Had stray in.

[Andy]

Yesterday I had a stray hen turn up. My birds were on open loft and I noticed this blue w/f among them. She just seemed interested in pairing up. She came in the loft yesterday evening. She looks like a latebred. She has no phone ring or wing stamp and wasn’t rubbered or carrying an ETS ring so I don’t think she was being raced. Tonight she has already paired up to the cock that was paired to Pete’s Muzzabella.

[Trev]

It certainly doesn't take them long to make themselves at home, could be one somebody has tried to break or maybe lost training. The one I got in last week hasn't made any effort to head for home so I will have to report her through tye RPRA, she has got an ETS ring on but no phone number.

[Murray]

You must have a different system over there.
Here every club or fed has a ring secretary whose phone number is on the life ring. Strays are reported to that number, the secretary contacts the owner.

[Andy]

You must have a different system over there.
Here every club or fed has a ring secretary whose phone number is on the life ring. Strays are reported to that number, the secretary contacts the owner.

Our union rules state that all birds trained or raced must carry either a wing stamp on three flights or a phone ring. It is up to the people marking the birds that are being entered to make sure they carry either. But it is really surprising how many birds that come in with neither. You can report them through the RPRA and the owners have 14 days to respond. In theory these members could be suspended but the question of whether they are marked is never asked.

[Trev]

You must have a different system over there.
Here every club or fed has a ring secretary whose phone number is on the life ring. Strays are reported to that number, the secretary contacts the owner.

Sounds like a very good idea Muzza unfortunately over hear the life ring only has the birds unique number on it which is registered to the fancier, it is then down to each member to ensure that any bird sent to a race either has a contact number on it either by a wing stamp, an address ring or a phone sticker attached to the ETS ring but sadly this is far too often ignored or overlooked. The birds should be being checked at the marking stations and any bird without a phone number on it should not be put in a basket but again in reality this doesn't happen.

[Andy]

I think one of the problems is that most people either don’t want or can’t afford to get pigeons back. At £55 courier each time it can be very expensive.