Basket training ybs ?

when i wean my ybs i put the basket in with them so they can huddle up together for safety and so they will get used to it and also learn to drink from troughs......

any thoughts anyone please ?

yes david do the same leave them in a paniar over night in loft with drinkers on so they can get used to them ,

How many birds per basket ?

dark_chequer wrote:

How many birds per basket ?

25 per pniar amanda

befor i train i need a bigger basket than one i have
i have one that hold 6 birds and then i have a big club basket wich i might use for training ...

David, for many years I have always believed that one reason we get so many losses, or atleast a factor in it sometimes, is youngsters not drinking especially if there is a hold over. I have tried different ways each year, but Im not always sure which method is best. I think leaving a spare basket i the loft corner somewhere is a very good idea, that way they are never afraid in it, as they can go in and out them selves. I think that for them to realy et acustomed and all drink properly maybe they should spend several days in the basket maybe a week. Just a thought

However this year as Im going to have 2 seperate youngbird lofts in different locations in the garden I wil be trying this in one... Firstly I have had made an aluminium side replicating the side of our race crates, its been laser cut and is exactly the same, so I will be fitting it into the inside of the loft so the youngsters have to drink by putting thier heads through into the outer coradoor just like in the transporter. I even have a little light on just like the inside of the transporter. Lets hope it works out ok. What do you think

rudderfett wrote:

David, for many years I have always believed that one reason we get so many losses, or atleast a factor in it sometimes, is youngsters not drinking especially if there is a hold over. I have tried different ways each year, but Im not always sure which method is best. I think leaving a spare basket i the loft corner somewhere is a very good idea, that way they are never afraid in it, as they can go in and out them selves. I think that for them to realy et acustomed and all drink properly maybe they should spend several days in the basket maybe a week. Just a thought

However this year as Im going to have 2 seperate youngbird lofts in different locations in the garden I wil be trying this in one... Firstly I have had made an aluminium side replicating the side of our race crates, its been laser cut and is exactly the same, so I will be fitting it into the inside of the loft so the youngsters have to drink by putting thier heads through into the outer coradoor just like in the transporter. I even have a little light on just like the inside of the transporter. Lets hope it works out ok. What do you think

brilliant idea mate

never done that before,heard of it but i have a old basket to try it so i,m on the look out

do you mean you havent got an old basket ray

hi martyn,i think your right in what you say re birds not getting a drink.......ive been told by quite a few fanciers about this problem, as you say....the only way we can minimise this is to do our best to learn them to drink in the basket/pannier, and also to try make sure they manage to get a good drink on the day of basketing as late as possible in the day.......

great idea re the replica pannier by the way......

yes david thats what i use a club pannier what they go to race in so they get used to it and also drink in pannier as this is a must during holdovers

wonder if a lot of fanciers get birds coming home with muddy feet etc, indicating they have been down for a drink........have members had this happen alot....? wonder how long the birds has stayed down or if it has flown back on its way fairly quickly.....?

yes david especially on hard days

I remember years ago in the 80,s I had a bird home with very mudy feet, and even its breast feathers were muddy, I clocked it won the club and was 1n the top ten in the section. I wonder what it would have done had it not gone down, It shows that probably all the birds racing home that day had also gone down ..I supose the winner was just the first bird up again and off. very interesting?

yes martyn, something to think about isnt it.....? who knows what they go through on the way home.

yes racing pigeons is all about the ifs and butts like a lot of things all you can do is teach them how to home and drink in the paniar but as from this apart from feeding right and getting them in race condition is out of our hands ,