Huey
1 post
Jul 27, 2006
6:46 AM
|
I am new to Rollers. I have read every post on this site. 90% were a great help. I had six rollers 15 years ago. From this site I know why they did't fly.
I now have 8 6/7 week olds. I learned how to teach these to trap, how to build a kit box, individual breding pens, how to feed, what to feed, and have a fair idea of what to expect from young pigeons learning to fly.
Thanks, ya'll been a great help.
I have a power line going across the top of my Kit box. These 8 pigeons have spent time on top of the box, they know how to trap. They will land all over me waiting to get in if they are hungry.
They are 7 weeks old. Have been flying for a week. Each time they come in they land on the power line. Depending on how hungry from a minute two twenty minutes.
Is landing on the powerline then droping down to the kit box a bad thing.
Is scaring them off the powerline just a lesson in futility?
Huey Conn
Lufkin Texas
Work in Communications
Spent 40 of the last 53 years training something
Mostly train horse nowdays
|
Spud
20 posts
Jul 27, 2006
7:15 AM
|
Hi Huey, welcome aboard, you and I have similar experience as I'm just getting going again with Rollers. My take on the power line is that you could use it to your advantage like a landing pole (as long as they are safe from shock!) If you read Graham Dexters book "Winners with Spinners" and see how the English use a landing pole you will see what I mean. Good luck and keep reachin for the Sky!
|
GREED FOR SPEED LOFT
114 posts
Jul 27, 2006
7:40 AM
|
Huey, it sounds like your doing good. The wire's, what are you going to about it(nothing) , you''ll have to work with them but try to get them off them as early as you can. Your previous writer was right it will be a landing pole for them,it will save them from bumping one day. As i wrote at the beginnig it sounds like your doing great.
R-LUNA
|
siddiqir
249 posts
Jul 27, 2006
7:58 AM
|
Huey, I do not see any issue with it as long as they get back to kitbox roof within 3-5 minutes and trap in. It is easier for them to land there and that is the only reason they are there. Do not worry to much about it. One thing if you see they land there and stay there for more then 5 minutes and ignore your call then they are getting overfed. Start cutting the feed slowly until they response with in 3-5 minutes.
|
Huey
2 posts
Jul 27, 2006
8:12 AM
|
Frustration naturally occurs when expectations are not met.
I was expecting them to not land on the wire. I will change my expectations and be happy. I will put up the 75 tennis balls and the slang shot I built.
I ordered two books from Tony. Didn't see 'Winners and Spinners'.
Thanks
|
J_Star
545 posts
Jul 27, 2006
12:36 PM
|
Welcome to the site Huey and hope you will enjoy it. Remember to read the posting policy and adhere to the posting rules. It is a great site and we are glad to have you and hope you will enjoy your new hobby.
If you require any assistance or help in any aspect of the roller hobby, I am sure allot of us here will be more than willing to help. Welcome aboard.
I have power lines above my kitboxes and breeder pen and sometimes and depends on the noise in the hood, some of the birds land on them while the others land on the top of the kitbox. I don't like it when some of the birds land on the wires due to the fact that rollers are habitual creatures and monkey see monkey do type of behavior. I don't want the others to follow the few. So, I use the water hose utilizing a jet nozel and spray the ones that land on the wire causing them to fly off and eventually land with the others on top of the kitbox. When I realize that they are persestant and don't respond to my call, then the feed will be cut down pretty heavily and work up from there. Sometimes you will find that one that no matter what still not responding to your call. That one will go without food tell the next feeding and usually they don't do it again for a long time.
Jay
|
Velo99
564 posts
Jul 27, 2006
3:07 PM
|
Welcome Huey.
I too am a Texan. My brother (a non roller guy) lives in Lufkin. Cut the feed a bit for a few days and they should bypass the wire in favor of the landing board.Squeaks do a lot of wierd shit so be patient.
welcome again.
----------
If they don`t kit,they don`t score.
Color don`t roll and peds don`t fly.
It`s a comp thing,understand?
