UkPigeonRacing

Murray wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 8:58 am

killer wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 12:32 am Open loft is best , but here I’d have no birds left ,to race ,

That's what I said the other week, killer.
Even by giving them a set period of about 2 hours a day, and a bit longer on weekends, they still get picked off.
I have lost nearly a quarter of what I bred, and the races are a long way off.
One here, one there, it adds up.

I feel for you guys, it must be heartbreaking for you. I do take a chance this time of year with racing only a few weeks away and babies in the nest, I generally lose 3 or 4 each year to the Sparrow hawk but she will be on her nest soon so that threat will be out of the way for a while thankfully I don't have Peregrines near me but the birds will need to run the gauntlet through the Peregrine's and Goss hawks on their way home from races.

The pigeons don't seem bothered that they only have set times outside, but that's all they have ever known.
As it is, they often stop what they are doing and run under the patio, or if they are flying will dive back into the loft and look worried for 5 minutes, then venture out again. Some blokes lock the pigeons out but I couldn't do that. They need an escape route from the hawks. That's why I leave the loft door open too. So they can dive in when chased.