to be trained all the time they are racing where as when ive raced widowhood before we stopped training when racing had started, unless on the odd ocasion we thought they needed it.