Missing from yesterday

[CHARLTON34]

Do you know if any other race people lost many birds on the day

Hello Tony, I think on the whole yes returns ok I haven't heard anything different that it was a bad trainer.

[Tony-P-]

o right, not good for you mate
have you got phone rings on your birds someone may contact you over the missing birds

[Albert]

I don't have that information sorry Albert, I haven't spoken to Clive who runs the trainer's on a Wednesday.
From my point of view wether they got hit on route back or just after liberation to me they haven't put the effort in to get back.
How I look at it is stand up & be counted or take the easy option which is stand down & they chose the later. I've not had any reported or seen a feather since & I don't think that's going to change my thinking .

Dave had these birds much experience ?, as I had the same kind of race a few years ago when I entered 19 inexperienced birds into a short race, with only 4 trainers under their belt, my first bird was over 6 hours, and by ten hours I only had three, I had 4 drop together at the 11 hour mark, and had 2 next day and only got 14 in total. What happens here is, inexperienced birds get dragged, all over the fed, and if they get a strike they are in an even worse position.

Hello Albert, mostly yearlings & a couple of 2 year old hens.
They didn't get raced last year but was trained out to around 18 mls, this year they've gone a different route out to about 16 mls so yes seems similar to you. I only sent 7 pigeons on the trainer a small amount but most of the members are all in a small local area so a large proportion of the total pigeons 515 on the day were coming back this way. As I've said many times I'm only a small back garden fancier & in comparison with other fancier's that half my ob team gone. They were liberated at 7 am my only pigeon arrived at 19.30.

Dave I don't know how long you have been in this game, but I have been in it a long time, and one thing I have learned, is when you fly a small or moderate team, you have to train and race them as young birds, Y/Bs should have a lot of training even if it's only to 20/25mls, and then into first race and at least 4 races on the trot, full fed programme if possible, with at least 1 trainer in between races, tues/wed, and anything that falls by the wayside don't worry about them, you have done your bit. There is members in my area, who don't race Y/Bs, but their losses as yearlings are horrendous, but they keep very large teams.

[CHARLTON34]

Albert I think that's the only explanation, they were trained last year but I stopped them as I was getting hit by the peregrine every time I took them training so I stopped & they didn't get raced.
So maybe a lesson learnt to just keep going whatever the outcome is, I've payed the price again a painful mistake on my part.

[Diamond Dave]

Gutted for you Dave. I know you was looking forward to this season starting and that's the last thing you need.
Has it left you enough birds to play with for the rest of the season.... Do you have enough young birds?

[CHARLTON34]

Afternoon Dave, I had 20 obs at the start probably down to single figure's at the moment.
This is my fault, a lesson learnt I should of carried on training them last year but as I previously said the peregrine kept on hitting them wherever I took them & it was doing my head in, nobody likes to see there hard work ripped apart & slaughtered.
My ybs are ok the 1st round are just bunching up the 2nd round most are away with just a few to go then that's it for me I've done the 1st day trap training & they've gone in of there own accord.
Just got to push them on I'm not making the same mistake as last year they'll go whatever not going to hold them back Dave.
If I get hit then I'll just keep going, if I end up with a few well trained ybs & I actually get them racing that's got to be an improvement.

[Diamond Dave]

I know what you mean Dave almost every time mine go training they are affected by Percy but all have been lucky and escaped with minor injuries.
Something Ant said in a recent post about "used to be 1 in 9 chucks where they got hit but now it's about 1 in 5 but that's the way it is now" and we gotta accept that.

I don't know if the birds we are breeding are different in some way but I have 2 that have been lucky and got away and made it home with minor lacerations but they are quite eager and even keen to get out flying again after a couple of days

[Tony-P-]

Hope the birds come good for you and you have a good season then you wont get to down hearted good luck

[CHARLTON34]

o right, not good for you mate
have you got phone rings on your birds someone may contact you over the missing birds

To be onest I started in 2006 & I can say that even with phone rings on I would think that probably only 12 phone calls in all that time, so you read into that what you want.
All I'll say is once they go off the radar your very lucky if you get them reported.

[Tony-P-]

o right, not good for you mate
have you got phone rings on your birds someone may contact you over the missing birds

To be onest I started in 2006 & I can say that even with phone rings on I would think that probably only 12 phone calls in all that time, so you read into that what you want.
All I'll say is once they go off the radar your very lucky if you get them reported.

That's not good you would think people would contact the flyer asap