Gun Dog Forum

You said that birds flown somewhere else can be resettled. Folks seem to have different opinion's on that. When I got mine I though that once I got them on a nest, I could start flying them. Well folks on a pigeon site told me I would probably lose them, especially as the origional loft is only about 20 mi away. Now I'm thinking, seeing as I've got a good start, on trying letting them go. Would like them to come back but when I resettle ferals I don't get them all back either unless they are on nest's. What do you think? Would you fly them?

I guess all I'd really have to lose is a few birds I couldn't use anyway. But it would open me up to being able to seperate rooster's and hens without a new building. I'm sitting here talking myself into it!

Your thought process is exactly like mine. Look at the lesser of the problems and I would rather lose a bird at this stage as to build a new loft and I hate to keep captive birds. I had ten mated pairs I bought several years ago and finally turned them loose while feeding babies and I lost one. But I;m in the dilema again as I just got ten younger birds out of some of the elite birds in the country and as much as I don't want to keep them seperate I think I will till I get a years production out of them at least. In this case I hope at least they are worth more than building another loft. But in your case I think I wiould let them go ehn you think they have the most reason to come back.

I have sold birds that are 4 or 5 years old and people have been able to keep most of them after just s short time but on nests or feeding.

Ezzy

I got a 2 groups of older birds from Ezzy this summer at different times and a group of young birds just a little while ago and have only lost 2 from the older birds they were all sitting on nests or feeding young except for the 2 I lost they were a pair that left.

Thanks you guys. I'm gonna start flying them and see what happens. It was hard to believe they would be much different than my ferals.

I bought several kill birds this summer from a guy who raises racing pigeons and he told me they wouldnt home, prior to building my coop i just had them in a big wire cage in our horse barn. I use my birds about 1/2mile from my house and actually had several of them that I cought with a net standing on top of my wire cage at feeding time. they wouldnt hang around long, if I didn't get em cought pretty quick they would be gone but they came back and once I got my coop up they continue to home.

Jim

jimbo&rooster wrote:I bought several kill birds this summer from a guy who raises racing pigeons and he told me they wouldnt home, prior to building my coop i just had them in a big wire cage in our horse barn. I use my birds about 1/2mile from my house and actually had several of them that I cought with a net standing on top of my wire cage at feeding time. they wouldnt hang around long, if I didn't get em cought pretty quick they would be gone but they came back and once I got my coop up they continue to home.

Jim

Have no idea what he thought homers would do. Two things we breed for and No. 1 is homing ability and No.2 speed and endurance on the wing.

Ezzy

Don,
First off, yes I'm following you (though I've been here about a year). Second, I just moved about 25 miles down the road. I have successfully started flying all 6 birds I was flying at my old place. I let them setter 2-3 weeks, then started them with all the ybs I received from Scott. We will be moving to a mile toss soon. I guess we will see!

Thanks KI. You heard anything from Scott?I like the guy, he's a hoot!