New Starters

[goose1]

Site seems to have been busier last couple of days, and now Mike and Anthony are on here, I wonder if they'd be willing to offer new starters or fanciers in general 5 tips for lads who are starting in the sport?

[PeteDerby]

Site seems to have been busier last couple of days, and now Mike and Anthony are on here, I wonder if they'd be willing to offer new starters or fanciers in general 5 tips for lads who are starting in the sport?

Yes please

[Winfort Lofts]

Absolutely here awaiting with the note book!

[Anthony webster]

5 tips
1, watch your birds closely and listen know noise know prizes.
2, don't try and work against the weather with birds
3,don't train novice baby's on hot days and east winds .
4,don't over feed ,food is poison .
5,don't be stubborn if birds are unwell see a vet and do what they say if it means antibiotics don't be scared be happy because you benefit massively ok .
Good luck lads.

[Anthony webster]

I keep things very simple I use to believe in draft free and at night my loft is but from sunrise to sunset there's aviarys now and nothing as changed,,here in the fens in winter we're below sea level so everything is damp absolutely everything you must do ya best each day to keep birds right but I think they adjust to the climate just like the unc birds beside the North Sea do ,
But you know Mike only top birds and amazing health get those unreal team performance results.

[goose1]

Brilliant advice from both lads. Top notch fellas

[Held2025]

Anyone else got any advice? Good to hear what others have to say especially the ones who have been at it for years, but always things to learn everyday is a school day. I’ve a book being delivered today the widowhood year so looking forward to reading that tonight.

[PeteDerby]

5 tips
1, watch your birds closely and listen know noise know prizes.
2, don't try and work against the weather with birds
3,don't train novice baby's on hot days and east winds .
4,don't over feed ,food is poison .
5,don't be stubborn if birds are unwell see a vet and do what they say if it means antibiotics don't be scared be happy because you benefit massively ok .
Good luck lads.

Thanks for the tips.

Point 3. Cost me this year. I figured ‘what the hell with an east wind, it’s got south in it and not cold’. So I took them and had a training smash from 20 miles, some took 48 hours to come back, I was 45 minutes behind the race leaders the following weekend having won the week before. How factual this point is I don’t know, but I raised the question with an accomplished flyer who dropped by my place to collect a stray so I’ll share it.

When I asked what the big deal is with south easterly winds, he drew his finger across the muck on his car bonnet and said “this Sahara desert sand”. He went on to give his thoughts on how it’s dense in the air on a south easterly and gets into a pigeon’s airways.

Makes sense when you think about it because I’ve noticed my car gets coated on south easterlies so who knows, but I won’t be training in the same conditions ever again.

[PeteDerby]

Good points Ant. I wish I could be as direct as you.

Point 1 :

If I was starting again 1st thought turns to THE LOFT
I've seen all sorts of great lofts in all shapes and sizes - but they all have "the basics" in place
They're bone dry, well ventilated and draught free
I'd always go for the biggest loft that I could afford and accommodate
Does this mean you keep more pigeons? No, not at all. If you overcrowd that's your problem not the loft
I could house 24 widowers in my loft but I rarely went above 16
Why? Cocks in the bottom boxes tend to see the loft floor as an extension of their box and they rule/bully the floor


Never overcrowd - You rule the pigeons don't let them rule you
I'd want aviaries as much as I could get
Pigeons that spend a lot of time in aviaries are always in good condition and have a much greater chance of not falling ill
Also they need to bathe and you have to respect the fear of BoP these days - in an aviary they are safer than outdoors


I'd want corridors.
There's always late birds to get in, and if its wet you don't want to walk wet feet into the Sections
Only 1 thing thrives on damp and that's slugs. Pigeons aren't slugs
I kept a separate pair of loft shoes in the loft
When I entered the loft my other shoes went off and these went on.
I'd want the loft facing West or South. I'd avoid North and East if at all possible - all to do with the warmth of the day hitting the loft


Back With No.2 later

Great pointers Mike. If you’re ever up Derby way I’d love to hear your views on the ventilation I’ve put in. My loft is between a river and a 1/2 acre pond so, like Anthony was saying, balancing ventilation with drafts and damp is a near constant adjustment for me. They spend most of their time in the aviaries come rain, wind and shine, but I can’t make up my mind whether I have good ventilation or a draft in the sections themselves?!

[Anthony webster]

5 tips
1, watch your birds closely and listen know noise know prizes.
2, don't try and work against the weather with birds
3,don't train novice baby's on hot days and east winds .
4,don't over feed ,food is poison .
5,don't be stubborn if birds are unwell see a vet and do what they say if it means antibiotics don't be scared be happy because you benefit massively ok .
Good luck lads.

Thanks for the tips.

Point 3. Cost me this year. I figured ‘what the hell with an east wind, it’s got south in it and not cold’. So I took them and had a training smash from 20 miles, some took 48 hours to come back, I was 45 minutes behind the race leaders the following weekend having won the week before. How factual this point is I don’t know, but I raised the question with an accomplished flyer who dropped by my place to collect a stray so I’ll share it.

When I asked what the big deal is with south easterly winds, he drew his finger across the muck on his car bonnet and said “this Sahara desert sand”. He went on to give his thoughts on how it’s dense in the air on a south easterly and gets into a pigeon’s airways.

Makes sense when you think about it because I’ve noticed my car gets coated on south easterlies so who knows, but I won’t be training in the same conditions ever again.

My thinking with hot east winds
Get a hair dryer blow the hot air in ya mouth for for 30 secs see how you fill then imagine a pigeon after 1,2,3 hours in same conditions,
As for ventilation pete I use the double roof system same as Greg bros ire and Ron Williamson
The loft as a wood ceiling with holes cut out in ceiling above is a corrugated roof with holes cut in the ridges above holes in ceiling then there is 2x2 across this roof with another set or corrugated roof sheets so no matter what way wind blows the roof is allways drawing air ,6 yrs iv used this roof and my ceilings and walls have hardly any bloom on them of pigeons and iv never washed walls in loft .