Hi all. Had the YBs out 4 times now and, fingers crossed, so far so good. One thing that has struck in is some of the birds have been bombing around then landing in trees. I’m quite lucky in that I’ve got no buildings or houses near my loft, but there are a load of trees.
Is this common that the youngsters land in them? I wondered if the local wood pigeon and stock dove population that my birds watch all around them from their settling pen has given them the notion that it’s the done thing?
Second question, anyone know of a good tennis ball cannon!
PeteDerby wrote: Tue Apr 01, 2025 10:33 pm
Hi all. Had the YBs out 4 times now and, fingers crossed, so far so good. One thing that has struck in is some of the birds have been bombing around then landing in trees. I’m quite lucky in that I’ve got no buildings or houses near my loft, but there are a load of trees.
Is this common that the youngsters land in them? I wondered if the local wood pigeon and stock dove population that my birds watch all around them from their settling pen has given them the notion that it’s the done thing?
Second question, anyone know of a good tennis ball cannon!
You don’t want that Pete be a disaster over time
Are they trees in your garden ?
Seen tin cans on string put in trees
Or a long pole or fishing rod with bags on the end
You need to break it now mate any that don’t learn that’s not allowed you don’t want as others will follow
My ybs get 10 to 14 days to play about once there big enough to fly then no playing or sat on the loft sky or in
They’re massive trees Neil, hence the tennis ball cannon. I used to use a catapult with crab apples when I was a kid to keep them off house roofs. I’ll keep discouraging it, but my arm isn’t as good as it used to be so throwing that high isn’t really an option!
PeteDerby wrote: Tue Apr 01, 2025 10:33 pm
Hi all. Had the YBs out 4 times now and, fingers crossed, so far so good. One thing that has struck in is some of the birds have been bombing around then landing in trees. I’m quite lucky in that I’ve got no buildings or houses near my loft, but there are a load of trees.
Is this common that the youngsters land in them? I wondered if the local wood pigeon and stock dove population that my birds watch all around them from their settling pen has given them the notion that it’s the done thing?
Second question, anyone know of a good tennis ball cannon!
Are you taking about ybs not packing yet? If so they will probably stop once they are packing. Mine used to drop on the surrounding houses when first going out, sometimes just landing then striking off again. The odd one used to sit a bit longer. Within a week they stopped doing it as they got stronger. Once packing they never did it.
NeilA wrote: Wed Apr 02, 2025 11:20 am
Pete
If you feed handful to 6 or 7 morning and ounce at night but include 40/50 percent barley
They should fly well in the morning and trap well to your call as Murray says
Are you feeding a bit heavy or lots of peas in your mix as that will stop them wanting to get up and fly
Depurative once a day - 15 mins then taken away. 90% of them trap on the whistle - the 10% are proving a little tricky.
I like the thought of splitting the feed. Giving them less time on the hopper then returning later. I think feed is the key I haven’t quite got right yet.
PeteDerby wrote: Tue Apr 01, 2025 10:33 pm
Hi all. Had the YBs out 4 times now and, fingers crossed, so far so good. One thing that has struck in is some of the birds have been bombing around then landing in trees. I’m quite lucky in that I’ve got no buildings or houses near my loft, but there are a load of trees.
Is this common that the youngsters land in them? I wondered if the local wood pigeon and stock dove population that my birds watch all around them from their settling pen has given them the notion that it’s the done thing?
Second question, anyone know of a good tennis ball cannon!
Are you taking about ybs not packing yet? If so they will probably stop once they are packing. Mine used to drop on the surrounding houses when first going out, sometimes just landing then striking off again. The odd one used to sit a bit longer. Within a week they stopped doing it as they got stronger. Once packing they never did it.
Deffo not packing king. Doing that going bonkers thing mostly and all over the shop!
Murray wrote: Thu Apr 03, 2025 10:05 pm
I sent many away but I have a small team of 12 that are really pleasing me. I can fly with the Bendigo Invitation Club, although i'm so far out it would be more for fun than anything. And to test the birds a bit and see if they are as good as I might hope they are.
Go for it Murray, will be an added interest as well for you
Sadies Lofts home of decent birds just a useless loft manager, and now a confirmed loser but proud
Just back from a week away and the birds haven’t been out. Let a section out, same old thing - fly around, land in the trees. Not all of them, just some regular culprits teaching the others bad habits - almost landing on the trap, hovering around then up they’ll go into a tree and others follow. It’s like they’re taking the piss.
The more I’ve watched them the more I think it’s a case of them observing the stock doves that live in the trees around me and taking that as the norm. The food rationing hasn’t worked yet in terms of getting them to just land on the loft. They’ve not had a lot of loft flying as not long after my first post on this thread I got YB sickness that kept them in a while, then off away with the family for a week. Point being they’re not kitting up yet and a firm flying out routine is yet to be established. I’ll keep at it a while longer yet but honestly I feel like getting my gun out and shooting them out of the trees and the population as I’m thinking I’m just delaying the inevitable return from a race, straight into a tree to roost!
Murray wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 1:07 am
It's frustrating Pete.
I had the same problem this year. In Bendigo I would leave the babies with the parents and they would copy them. So they were taught to fly and come in on the call.
Here they went out on their own, and there are trees in our back garden. So they landed in them. I've solved part of that by cutting half the trees down and another couple are marked to come down.
But mainly, they've grown up, are flying an hour before breakfast, and are pretty good now. Some of the younger ones still do it, but after they miss their breakfast a couple of times, they cut it out.
There's still two trees in front of the loft which makes flying onto the board a bit tricky, so they are coming out.
But mainly, you just have to be patient, get them flying well in a kit and getting an appetite. Feed them just enough, not starving not not a pea too many. They will stop it if you persist.
Thanks Murray. Glad it’s not just me. My loft is in open countryside at the edge of a village and there’s at least 50 very mature trees they can choose from within 200m of the loft so hacking them down isn’t going to be an option
NeilA wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 1:12 pm
How much are you feeding Pete now is it nice and light ?
The older ones are getting an ounce a day, the babies all they want for 15 mins then trough taken away. Once training starts I’m planning going depurative mix, right now it’s champion mix 90% plus some safflower. They trap pretty well on the whole, so my biggest concern is the landing in trees.
and another couple are marked to come down.
