That's an abundance of care, Tony. And good on you.
I remember about 30 years ago having a kit of youngsters and deciding to not to toss them because there were clouds over the hills. Now I just go, they'll be right, it's not going to rain too much.
This is an important point in your career. Once you have a bunch of young birds homed in and flying well, you can bring in other younger ones and they will fit straight in.
Getting these ones started is the important bit. You are doing well.
Tony-P- wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2026 7:51 am
Things went really well yesterday, I locked them in the aviary section while I cleaned out. they where all looking in the loft watching my every move.
Once cleaned and fresh water in, I got the corn & jug opened up the Aviary and shaking the corn and my whistle started calling them in putting some of the corn into the Trough. Still a bit stand off'ish the watched until One made the move and was in and down feeding that was the OK for the rest of them to come in.
all feeding as I whistled and shacking the corn, pouring the corn in bit by bit and stroking the birds as the fed some more confident than others until all the feed was in the trough, thought this was a good day and an improvement for the birds and me.
Same again later today before I start moving them on as I am going to build a wire run and basket the birds up putting them one end and getting them to come through the run to the trap / loft while calling them that'll be Monday I'll do this for the week before removing the wire run and see how the do then hopefully I will have my phone number rings on the birds by this time just in case the odd one fly's off
Tony not putting a downer on things but as many will tell you, you can have phone rings and not many get reported folks just don't seem to bother reporting very much these days, so don't let this hold you back, but good to see all going well for you
Sadies Lofts home of decent birds just a useless loft manager, and now a confirmed loser but proud
True that, Buster.
People don't bother to report pigeons so much anymore. It's the world we live in, very self centered.
Also when you do report them you can't rely on a response. I got one in today, he's been here a week, living on a power pole out the front. I've been throwing him a feed on the ground.
Today he was cold and wet and hungry and I opened the trap and he dived in. I reported him but he's a Melbourne pigeon and it will be too much effort and expense to get him back.
Lovely pigeon and after a couple of big snacks and a sleep he's as happy as anything. I've probably just got myself another pigeon.
Murray wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2026 9:07 am That's an abundance of care, Tony. And good on you.
I remember about 30 years ago having a kit of youngsters and deciding to not to toss them because there were clouds over the hills. Now I just go, they'll be right, it's not going to rain too much.
This is an important point in your career. Once you have a bunch of young birds homed in and flying well, you can bring in other younger ones and they will fit straight in.
Getting these ones started is the important bit. You are doing well.
Thank Murray i'm trying my best, I know there will be a few mistakes I'll cross that when I come to it but hopefully things will go well, thanks for the support mate
“Although I’m a Scot, I’d be proud to be called a Scouser.”
Tony-P- wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2026 7:51 am
Things went really well yesterday, I locked them in the aviary section while I cleaned out. they where all looking in the loft watching my every move.
Once cleaned and fresh water in, I got the corn & jug opened up the Aviary and shaking the corn and my whistle started calling them in putting some of the corn into the Trough. Still a bit stand off'ish the watched until One made the move and was in and down feeding that was the OK for the rest of them to come in.
all feeding as I whistled and shacking the corn, pouring the corn in bit by bit and stroking the birds as the fed some more confident than others until all the feed was in the trough, thought this was a good day and an improvement for the birds and me.
Same again later today before I start moving them on as I am going to build a wire run and basket the birds up putting them one end and getting them to come through the run to the trap / loft while calling them that'll be Monday I'll do this for the week before removing the wire run and see how the do then hopefully I will have my phone number rings on the birds by this time just in case the odd one fly's off
Tony not putting a downer on things but as many will tell you, you can have phone rings and not many get reported folks just don't seem to bother reporting very much these days, so don't let this hold you back, but good to see all going well for you
Hi Buster, totally understand that mate, but if I don't put them on the birds I'm not giving them a chance to get back so I would rather have them rings on to be truthful but thanks for the reply it all helps mate
“Although I’m a Scot, I’d be proud to be called a Scouser.”
Well done Tony, if you carry on the way you are, you won't need to worry about the phone rings.
It sounds like they are happy already and if that is the case, they will cotton on sooner than you think.
Diamond Dave wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2026 7:20 pm
Well done Tony, if you carry on the way you are, you won't need to worry about the phone rings.
It sounds like they are happy already and if that is the case, they will cotton on sooner than you think.
Thanks Dave hope your right mate as these are starting to really stretch their wings in the loft now
“Although I’m a Scot, I’d be proud to be called a Scouser.”
Just off the phone from the other Fancier who has bred me some late bred birds and all is arranged for pick up a week tomorrow so looking forward to getting these birds in. these will be younger than the birds I have now which is good for me as I will have more time with these to tame and train them while feeding them things are really moving forward now.
“Although I’m a Scot, I’d be proud to be called a Scouser.”
All going well by the sound of things. It’s getting the first few out that will be the really worrying time. When they first take off and there’s nothing you can do about it but hope. Once you have the first ones out the rest will be much easier as they’ll have others to follow.
I got 3 from my brother a couple of weeks ago, his 100 miles from me, they were a little bit older than I would have preferred and already fairly strong on the wing. I let them out the third day they were here and they all took off once out. But after a while they all came back in. But as I said I did have others of mine out at the same time.
Even after all these years it’s still a worry the first time even your own bred youngsters take to the sky but you also get to know that there is absolutely nothing you can do and it’s just up to them. Not very often will you get one that doesn’t return to the loft even if having a night out on neighbouring rooftops. If there up there having a good look around they are learning where they are. The ones that don’t return are usually those that take to the air a disappear into the distance without looking back.
That's an abundance of care, Tony. And good on you.