V99
|
Huey
3 posts
Jul 28, 2006
7:10 AM
|
I cut the feed, to much I think, I have a "you don't work you don't eat attitude. I cut them to one table spoon morning and night if they sit on the wire over one minute.
Yesterday evening they wouldn't fly, when up to the wire for about five minutes. I tried to flag them off, they would just lift up and set back down.
But they have never paid attention to my whistle before. When I whistled they came to me. So I fed them. They were hanging all over me, they were hungry.
They wouldn't fly this morning either. Went up to the wire until I whistled then came straight to me. I feed them 8 table spoons last night and 8 this morning. I will see if they fly this evening.
I have two older birds with them that have been flying good until I reduced the feed to low. Well not good, they only roll a couple times in 20 minutes. I may not have gotten the best birds around.
|
Spud
21 posts
Jul 28, 2006
8:05 AM
|
That sounds like plenty of chow to me. Try the water hose on em and see if you can't get them up. You may need to box them up and release then a bit farther from the wire and see if they won't keep on flying.
Spud
|
siddiqir
251 posts
Jul 28, 2006
9:44 AM
|
Huey,
Careful when use water hose. Water is considered as very good conductor and you may get shock if the circuit get completed some how as you standing on the ground.
Well, getting them off the wire especially when the youngsters are in habit of sitting there would be lot difficult. If you try to work with feed (cut to low) to get them land directly on kit box then they may not fly...as they are very hungry...5 minutes of low fly is all they will do. Some time facing kitbox to different direction works. They usually sit some place from where front of kit box is view able.
|
J_Star
548 posts
Jul 28, 2006
10:33 AM
|
Huey, Feeding your birds as you stated at night and in the morning is too much. We feed only ones a day every 24 hours duration. When we cut the feed down, we still feed ones every 24 hours. Although some fanciers like to feed the youngsters twice a day after each flight, I found that it is very difficult to have control over the birds after the second flight because they are not very hungry.
When I plan on flying the birds the following morning, I will feed them less the night before. After the first flight in the morning I will only toss a handfull of small seeds just to get the birds to trap in quickly. Adter the second flight during the course of the day, that is when I feed them their true portion of their normal feed.
Doing so as I stated above, will allways keep the birds on the hungry side to listen to my command to trap in and not to hang around for quite sometimes before deciding to come in.
I don't think the water hose will cause an electricution, otherwise, every times it rains we need to worry about the birds boxes and the loft situated beneeth the wires. I use the water hose regurally when I have simmiler situation where the birds just want to hang arround the wires. Also, I have an extended pole, used to be for cleaning the pool, which I taped a plastic bag at the end of it and I use it from time to time to flag the birds off of the wires. It works good when it is done with quickness and spook the birds, otherwise, they don't give a hoot since it is not long enough to reach them.
Remember, when a hibit is set with the birds, it is very difficult to break it.
Jay
Last Edited by J_Star on Jul 28, 2006 11:27 AM
|
Huey
5 posts
Jul 28, 2006
12:39 PM
|
I wasn't sure if it was good to feed them just once a day at six weeks of age. Not real sure they should even be flying much at that age.
I have a long cane pole. Will tie a flag to it and give it a try.
I'll cut their feed to once a day.
Thanks for the advice.
|
J_Star
549 posts
Jul 28, 2006
12:48 PM
|
At six weeks of age, the customery procedure is when we feed them the second time, we give them all they can eat and then take the tray out when they are full. But still are fed onse a day. For the first fly just trap them with the minimal amount of feed just to get tem to trap without feeding them after trapping. Try it and see how it works for you.
Jay
|
Huey
6 posts
Jul 28, 2006
2:12 PM
|
I am flying them at 6:30am and 6:30pm. I didn't know if by first fly second fly you were thinking of flying them like twice in the morning and hour or so a apart. just a couple hours apart.
I will do the all you can eat once a day in the afternoon and just a handfull in the morning.
