UkPigeonRacing

Just as it happens, the weather has got a lot milder and the night time temperatures are warmer so I thought it was time to take the covers off the back vents. It's 27 degrees now at midday with is nice and we are expecting 31 on Thursday, so the warm weather is finally arriving.
It works well, with the air flowing in under the back wall, on a 37 degree day it's a lot cooler in there.
With a bit of thought we can deal with the weather a bit.

Blimey Murray, that looks a bit m9re than a vent it looks more like an aviary!
I have always been concerned about my ventilation and I would dearly love to do something similar but afraid I would have half the neighbours cats sitting there looking in at my birds as I live in the middle of an housing estate.

Yea it looks a bit like that.
I've had a busy day and we are off to town tomorrow, but I'll try to explain it when I get a minute.
If you are interested.
It's not a wee little opening to let a wee little bit of air in. When it's over 100F you need great volumes of air going through!

WE seem to be back to normal, I'll try putting a couple of pictures up to illustrate the vents under the nest boxes. As you can see the floor is open under the nest boxes.

When I took the covers off the vents after the winter I found the mousies had chewed through the fibreglass fly screen I had used when I rebuild the loft after we moved. I knew there was one getting in, but I couldn't figure out how.
So I ripped it all out, vacuumed it all clean and put new metal fly screen in, replaced the steel mesh over it and it's all nice. As you can see the air comes in from under the loft and is baffled a little by the fly screen. The air is constantly moving but you can hardly feel it. It's designed for our long hot summers, and works really well.

Always i have said, hot days of racing. Coconut water day before the race. The birds come home not looking for water like others, but this is inland racing.

Devo1956 wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2026 12:06 am Always i have said, hot days of racing. Coconut water day before the race. The birds come home not looking for water like others, but this is inland racing.

I'm not racing theses days, but if I was I'd certainly be trying it.

Murray wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2026 12:57 am

Devo1956 wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2026 12:06 am Always i have said, hot days of racing. Coconut water day before the race. The birds come home not looking for water like others, but this is inland racing.

I'm not racing theses days, but if I was I'd certainly be trying it.

It has to be water not milk.

Devo1956 wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2026 12:06 am Always i have said, hot days of racing. Coconut water day before the race. The birds come home not looking for water like others, but this is inland racing.

I'll bet if you give your birds a choice of both Coconut water and plain water they'd choose the plain water. So forcing them to drink something they wouldn't choose may actually inadvertently result in them drinking less water the day before racing?

king wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2026 1:12 am

Devo1956 wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2026 12:06 am Always i have said, hot days of racing. Coconut water day before the race. The birds come home not looking for water like others, but this is inland racing.

I'll bet if you give your birds a choice of both Coconut water and plain water they'd choose the plain water. So forcing them to drink something they wouldn't choose may actually inadvertently result in them drinking less water the day before racing?

Well first of all, i ask the question. Have you used coconut water in your drink before basket day for racing?