Re: Holding young ones back. A lot of older birds, if having never been flown will not ever fly. Believe me I have tried more than once. I have tried it with Fehrholts and Tuffies with zero success. They will just land in a tree and if you take them a mile away they will come home like a homer and sit in a tree. I rarely refly a breeder either but if trained to fly before breeding them they can be reflown with patience.
Re: Holding young ones back. Joe, I have kept young birds in that I got from a friend. I was going to breed from them,but wasn't 100% sure they were pure Fehrholz birds so I flew them later. Took a liitle longer,but they all went up after a while.Years ago I used to fly everything in my loft Young birds,old birds and breeders and they all went up,except a few.One way to find out for sure... Nick
--- Nick Grzywacz
grzywacznkl@aol.com
"I hope he doesn't catch that black mottle.....AWH $%*%!!!!"
Re: Holding young ones back. So far,been lucky as a flea in a doghouse and haven't lost any of the 3 YBs I'm training now,but they haven't been attacked either.
Hey Sippi,what colour are those Donek birds you have?
--- Kelly Waugh
Rum:30 Lofts
Gabriola Island,B.C.,
Canada.
Ed FORS Newsletter
islanddoves@telus.net
Re: Holding young ones back. A few years ago I settled and "flew" about a dozen old Husband Tuffies. They stuck to the roof of my house like glue. I even got up on the roof to make them fly and they still wouldn't do it. Only the young birds and one old hen would fly. Even the Coopers Hawks couldn't make them fly. When attacked, most of the kit would just fly to the other side of the roof. The Hawk would attack again and they would just fly back. When some did scatter the Hawk would give chase but after losing the Hawk, the bird would come right back to the roof when he left. The moral of the story is to train the flyers as young as possible and fly them regularly or you will be as frustrated as the Hawks who got no respect from the birds.
Member of the National Pigeon Association, Flying Oriental Roller Society, Horseman Pouter Club of North America, Voorburg Shield Cropper Club and the Tucson Pigeon Club
Nick