Thanks
|
Velo99
566 posts
Jul 28, 2006
3:40 PM
|
Huey,
Step two in breaking the wire habit would be to box them up and release them from a different location. Like across the street from your house.This gives them a different perception of their "home". You can do this increasing the distance gradually till they stop going directly to the wire.
Feel the crop before you let them out. They should be empty or close to it. Feed is the biggest control you have,use it properly and everything will be lovely. Squeaks,like kids, always think they are hungry. If they are used to getting a lot of food they will act like they are starving even when they have food in the crop.The crop won`t lie, but the squeaks will.
Good Luck
----------
If they don`t kit,they don`t score.
Color don`t roll and peds don`t fly.
It`s a comp thing,understand?
V99
|
Double D
262 posts
Jul 29, 2006
9:41 PM
|
Huey,
My backyard where my loft and kit boxes are is absolutely surrounded by numerous powerlines, telephone wires, etc. and there isn't too much that makes me more frustrated than birds that land on the wires. In my experience, once they start, they don't stop and pretty soon they're landing on wires a half a block away where I can't just stroll into the owner's yard and start throwing stuff at the birds. I culled one with a 22 rifle because he started doing it and was leading others to do it and would sit there for hours. I won't tolerate it. As has been mentioned, feed has been the key for me. I keep them extremely hungry if I have to until they forget about the wires.
Now, I rarely have a problem, even with all the wires around my loft. Occasionally, a young bird just learning to fly will attempt to land on one and just about the time that they do, I'll clap as loudly as I can and that seems to spook them and they turn and land on the loft instead. If one actually makes it to landing on the wire, I also employ the garden hose and find that it works very well. If you keep them hungry enough, and you let them sit out on the kit box alot before they can fly so that when they start taking their little loops around the yard they come back to the kit box or loft, then I found that I never have any problems with the powerlines. I allow my birds to land on my roof because my loft and kit boxes sit right next to my house but other than my roof or the loft and kit box roof, I don't allow them to land anywhere else.
Like a said, I don't have problems anymore and with all the wires around my house, that's saying something. Be persistent and cut the feed way back if you have to. They'll come around. Good Luck!
----------
Darin Olson
Checkerboard Lofts
|
Newflyer
65 posts
Aug 07, 2006
3:42 PM
|
HI Huey.....Glad to have you aboard.And like all the guys have mentioned about the feeding. I fly my birds twice aday too.But for the first feeding I only give them about 2 tbl spoons of feed, 1 milo and 1 wheat for 10 birds. Just enough to let them know that they will get feed after they fly. Then, the second fly ,after they come in they get FULL ration. Which is 1tbl spoon per bird.Don't OVER feed. And first and foremost be PATIENT. Hope this might help with your situation.
Fly HIgh and Roll On
Paul
|
katyroller
44 posts
Aug 13, 2006
8:42 PM
|
Huey, As stated the key is food. My situation is not power lines but roofs, mine and the neighbors. My birds spend alot of time on the kit box before they can fly so they know where they are allowed to sit. I will allow a young bird to land on a house roof for a minute or two but any longer and the feed gets cut back. I find once they learn they will be fed as soon as they trap, they won't waste any time landing on house roofs and looking around before trapping. Good Luck!
|
Huey
12 posts
Aug 14, 2006
8:52 AM
|
I think I made too many mistakes on the first round. They quit the power line, flew till they were give out, started landed in a Pine tree. I threw tennis balls with a slag shot till they were desensitize to tennis balls, then barked them with a .22 till they were desensitized to it. I tried food. I couldn't cut the food enough to break them from sitting in the tree. They just quit flying and would sit in the tree. I feed them back up and they would fly five minutes then sit in the tree.
I kcull them. I have 7 four week old birds in the kit box I read the book I got from Tony. I hope to do better with these.
I looked at my records. The last 8 were only 8 weeks old. At 6 weeks I was trying to make them fly 20 minutes. I think I expected to much to fast.
My plan for these is one week all you can eat, one week sitting on the top of the kit box and trapping in with controled food, one week of open door, more control on food, then one week flagging up.
|