young birds

im in the same boat as you two.....can be confusing

yes it is alex, this is why im trying to get as much opinion from our members about it, then i can decide which way to go with it...........

well having had birds befor and knowing what i know now for me to build a team will be go easy with the young and yearling on natural plenty of time to do other systems when i have a team but think about it 1 set back with y/b its a year over and same with yearlings

yes thats right birdy, i actually have 10 cocks and hens (2010) but have decided that 4 of the cocks i want to keep to breed from as i think if i loose them it will set me back a season or two as i dont have the parents of them and would like to base my family/team around them.

well you do what suits you mate but like you say you cant replace um once gone

rudderfett wrote:

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.

you lads do have it rough out there my heart goes out to you must be a nightmare

yes this is what im thinking too, the two fanciers who bred them for me said if i loose them they would breed me some more, but this isnt the point, they wouldnt be those pigeons would they........

the four have had two open races so even if i hold them back this season they could always race again steadyly next year if need be...........maybe/possibly ?

true darren i couldnt cope with that,

me neither

suppose like martyn says, you get hardened to it and grow to accept it................but i dont think i ever could as i love every one of them, ( not saying martyn doesnt....sos martyn)

but lets face it lads we are all gonna get a hit or two at some time and probably allready have but just not witnessed it theres so many raptors now its inevitable i fly north and the birds have to fly through cumbria which has one of the densest populations of perigines in europe might even turn south road next year see how it goes this season

No offence taken david I agree with you, but basically I hardly look at the youngsters with loving eyes anymore as I would pick a favourite loose it and get down, and thats the road to giving up, so I only start looking and liking after the racing is well under way, then If I fancy 1 its stopped. A bit unusual I know but it works for me and sentimentality is pushed a side until the end of the season.

i havnt actually raced in my club races yet, so dont know what sort of returns they have had..............i hear from time to time that some of them have been wiped out but why or how i dont know.

doesnt look like things are going to change with these hawks/bops etc so i think we will all have to adopt this way of thinking to survive if we want to contiue pigeon racing..........

At least we have all had a say in this matter

i dont think anyone wants to listen don, and the rspb know exactly whats going on ....all they do is create a smoke screen to protect the hawks/bops etc

Yes your right there mate